Customer Reviews

Buddha Cafe

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

 

 

Consistancy is the Key to this alblum. I have not bought a Buddha Bar CD simply because whenever I hear it, it fluctuates your moods. Buddha Cafe is untouchable in its musical engineering and track composition. Every song sets you up for the next, and there's very litle silence on this alblum. I have had it for 2 weeks and heard more than 14 times. I reccomend this alblum to ANYONE. My 2 favorite tracks are 4)Ikarus- Secrets of Tantra and 8)Omar Faruk Tekbilek - Forbidden Love (Govinda Mix)Buy it and you'll understand.

Great for chillin' out, Buddha Café is an eclectic mix of ethno-grooves and East meets West electronica. This CD compilation features 10 songs from various IntenCity artists with a run time of 56:61.

1. Karma Shabda by No Noise - The Enigma-like song showcases a gentle, insistent beat, spacey synths, and feathery percussion. Caribbean dialect pepper this song with spoken words like "What is right and what is wrong?", "Karma", and "In an ocean of joy".

2. Static Apparition by Govinda - Soul-funk electronica, synth wah-wah, and spiraling didgeridoo accompanies flavors of Eastern ecstasy. Interspersed through the down-groove are sounds of immersive bubbling.

3. New Day Rising by Lotus - "I can see what's on your mind, you're not telling me the truth, that you're leaving me behind, without a trace of you. There's a new day rising...rising, rising without you...rising..." Silky female vocals coupled with a relaxing dance beat.

4. Secrets of Tantra by Ikarus - Electro ethno-grooves with Eastern vocal accents escalate up, down and around to an exotic beat.

5. Bolo Hari (Dharma Dogz Remix) by Prem Joshua - Beautiful piano electronica hints at Tibet, African and India as its rolling current sweeps through the café.

6. Just a Love by Masala - Jazzy sounds of soaring piano and wooden flutes underscored by a muted background of mellow dance rhythm.

7. Ocean of Joy by Ikarus - Transcendent, catchy, and pulsating, ethno-grooves mixed with lilting vocals.

8. Forbidden Love (Govinda remix) by Omar Faruk Tekbilek - Female voices used as instruments evoke a Turkish flavor in this otherworldly tune.

9. Elixir for Sunsets by Phobos - Dreamy vocals, ethereal synths, and transcendent, hypnotic rhythms. One of my favorite songs on the CD!

10. Star Gazer (Phobos Remix) by The Spirit Level - Majestic feel of liquid sitars and a caravan of lush melodies embodies this song. Excellent "feel good" song evoking feelings of hopefulness and optimism.

11. Eastern Girl by Waterborne - Deep bass grooves, pulsating beats, and ethereal synths interlace with words in a foreign tongue. Another favorite of mine!

12. Vittorio Square by Upanishad - Bongo beats, catchy piano, haunting female vocals, and an uplifting melody. What more can you ask for?

Buddha Café is an interesting compilation CD. Check it out, and chill out.

I will be the first to admit that when i first heard this cd i was not expecting greatness or an incredible sound or collection, after being spoiled by the Buddha Bars for so many years. I can honestly say that when i play this cd it just kicks butt! A great collection of world style grooves and electronica make this more of a consistent cd rather than all over the place leaving me diappointed like so many other cd's that have tried to do what Buddha Cafe successfully does. Listening to this cd over and over seems to be the right dose of grooves and worldbeats for me. This cd is not going to be leaving my stereo for a long time.

The selection on this CD is far superior to the Buddha Bar offerings. I have been inside a Buddha Bar, the one in Paris actually, and I like the atmosphere, but the tracks on the CDs usually vary too greatly for one listening experience. Yet, that is precisely where Buddha Cafe shines.

You can listen to this CD from start to finish, over and over again. I drive with this one on the iPhone, listen while I write articles at [...], and even while the family cleans the house... This is a great selection of tunes.

It might also be the only offering in this genre to offer something close to Dharma as well...

