V.A. - Putumayo Lounge Music Collection (6CD, 2003-2006) [Repost & new]

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V.A. - Putumayo Lounge Music Collection (6CD, 2003-2006) [Repost & new]

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V.A. - Putumayo Lounge Music Collection (6CD, 2003-2006) [Repost & new]

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Home to some of the world's most revered DJs and a thriving electronica scene, Europe is the source for the lastest trends in chill-out and down tempo music. We've traveled to France, Italy, Spain and beyond to seek out some of today's most progressive sounds. Euro Lounge is the perfect album for parties, clubs, cafes, or just enjoying while chilling out at home. The follow up to the commercially successful and critically lauded World Lounge collection, Euro Lounge captures the irreverent and avant-garde spirit of modern Europe. The artists come from all over Europe – and not just western Europe either. Turkey and Macedonia are represented right alongside Italy and the Netherlands. But this isn't just European folk music like on many world music albums available in the states. Genres from easy listening to electronica make their appearance. The music is wonderful: it's jazzy, it's contemporary, it's real.

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V.A. - Putumayo Lounge Music Collection (6CD, 2003-2006) [Repost & new]

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The electrification of acoustic Middle-Eastern music dates from the 1980s, when Algerian rai superstar Cheb Khaled (now known simply as Khaled - the dropped honorific meant "kid" or youth) released his groundbreaking masterpiece, Kutche. It is now commonplace to hear melodies and instruments as old as the desert sands juxtaposed against languid, trippy vocals, while a relentless 4/4 beat is pounded home via sampled, backbeat-driven snares and weighty bass lines. However, the 12 artists on this set for the most part manage to have their fun without bruising the delicate, mysterious beauty of the original traditions. Songs from Iran, Lebanon, Morocco, Lebanon, Algeria, Turkey, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, and a couple of Western locales emerge transformed by clubby synth vamps and anchored by feisty, two-ton bottoms. The treatments come across as sexy, droll, playful, startling and/or tragically hip, and just about any listener will certainly find something to enjoy.

Amazon - Christina Roden

As its evocative title suggests, Sahara Lounge is a crossroads of cultural communication and sonic exploration. Its geographical range spans from Morocco and Iran to the U.K. and America, but its guiding principal is to interweave traditional instrumentation and grooves with the tools of modern electronica. Just as electronic music draws freely on disparate sources, the artists on Sahara Lounge often find inspiration on a global level. Lebanese duo Soap Kills layer elements of trip-hop, scratchy dub reggae, and their country's own melodies for their track, "Dub4me," while Ilhan Ersahin's breezy, sultry "Fly" incorporates Turkish lyrics, jazz guitar soloing, and a backdrop of chillout beats. Soap Kills vocalist Yasmine Hamdan returns for a collaboration with Absolut Orchestra's Toufic Farroukh – "Lili S'en Fout" features hushed French vocals over a wash of Arabic melody, synthetic percussion, and Farroukh's warm and mischievous sax. Putumayo understands its demographic, and to that end it keeps Sahara Lounge tethered to the signpost where experimental longitude intersects accessible latitude. Despite their exploration of varying cultural rhythms, the album's 12 tracks flow effortlessly into one another, united by a pleasant mid-tempo beat similar to so many of the downtempo comps on the market. At the same time, Putumayo has never positioned itself as a sonic pioneer – it doesn't so much discover the music as it encourages it. And Sahara Lounge does that as well as any of the label's collections, including informative biographies for each of its artists, helpful pronunciation keys, and insightful descriptions of the instrumentation used. The album might not be adventurous enough for some sonic thrill seekers. But for the casually and culturally curious, Sahara Lounge is a great place to hang.

Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

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V.A. - Putumayo Lounge Music Collection (6CD, 2003-2006) [Repost & new]

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Blues Lounge is an innovative collection of traditional blues tracks remixed and reinterpreted by cutting-edge electronica DJs and producers.The combination of modern electronica with the soul and spirit of the blues blends seemingly incongruent worlds to create a fresh and exciting new sound. Blues Lounge joins World Lounge, Euro Lounge, and Sahara Lounge as the latest addition to Putumayo’s Lounge series, a successful collection of releases that explores new directions in world and roots music. It is also Putumayo’s fourth blues-themed release (Mali to Memphis, Mississippi Blues and American Blues).
Electronica superstar Moby was one of the first to reveal the exciting results that come from fusing the soul of rootsy blues with modern electronica and dance music. His gospel-flavored track "Run On" is featured on Blues Lounge. European DJs/producers Mo’ Horizons and Boozou Bajou from Germany and Belgium’s Gare du Nord have used samples of older blues recordings and worked with contemporary blues and soul singers and musicians to produce their accessible club music. In the United States, the Fat Possum label from Oxford, Mississippi has been teaming up blues musicians with innovative producers such as Britain’s Adrian Sherwood and Atlanta’s Organized Noize. Tracks on Blues Lounge featuring the vocals of Little Axe and Johnny Farmer represent these bold new directions in blues music. The New York City DJ collective Organic Grooves derives its inspiration from a wide variety of roots and world music sources. Blues Lounge also includes two tracks from Tangle Eye, a team of New Orleans-based remixers who use samples of original vocal performances collected by musicologist Alan Lomax in the American South of the 1940s and 1960s.

Editorial Review, Amazon

Since the '90s, world music has been the primary focus of Putumayo, an adventurous label whose compilations have offered everything from Greek music to reggae to salsa. But the company takes a break from world music on Blues Lounge, which examines the blues/electronica fusion that has been taking place in the late '90s and 2000s. It's an unlikely trend, certainly – some will ask, "How could the gritty earthiness of the blues possibly be combined with the high-tech polish of electronica?" But then, one of the things hip-hop taught us back in the '80s was that technology and grit are not mutually exclusive. Hip-hop has been very high-tech, but that hasn't prevented rappers from being hard, raw, rugged or gutsy. And on Blues Lounge, one encounters a similar balance of technology and earthiness. Elements of blues and classic soul join forces with elements of hip-hop, trip-hop, downtempo and club music. On a few of the tracks, this fusion sounds a bit forced; Blues Lounge isn't quite as consistent as other Putumayo compilations. But if this CD is mildly uneven, Blues Lounge's most successful offerings – which include Moby's "Run On," Little Axe's "Long Way to Go" and Tangle Eye's "Parchman Blues" – make the disc worth the price of admission. It should be noted that although these tunes came out in the late '90s or early 2000s,, some of the samples go back to the days of 78s; for example, "Parchman Blues" (which was named after Mississippi's notoriously brutal Parchman Farm prison) samples a late-'40s performance by singer Henry Jimson Wallace. Blues Lounge doesn't cater to blues purists by any means, but for those who are eclectic enough to listen to Blind Lemon Jefferson one minute and Jay-Z or P'taah the next, Blues Lounge is an enjoyably intriguing, if imperfect, listen.

Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

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V.A. - Putumayo Lounge Music Collection (6CD, 2003-2006) [Repost & new]

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The downtempo side of fusion between traditional Latin forms and electronica. The mixes are surprisingly good throughout, with styles taken from everywhere from Spain to Argentina to Texas and thrown together with electronic beats and grooves. The album opens up with Alacran, an Italian outfit specializing in electronic tango à la Gotan Project. Son is taken on by Roberto Poveda with only slight modification, but enough to evoke the samba at times. There's proper chillout from Bebe, Cuban-British dub from Sidestepper, and a mix of flamenco and more from Amparanoia. More tango fusion and then a bit of nostalgia from rising star Charange Cakewalk. Perhaps the oddest bit here is an appearance by Deepak Chopra in a full-on bout of Indian-exotica-via-Mexico with aid from Adriana Castelazo. The mix is coherent and holds a constant sway without the schizophrenic breaks that are so common with cross-cultural albums. A charming album that belongs in league with Putumayo's other lounge-focused albums as perfect backing music to any given evening.

Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide

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V.A. - Putumayo Lounge Music Collection (6CD, 2003-2006) [Repost & new]

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Travel from London to Bombay, Bali to Tokyo with this compilation of innovative Asian fusions, the sixth in Putumayo's successful Lounge series. More than half the tracks on Asian Lounge have never been released in North America, paving a path for those who like to stay connected with ever-evolving music scenes. Japanese stars, the Yoshida Brothers kick off the collection with 'Fukaki Umi No Kanata' (Beyond the Deep Sea). Another familiar face on Asian Lounge is that of famed health and wellness guru Deepak Chopra. His 'Oceans of Ecstasy' is an ambient dreamscape of sensual grooves, passion-soaked vocals, undulating chants and intoxicating rhythms.A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this album will be donated to Oxfam America and Novib/Oxfam Netherlands in support of their development efforts in Asia.

Editorial Review, Amazon

Another stellar release from Putumayo, this CD focuses on ambient/lounge music from Asian artists. The whole CD works as a wonderful compilation. As others have said, theres not a single track to skip over. Many of the songs are completely new, and have never been released in North America until now.

Needless to say, the strongest influences on this CD come from the Indian subcontinent. Nitin Sawhney's "Koyal" has a mellow Bollywood sound, complete with flutes and female vocals. Deepak Chopra and Biddu Orchestra both showcase South Asian percussion, while sitars are featured in Nataraj XT's "Space In…". And then theres "Water Down the Ganges", collaberation between Prem Joshua and Manish Vyas that runs for more than 10 minutes! But theres also other stuff too. "Campuhan" by Blue Asia and "Angels of the Island" by Bali Lounge draw upon the rhythmic music of Indonesia. Ancient Future weave together a lively blend of Indian and Chinese sounds. And the Yoshida Brothers mix ambient sounds with traditional Japanese instruments on "Fukaki Umi no Kanata". The final track, "Dreams of Happiness" by XCultures, draws upon and reflects all the same influences as the others and is a perfect ending to the CD. It'll stay with you long after going off.

This is an incredible CD, whether your dancing to it, driving out someplace late at night, or just chilling at home. You'll get hooked on this CD after the first song. Especially, as others have already pointed out, if you liked Putumayo's other CD "Music from Tea Lands". Like that CD, this compilation showcases artists from across the Asian continent, but in this case there is a more ambient/electronica feel to the songs. Nonetheless, the two CDs complement one another perfectly. Indeed, the band Ancient Future is featured on both CDs. If you liked one, then you'll certainly like the other. So do yourself a favor and go out and buy this CD. Your ears will thank you later.

Customer review, Amazon

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V.A. - Putumayo Lounge Music Collection (6CD, 2003-2006) [Repost & new]

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Putumayo's latest excursion into chill-out features twelve urbane tracks that, even at their most laid-back (and Brazilians have raised this state of being to an art form) are saturated with a languid, sweaty tropical ardor. Icy, metronome-like beats and electronica are powerless against a Carioca heat-wave, just as a cold Brahma cerveja (beer), while momentarily refreshing, cannot affect prevailing weather patterns. But the irrepressively creative mixmasters of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro seem to revel in these very incongruities, frosting florid acoustic sounds and warmly human vocals with subtle yet transformative computer-generated wizardry. Notable tracks include "E Depois" by singer/actor Seu Jorge (City Of God, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zizzou) and emerging star Luca Mundaca's "Há Dias." In Bebel Gilberto's "August Day Song," romance is compared to a drenching downpour; her slightly nostalgic style often evokes that of her father, sixties icon, João Gilberto. Additional reasons to purchase the album – the trilingual liner notes offer a recipe for the national caipirinha cocktail and a portion of profits from the CD will be donated to Rukha, an organization dedicated to rescuing Brazil's street children.

Christina Roden, Amazon