Well, I have come to the conclusion that I am going to make it easier for people to be nice who visit chilloutmixes.com. I just took the time to finally make it look reasonably good via a free template (and extensive modding). I have succumb for pretty much begging for money though. I’m going to put Google AdSense (text ads) in the left column soon and already have a PayPal donate button. There is absolutely no requirement to donate, but every cent is appreciated. Because I realize that after someone donates (or even some who chose not to donate) may not want to look at the ads and donate button anymore, there is a link in that column that will disable the ads from showing by setting a cookie on your computer. I appreciate any ad clicks or donations very much.
Also, I am expecting a Clint Mansell cd within the next week that I will review.
Enjoy!
I usually don’t take the time to put together a full review for mixes. This comes because of two reasons. The main one is I promised to post more and am rapidly running out of new music. The other is this one really deserves the recognition.
Cardamar’s latest mix, View from the Rainbow is a great new mix from an obviously talented artist. This is almost 73 minutes of pure chill and awesome tracks. It starts off somewhat mellow with some excellent violins inClint Mansell’s Ghosts Of Things To Come. I found this to be a greatly enthralling track that really got me stuck on the mix. There really is no way I could definitively tell where the tracks change without a lot of trouble, so I can’t even say what grabbed me next. I just knew I was on a fairly chipper experience called this mix. Apparently two of the Torrance tracks are from his up coming album. I can definitely say that I look forward to it based upon the magic that they added in this mix. The only other track that I definitively picked out was “Center of the Sun” by Conjure One. That track is great by itself, but it was worked in very well in the middle of the mix. I was extremely happy to not see it tacked on one of the ends of the mix. Instead it was blended in like only a master craftsman can do. The mix really intruduced Clint Mansell to me. Don’t be surprised to see a review of some of his work up here soon. The track listing is below. Don’t forget that this and other great tracks are available on chilloutmixes.com
For fans of ambient trance and warm melodic vibes. Featuring two tracks from Marco Torrance’s upcoming album, this is another mix you don’t want to miss!
- Clint Mansell - Ghosts Of Things To Come
- Adam Nickey - Perfect Destiny (Ambient Mix)
- Skyscraper - The Hymn 2006 (Update Project Ambient Mix)
- Marco Torrance - Earth Rising
- Marco Torrance - Standard Feelings
- Andy Hunter - Translucent
- Clint Mansell - Ghosts Of A Future Lost
- Conjure One - Center Of The Sun (Solar Stone’s Chillout Remix)
- Clint Mansell - Coney Island Low
- Marco Torrance - Oneirology
- Goaschuld - Diadem
Total playtime: 72 minutes and 48 seconds
News: A new mix has been uploaded on Chillout Mixes called View From The Rainbow mixed by Cardamar. I have not listened to it yet, but you can take a look on chillout mixes for the tracklist or on the release page.
The Passion On Ice EP from Marco Torrance is a free EP released on Cardamar Music. It very much resembles the style of Reconstructed Moments by Torrance. This goes to the extent that I personally was a bit disappointed by the lack of new material. These are not tracks that actually appear on the full cd, but they very well could without feeling out of place. The tracks themselves are not bad nor great. They fall on that line of slightly up beat ambient or downbeat chillout complete with vocals at times. It’s an odd place that doesn’t fit well. Reconstructed Moments does fall into completely ambient frequently while this seems to stay a little farther away when it could do better to. I would say it’s a nice addition to anyone who enjoyed Reconstructed Moments or to determine if you would like to purchase the album. If you didn’t like the full CD, this release is not for you. It is a good release for anyone outside of those categories, but not a must have.
Note: This is a review based on an advanced copy of the album. The differences, as I can tell, are as follows
- The interludes are named iona 1 and iona 2 in my copy (this is assuming they are musically the same)
- “Secret Place” is my track 5, after the first interlude. “Secret Path” is not on the release
- The last 3 tracks of my release are “natural harbor”, “along the 30th parallel” (yes from the itinerary ep), and “enraptured” as opposed to “Secret Place”, a remix of “where there are no roads,” and “Hymn”. I think the last song mentioned were just renamed, but I do not know
- I have not heard the remix of “where there are no roads” or “Secret Path”
Because of this, my review may not be exactly correct, but the beginning should be accurate.