Namaste,

Matt

To be sure, there are some excellent tracks on this CD collection, but overall i did find it a bit more "clubby" than expected. If you REALLY want to chill out and appreciate truly exceptional production, nothing i've found has topped Zero 7's Simple Things. Or if you REALLY want the ultimate in relaxing chillout, check out some of Brian Eno's ambient collection such as Ambient 1: Music for Airports or Thursday Afternoon -- unique and groundbreaking stuff.

Ok the last review said it all
its there all there
great cd
thank god for buddha
Ther is originality out there

Buddha Caf? is yet another excellent release from the Intent City record label and compiles twelve beautiful tracks onto one CD. The album cover does a great job at portraying the mood of the collection with the feel being a mix of electronic, New Age, and world fusion. Out of all of the New Age compilations available to date, I would have to say that this and "Spiritual Chillout" rank as my favorites as of writing this review.

"Karma Shabda" by No Noise opens this heavenly journey with electronicly amplified jazz keyboards before becoming a serene jazzy song with R&B rhythms, a caf?-like mood and a beautiful chage between the major and minor notes in the track. It then goes from just beautiful to entrancing when a spacey ambience comes in along with spoken voice with the "Ocean of Joy", "what is right and what is wrong". This actually reminds me of the similar feel I felt when I first listened to "Elevation 4" a few years back. "Karma Shabda" almost is like an echo of "Elevation 4".

"Static Apparition" by Govinda is one of the strangest songs on this collection. It starts with a jazz-like symbol before becoming an exotic groovy song with an eerie melody backed by incredible didgeridoo playing. A very strange-electronic bubble sound effect also echoes throughout the track. It even almost sounds like something I'd hear from a video game.

"New Day Rising" by Lotus is one of my favorite songs on this CD. It starts with a beautiful hazy evening melody and a beautiful vocal before culminating in an energetic song with a haunting 12-string guitar and jazzy rhythm. I think the lyrics are excellent and makes this song even more enjoyable. Fabulous job Lotus!

"Secrets of Tantra" is more pop-like with a bluesier sound but is yet another really pleasant track.

"Bolo Hari" by Prem Joshua perfectly follows "Secrets" and a strange mix of jazz, world and lounge-like R&B elements combine to form a stunning, spiraling song with a very unique rhythm.

"Bolo" however is followed by what is possibly my favorite track on this entire CD entitled "Just A Love" by Masala. The restaurant voices of the previous track gradually unmask a relaxing dance beat that eventually blossoms into a beautiful, haunting track with a beautiful flute, excellent piano playing and an eerie, hazy evening atmosphere. The combination results in an excellent song for dancing on a summer evening at a picnic. I don't know what it is but first hearing this song literally hit the spot for me. As the beats fade down, the eerie melody keeps going and merges into the next track. It's length of nearly 7 minutes also allows one to really enjoy it longer as well.

"Oceans of Joy" by Ikarus is very different from "Secrets of Tantra" and is actually better as well with beautiful flutes and a haunting vocal chant in the background. But like it's predecessor "Secrets", this song does suffer from a short length.

"Forbidden Love" by Omar Faruk (actually remixed by Govinda) is a very weird but entrancing song with an exotic Central Asian atmosphere backed by a strong powerful vocal in a foreign language that I currently cannot translate as of writing this review but that's what makes this song even more interesting to listen to. The song has a strange urban mood as well with it's strong electronica. "Forbidden Love" also has some interesting chord structures as well.

"Elixir For Sunsets" by Phobos is a really joyful song with a bright sunset summer afternoon feel.

"Eastern Girl" by Waterbone took me by storm with it's very odd Tibetan mix of echoing chants and a strong New Age rhythm that I had never heard before. The combination of exotic drums and rhythms along with a very ethereal atmosphere results in a stunning track that is already becoming a classic in my book. Though warranting a separate review, please check out "Tibet" by Waterbone. It's an incredible CD!

The journey through Buddha Caf? concludes with the stunningly beautiful closer entitled "Vitterio Square" by Upanishad. The song begins with a haunting ambient New Age intro, and an exotic percussion which all of the sounds converge with pop-jazz styles to form a stunningly beautiful closer reminiscent of "Elevation 4" and "Earthtone Collection Two" from years ago.

After a fun visit to the fun Buddha Bar in London, I bought this CD, just for fun, to remember good times. But then I started listening.

