Yanni - A Night To Remember

Who hasn't heard about Yanni? Hailing from Greece, Yiannis Hrysomallis (his real name) is a self-taught (!) pianist/composer who gained world fame in the 1990s by being nominated for multiple Grammy awards and accumulating dozens of platinum and gold albums globally.
His music has often been likened to that of compatriot composer Vangelis and often described as "new age" (a term disputed by some critics) or "contemporary intrumental". He is also known for his outdoor live concerts in front of tens of thousands of people, with "Yanni Live At The Acropolis" (1994) being the most famous.

From his 8th album, "Dare To Dream" (1992), I have selected "A Night To Remember", an instantly feel-good track that I felt was a suitable track for this special day.

Merry Christmas!!!

Max Melvin - Seaside

Max Melvin is not a person, as you might think. It's a group of two German producers (Andreas Bruhn & Stefan Rekittke). As many downtempo projects before and after them, they also released just one album, entitled "Seaside" (2002), after which the project went on hiatus.
"Seaside" is a totally sun-drenched album that, while not being a landmark of originality, still manages to deliver a nice, warm atmosphere. There are many tracks that I enjoyed from the album, notably "Magnolia" and "Flying High", but the homonymous "Seaside" is my favorite track. Moving at slow speed and featuring some great airy vocals, this is one track you'd rather listen at the beach. But since I like it so much, and for people who want to warm up their Winter, here it is, in all its Summer glory:

Tilt - Rising Son / New Day

You probably heard of Tilt. They had a successful hit back in 1999, entitled "Invisible". Click HERE to listen to it on YouTube. If you still don't remember it, let me put you in theme. Tilt are a group of UK producers (after Jonh Graham (Quivver) and Mick Wilson left the group, only Andy Moor and Mick Parks remain) who are known and appreciated within both progressive and trance communities for their distinct crossover style that had a great impact on early to mid-2000s EDM scene. Their most critically acclaimed album is 2004's "Explorer", featuring the absolute prog trance classics "Twelve" and "The World Doesn't Know". Their last album to date is "Vaults", released in 2006, but with less critical & commercial success than its predecessor.

So here one track from each of those albums. First there's "Rising Son" from "Vaults", an impeccably polished progressive/breakbeat/chillout gem with great vocals. My favorite track from the entire album.



And then it's "New Day" from "Explorer", a gorgeous vocal chilltrance track with broken beats throughout.

Jeff Kashiwa-Hyde Park

Alright, time for another electronic music break. This time it's smooth jazz in store, so get ready as we emulate some 80's coolness with the help of a very contemporary artist.

Smooth Jazz is a musical genre that has received, over the years, a good share of criticism, some of it justified, some not. While it is true that a lot of generic, kitschy and lifeless stuff has been pumped out in this field since the very beginning (the famous 'elevator music'), it's undeniable that smooth jazz, just like any other musical genre, also has its fair share of talented artists and good music.
Jeff Kashiwa is an American saxophonist who falls into the 'good' side of smooth jazz. Having released 8 albums since 1995, he is one of the more recognizable names in the scene, although most people probably never heard of him. but then again, smooth jazz is not a popular genre.

From Jeff's 3rd album, "Another Door Opens" (2000), here's my favourite track, "Hyde Park (The 'Ah, Oooh' Song)". Catchy and lighthearted, it makes a wonderful choice as a 4-minute dream getaway. As many smooth jazz tracks, this one reminds me too of the 80s America I saw in the movies from that period, with tough cops, hot babes, flamboyant clothing and classy urban nightlife. Have a drink and relax. :)

Bent -Sing Me / Now I Must Remember

Formed in 1997, British electronica duo Bent have gained over the years somewhat of an (electronic) pop culture icon status. As far as I'm concerned, they already secured their place in electronic music history. Known for their ethereal sound and heavy use of sampling (mostly on their first two albums), Bent have not once been compared to artists like Air or Moby.

