Search - Various Artists :: Chillout 04 The Ultimate Chillout

The best in the series

Erica Anderson | Minneapolis, MN | 09/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being an avid fan of chill out music, I am quite picky when it comes to this genre of music and the cds I buy. I am a huge fan of the Buddha Bar series so that has made me have high expectations of other chill out series. I have yet to find a chill out series that matches the high quality of Buddha Bar. The one series that has come somewhat close to the Buddha Bar series is Nettwerk Record's Chillout: Ultimate Chillout series. To be honest I don't particularly care for the first volume. I thought it was messy and most of the songs sucked lemons but the following cds started to improve. My big problem with this series is the lack of originality. Most of the songs on the cds could be easily found on any other given chill out compilation. Still the second and the third volumes were much improvement from the first crappy volume. Over the past weekend during my usual jaunt to my favorite record store, I came across the fourth volume in the ultimate chill out series. I didn't even know that there was a fourth volume and I later found out that the cd wasn't to be released until today. Of course I bought the cd. I bought it because I thought the choices in songs were far less predictable as in the past. Since Amazon doesn't have the list of tracks of the cds, here is the tracklist:1. As The Rush Comes - Motorcycle (Gabriel & Dresden Chillout mix)
2. Everything In It's Right Place - Radiohead
3. Great Escape, The - BT (Carmen Rizzo mix)
4. Butterfly Caught - Massive Attack (Paul Daley remix)
5. Rabbit In Your Headlights - U.N.K.L.E (3D mix, Reverse Light)
6. Provider - N.E.R.D. (Zero 7 mix)
7. Magic - Delerium/Julee Cruise
8. One Too Many Mornings - The Chemical Brothers
9. Center Of The Sun - Conjure One (Solarstone's Chilled Out remix)
10. Snow Patrol (Pt. 2) - Alpinestars
11. At The End - IIO (Sat & Lee Howler Reprise mix)
12. Misti Blu - Amillionsons
13. Weak Becomes Heros - The Streets (Royksopps Memory Lane mix)
14. It's In Our Hands - Bjork (Arcade mix)Either someone has been reading my reviews or there is such thing as a God because I thought this tracklist is by far the strongest I have seen in the series. For me, the one track on this cd that really stands out for me is the Motorcycle track "As the Rush Comes In". The song itself reminds me of the now defunct trip hop duo Olive with its slick trip hop beats and angelic female vocalist. I loved the Carmen Rizzo remix of BT's "The Great Escape". Her remix gives the song a more of a trip hop feel than the original version. The only song I did not care for was the N.E.R.D track "Provider". That song got on my last nerve. Of course I am not a fan of The Neptunes altogether so my opinion of the N.E.R.D song is biased. Other faves includes songs by IIO, The Streets, Delerium (of course!), Conjure One, Amillionsons, and Alpinestars. Although I do wish that this cd was remixed by someone like Dave Visan, I thought the fourth volume in the ultimate chillout series was the best in the series (next to the 3rd volume). I look forward to buying more in the series."

An amazing compilation

Erica Anderson | 04/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This really brings out the best songs of a poorly defined genre. It sounds like Sirius's channel Chill (64) running for about an hour. The more popular artists on this CD (Bjork, N.E.R.D., etc.) are the tracks I tend to pass over for the standouts like Motorcycle, Alpinestars, BT (the original of this is great, too). Some tracks could have been left out, as most people who buy this probably would have gotten the CD in its entirety anyways (specifically, Massive Attack, the quintessential trip-hop group). My major complaint is with the choice of the U.N.K.L.E. track; the CD has a couple of really great songs, especially "Lonely Souls," "Bloodstain," and "U.N.K.L.E. Main Theme" that greatly overshadow the "Rabbit in Your Headlights," which is also a bit redundant for the sake that the singer on that track is the lead singer of Radiohead, who also have a track on this album. Had one of the aforementioned tracks off the "Psyence Fiction" CD been selected, this CD would definitely merit a 5 stars.In short, highly recommended. I especially recommend it for studying; listening to something like this, I find my college work infinitely easier."

Another nice "sampler" from Nettwerk

Russell Evansen | Waunakee, WI USA | 10/28/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The latest in this Chillout series from Nettwerk is another nicely balanced sampler that manages to mix tracks by more familiar artists (Chemical Brothers, Bjork, Delerium, Radiohead) with cuts by less heralded artists (Alpinestars, Motorcycle, IIO). My personal favorites are the remixes of Massive Attack's "Butterfly Caught" and Conjure One's "Center of the Sun" (I'd buy the CD just for this track alone - the vocal by Poe is amazing and makes me even more anxious for her next release!). Yes, there are more adventurous downtempo compilations out there (try the Ministry of Sound series or the Buddha Bar series if you're looking for something a bit more "underground") but the Chillout series has its charms. I also recommend Nettwerk's Ultimate Chillout 2002 and, especially, Ultimate Chillout 2003, which has LHB's impressive "Olivia Newton Christ" - a track that is hard to find on a non-import."