Still Quality 10 Volumes Later
bordersj2 | Boston | 12/08/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Des Pres Cafe series started out about 9 years ago in 2001 or 2000. It hailed on an impressive label (Wagram), which would really explode at around the time of this series inception. Paris Lounge, Hotel Costes and Buddha Bar were already in the stables. While you do have to be careful of a little title cross-over, the approach to each series is distinctly unique. I started out a big fan of Hotel Costes but through the years, it's the Des Pres Cafe series that I've gone back to and listened to. Olivier and the other producers/dj's who have through the years put these together do a fantastic job and should get credit for keeping this good series going on strong. As always, I feel the need to mention that this is not a St. Germain aka Ludovic Navarre cd. However since he hasn't put out a cd in quite some time, that might be less necessary though he's released material under a different moniker.
This is a two disc set, like a lot of the Des Pres Cafe's have been since volume 6 or so. The second cd is usually a bonus, whether it be showcasing a musician's work or introducing a new concept. But I've found myself more drawn to the first disc in this one and it becomes clear awfully fast that Olivier was a huge Jim Morrison fan as he included a fantastic remix of "Light My Fire" as performed by Shirley Bassey of James Bond fame. The remix was done with class by Kenny Dope - the type of class, in fact, that would make Nicola Conte proud. Speaking of gtreat remixes, Senor Coconut followed that track with a great, vintage remake which injects energy into Jamie LIdell's "A Little bit of Feel Good". The slight latin twinge, mixed with soul and a dash of funk with a sprinkling of electronic samplings is a recipe for success on this song, maybe the top track of disc one. Another disc one highlight was "Ease My Mind" by Jazz Liberatorz. The song flows along very nicely with great samples, great production and the rap is never overwhelming. It's really just a great song. I also really dug that Olivier put on some classic St. Germain staples - including St. Germain's "My Mama Said". That classic pop and swing which makes remember how great Boulevard and Tourist really were. Another was Llorca, with the bumpin, poppin' "Indigo Blues" and Koop's "Relaxin At Club F****n", remixed by Richard Dofmeister & Madrid De Los Austrias. The title retains the mellow vibe, but has a more throbbing beat to it. And these weren't even all of the songs I really enjoyed on a star-studded, impressive first disc.
The second cd on this set was put together by Will Holland (Quantic). It's a pretty funk oriented set featuring a lot of Quantic's own works in his various incarnations. I should say it's important to listen to CD1 before listening to CD2 - it works better for the listening experience, as I did the exact opposite and was left underwhelmed at first. Highlight titles featured are TM Juke's "Life, Rain Fall", Lizzy Park's "All that" which has a nice organ and overall great, deep, jazzy feel to it. Nostalgia 77's "Wildflower" is given a nice reworking by Raw Fusion's jazz group Povo.
Again, CD1 stands out even though the masterful Quantic put together the second disc. In fact on it's own, disc one is a solid 4.5-5 star effort with CD 2 being about 4 but it's hard to dock it just because I'm not as heavy a funk fan as I'm sure disc two will appeal to. It really is a terrifc addition to the Des Pres Cafe series and I'm again impressed that they've managed to focus on the quality electronic/jazz twinged tunes. I couldn't even mention all of the neat songs involved. And it's also great that they'll still do a few original things to keep you guessing what's next for later volumes. If you like this, do note that Des Pres Cafe volume 11 came out only months ago, and you probably should check out earlier editions of the series. Also, you will want to check out Nicola Conte's latest album titled "The Modern Sound of Nicola Conte: Versions in jazz-dub", which is two discs of Conte works and Conte reworkings of other artists."
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1