Customer Reviews

Buddha-Bar, Vol. 9

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Ravin continues to amaze me as a DJ starting with his early days on the George V record label. His style continues to evolve from one album to the next and he has delivered yet again. Though Buddha Bar III is still my all time favorite out of the previous 8 albums, I can see myself making this one a close second. Sophisticated mixes with delicate layers laid with artistic flair that only a true artisan can enamor. This series has gathered a lot of fame over the years, and I am really glad that Buddha Bar IX is here to keep that flame alive. Buy this album without an apprehension...pure sonic bliss.

I always find it interesting when people pan these albums, I mean seriously even if it's not your favorite it should get a minimum of 3 stars just for the quality of the music and honestly how can you know in one day if you are going to like it over all. Good music takes time to settle in and establish itself, if you want disposable pop, you are in the wrong place. 1 star would mean a terrible album and this is not that from any angle, like it or not the musicians are all top notch. That being said, this is exactly like versions 1-8 before it, so chances are if you like them you will grow to like this. You may prefer others, but they are all very similar. This one has some hauntingly beautiful music and some thumping chill burners. It's a very good selection for the buddha bar family. Highly recommended although not at $64, you can download it for much less.

I am a long time fan of the series and with each new release, I become more and more wary of purchasing. Let's face it, the rest of the releases were never going to live up to the pure quality of the first three, and logiv would tell you that the pool of quality tunes to choose from dries up faster than the rate at which George V like to try and release two disc lounge masterpieces.

Yet, somehow, Ravin has constructed another gem worthy of the series, while finding time and tracks ample enough to release his own Siddartha compilations on the side. You have to doff your cap to the man.

General impressions first; yes this mix happens to have a more eurocentric feel, and some bashing of it's partial abandonment of World/Asiatic roots is warranted. But then you have to remember the series started as music in a fine Parisian nightclub. If you can accept it for what it is and not forever lament its failings in comparison to its predecessors, the music will grow on you. What's more, the abandonment is far from complete; it's just that one area of the world predominates, and this time around, that's Europe.


Disc One begins with a very symphonic, almost Gregorian track. An operatic female alto leads a gorgeous choir and string arrangements into a chill beat... i was instantly hooked after i heard this tune. The second introduces a bit of the familiar Asiatic theme with one of the many excellent tracks by lounge masters Mystic Diversions, which then gives way seamlessly to the awesomely hypnotic, seductive tune "Sleep" by Amanaska, my favorite of Buddha Bar IX. The next track, by Hess is More, divides opinion. When you first hear the male voice on "Yes Boss," it's not at all pleasing, and jars you out of the sonic groove set by "Sleep." But for me, with the sweet female voice and the even sweeter bass line, the tune redeems itself and it's quirkiness makes it one of the highlights. Koop's track is the last in the series of amazing tunes to open disc one, and it's a delightful French flavored trip hoppy number with some cool vocal parallels to "Yes Boss."

After these opening five, the quality drops a bit, but remains pleasant throughout. Another quirky track, "I Know Jayne" makes things interesting, and this ambient take on trance producer York's "Iceflowers" is another beauty.

Disc two is not as solid as the first, but even from the halcyon days of I, I have always preferred 'Buddha's Dinner' to 'Buddha's Party.' It starts well with a pleasant Sunset Blvd track, but quickly deteriorates into some measure of monotony and what are, for me, irritating little samples. There is an excellent if minimal remix from prog-house guru Trentemoller early on, and trance producers Blank & Jones bring quality with a chillout mix of "Loneliness." All in all, it's not bad music but you do wish there was more consistency. Disc two feels like it wants to be a full on, genuine chill-house mix, but is deprived of the fluidity that beatmatching would have brought. The result is a bit fragmented and you get the feel Ravin was stuck in two minds on this one.

So there you have it! I would rank IX well above V and VI, probably a little better than VII, and just below the untouchable I, II, and III. The bottom line is that this is a quality album if you're a fan of the series and it is well worth the purchase.

I've always loved buddha bar cd's but this one is definitely wonderful! Some may say that it's even a little different from previous ones because it seems to have a little more dance tracks than others but the mixing of real slow and more upbeat songs is incredible.The final three songs of the second cd are simply perfect!