I think the most remarkable thing Bent have ever achieved (until now) is their 2004 album "Ariels". Bent left their history of sampling other tracks behind for this project, everything on "Ariels" is their original work featuring original sounds. The result? One of the most beautifully crafted pieces of music I've ever heard. It's one of my favorite music albums of this decade! I would honestly post every single track from the album, each one is an extraordinary artistic achievment. But since I can only post a couple of them, here are "Now I Must Remember" and "Sing Me" (feat. Rachel Foster of the Weekend Players).
Trust me, this is one album you don't want to miss, a true musical masterpiece. One of those rare albums that once experienced, never leave your conscience.

Vincezo-Summer Breeze

Vincenzo is a name that should certainly ring a bell if you're into house and particularly into the deep side of it. This guy has released a LOT of music in the past 15 years, covering pretty much every area of house music. In spite of his numerous single releases, both as Vincenzo as well as under other guises (including many collaborations with other artists), he only released one album under his name, the 2002 "Welcome To Zanarkand", a forward-thinking fusion of deep house, breakbeat, ambient music and even a bit of electro. Tracks like "Don't You Ever Stop", "Can You Feel What I Feel" or "The Nightlife" rank as some of my favorite deep house tunes.

But by far, the track that stood out the most was this deep house/broken beat gem entitled "Summer Breeze". Listening can only lead to acknowledging:

J Axel-Every Part Of The World

As promised in the previous post, here is more from J Axel. "Every Part Of The World", the opener track to his 2009 album, "Start Receiving". A chilled deep house tune with some very relaxing harmonies and a nostalgic vibe. Enjoy!

J Axel feat. Astrid Suryanto-In A Distant Bar

One magical chilled track we have in store today. J Axel (Jonathan Axelsson) (aka Ronin) and Astrid Suryanto deliver one of the most emotional pieces of electronic music I've heard in the past 4 or 5 years. Actually this is not a new track, it was released in 2006 on Axelsson's debut album under the J Axel alias, entitled "Deepness Is Served". At the beginning of 2009 it was re-released as a single under Astrid Suryanto's name (and its name was changed to just "Distant Bar") and featured remixes by progressive house heavyweights 16 Bit Lolitas and Paul Keeley among others.

J Axel has released his 2nd album this Summer. Entitled "Start Receiving", it is, in my opinion, almost as good as the first one, a confirmation of this artist's great talent. Tomorrow we'll feature J Axel once again, with a track from "Start Receiving". Until then:

Buy "Deepness Is Served": Beatport.com
Buy "Start Receiving": Beatport.com

Groovecatcher - Intoxicated

Groovecatcher is a musical project (currently less active, even their website is down) by Simon Cooper and Phil Webb featuring Manuela Van Geenhoven on vocals. You might know the boys from their other alias, GXR, under which they did (in 2007) a highly appreciated remix of "Billie Holiday-Long Gone Blues". They also recorded an album as GXR, as they did under the Groovecatcher guise. Entitled "After The Rain", it was released in 2006 on the respected Elektrolux label.
My favorite track from the album is undoubtedly "Intoxicated". The "climax" at ~1:20 is just wonderful, lots of layered harmonies happening in a dreamy tune with even dreamier and airier vocals. Just perfect!

It's interesting to know that they do their own videos and graphics (Phil Webb is responsible for the visual side of this project), so that adds up to their already huge pile of talent.

Leama & Moor-Everything Matters / Coming Of Age

I'll start by saying that these tracks would make my all-time downtempo top 50 any given day. Produced by a legendary progressive trance duo, they take the best of the electronic feel of trance and layered melodic nature of progressive and transforms them into this. Flawless.
About Leama & Moor there is a lot to say, but I'll keep it short. Composed of Marty Smith (Leama) and Andy Moor, the duo are best known for the remixes they did during mid-2000s for artists like Avril Lavigne, Orbital, Paul Oakenfold, Brian Eno, Starkid, Above & Beyond and for many others. They also released their own album, "Common Ground" in 2006, featuring only original compositions. I strongly recommend you checking it out, as I do with anything these guys ever produced or remixed. Class act!

