Private Beach Club
V. Lara | Houston, Texas | 07/03/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Being familiar with Afterlife (Steve Miller) for quite some time now, I decided to pick this up and I must say I was'nt quite expecting this. Not only does ths compilation seem a bit more dance oriented than lounge, it also seems to be more befitting for trendy bars & boutiques than anything else. Trying to keep an open mind, I listened to the entire two discs, and I started to like it.
As I explored deeper into the songs of this compilation, it reminded me more and more of Cafe Mambo "06" and "07", both of which Steve Miller compiled alongside Pete Gooding. As the songs continued, most of them shared a similar trait, they were upbeat but at the same time relaxed. The songs come in an unmixed format, which for me is always a plus, but that might not be the case with everyone else.
Private Beach Club is divided into two seperate cds, "Private Beach Bar"(Disc 1) and "Members Club Bar"(Disc 2), both discs seem to keep the same pace and neither seemed more upbeat than the other. Aside from the fact that one cd is a track longer, I really did'nt find too many differences. As far as the packaging goes, it is quite nice, the cds are seated in a black digipack like case, and it is housed within a tin box. It's a little overkill if you ask me, but it is quite different and eye catching.
Overall the quality of these tracks are superb, but I was hoping for more Steve Miller originals, in any incarnation, Afterlife, Kid Stone, Buddha Nature, etc... In place there is the No Logo track "Party Animal" and a Groove Assasin remix of the Afterlife track "Let It Go". I was expecting something more mellow, but Afterlife does a really great job compiling these warm, lively tracks. If you are looking for something "loungy" like I was, you wont find that here, but from the tracks that I have heard, volume 2 of Private Beach Club promises to be more "chilled" & "balearic" than this installment. If you are a fan of the hed kandi or naked music albums you will be sure to enjoy every bit of these songs from begining to end."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1