Customer Reviews

Cafe Del Mar - Volume 7

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In no way I do not mean wrong here, but this cd is well... First as the person before wrote before Jose Padilla is no longer involved in Cafe del Mar projects, for whatever reason his personal touch is not on this cd. The new dj Bruno has skills in this style, he knows the formula and the mood, but his efforts are far beyond reaching what Padilla built for himself along 6 previous cd's. With the evident up's and down's his compilations went on to be an example of Balearic music worldwide, giving the people who could not afford the Ibiza experience for themselves. His style ended up being copy by greedy corporate people that knew the well deserve success of his compilations. Volumen Two and Five have to be my personal favourites and I would recommend them to newcomers to the series. I mean after 6 times hitting gold the concept has done so much for us, that I guess Padilla himself though it was time to move on. I have no complaints for the Art (which features a summer stylish beach catalogue with a couple of models enjoying the good life with plenty of Sun and Sea) Despite a couple of solid tunes, the fact of incorporating Bush (a well respected Rock band from the U.K) in the form of a mix from dowtempo monsters Nightmares on Wax makes you wonder, why, has Balearic music gone rock? If you are an addict of the Cafe del Mar series then buy this cd, you might actually find something new but if you are starting your collection buy 2,3,4,5,6 instead.

Of all the Cafe Del Mar CDs I have (3,5,6,7 and 8), I enjoy listening to this one the most. Jose Padilla has moved on, but Bruno clearly understands the definition of "chillout".
Lux's opener, Northern Lights, sets the pace, and is followed by a remix Afterlife's Breather 2000. Incidentally, Steve Miller has a hand in both groups, and both reappear on Volume 8. Apart from Northern Lights, Deep & Wide's Easy Rider, and Beautiful Strange by Bedrock are worth mentioning. Among the best tracks is Moby's Whispering Wind, which was later included on the Play b sides. I do not know why it wasn't on Play, because in my opinion, it is better that anything on Play. Nightmares On Wax have done an amazing remix of a song by Bush, Letting The Cables Sleep. Bush are a rock band, similar to Blur and Oasis, but this track fits seamlessly onto the album.
This disc is good after a long day, during an easy day, at any time during the day. You can listen to it, or play it in the background. It's not good if you need some solid music to get your teeth into, but otherwise, it's great.

I'm a huge fan of the entire Cafe del Mar series by Jose Padilla. Volume seven, picked up by DJ Bruno after Padilla decided to call it quits, is a tremendous disappointment. It's dull and forgetable, without the surprising, quirky, personal, evocative, and lyrical qualities of volumes one through six -- and it contains some real jarring selections, to boot. It begins wonderfully, with Lux's "Northern Lights," a piece as haunting and mellisonant as anything in the prior volumes. But then it slides into the kind of selection that deeply mars this volume -- Afterlife's "Breather 2000," one of many pieces that feature breathy, feathery, and totally indistinguishable vocals by female singers whose voices dully float over bland melodies. The CD recovers briefly with the Moby piece (which is wonderful, if a little too familiar) and a beautiful, guitar and strings work by Deep & Wide. Then there is one of a number of gaffes, the selection by Bush, which is drastically out of place here or on any Cafe del Mar CD -- it is reminiscent of a heavy metal band trying to do a perfunctory (and trite) ballad. (Another out-of-place piece is the New Funky Generation selection, a noisy, quick-tempoed, Latin-jazz influenced vocal that is quite mediocre by Latin jazz standards.) UKO's "Sunbeams" reflects another unfortunate trend on the CD, an overemphasis on electronic, space-age-sound-inflected music (which was used sparingly -- but effectively -- on the previous volumes). This is followed by a string of undifferentiated lightweight vocalist-driven pieces. (Again, Padilla used vocal selections only occasionally, as simply one of the many different textures and moods his CD's displayed.) Near the close, "Cahuita" provides a brief recovery, with a cut featuring lovely guitar work and a melancholy melody, before ending with yet another female vocalist, singing truly cringe-worthy lyrics. The occasional inspired choices (Lux, Deep & Wide, Oystein Sevag/Lakki Patey) earns two stars. Otherwise, this is strictly a one-star, run-of-the-mill compilation, an unworthy successor to the extraordinary, original, poetic Cafe del Mar series.

It's kind of funny that downtempo/ambient electronica has been pegged as the "Chicago" of the electronic music world: something with appeal to oldster (30+) such as myself. Well, so what? I really dig most of what's on this CD with the exception of a couple of clumsy tracks. It's like a soundtrack for your everyday life: no car chases, no explosions, just going around town and doing your thing.
I haven't heard any of the others from this collection so I can't attest to it's place inthe product line but if you like this sort of thing, well, you'll like THIS sort of thing. ;)

The things I like about this CD are the same things one reviewer hates: the feminine vocals. The Moby track annoys me because the voice is electronic instead of natural, and I simply hate that. But everyone else seems to like it so don't pay attention to me. Other than that, this CD pretty much rocks, but it did take a few listens before I was competely into it. Tracks 2,5,7,and 10 are my personal faves. All in all, a great chillout CD!

Vol. 7 is my first exploration into the Cafe Del Mar series and what a find it has been. The work compiled on this disc is some of the most gorgeous music being made today. Lush, beautiful melodies and ambient textures transports the listener to exotic climates and solitary sandy beaches similar to what the cover suggests. Each track on this compilation is noteworthy and vital in creating a beautiful aura of ambient/trancelike feelings. An Essential downtempo compilation for anyone's music collection. This is mood music to soothe the mind and soul.

I purchased the 7th edition of this album after visitng Ibiza this past summer. If there is one album that sums the experience and feeling of Ibiza, it is the 7th edition of Cafe Del Mar. The great mixture of synth, soul, and ambient sound make this a great cd to chill out and relax to. Once you listen to this cd you will want to purchase the entire Cafe Del Mar collection.

Almost all the songs are awesome, but the ones that I enjoyed most from this compilation by Cafe Del Mar were "Easy Rider," "Letting The Cables Steep," "Northern Lights," "Swollen" (check our Bent's entire album, 'Programmed to Love') and the incredible acoustic guitar-driven "Cahuita." This album will take you on a trip by the sea, on a sunset and bring peace to your stressed urban soul.

I have had this one for quite a few years now and it is still one of my favorites from the Cafe del mar series. It is an energetic easy listening mix, that facilitates work and surfing. Thumbs up!

It's all cool upbeats from here...ONE WORD...CHILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!