Buy the album from Beatport: LINK

Chicane-Hiding All The Stars

I won't even bother introducing Chicane or Gary Numan (whose song "Cars" is covered by Chicane). I feel like I'm back in time listening to this track. 1999 to be precise, when I discovered Chicane.
I'm sure there are many 12 or 13-year-olds who will cite this as their introduction to electronic dance music in 10 years' time. Nuff said. Enjoy!

Kylie Auldist-Community Service Announcement

Although she has been on the scene for around 10 years now, I only heard of Kylie Auldist last year, when she released her first solo album, "Just Say", a nice combination of soul and funk.
Often a vocalist for The Bamboos, you can check more about her on the web if you're interested, as I have to excuse myself this time for not knowing to provide you with any relevant info on her.

But I can provide you with one of my favorite tunes from her, "Community Service Announcement", a really funky piece of music that I enjoyed from the very first listen.

Dario G feat. Vanessa Quinones - Voices

Everyone has a favorite time of their lives, right? It just happens that mine was around 10 years ago, exactly when Dario G had airtime on every single music channel on radio and TV. Those were the times. Now, Dario G doesn't exist anymore (rumors of a comeback circulate lately, but until it happens, they're just rumors), but their music does. In the form of the 2 albums they released: "Sunmachine" in 1998 and "In Full Colour" in 2001.
By far the best one is the first. I have listened to it for countless times and it just doesn't get old. For me, "Sunmachine" is the ultimate testament of how lighthearted and joyful the late 90s were. Somehow life was harder for everyone back then, but in such a way that it was harder without people worrying as much about it as they do today.
From the soundtrack to "The Beach" (2000), here is the quintessential late 90s mainstream chilled track "Voices". Probably everyone knows it, but it doesn't hurt remembering it for 5 more minutes today.
And here's to hoping Dario G will once again make music like this.

Heather Nova - Aquamarine (Chris Coco's Balearica Mix)

Heather Nova is a well-known singer/songwriter who has been in the music scene for more than 15 years. She's famous for her vocal ballads and that's exactly what the next track is. But with a twist: lounge hero Chris Coco transforms it into electronic bliss. One of the best summer "dreamaway" songs you'll probably ever hear. I know that I'm going to listen to it every single summer of my life.

Weekend Players - Into The Sun

A few days ago we had Caia, today we have Weekend Players, another side-project by Groove Armada's Andy Cato, only this time not solo, but with female vocalist Rachel Foster, whom you might also know from a few tracks she did with Bent, notably from their 2004 album, "Ariels".
Weekend Players, just like Caia, only released one album, entitled "Pursuit Of Happiness", back in 2002. Then, absolute silence.
Some of their tracks have been remixed by other EDM artists, most famously by progressive trance duo Gabriel & Dresden and trance act Riva, who remixed "I'll Be There" and "Into The Sun" respectively, both regarded as early 2000s progressive trance classics.

I have only found "Into The Sun" uploaded on YouTube, but I STRONGLY encourage you to get the entire album asap! You won't know what you're missing if you don't. ;)

Flipside - Unwind

Flipside are a Danish downtempo act that most people know by their track "Relief", featured on countless chillout compilations, including "Cafe del Mar".
They have released 3 albums so far and I can tell you that each one is worth listening to. They are actually half electronic and half acoustic, as you will hear many traditional instruments in their tracks (even though digitally post-processed most of the time).
Today I have for you such a hybrid track from their 2003 album "Inside". It's called "Unwind" and it has exactly the effect the title suggests, so press "play" and relax for 5 minutes.

