Customer Reviews

Pure Chill Out

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

 

 

I first heard Pure Chill Out while chilling out at a major bookstore. Some of the songs, mainly, Always, by Bent, caught my attention. Then, other songs from this album popped up and then I was hooked. I left the store without buying an books, and I straight went home and logged on to Amazon.Com... This album has a great mix of really, mealow ambient songs and some very still-danceable songs too. You know, when you're sitting down, but you move side to side or up and down. I enjoy hip hop, jazz, and dance, and this is like an infusion of good beats, well-made melodies, and fast and slow songs. It also takes me to different cultures and heightens my imagination much like the album Moroccan Spirit. Get this album if you like mealow-dancey-true artist written music. (It's not techno.) Very good danceable tracks are Bent's "Always", and Fila Brazilla's "A Zed & @ L's". Other very commendable ambient, well written songs are "Stars", by Nightmare on Wax, "Opium" by Moodswings, "THe Orbiting Beatnik" by Julee Cruise, "Enchanted" by Delerium. The producers should have left "I Miss You" by Julia Messenger,"Gloomy Sunday" by Heather Nova in the cutting room floor. Buy this when you can. You'll listen to it over and over.

Right, it's time to raise the bar on chill out music. Labels may proclaim some of these discs are designed for the casual listener, but packing the same names time and again reeks of a quick cash in. Moby, Bent, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Nightmares on Wax, Fila Brazillia, all tried and certifiable, or shall we say bankable.

As for the rest, expect the usual mix of slow beats and airy female vocals. Cleverly done at times, with Julie Cruise's whispering "The Orbiting Beatnik," though Afterlife leave the biggest impression on their mixture of chanteuse, faint sax with piano, and slow bongos on "Makes Me Feel." Heather Nova's sweeping "Gloomy Sunday" has the lifting orchestration and delivery plucked straight from a stage musical, a fresh idea rarely heard in dance.

On the downside, Julie Messenger's "I Miss You" is the typical sullen woman with piano accompaniment, Delerium's fey "Enchanted" struggles to mesh all it's new age sounds with girlie chanting, and Waldeck's "Aquarius" is little more than a cover curiosity.

Meaning, Pure Chill Out is relaxing and varied and bland enough to be one more of the chillout market releases you can easily live with or without this month, and it's a safe decision either way.

Right, it's time to raise the bar on chill out music. Labels may proclaim some of these discs are designed for the casual listener, but packing the same names time and again reeks of a quick cash in. Moby, Bent, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Nightmares on Wax, Fila Brazillia, all tried and certifiable, or shall we say bankable.

As for the rest, expect the usual mix of slow beats and airy female vocals. Cleverly done at times, with Julie Cruise's whispering "The Orbiting Beatnik," though Afterlife leave the biggest impression on their mixture of chanteuse, faint sax with piano, and slow bongos on "Makes Me Feel." Heather Nova's sweeping "Gloomy Sunday" has the lifting orchestration and delivery plucked straight from a stage musical, a fresh idea rarely heard in dance.

On the downside, Julie Messenger's "I Miss You" is the typical sullen woman with piano accompaniment, Delerium's fey "Enchanted" struggles to mesh all it's new age sounds with girlie chanting, and Waldeck's "Aquarius" is little more than a cover curiosity.

Meaning, Pure Chill Out is relaxing and varied and bland enough to be one more of the chillout market releases you can easily live with or without this month, and it's a safe decision either way.

Being an avid fan of chill out music and always in search of a good chill out album, I was intrigued by "Pure Chill Out" when I saw a commercial for the album on television awhile back. When I checked out the tracks, I was even more intrigued since all of the songs are either relatively new to me or not commonly used on chill out compilations. The people who put this album together could have easily slapped Delerium's "Silence", Moby's "Porcelain", and Bent's "Swollen" on this album as opposed to using "Enchanted", "Rushing", and "Always". They get high marks alone for not using a bunch of played out songs and putting together another generic chill out album to bore me to tears with. And believe me that I am so tired of seeing record companies copy one another and put together the same ol' compilation but with a different title. The tracks selected for this album flow very nicely together, giving the atmosphere of the album a calm and soothing sensation. I just absolutely adored the tracks by Julia Messenger, Nitin Sawhney, and Heather Nova in particular. I really enjoyed Julia Messenger's "I Miss You" a whole lot. She does remind me a lot of Dido but with a more trip hop/ambient beat. I really did think that the people at Water Music did an outstanding job when they put together this compilation. It isn't as predictable and insipid as the Ultra Chilled albums are, well the second volume that is. Definitely a must have for chill out fans.

Right, it's time to raise the bar on chill out music. Labels may proclaim some of these discs are designed for the casual listener, but packing the same names time and again reeks of a quick cash in. Moby, Bent, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Nightmares on Wax, Fila Brazillia, all tried and certifiable, or shall we say bankable.

As for the rest, expect the usual mix of slow beats and airy female vocals. Cleverly done at times, with Julie Cruise's whispering "The Orbiting Beatnik," though Afterlife leave the biggest impression on their mixture of chanteuse, faint sax with piano, and slow bongos on "Makes Me Feel." Heather Nova's sweeping "Gloomy Sunday" has the lifting orchestration and delivery plucked straight from a stage musical, a fresh idea rarely heard in dance.

On the downside, Julie Messenger's "I Miss You" is the typical sullen woman with piano accompaniment, Delerium's fey "Enchanted" struggles to mesh all it's new age sounds with girlie chanting, and Waldeck's "Aquarius" is little more than a cover curiosity.

Meaning, Pure Chill Out is relaxing and varied and bland enough to be one more of the chillout market releases you can easily live with or without this month, and it's a safe decision either way.

Airy voices, poetic lyrics, distorted beats... Perfect!

Really great songs. Work for passion mood too. They surprised me a little because some songs are from the middle 90's. Chill out music is somehow old but only from the 2000's (I believe) most of the people started listening.

This cd has been around for a long time and it's a great collection of classics. To this day, it is my favorite ambient-style cd to work to, and I've listened to many.

'Pure Chill Out' Volume 1 is full of down tempo, new age, easy listening songs by 17 different artists all accomplished in their own right. The album gets off with one of the best new age artists Moby with 'Rushing' that is a great opener for the album. However 'Makes Me Feel' by Afterlife and 'Always' by Bent are my two favourites with the right mix of new age and vocals.

To say this music is soothing and calming is an understatement - it is much more. Songs like 'Enchanted' by Delerium if you close your eyes and let the song take you on a sojourn into a forest - it is refreshing. 'Stars' by Nightmares on Wax is also a song with a nice ambient feel. Easy listening at its core and best.

The entire album is listenable with 'Edge Of Forever' by Phobos having a enlightening 'spacy' context about it.

I look forward to getting Volume 2 in short order.

This is some relaxing stuff. It's like electronic chamber music. It's great for days alone at home, bathing, driving, walking on a treadmill. It's just good all-around background music. It makes everything chill.

Rushing sets the mood from the start with thick ambience. The second track is decent. Bent's Always is a classic. There is some serious funk in action on this track. When I hear it I feel like I should be dancing through Times Square on an 80's New Year's eve. Breathing Light is the best track on the album. This really is pure chillout. Give me a cd full of songs just like this and I'll be in heaven. Gloomy Sunday is a classic sweeper with a sweet aftertaste; great vocal track by Heather Nova. Opium 45 is fantastic. It's the trippiest track on the album. Tracks 14 and 15 are also pretty good. The stuff I didn't say much about is decent.

This is my first chillout purchase and I'm satisfied with it.