I dunno...I feel this to be better than VIII, which is a good thing. While I could have done without the opening track on disc 1, the rest of this disc is easy enough to listen to. Disc 2 is the clincher, much more like the BB of old. Wonder what #10 will be like? And what's up with the packaging, just about everyone of these volumes has this problem with the disc trays coming unglued from the box, with Vol IX no different.

Buddha Bar 9 is chilled out nicely, and does justice to the atmospheres of the actual restaurants. I rarely write reviews, but the others were too negative. I'm listening right now and I think the track selection and overall feel is amazing. I don't think the soundbites did it justice. A CD like this is a bridge to my other favorite genre: progressive trance. Several of the songs could practically be on Coldharbour.

Personally I think 6 was the 1st knockout, and 7 was an impressive evolution in sound that still kept the stereo full of rich HI-FI. 8 sucked and most of the earlier ones did too (IMO), but this CD makes me want to twist one up. Ravin is the Truth.

Having listened to all the previous volumes of Buddha Bar, this one is definitely one of the best. Using both domestic and international flavors, combined with hints of familiarity, DJ Ravin Strings together a rich mix of chilled beats on CD1 (Royal Victoria) followed by a more uptempo CD2 (Baron's Court) that is perfectly suitable for having a drink or two at a sophisticated party. Warning: This album requires mature listeners to appreciate the full range of music contained here (mentally mature, not necessarily defined by number of years old, and I say this even though I am only 20, but I find many younger people are unable to appreciate the extreme level of brilliance contained within).

Bottom Line: if you like a good beat, other cultures, or just want to create a great lounge atmosphere, check this stuff out!

When I first read the dismal reviews of this disc, I was wary about buying it. But since I had all the others, I thought...OK...why not.
Guess what? It really wasn't bad. All Buddha Bar volumes are different and special in their own way. (To be honest, I had to strain to like volume 5.)
But this one has a more European flavor than the Far East flavor of some of the others. I liked it immediately.
I should add that I like it in the context that I bought it for. That is playing it on my nice patio sound system, on a warm summer night,with low voltage lights in the yard, with water fountains splashing quietly, and drinking a beer with a few friends.You could easily imagine you were in a lounge in Europe.

ok, so this buddha-bar is not the same as the early ones. But that is the point of revival. In my mind this is one of the best. But that should not matter to you. here is what should. The songs on the album are very much more electronic than world and exotic which we are used to from buddha-bar collection. there are many seductive and dreamy elements to many of the tracks. Particularly on the first CD. Ravin incoporates girls voices especially singing in english with a dreamy attitude, you could almost see the picture of how the girls lips seperate as she is about to sing. The songs seem more sexually inviting and an offerance to flirting than the exotic charm of the past that buddha-bar is known for. But you need to understand why the change has occured. A new buddha-bar is opening in London (hence the color Purple) so they wanted to move away from what is in paris. Not to say that one is better than other just a difference in perception.

ciao

This album was my introduction into the Buddha-Bar series and I must say that I'm pretty pleased with it. We heard it at a Morrocan restaurant in France and I fell in love right there. I *had* to have it. Luckily, the local Fnac had it and several of its sibling Buddha-Bars available. We settled for just this one.

I'll be frank: I don't like the second CD. Maybe it just hasn't grown on me yet, but I feel like the best of this album is all on the first disc. My review, then, is half-complete at best but I think it fair to say that I am happy enough with that half that I would have gladly paid the same price for just that single disc as opposed to the whole set.

What I do like is the range of styles offered up to the listener. For the most part it is all very mellow and tranquil, almost new-agey: there are a plethora of strings and wind instruments as well as a mix of electronic elements to keep things hip.

All in all, I find it to be excellent lounging music. Read a book with Buddha-Bar IX, do some driving and fight that road rage! Most of all, enjoy it - maybe you will find this the first of many Buddha-Bar purchases to come.

Personal Favorites (Disc 1):
* Track 1: Sospiro
* Track 5: Koop Island Blues
* Track 8: Heart Beat of Life
* Track 3: Sleep
* Track 14: Fragment Two... The First Picture

Least Favorite (Disc 1):
* Track 4: Yes Boss
* Track 7: Wood Street - something about the piano bothers me. Too much reverb?