This is an amazing CD, one of the few I've heard in a long time where there is an obvious commitment to creating a consistent groove throughout. And then I REALLY started listening: to the musicianship, the beautiful compositions, the sassy East/West ironicized attitude (so beautiful and charming and superficial yet deep). I just can't keep this off my 5.1 surround system, even while I'm working - I don't find it distracting, I find it inspiring, and when I'm done working, I dance to it. My favorites:

Static apparition (Govinda) ... mysterious, funky, infectious beat, bubbly sounds, hopeful pauses, Eastern Girl like little funky speakers on the streets of Bombay, crying love and laughter, mr. talking wah-wah is going to tell you how it is -- and you don't know, do you? Near the end of all, harmonic programmed chromatic infundibula warps you away. You end in bubbles, and beat. Ohmigod, do it again.

New Day Rising (Lotus) ... Eastern girl introduces Suicide Girl, on her way to Paradise. Potential top 40 here. Tuneful. Singable. Unforgettable. When no one else is looking, you'll be singing this with air guitar. But Eastern girl keeps coming back, reminding Suicide Girl, perhaps, that enlightenment can only come with the cessation of desire.

Elixer for Sunsets (Phobos) ... I'm walking down a side street in Bombay... or is it Madras, or Colombo -- it's 1973, and I hear the film songs from a thousand radios... a vortex seems to open, and I am helpless to keep from falling in, it is rhythmic, and I feel myself dancing... I hear a singing goddess... I'm being offered a magical drink, I realize. Why not? Why not drink it? What have I got to lose? I cannot have her, I realize, but it does not matter. This is a world of magical singing and drumming, it is enough.

Eastern Girl (Waterbone). My top favorite. Sassy, ironic, rhythmic, wonderful, unabashed, in-your-face, no-apologies: I am I, and that's just the way it IS. Just maybe, she's saying, you are missing something. Maybe the whole point. She's talking, are you listening? Well dance then, at least.

I am a born sucker for a good chill out compilation, especially those that incorporates traditional world music (especially Asian & Middle Eastern music) and modern dance beats. George V Records has really spoiled me with its Buddha Bar-related series and has made my expectations of chill out music rather high, and that is because they don't put the same bloody song on every cd they release (unlike the chill out compilations that are released here domestically). I came across "Buddha Cafe" in the used cd bins yesterday. I must admit that the picture of Buddha and the album title itself lured me in. I bought it of course. After listening to the cd, I have to confess that I was not impressed. The music wasn't bad, nor did I think that it was mixed poorly (see the Ultra Chilled series for terrible mixing). The music didn't have the same impact that the "Buddha Bar" and "Chill Out in Paris" series had on me when I first listened to those cds for the very first time. On the more positive side, I did find myself enjoying songs like "New Day Rising" by Lotus and Waterbone's "Eastern Girl". The mixing was done just right. The songs flowed welled as a cohesive unit. Mixing is always important to me because after being exposed to Dave Waxman's horrible mixing skills on the Ultra Chilled series, I need a chill out compilation where the songs flows smoothly. The first time I listened to the cd I wasn't wild about the cd but as I listen to it again, the music is slowly growing on me. I still think that intentcity Records is capitalizing on the popularity of the Buddha Bar series however I can't totally write off this compilation as just another flakey Buddha Bar wannabe. For people who don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a Buddha Bar compilation, "Buddha Cafe" is right up their check book. Good quality world/new age music at an affordable price.

I just picked up a copy of the Buddha Cafe and i must say that with all the hype around this music with Buddha Bar etc..i was not sure what to expect. INCREDIBLE!!! This has got to be one of the best musically tasty cd's i have heard since the first Buddha Bar came out. Every track just flows into the next and the vibe and feel throughout makes me get chills all over. This is the perfect musical companion for doing yoga, chill out while driving and just sexy and sensual for anything fun in the bedroom!! WOW...Great packaging and great artwork as well. This is my pick for the cd of the year in this genre of music. It crosses electronica, world music and new age and fuses them into an experienes of pure blissful grooves.
Time to play loud and get my groove on!!!