Customer Reviews

Buddha Bar

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is the debut entry of the "Buddha-Bar" series, and considering that it was released back in 1999, the material still sounds remarkably fresh. A co-worker of mine recommended the Buddha-Bar series since she knows I'm really into downtempo music with a touch of Eastern flavor. When I approached this set, the first thing that grabbed me was the rather steep pricetag, which seems to be putting off quite a few listeners. But the deal is this: "Buddha-Bar" is recommended depending on who you are. If you're a casual listener who buys maybe 3-5 CDs a year, then this may not be a wise purchase. However, if you're a music lover who has an extensive and diverse range of genres in your collection, then I don't see how forking out the extra cash should be that big a deal. The fact is: the material on this album is very good. In this handsomely-packaged collection, we have two discs: "Buddha's Dinner" and "Buddha's Party." The stronger of these two discs is definitely the "Dinner" one, which has mellowed-out tracks that really give off a sense of calm. My favorite track has to be the lovely "What Will I Be" by Zeave Ben. It's one of those tunes that stayed imprinted in my head because the song is so distinct and beautifully arranged. The "Party" disc has slightly less of an Eastern vibe, but has a fair amount of really good dance tunes that are decent enough for any party. The main attractions here are the Eurodisco bounce of So Emotional, who does a cover of the hit "All By Myself" as well as Byron Stingily's "Flying High," which gets a Brazilian makeover by DJs Masters at Work. While not quite flawless, I'm overall pleased with "Buddha-Bar," and I hope to explore other volumes of this fine series.

Buddha Bar....Claude Challe....Legendary !!!
When Claude Challe lent his mixing talent to Buddha Bar, something special happened. Buddha Bar is the posh restaurant/club in the financial district of Paris, owned by none other than Johnny Depp, brought to life by the likes of George Visan and DJ'd by Ravin, the Jr David Visan and of course, Claude Challe.

Claude Challe has a reputation for excellence, whether as 'the man with the golden shears' as a 19 year old Parisian in his own salon, or as a free spirit, travelling the near East and India, and as a musical genius.

The arrangements Claude Challe has compiled here are breathtaking. Indeed, "Buddha Bar" may yet become it's own genre. People have tried, but cannot find an appropriate moniker for his work. Among the genre names that don't quite fit are electronica, dance, world, ambient, but Buddha Bar serves best.

He creates a mood. Slow and sensual early on, to more upbeat further in. But the total package is inimitable.

Danceable, and imminently listenable, this listeners advice is to hear this CD and continue with Claude Challe's solo compilations and get all the Buddha Bar's out there !!

I'd also recommend going to Paris to visit the actual Buddha Bar, as well as Barrio Latino, but the sound systems at each simply do not do the music justice. But for cool destinations, they absolutely can't be beat.

Cheers ! Monty and Amber Overson, San Jose, California.

Claude is a visionary and his compilation CD's Buddha Bar Party and Buddha Bar II Dinner tells his story. He definitely has an ear for music. I picked these CD's up at the Buddha Bar in Paris and spoke to Claude as well. He told me some really cool CD's to pick up and I must say that any recommendation from him has been some of my best CD buys ever! Buddha Bar is a MUST BUY!

I had the pleasure of visiting the Buddha Bar in Paris last summer and just loved the atmosphere. What made the atmosphere just right was the international, funky, ambient music being played in the background. This was fitting music for the diverse crowd, which frequents the club. I was pleased to find out that Claude Challe had released 2 compilations of the music of the Buddha Bar. Both compilations have a dinner and a dance cd. The dinner is more laid back and relaxing. The dance is pretty funky but still excellent for background music. These cds have exposed me to some of the featured artist. Everyone who heard me play these cds at some of my social gatherings has inquired about them. As a music collector of over 2,000 cds, these cds are definitely in my top 50. So if you are into the ambient, international, jazzy, funky mood. Even though pricey (in the States), these cds are a must buy. By the way Claude Challe has another cd called "Nirvana Lounge" which is also worth checking out.

I just back from Paris, May-2000, I bought this CD from a recomendation of a friend in Rome, both CD's are fantastic, it is truly sad we do not listen to this type of music more in the US. Congratulations on GREAT MUSIC and AMBIANCE! I prferred Buddha Dinner but Buddha Party is great too!