Orion - Eternity (Acoustic Mix)

"Eternity" is one of the tracks that introduced me to the world of chilled electronica many moons ago. Released in 2000 (part of a 12" single containing several mixes), this track gained over the years a solid reputation within the trance community (partly due to the fact that Orion is an alias of none other than Darren Tate).
OK, enough talk, turn up the music!

Caia - Le Telecabine / Heavy Weather / Remembrance

I don't even know where to start...The fact that I've chosen to feature 3 tracks today (won't happen too often, I can tell you that) must say something. And if not, here is me saying it: this is pure gold right here!
In the last 10 years I have only for 4 or 5 times listened to an album and liked absolutely every single thing about it. This is the case for this album: "The Magic Dragon" (you can download the album for only $9.99 here) by Caia. Caia is a solo project by Andy Cato, one half of house duo Groove Armada. "The Magic Dragon" is the only album Cato released under the Caia alias, back in 2003. It's an unique blend of deep house funkyness, trip-hop, caribbean-feel chillout and ethnic elements that works like magic, literally.
I think you got the picture: this album encapsulates the definition of "hidden all-time classic" and you simply HAVE to listen to it, there is no excuse for not indulging yourself the opportunity of doing so. 11/10

And these are the tracks: "Remembrance" (I think even my grandma would love it), "Le Telecabine" (my personal favourite) and "Heavy Weather".

Sub Sub - Past / Angel

Most people probably never heard of Sub Sub and I was part of most until a couple of years ago, when I heard "Past" on a random chillout compilation. And boy, did it grab my attention! For a couple of days I think I only played it on repeat. Naturally, I was desperate to find out more of Sub Sub and that lead me to their 1994 album "Full Fathom Five". I didn't enjoy the album as much as I had expected, but some tracks stood out, among them "Past" and "Angel".
I later found out "Past" was actually released back in 1992 on "Coast EP", which makes it even greater.
In the late 90s Sub Sub were about to release a new album when their studio burnt down and they lost all their work. After a short hiatus, the members reunited under the name "Doves" (sounds more familiar?), taking an entirely different musical direction, towards rock. their current website is www.doves.net.

All Saints-Pure Shores (2 Da Beach U don't Stop Remix)

Remember All Saints? They were really big back in the day when Leonardo DiCaprio was a teen idol. That's right, a looong time ago. Well, today we remember those times with what I consider to be All Saints' best song: "Pure Shores". I absolutely love the original (the entire soundtrack to "The Beach" is great), but this remix just adds that little extra dance factor to it.
So, without further ado, here's some summer:

The High Violets - Chinese Letter / Sun Baby

We leave electronica aside for today, as The High Violets enter the stage. Unsurprisingly, I didn't come across this dream pop band at random, but while searching for some remix work by Ulrich Schnauss. He did a remix of "Chinese Letter" and because I liked it, I became very curious about the original song and decided to get the entire album on which it was included: "To Where You Are" (2006). That album was my introduction to dream pop and I must say it was a pleasant one.

Here are 2 of my favorite tracks from the album:

Nacho Sotomayor - Last Summer / Too Far

A double feature again today: two tracks from no other than Nacho Sotomayor. Those familiar with the "Cafe del Mar" compilation series probably know him, he was featured on several volumes and even has a track entitled "Cafe del Mar" on the first volume.
Nacho is best known for his long-running series of artist albums entitled "La Roca", currently on the 7th volume, released 2009. Every album is an alluring fusion of downtempo, world music, trip hop beats, breaks and ambient music. Very strong unity in diversity indeed.

"Last Summer" comes off the first "La Roca" album, released in 1999. A simply excellent feel-good track that is sure to remind you why summer is so damn great!



"Too Far" is a track from "La Roca Vol. 4", released in 2002. It has also been included in the best-of album "La Roca 1999-2004". An acoustic guitar and effective vocals (chanting actually) make you feel like packing up and leaving for a sunny, careless vacation somewhere on the Mediterranean coast.



