The first thing to say about this compilation is that all 14 tracks are compulsive. This is the sixth "hotel costes" Stephane Pompougnac has produced in five years.  The cover says it "will not disappoint the fans" - well, it did not disappoint this reviewer.   He calls it, rather quaintly, "lounge music" but that may well be a mistranslation from the French because lounging to this music is the last you would want to or could do.  "The Breeze is black" by Zimpala takes rhythm to new heights only to be beaten by the throbbing compulsion of 3-11 Porter's "Surround me with your love" where the lyric only starts after an increasingly mesmerising  2minutes 30seconds of pulsating beat.   Stephane allows himself one track, in Bossa beat but perhaps my own favourite is the intro track by Slow Train, "In the black of the night" which really sets a very high standard.   Maybe few in the UK will have had the pleasure of any of Pompougnac's earlier compilations.  Well, all I can say is, I am now going to seek out the rest and advise you to do the same.  You will not regret it.

65minutes and 17 seconds

This compilation celebrates the 'good vibes' of said Saint-Tropez beach. The whole album has a laid-back, funky feel, mixing slower chillout-style tracks with Latin grooves and more upbeat dance tracks. The 'Ibiza touch'is there as promised, and although this isn't my favourite kind of music, 'Key West Beach' actually did make me feel like relaxing in the sun or chilling in a bar with an exotic cocktail. Personally I would have liked to hear more of the slower tracks which open the compilation: they are by far the funkiest on the album, with smooth grooves and mellow chords. Track four's somewhat dodgy adaptation of 'Close To You' aside, 'Key West Beach' could add the finishing touch to your summer beach party atmosphere.

******

Jobutsu Project - 'Listen In Clear Light Vol.1: Prologue' (Last Call records) 

Jobutsu Project are a group of Japanese musicians who travelled to Lhasa, in Tibet, to record the chanting of Buddhist monks and make an album out of it. Their aim was to combine electronic music and Buddhism: a fusion of the material and the spiritual, of East and West. The result was 'Listen In Clear Light Vol.1: Prologue' (Vols 2 and 3 to come). I approached this record with what can only be described as a huge degree of scepticism. Buddhist chanting over electronic beats? It sounded too much like novelty and seemed disrespectful. However, 'Listen In Clear Light' is in no way 'Pop Goes Buddhism'.

The double album demonstrates a large variety of musical styles and would be hard to categorise: even under 'Electronica' it wouldn't quite fit in due to its heavy use of 'real' instruments (Indian flute, soprana and alto saxophone, accordian, acoustic guitar, piano and cello to name but a few). Every track has a fresh new sound, with a wide range of percussion styles, tempo and instrumentation. As with most experimental music it does have its downfalls. I felt that at some points the 'fusion' was weighted too heavily in favour of the musicians: the music was too dominant, with the chanting blending into the background of percussion rather than being exploited as a feature. Also, in places the choice of musical style seemed somewhat 
inappropriate: track three on CD1 is a very upbeat, happy-sounding track which simply does not match the chanting. Saying that, I shouldn't be too unfair on Jobutsu Project. They have, after all, set themselves an extremely demanding task and are attempting to combine two very different elements. There are only a few moments on the album which could be said not to 'work', but there, such as track seven on CD1, make the rest of the compilation sound more impressive as they demonstrate just how difficult it is to successfully combine the chanting of Buddhist monks with Japanese electronica.

Back to the good points. Small details like the extended electric piano improvisation on track two of CD2 show that Jobutsu Project are a group of talented musicians rather than a bunch of DJs cashing in. The album breaks down boundaries of style and genre: track four on CD2 has a Latin-sounding guitar and piano, jazz improvisation, the Buddhist chanting and extra 
vocals all over a fast dance beat but somehow it still works. It would be hard to successfully sum up 'Listen In Clear Light' in a nutshell. It is a record about experimentation, about blending musical and cultural styles to create a whole new feel. Whether it works or not, whether it is 'good' music or not, is up to the listener. Personally, after every track I was left wondering what they would do next, and it made for a very interesting listen which made me vow never again to judge a record by its press release.

Cathy Roberts
13/8/02