I enjoy S. Zeilenga’s music based on Of Beauty and Mystery and the Itineray EP. It always feels like a well weaved adventure of the senses. This release takes that up a notch. The first track really teases you, making you think that this is an ambient release. It is the second track, “Uncharted Continent,” that really breaks loose and basically floored me. I was so impressed by this track. I personally find that to be my favorite of the entire cd. It really is one of the great adventuring tracks about an explorer who is completely lost in this wilderness. It is organic chill at its best and ever so unique. “In Medias Res,” the next track, is a very nice transition away from this overall majesty into the lower mists of this new land. It is a calmer and more ambient track that feels like a decent into the forest. The first interlude is a nice pause from the action in a kind of chipper way. It reminds me of a bird happily chirping away while you adventure by. *This differs from the cd. My next track is “Secret Place” not “Secret Path”* “Secret Place” is a very beautiful but secluded track that have a very down tempo and gentle feel to it. It seems to tiptoe around the area and peer at all of the wild life and so on. It’s a quite nice track. “Where there are no Roads” comes next and really is a great track. You can hear it on the Zeilenga music video I posted earlier, but I have to say this is my second favorite on the cd. It is rich and powerful while keeping that in the woods feel to it. It really is a journey and somewhat of a trudge through this part of the forest. By the time the adventurer gets to “Constellations,” he must have reached a nicer opening and lie down. This is a much more chipper and tame track of mystery and it seems tiredness. There definitely is anticipation in this ambient track, but it is restrained for now. The track gets even more relaxed towards the middle and Zeilenga’s minimalistic side really shows. It’s not boring as much as very calm. The next interlude starts off with curiosity of what is found and seems to increase to a bit of happiness at the shore, but still some reserve about the future. *This differs from the cd. This is where “Secret Place” normally would be, followed by the remix of “Where there are no roads” and finally “Hymn”* “Natural Harbor” really gives a reserved curious about the water feel. It is a great effect of exploration around this new place. It is somewhat eerie and a bit dark, but still a great track. “Along the 30th Parallel” seems to wander away from this place, but keeps the somewhat reserved, fear-ish feeling. It is much more up beat than the previous couple tracks. “Enraptured” is a pretty lengthy ambient piece that keeps you entertained for about the first half. It starts to become repetitive after that point until it seems to just fade away for the ending. It’s really not a bad track except for its length. The ending could probably be better, but it’s not bad. It does give you a feeling of ending.
Even without knowing the final cd, I would definitely say that this is a must-have for any chillout lover. The cd is outstanding. It definitely is one of my favorites. Don’t forget to get a preorder in if you want a physical cd. You should be able to get a digital release some time later.
News - If anyone watches any of the comments that come into this site, you may have just noticed one mentioning that I have (and have had for quite a while) an advanced copy of “In Medias Res” by Zeilenga but never reviewed it. My reasoning was that I would only review it when the album was going to come out soon. I wouldn’t want to review the album and have anyone forget about it before it’s available. The presale page is up on Cardamar Music saying that the release date is 2007-01-27 and limited to 100 CDs (it will be available digitally through iTunes or something like that). I would say now is a fine time to review that cd, but I want to stay on a darker themed cd today and that tomorrow. If you are waiting for a go or no go to get your pre-order in and are worried about it selling out, let me tell you to go and get one. You won’t be dissatisfied if you agree with my reviews.
The Review:
If you enjoy Stokes normal ambient creations, this cd is NOT for you. This is a dark side to Stokes’ music that I had never seen before this cd. This cd for general style is actually a lot like the Budha Building cd I reviewed Tuesday. This is powerful D&B with excellent skill. The darkness is loud and awesome. Stokes’ ambient talent still comes into play for some excellent background music during some of the more thumping sequences and comes to the forefront at times as well. This really is a blend of musical genres that flows and thumps frequently simaltaniously. This is one of those cds where the adjective “cool” just seems appropriate. It will keep you guessing at what comes next while giving you a really cool and powerful feel to boot. Throughout this dark journey that very well can envelop your listening experience, the only real annoyance you may find is the end. This isn’t even a bad ending; it just comes too soon. The cd is a little over an hour in length, but it definitely left me with a desire to see more of this type. It’s a very good investment if you thought my last review was right on target or equally off. I like it.
Oh and I also got an iPod Mini from someone (freebie!) if anyone wants to make me aware of anything weird or good about now having my first iPod.
It was quite a while ago, but Budha Building released some of the nicest organic sounds in chillout/ambient form to kahvi. Through kahvi’s commercial branch, Budha Building released another album to Beatport called Abstract.
First and foremost: This album is not like any of the Budha Building tracks released through kahvi. In fact, this album is a dark tone of primarily Drum and Bass style. Now I occasionally listen to D&B, so that fact doesn’t naturally strike me as bad. I’ll be extremely honest that I didn’t expect it and missed Budha Building’s chilled organic sounds.
The cd starts off and will continue with a driving beat mixed with some rather unique sounds. If you have a nice subwoofer set up, it will enjoy the album as a whole. The first track really provoked my interst in the album possibly simply because of the excellent mixture of other pads. The sixth track starts by making you think that the chilled organic sounds are back, but in fact it only starts with some very organic sounds before becoming much more organic and darker. I would actually call this chillout since it is far less driving and a pleasent overall feel (though dark). The final track of the cd actually seems to go back to almost an ambient feel even. Nothing too organic about it though. The remaining 8 tracks have some fluxuation between chillout and D&B. It gives decent variety, but also is harder to get into because of the large differences at times. The entire album is dark and has a kind of foreboding feel to it, but I see this as a cool style to hold.
