Customer Reviews

Hed Kandi: Serve Chilled

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

 

 

Ignore the so-so reveiw of this album unless you are a DJ with an expensive and extensive CD collection or are a music snob who thinks you are too cool not to make pretentious comments about what SHOULD have been on this CD. Bottom line, it delievers what it promises and it's a great compilation, well worth the import price. I first heard this CD when I was living in Europe three years ago and it has held up for me. I have since ordered a bunch of the hedkandi CD's and have not been disapointed yet. If you're tired of buying albums and only liking one or two songs, or don't have the time to research what to buy, this is the easy way out. And even if you have the time to be really really cool, it's still a decent album...

This is by far the best bargain I've found yet in this category. There is not one bad track on either cd and the music flows effortlessly with no obnoxious tracks to break that perfect buzz. You can press play and walk away with confidence knowing your in for nearly two hours of "the business" This is great conversation/dinner party music as well as those occassions when it's just you and the water bubbling at the bottom of your apperatus. You won't find a better value in the chill category. Especially with Claude Challe bangin' you for 45 beans for his stuff. Enjoy! Peace out!

Released in 1999, "Serve Chilled" is the debut entry of Hed Kandi's chillout series, and it appears to have been cast aside in favor of the more popular "Winter Chill" compilations. As is the case with "Nu Cool," Hed Kandi allowed another quality franchise to die, which is unfortunate because this double disc is easily better than the last two "Winter Chill" compilations combined. I searched extensively for this hard-to-get release, and when I finally found it at a record store in Manhattan, I had to grab it while I had the chance. Disc 1 has some of the more familiar names which includes Thievery Corporation's "Glass Bead Game," Nightmares on Wax's "Les Nuits," and Groove Armada's "Dusk, You and Me." But other standouts include the piano-flavored "Resist" by Outside (featuring Karime Kendra) and "Enchant Me" by the Amalgamation of Soundz. Disc 2, however, is my favorite, featuring mellowed tracks that have a jazzy/Latin feel. "Marching On" by Ballistic Brothers, "Who Do You Love" by Jose Padilla, and "Hudson River Revisited" by Black Science Orchestra all have that cafe/laid back feel that's typical in a chillout compilation. Though released in 1999, the material in this compilation of unmixed downtempo jams is still fresh and makes up one of Hed Kandi's best chillout compilations. A smart alternative to the "Winter Chill" CDs.

This was the first of Hedkandi's "Serve Chilled" series, released back in 1999. It spanned to 3 volumes with the final (and IMO best one) released in 2001. Now, Hedkandi seems to only do "Winter Chill" as their chillout franchise, and focus on Beach House, Disco, etc. What a shame! The most annoying thing about Hedkandi's compilations is the consistency. Like another reviewer stated, they have a lot of room to set the mood but just don't. This is perfectly seen in the first disc, which is very much lagging in consistency adn top tracks. Sometimes it's too slow, or too fast, and then there's a cut here and there where you're left thinking: "What the heck was that?"

But the second CD is much better, as is usually the case with all of Hedkandi's chillout compilations. It mixes a few latin tunes in with Bebel Gilberto and S-Tone Inc. You have a cool Ballistic Brothers cut, and some funky tunes that wind you down with the most notable track being Fourth World's "Silvia" - Brazilian singer Flora Purim is on vocals there.

Hedkandi is cool in that you get the full mixes of tracks, and it's not a mixed dj'd cd. And one thing I do have to give credit for is that some tracks are hardly heard, and they did try to stand-out in a saturated "chill-out" market via the product itself and the packaging. For instance, instead of using the overplayed "Underwater Love" by Smoke City, they used "With You", which is a fantastic tune!

While this one is perhaps a bit old now, there's still some terrific music here and unlike some of the later Winter Chill additions, you don't have the relentless warbling of female vocals - there's variety. I recommend it!

I have been getting deeper and deeper into Ambient music and am DELIGHTED with this CD. It is a double CD - it is the same CD that Amazon has listed as released in 1995 (exact same song line-up) but my CD says 1999 as well, so go figure. Anyway, these are two CDs that you can just leave on and on and chill out in a big way. Not to electronic or trippy - more soul-like, with alot of beautiful female singers. From the liner notes: "we decided to construct a compilation in the spirit of Cafe Del Mar - soulful, atmospheric, and completely laid back . . ." They succeeded. And without any obvious repeats from other ambient collections that I own. Go for it - it is worth it. Both CDs are over 75 min long and not a bad song in the bunch.