It is rare for me to get into a series of compilations that leaves me breathless because the music is simply incredible. The Buddha Bar series really changed my life when last year I bought "Buddha Bar V" on a whim. I was so taken by the Asian-influence in the music I heard through out the two cd disc. There were none of the same old songs that I kept finding on other chill out compilations. The Buddha Bar series really raised the bar on chill out music with the quality in songs the djs picked out. Normally I refuse to pay anything more than $20 for a cd but I will make an exception with the Buddha Bar cds. The quality is too good to pay any attention to the price tag.

I stopped by my favorite record store this afternoon after an afternoon matinee of "Dogville". I was going to buy two other cds but the moment i saw last year's re-issue of the first "Buddha Bar" cd, I put those cds aside and grabbed the "Buddha Bar" cd immediately. Parisian dj Claude Challe begins the music nirvana that I know of as my favorite chill out series. Just like the other Buddha Bar cds, there are two discs. One is labeled as the dinner disc which contains laid-back, mellow music while disc two is the party disc which contains dance tracks. I especially loved the Party cd. I loved the remix of Faithless' "Drifting Away", Malik Adouane's "Shaft", and the cheesy So Emotional cover of Celine Dion's "All By Myself". Both cds were a good mix of modern and traditional Asian/Indian dance music which reminded me of Ravin, who mixed the latest Buddha Bar cd. Claude, Dave, and Ravin are all different. I have enjoyed all their work on the Buddha Bar/Chill Out in Paris/Siddharta series. They are all excellent djs. It was great to hear the original dj of the Buddha Bar cds. I have yet to hear a Buddha Bar cd that I didn't like.

This album is simply faantastic ... the sound, the feel, the beats - everything is so pure and very "trendy" with its mix between pure Frech house/dub and arabic samples. If you will never actually visit Buddah Bar this is a nice alternative ... just put this album on and close your eyes and you will be dancing through the parisian night ....

This is a wonderful mix Cd that you can have playing in the background all day long. An amazing mix of asian, arabic, instrumentals, dance. I love it (along with Claude Challe's other CDs). It is well worth the high price.

I am going to preface this review with the two things I was fortunate to experience with this CD. First, I was able to purchase this CD for $20 because it was used. Secondly, the CD had a constant skip on disc 1 from tracks 11 on, therefore, I was able to return the CD to my local store and actually exchange it for something else...thank god they did not have another one in stock!!! I was able to listen to this CD for about a week and I gave it a lot of attention and I just could not get into it. I listen to a lot of chill out such as Thievery Corp, Kruder and Dorfmeister, the Del Mar Compilations, Tosca and so forth. With that said, I like a lot of different influences on my chill out whether it's Dub, Jazz, Indian, Bossa Nova, whatever...I'm always down for different sounds. I own the Buddha Bar nature CD and really enjoy it which is why I was really disappointed with this CD. When I purhased this in the store, I was already thinking about which one I would buy next..that is until I started listening to it. There are some good tracks on this CD without a doubt. But overall, it's just not that good and frankly anyone who mixes a friggin disco song like "all by myself" on a chill out CD should be ashamed. I understand that this CD was made in 1999, but Claude Challe was a disappointment. You read all these reviews telling you that it's the definative chill out CD that all others set as a benchmark and that it's legendary. I probably will not buy another Buddha Bar CD again. What's scary is that Challe only mixed the first two and if you notice the reviews on some of the newer ones with Ravin and David Visan, people say they went down hill after Challe stopped after volume 2!!!What are you guys comparing this CD up against??? A good chill out CD should make you feel great and enjoy the whole thing from start to finish. Chances are, you are going to be hitting the remote to change tracks on both of these discs frequently. Maybe, some of the other one's are good, as I have seen some good artists listed on some of the others, but for the price they charge, you may be taking a big gamble if you are not happy with it. Take a look at a CD called Cantoma, mixed by Phil Mison...this is an unbelievable CD. Also, World Dub Pastry is excellent as well as Elemental Chill vols. 1-4. Give the Buddha Bar Nature disc a go..it's at least worth the money, yet not overpriced. If you are going to buy the Buddha Bar vols., I would try to find them used if possible. Good Luck!!!

this 2-cd collection was 'the' music that everyone was listening to. buddha's dinner and buddha's party each have that 'edgy music' quality for the background of your dinner or cocktail party that will keep moods up and exciting, the crowd mixing, and everyone asking what's playing and where did you get it? the french boys all new...its what they're listening to now at home.