In the end, I don’t think the album can be called great for any style since it goes through so many. It is pretty nice, but you would have to be someone like me who enjoys the variety to enjoy the album all that much. I would advise previewing the album on Beatport before purchase.
I appologize for this being short and probably more misspelled than usual. I am coming down with something and I would rather not procrastonate with posts.
Stokes is considered a master of ambient. While I like ambient from time to time, I really am a chillout junkie. Fields, unfortunately, is really ambient music. Never on the cd does the excitement pick up to be considered anything else. The album as a whole gives you kind of flowing about, but never seems to get you to your destination. What I mean is there isn’t any so definitive ending to give you that definite conclusion about this whole “trip.”
Don’t let my negative initial comments make you think the album is bad. It is good ambient. It does seem to take you on a trip. There really is little I could ever ask for more than that. This is more active than Air I from Namlook, but it isn’t something that provokes my interest enough to call great. I would say the ambient listeners should check it out definitely and the chillout listeners should listen to “The Road Is Glowing” on kahvi before making a decision. The Road Is Glowing is actually from this album and is a pretty decent redition about how the rest of the album is. Check out the EP’s release page.
Saul Stokes is no where near new to the electronic music scene. He has been around for a long time making the music and programs and synths. His music shows his talents.
Vast was released in 2006. It is Stokes most recent album and it is a monument of ambient/chill. Stokes is an ambient artist normally, but this album offered more to the listeners than just ambient. It was flooded with Stokes’ distinctive style and beautiful work but also complimented by some more energetic and prominant chill effects as well. Even the start of the CD might catch you by surprise because of a fairly active start up. It is not bad by any means. In fact, I would call this CD beautiful. Spread over a few tracks, I heard what sounded like BT (especially from the soundtract to Monster) and even something like Ulrich Strauss. As you all well know, I very much enjoy both of those artists.
The energy and complexity that you find in all of the tracks can help to take you away to a calm and happy place. This is not a dark cd by any means. It is a very good one though. Some of the sounds you are likely to have never have heard before, but they are brilliant. Even the more ambient sections seem to hold anticipation for the future. The only downfall of the album seems to be the feeling of wanting more at the end. It’s not a bad ending song, but the quality as a whole leaves you a bit sad when it repeats. Not too sad of course since you get to live it again.
Excellent CD. A great addition to any chillout or ambient collection.
If you’re anything like me, you have lots of cds and probably digital music store downloads yet still enjoy listening to streams. Even if you don’t have the extensive music collection, streams still give you a good place to look. I frequently mention di.fm as a good source for chillout (and ambient and trance and…). I know that a lot of people thing radio should be free and di does offer a free stream. I really would suggest paying for the full quality streams. They are simply great (and I appreciate never hearing a commercial). Be sure to listen in to the free stuff first if you’re trying to decide.
Soma.fm is another streaming site that offers a variety of styles. Not as many as DI and they tend to be more approximate in what is played, but still good streams. Groove Salad, probably the most popular stream, is a good place to chill or head over to the Space Station Soma stream for some really easy going tracks. This one is completely free, but they would love a donation. You can donate USD 50 and get a T-shirt free (or just look at it as a really expensive t-shirt) if you choose.
I just stumbled on Calmscape recently. There’s a variety of downtempo and easy going tracks with and without vocals that seem quite laidback for the most part (as in chill-ambient). Still a pretty pleasent stream to relax to. The site itself also has CD reviews (complete with numbers of how good it is!) added every once in a while. Nice to browse around (and it’s a pretty nice looking Mambo installation from a design standpoint. Mambo is what Joomla! came from). The logo is also cool: 
I meant to write a review of Stokes’ album Vast, but I think I’ll leave that for Friday. If you want a review in one word: awesome.
I know that I didn’t ever really get into posting reviews for a lot of kahvi releases, but there are a few that I have recently wanted to call people’s attention to. Other than the Stokes post from yesterday, these other two artists are guests to kahvi and, as far as I can tell, pretty unknown as of yet.
The release I’m looking at this time is the Chimera EP by Abyssal Plains. The best link I could find is Abyssal Plains’ MySpace which does help to clarify some of the musical influences that you will be able to hear. The style is epic and that really does define the shock I had when I heard it the first time. In all honesty, artists’ first albums usually have their moments and might be good, but it’s rarely in the entirety and rarely bringing styles together the way that really impressed me. The overall style keeps a chilled IDM feel much like you will find in chillout (not calling it chillout may be splitting hairs even).
The tracks give off a sort of airy feel that reminds me a lot of Boards of Canada or even Stuartt Elliott. It’s a very inviting and interesting sound that I really enjoy. The only problem with the airy sounds of the EP is they can sound very similar from track to track. I would like to see a bit more variety, but it is very excellent for one who is relatively new to the game. As for favorite track of the EP, I would ahve to say equilibrium. It blends a dominant electric melody over the airy backdrop with a good beat that doesn’t dominate when it shouldn’t.
Personally, I would love to see this artist expand. I think there is a lot of potential and a very good starting point. Pretty good now, but the next release by this artist will probably be fantastic.