I reviewed this one several years ago, and that I've been listening to it so much today should speak volumes for what I think of this release. This is the first Hedkandi Serve Chilled album. Compiled by Mark Doyle, it really was the beginning of a special and long ride that would see another chillout series titled 'Winter Chill'. But this Serve Chilled is the most special to me as I not only remember when I got it, but find myself listening to it at the same time every year. Like right now - so in a way it's my very own 'winter' chill. The format for this one's consistent with all the others - two discs, both un-mixed and full-length tracks.

CD 1 is pretty good on it's own compared to the other chillout series of this time (1999). You've got perennial chillout/downtempo heavy-hitters like Morcheeba with their wonderfully orchestrated "Fear & Love". There's also Nightmares on Wax with a track that'd be woefully over-used, "Les Nuits". There's also a few tracks here that'd make the early rounds of the Hotel Costes series like "To Ulrik M." and "Lizzy's Balloon". Thievery Corporation's song was also a very nice touch.

But disc two is my favorite. Starting out with a terrific track by Jose Padilla, followed up by the moody Afterlife with "Cry", the mood is very much already set for a nice, relaxed, quiet musical journey. This album was where I first heard S-Tone Inc.'s "Ainda Sonhar"... and that song is beautiful. A great bossa beat and it waves in and out of your speakers... amazing that it's actually a bit of an older song! Bebel Gilberto features with the Arling/Cameron version of "Sem Contencao", and you've got several other great songs like Jhelisa's "Freedom from Pity", Ballistic Brother's "Marching On", Smoke City's "With You" and Jazz Vandall's "Beyond My Imagination". But the most special song here was without question, Fourth World's "Silvia". The song is loaded with emotion, as it was the act's (featuring Jose Neto, Flora Purim and her husband Airto Moreira) 'final' song. And this was the first album that I heard it.

I highly recommend this album - if you can still find it. Granted, it is a little older now but it's loaded with great songs, some quality original songs and all full-length and un-mixed. These were the days before the MP3 downloads, etc. (although Napster was just around the corner)... and the packaging was also unique at the time... maybe what pushed me over the edge to buy it. And how much did I love this one? Well, I got it in Vegas in November of 2000 (maybe exactly one week from today!), and upon journeying home forgot it in an airplane... sprinted back to the airplane and got it before the craft was sealed off! Check this one out - the second and third Serve Chilled releases were also very nice but the last two they released in 2006 & 2007 don't hold a candle to Volume 1 or the second & third ones. I'd also recommend, from this time period, The Chillout Mix released by Virgin Records and 'The Chillout Room'. This along with those two, IMO, are superior to any of the quazi-mixed Ministry of Sound albums of that time - although now that these are all pretty rare, price may be an issue.

This collection has a LOT of track room (2 CDs) to get the mood right with, but it doesn't quite rise to the occassion. There's some decent stuff, a few really good tracks, and a lot of cannon fodder.

The problem with a lot of chill-out collections these days is that the genre is still a bit ill-defined; there's a lot of house or trip-hop music with a little latin thrown in to make it "exotic" and it gets labeled "chill-out" or ambient. The genre is fast becoming what "electronica" was in the 80s and early 90s: the genre you put weird stuff in. Unfortunately, a lot of discs suffer from this, and this one is no different in that respect.

There's some genuine good stuff on here: CD 2 #9 Ballistic Brothers "Marching On" CD 1 #6 45 Dip "Lizzie's Balloon" CD 1 #11 Lewis Taylor "Lucky"

...but not enough for you to blow over 20 bucks on just because it's from across the pond. Even when I counted stuff in that was just okay, I ended up with a list of about 9 solid tracks. That's out of 28. That's not good by anyone's count. More focus on chilling or house or latin or SOMETHING, just get the project on the same page next time. I'm not impressed by how big a DJ's collection is, even if it is Hedkandi. I want a solid CD.