You can find Nacho Sotomayor albums availabe on Amazon.com or cduniverse.com, among other places. Just do a Google search.

Afterlife-Take Me Inside (Christophe Goze Mix)

Steve "Afterlife" Miller has been around for quite a while and his name has grown synonymous with "chillout" over the years. Albums like "Simplicity Two Thousand" (2000) and the absolute classic (and one of my all-time favorites) "Speck Of Gold" (2004) have built Steve a reputation hard to match. Afterlife's latest album, "Electrosensitive" was launched in July 2009.

On the remix job is no other than French guitarist and downtempo producer Christophe Goze. He is definitely one of my favorite producers in the downtempo scene and this remix is one of his best to date. Enjoy!

Cafe Americaine-L'amour

I must be honest, I don't know anything about who's behind Cafe Americaine. I searched the web and couldn't find anything relevant.
However, I just love their track "L'Amour". Heard it on "Dubai Chill Lounge Vol. 2" (follow the link to buy the track) a couple of years ago and it's one of only 2 tracks I know Cafe Americaine ever released. Too bad, since they're obviously good at it and should've produced more of this great stuff.

Note: the Loungematic remix is the same as the (apparent) original version of the track. "L'amour" appears on various compilations, sometimes with and sometimes without the "Loungematic Remix" tag, but it's the exact same song.

Claes Rosen-Glancing

A slice of very melodic deep house makes today's menu. Master chef is no other than Swedish super-talent Claes Rosen, a highly overlooked producer whose work over the past 2 years had a great influence over my taste in electronic music.
"Glancing" is a demonstration of what Claes is best at: funky grooves and catchy riffs. The perfect tune to start your day.

Buy this track here: Beatport.com

Ferry Corsten-In My Dreams

Ferry Corsten is a man who needs no introduction. For the past 10 years he has been at the top of the electronic dance music industry and with a career spanning almost 20 years, he shows no sign of slowing down, being consistently voted among the best DJs of the world in the last years and at the same time maintaining his reputation as a legendary trance producer. Almost everything Ferry produced or remixed is considered a classic within the trance community, a feat very few other (if any) have accomplished. His latest albums, "Twice In a Blue Moon" (2008) and subsequent "Twice In A Blue Moon Remixed" (2009) have received both commercial and critical acclaim.

From "Right Of Way" (2003), here is "In My Dreams", the soft and dreamy breakbeat track that closes the album. Nostalgic in both lyrics and melody, this track has an appeal spreading well over the EDM borders, its irresistible harmonies and beautiful vocals of Denise Stahlie (aka Denise Rivera) making it an almost perfect song to play when you want to leave the present behind.

Mylo-Need You Tonight & Quivver-Fallin

A double feature today, half fresh and half classic.

I'll start with "Need You Tonite", a wonderful, half-electronic, half-orchestral track by Scottish producer Mylo, from his debut album "Destroy Rock & Roll" (2004). Using a vocal sample from Judy Tsuke's 1979 "Stay With Me Till Dawn", this is a very emotional song, with an almost cinematic feel to it.




The second track comes from a progressive house music legend: John Graham aka Space Manoeuvres aka Quivver. He has also been part of group Tilt until 2004, when he decided to concentrate on his solo career and on his newly-established music label, BozBoz Records.
In 2008 Graham released his first album under the Quivver guise, entitled "Dirty Nails And Vapour Trails", with tracks spanning styles from drum'n'bass & progressive house to breakbeat & downtempo. This will not be the last time you will hear about this amazing album here, but for now here's "Quivver-Fallin":

Mint Royale-Miles And Miles

Mint Royale are a big beat electronic music act from England that many people probably know from their hit single "Singin' In The Rain" (which was used in a famous VW commercial and more recently by Britain's Got Talent winner, George Sampson, in his dance routine).

From the highly underrated album "Dancehall Places"(2002), here is "Miles And Miles", one of my favorite songs from the last 10 years. Enjoy.