Search - Various Artists :: Megasoft Office 2000

Another downtempo triumph for those Frenchies at F Comm

wadster | North of England, UK. | 10/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who thinks chillout music is the fare you find on compilations from the Misery of Pounds (aka the Ministry of Sound) and the such like, should buy this album to find out what downtempo is really all about.
Hailing from F Communications, those lovely French folks who brought the world the delightful Megasoft Office 97 and 98 compilations, Megasoft Office 2000 is a gem.
Drawing on F Comm stalwarts like Scottish outfit Aqua Bassino and Parisians A Reminiscent Drive, plus some of the label's newer signings , here is an album so fragile in places that you fear a loud disturbance might shatter it.
Proceedings kick off with the caressing, string-driven, oriental sound of `Finally' by Elegia, followed by Ready Made's `So Hard' - pining bluesy vocals backed by a moody drum n bass loop that could have been lifted straight from Everything But The Girl's `Walked Wounded'.
`Plaid' by Nova Nova sounds like Alanis Morissette after a spliff; less urgent, less angst-ridden and minus the grating edge on the vocals. And for something ambient and New Age, look to `U'S Song' by Alexkid, which is always threatening to burst into the saxophone riff from 808 State's `Pacific'.
Other highlights are `Whispers' by Finnish artist Jori Hulkkonen, which nods to Daft Punk and early 80s San Francisco house music. `The End' by Llorca is a splendid silky, jazzy affair, while A Reminiscent Drive's sassy and brassy `Ambrosia' is one of those luxurious three minute-something tracks you never want to end.
On the downside, the wishy-washy `Infinity' by Scan X is way too like some of Jean Michel Jarre self-indulgent `Oxygene' nonsense, and goes on far too long - eight minutes 42 seconds to be precise! Laurent Garnier's two dark, electronic contributions - `Communications From The Lab' and `Dance 2 The Music' - also seem out of place on this delicate compilation.
But when all said and done, this album is another triumph for F Comm and their talented, multinational collection of artists. Megasoft Office 2000 is what chilled out Sundays were made for."