 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|
Since the 1960's the Spanish island of Ibiza has been a Mecca for hedonists, alternative lifestylers and party-goers from all over the world during the Northern summer. Nowadays, instead of Pink Floyd and paisley the culture is unabashedly rave: all-night clubbing and throbbing house and trance have become new partners to that age-old Ibizan tradition of goodtime excess. Amid all this madness is an oasis of chilled-out vibes by the ocean known as Cafe Del Mar. DJ Jose Padilla started playing records there in the 1970's, eclectic tunes which he writes "would otherwise be forgotten, or which capture the spirit of Cafe Del Mar". That Balearic spirit is mellow, mellow, mellow, even when it's got you tapping your feet and nodding you head. In the early 90's the rave crowd starting asking Padilla where they could buy the music and in response he started issuing compilation albums on a yearly basis. The above selections date mostly from Padilla's time as curator of the series and they remain essential snapshots of warm, tech-savvy, easy-listening post-dance instrumental music. As examples of modern chillout they're the flipside of the deep ambient techno and bleepy spacemusic of acts like Pete Namlook, Biosphere, et al. The world of Cafe Del Mar is an oasis of old-school ambient, warm Arabian strings, liquid dub, Latin melodies and jazzy lounge. Sometimes there's snatches of filtered vocals amid the relaxed breakbeats, even whole songs on occasion. Each album is spread over a wide, blissed-out canvas as bright and cheerful as a sunny day. To Padilla's considerable credit, the best of them generally maintain the positive vibe without becoming cheesy. Cafe Del Mar Volume 1 is as good as place to start as any and provides the template for the albums that follow: tracks from mainly obscure artists, one of Padilla's own compositions, and an eclecticism that is always surprising. Who else could nerdy folk minimalists The Penguin Cafe Orchestra and techno superstars Underworld on the same album and make it sound convincing? Padilla wrapped up his involvement with the series in 1999, officially to pursue solo work and do more DJ'ing but also making clear his disillusionment with the growing commercialism of the Ibizan scene. His replacement was Frenchman Bruno Lepetre, himself an experienced resident DJ from the venue who was nonetheless faced with a daunting task. Not only had Padilla defined Balearic chillout with his own idiosyncratic vision, but by this stage chillout music Ibiza-style had caught on in a big way worldwide with compilations literally flooding the market. Volumes 7, 8 and 9 (released 2000, 2001 and 2002) took a more commercial lean, taking in remixes of tunes by names as big as Dido and The Cure. The result was a sequence of patchy and unremarkable releases that struggled to sound distinctive above the imitators. Volume 10 (2003) suggested a drift towards a generic chillout blandness that was deeply worrying. However that changed with Cafe Del Mar volume 11, an immersing and completely unified experience that echoes past glories while still showing a way forward. "Invisible" by M-Seven is an exquisitely lush piece of trancey melody married to stoner hip hop beats, a good example of uplifting dancefloor sounds being intelligently re-imagined in slow-motion, ethereal swells of sound. It was always part of the original Cafe Del Mar blueprint and its great to hear it re-stated here so brilliantly. Austrian newcomers Sonic Adventure Project contribute a perfectly gorgeous solo piano and strings piece with "Waters In Motion". Digby Jones' "Under The Sea" is one of the best instrumentals that Zero 7 never made, with a slightly spooky chord progression of lush strings played off against jazzy electric piano. Volume 11 is up with the best of the series, bathed in Balearic sunshine and with depth, variety and tunefulness in abundance. In terms of genre-defining sounds and cultural impact, modern chillout music without Cafe Del Mar is bit like 60's pop music without the Beatles. In a way the sounds championed under the Cafe Del Mar banner are the easy-listening "beautiful music" of the mid 20th century reborn for the 21st. Like the best instrumental music of Mantovini, Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins, the best of the CDM series emphasises melody, lushness and hi-fidelity sound. They are immediately appealing and easy on the ear without blandness, yet reveal depth and complexity for those who care to dig deeper. |
