Track Listing

1. Utopia (New Ears Mix) - Goldfrapp
2. Any Other Name - Thomas Newman
3. Sunrise (DJ Thunda & The K-20 Allstars Remix) - Afterlife
4. Worthless - Dido
5. Gula Gula (Chilluminati Mix) - Mari Boine
6. 100 Billion Stars - Lux
7. Day By Day (DJ Spinna Remix) - Mark de Clive-Lowe
8. Tatouage Bay (Avec Chet) - Ben Onono
9. Cookie Raver - Illumination
10. Will You Catch Me (Twin Tunes Mix) - Tiny Tunes
11. Pina Colada (Jazz Mix) - Digby Jones
12. Apache - Scripture
13. Gabirel - Lamb

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13144 in Music
• Released on: 2001-07-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Album Description
Eighth installment of the long running & highly popular dance series. 13 tracks, 'Cookie Raver' Illumination, 'Gula Gula (Chilluminati Mix)' Boine Persen, Mari, 'Pina Colada (Jazz Mix)' Jones, Digby, 'Will You Catch Me' Tiny Tunes, 'Utopia (New Ears Mix)' Goldfrapp, 'Worthless' Dido, 'Sunrise (Dj Thunder & K20 Allstars Mix)' Afterlife, 'Tattouage Blue (Avec Chet)' Onono, Ben, 'Apache' Scripture, '100 Billion Stars' Lux, 'Gabriel' Lamb & 'Any Other Name' Newman, Thomas. 2001 release.

Amazon.com
This latest installment in the Café del Mar series, designed to defray the effects of Ibizan-type madness (or usher some in), sees the del Mar folks weaving together their most mature, confident, and well-placed aural massage yet. Sometimes it rolls across the ears like a slow, steamy, romantic rubdown, as on Digby Jones's "Piña Colada (Jazz Mix)," and at other times it evokes deep sunrise spiritualism, as on Mari Boine's superb "Gula Gula (Chillumanti Mix)." There are even some poignant and melancholic pressure points, such as Hollywood fave Thomas Newman's haunting "Any Other Name" (last heard on the American Beauty soundtrack). Also seemingly bound for soundtrack inclusion is Dido's "Worthless," which overflows with piano-tinged, jazzy trip-hop flavor. Whether used as a chill-out album, a warm-up collection, a record to dine with, or a romantic backdrop, Café del Mar, Vol. 8 will find good use in most contemporary lifestyles. --Steffan Chirazi

Customer Reviews

Another relaxing compilation!
It is the 8th compilation under the well-known name of Cafe Del Mar, a place on Ibiza Island where outstanding Dj - Jose Padilla - was giving once music sessions. The music on this compilation is as always chillout, meditative and moving. But this time there are several "buts" what made me ranking it as 4-star-album.

The 8th edition was compiled not by Jose Padilla but by other Djs, Peter Neville & Ben Cherrill. Well, I don't say they're bad Djs, but they didn't make an outstanding album anyway. The reason for this is here. All but one song are incredible, setting your mood to different heights. But only one by one. They don't make a whole piece of music as in previous compilations. Each part of the album (prologue, the middle and the end) are too overextended, lasting for 2-3 songs. Besides, the edge between these parts is very palpable what makes this CD like ordinary compilations of "easy-listening" music. With Jose Padilla music was floating very gradually from the very quite, meditative to even sometimes hard-beat, very rhythmic music.

A very pleasant presence here of Goldfrapp with their "Utopia", a thoughtful, mystic song. Thomas Newman's "Any Other Name" feels much like soundtrack music, with a scratch-like-noise sound what makes this track very warm and lovely. Afterlife presents us their "Sunrise" - great song for sitting on the beach with friends and looking on the moonlight in the sea. Dido with her "Worthless" surprises us with an unusual for us sound, which we can't hear on her "No Angel". Here the music is more alternative, with strong, enigmatic beats and vocals. Very interesting work! Mari Boine with her "Gula Gula" gives the album the most mystic, unforgettable touch. Mark de Clive-Lowe's "Day by Day" I'd skip. Ben Onono gives great French vocals with his sentimental "Tatouage Bleu". Illumination's "Cookie Raver" is perfect for dancing with friends in some club - great beats, mysterious floating sounds and disco-vocals. Digby Jones' "Pina Colada" is one of my personal fav here. It sounds like Soul Ballet, very measured, pretty-sounding, warm music. Scripture with their Apache gives an outstanding instrumental piece of music art! What a splendid work; ac. guitar, horns, choir-singing - all that makes this track to be the finishing on the album; unfortunately it's not. And Lamb comes with her "Gabriel". An interesting song, with great beats and background sounds albeit I don't like the vocals which are quite insignificant against a background of the music itself.

