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VARIOUS ARTISTS
Paris Lounge (Wegram Electronic)
Reviewed by Rusty Pipes
This is a double CD of very cool modern lounge from Europe, Paris in this case, that came out last spring. There is a newer companion CD called Berlin Lounge, both were made in France.
Modern Lounge? It does sound mostly like small combos built around bass, sax and some keyboards with automated drums and very little guitar. Very modern, very cool stuff. It's definitely a product of city life, borrowing from US urban music and giving it a jazzier take. To call it lounge however is a bit of a misnomer because it implies a certain amount of kitsch. Instead there is a very progressive edge to this stuff. Some tracks have synth bass and more flamboyant keyboards or a small amount of vocal sampling, but when the singers are singing incongruously they usually sound African American, not French. They're usually singing in English, so the album is very easy to relate to. There's just enough French, even a little Chinese in "Chinese Bubbles," to give it a very cosmopolitan feel.
The collection's almost two and a half hours of music and it's full of Parisian artists that I haven't heard of before but it makes me want to check out more. The first CD is dubbed "Paris By Day 12:00PM" and the second obviously enough is "Paris By Night 12:00AM." Paris By Day is noticeably lighter. It has slower beats in general, but in spots it grooves like electronic salsa or bossanova. It tracks all the way through DJ style, just like the Night CD does with more upbeat danceable songs.
On Night the first stand out track for me was "Music and The Rhythm" by Playin 4 The City. I also enjoyed Cam's "Love God and Weed," but the Gotan Project's "Last Tango In Paris" is about the only thing that seems to have a recognizable Paris motif, a bit of electric accordion, aside from the French lyrics of "Le Tourbillion."
No matter, this is a nice album that's very easy on the ears and great to have around unlike a thousand other lame techno or lounge compilations. Kudos to the Paris DJ's who put this together, the mix is as much the star as the tracks.
Track List:
Paris Lounge By Day
Troublemakers - "Hum Hum" * Llorca - "The End" (Hepop Original) * Zimpala - "Doo you Bop" * Sporto Hantes - "Mundo" * Da Taz - "Deepur" * Gotan Project - "Last Tango In Paris" * Emmanuel Santarromana - "Chinese Bubbles" * Stereo Action Unlimited - "Lovelight" * Jeanne Moreau - "Le Tourbillon" * Le Tone - "Bitter Crap" * Cam - "Love, God, Weed" * The Might Bop - "Infrarouge" * Le Peuple De L'Herbe - "PH Theme" * Chateau Flight - "Camping Jazz" * Tommy Hools - Barcelone" * OB.One - "Body Painting" * Flying Pops - "Flying To Frisco" * Czerkinsky - "Natacha"Paris Lounge By Night
Julien Jabre - "Jungle" * Stephane B - "Back To New York" * Next Evidence - "Blowin Drums" * Bill Is Out - "Salsa Poumtchak Yeah" * Playin 4 The City - "Music & The Rhythm" * St. Germain - "My Mama Said" * Daddy Guts Lanciano - "For My Mother" * Reminiscence Quartet - "Inspiration" * Kojak - "Soul Unit" * D.D.D. - "Colors Of My Shy" * Lanoieaude - "Givin My All" * Bomac - "Run To Me" (Deep Edit) * Ginkgo - "A New Life" * Stephane Pompougnac - "PNC Aux Pores" * Karmix - "Khalouni" (Claude Challe & Steeve Remix)
© 2002 - Rusty Pipes