Very Best of Euphoric Chillout Mixes [Import]

and, in long: Buy several copies and give them as gifts to people you know who appreciate quality in music, far away from the radio garbage of today. I will tell you it might take your undivided attention and a little patience, as this masterpiece does get off to a fairly slow start:

Disk 1: A wierd start, as a classical'ish movie piece blends into a pop'ish, but not over-killed Dido tune, soothingly remixed. Then, again it transforms into another slow, dreamy, movie soundtrack number. So, at this point, you may be feeling somewhat bored, like you might want to fall asleep bored. It's o.k., you can use this effectively in the future, specifically for that purpose, and this is a chillout CD anyway. Schiller is always a welcome sound and sort of begins the transformation of this CD. The next few tracks may test your eyelids again, but if you survive them, you will be rewarded. From one of my favorite CDs, 'Behind the Sun', Chicane's abbreviated "No Ordinary Morning" pleasantly comes and goes, into a nice, and very deep Moby's "Inside". If you have survived this far into the CD, and you are relatively pleased, just wait! A powerful Salt Tank vibe is a great set-up for the most enchanting "Belfast" (Orbital's finest work ever, if you ask me). As this awesome groove from the early 90s meets Chicane's "Early" you will melt, anotomically, into the chair, bed, or wherever you are. This is masterful mixing here, and this area of the CD earns 3 of the 5-stars all on it's own. Guitars stand-out in this next, unusual, track by J & B Eno. Then, clever dubbing and carnivalistic notes meet briefly in PPK's short contribution. The world needs more artists like Solar Stone, which blends nicely into Roger Sanchez's "Another Chance", which surprisingly remixed, compliments the CD and creates for a fantastic mix-into with Lost Tribe's "Under the Red Sea" (light drum and bass sound here which is actually quite nice, and I don't care for D&B.) At this point you may notice that the CD has picked up it's pace, and that you can't remember when it started to. Soon, you are in a near-trance state and sound, with Faithless' "We Come 1". This part of the first CD brings to my mind: mellow Global Underground, mellow Gatecrasher, and Digweed/Sasha Northern Exposure sounds. (Light trance). The CD does wind back down to a smooth finish, but one leaving you wanting more. That is why there is a second disk, and it delivers as soothingly as the first.

In a nutshell, the CD's title could not be more perfectly accurate, and it could be used for more modern and upbeat meditation and yoga as well. The tracks that don't really stand-out as much do grow on you rather nicely after a couple of listenings. This one is definately a keeper.