All in all, this album brings one more pleasant spending of time. The collection of songs is great, but repeating again, all of them are compiled very badly; sometimes you feel you'd put one or another song to a different position. That is unpleasant feeling what eventually led me to put this CD a 4-star rate.

NIce cover, disjointed content, not more than its parts
For some reason everyone has heard of the "Cafe Del Mar" series, and I'm convinced its as much the catchy series title as the quality of the work. It tends to be the love of public radio music shows also (see KCRW, Santa Monica, CA). Probably the label had a lucky ride on the early 1990s sudden penchant for lounge/ambient/chill etc. and the series was initially quite novel, but has since been overtaken.

The main problem is the jarring styles jammed on to this and the other disc, you have reggae, samba/latin, jazz, R&B, soul, trip hop, new age for goodness sake, the obligatory French female vocal (beloved of all chill) vying for your ear. The sum is not more than the parts here, if someone made you this compilation out of their music collection you might think it was Ok, but not to shell out serious bucks for. This particular compilation delves dangerously close to some new age soundtrack for meditation. For example, the famous Thomas Newman piano piece is a bad choice. The bane of a thousand movie soundtracks its very sad, and will make you weep into your pine colada. Then this is followed by a jolly summer day "Girl from Ipanema" style samba-acoustic guitar piece. Yikes.

Compare the genius of Thievery Corporation or Kruder and Dorfmeister for making something thematically unified, which just "sounds right", out of other people's songs. Here, however, you are painfully aware that, "now its time for the cool "French" vocal, now its time for the reggae one, etc."

Look, if it works for you fine ambient, pleasant enough for the beach, but its just not the transcendent experience all many reviews [make] it up to be. But I think the Cafe Del Mar series has worn out its welcome after the departure of uber chill meister Padilla.

There are much better choices out there, see anything by Thievery Corporation, K&D, Air etc. Oh and for summer beach listening, the more obscure "Cafe Ibiza," or anything by Costes. And it terms of value, see the Budda Bar series or Verve Remixed or any other two disc collections that give a lot of more value, and arguably a lot more of a consistent feel.

Time to lay this old dog to rest
There is an easy explanation as to why this volume of Cafe del Mar is such a huge disappointment - it's related to the others in name and not by nature. The Cafe del Mar series truly ended when Jose Padilla stopped compiling them with Volume 6. He was the true essence of Café del Mar but left stating people only went there because they were told to and it had lost it's original beauty - i.e. it had got to commercial - just like the island of Ibiza itself. Bruno compiled Volume 7, which wasn't bad but still not a patch on what had come before.

So on to Volume 8. Manifesto have such faith in the 2 DJ's that compiled this that they are not even given a mention on the front - only in small print on the back.
The track selection and sequencing is poor compared to the standards set by Padilla. He had a talent of being able to bring together a diverse selection of tracks but all with a common Balearic feel and sequenced them brilliantly so each one rolled off the other. Not the case here at all. What Dido and Thomas Newman have to do with Ibiza I don't know. I'm sure if it weren't for Jakarta's "American Dream" being such a hit then the American Beauty theme wouldn't have been included at all. There are the some of the usual suspects however - Afterlife and Lux with very strong offerings. However, the overall feel of this compilation is quite dull and it seems to meander directionless until it reaches the incredibly dull and depressing "Gabriel" by Lamb.

In between there are a few tracks that make it worth the purchase (just!!!):- Tattouage blue and Pina Colada come to mind

No doubt there will be another Volume next summer to cash in on the reputation the series is built up. Lets hope it is better than this.