Various – Café Del Mar (Ibiza)

Top reissue, not w/out blemish of course. A collection of super special tunes from a bygone age assembled by the Balearic master himself.

On the repress requests--is that exactly what the release below is?

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Caf%C3%A9-Del-Mar-Ibiza-20th-Anniversary/release/19086952

Yes a repress is very much welcomed. Repress all the early cafe del mar albums :)

I second Hfiboy it's so time for a repress of this masterpiece since the passing of Jose, for those new to discover this major piece of the musak history/tapestry or just for the old heads like me that have destroyed their copy after too many times 4 am sledging...GREAT TIMES!

can we please have a repress !!! 2 LP on clear blue vinyl its would be great to commemorate glorious time of Jose Padella and his craftsmanship :D

While revising beginning of CDM series, first compilation compiled by José Padilla aged with some evident patina. However, I am pretty sure some of the recent releases gonna age much quicker than this one. First of all, this is a solid chill out set, pretty well blended, nevertheless, Penguin Cafe Orchestra track totally did not fit into already laid down rhythmic plan and it rather causes more havoc to overall atmosphere, while it comes to be as if Corrs abruptly interrupted John Tejada gig. And yeah, you can be sure I am noting this with smirk on my face.

So let me start with the initial moments those gonna grow on you instantly. While penguin Cafe Orchestra stays to my flair bad gimmick I am actually urged to skip almost every time, Agua, on the other hand, the opening track by Padilla himself, works til today right as it should. It is relieving, progressive deep house with smart moves and tricks. Still standing as the eponymous track for current taste for organically sounding house without any need to message pseudo shamanic or humanistic approach as can be heard nowadays.

Moving further in listening, tracks are rather intertwining into each other, no unsurprising twists. Lots and lots of echoed evocations with drastically elongated delays, continuously evolving to airy, melodic, ethereal tunes and built upon well sustained principles, one might have heard around that time as well as now. In contrary to previous claims of other reviewers, it is better to take into consideration that Padilla had to set right blueprint not only for this compilation but rather for overall identity of Café del Mar series, starting with this release. It is elementary in its nature, right as it sweeps in so as it fades out in watery aquatic noises of the last track on the album.

So, what you get from this album is an exemplary mix of highly sought after artists, or if you will, the elite of electronic artists, cultivating this fertile electronic scene til these days. What you ain´t gonna find with this release though, is the complexity of the genre. However, this is not the mission of Padilla, nor any other Cafe del Mar compilatiion released subsequently.

Craving right summer vibe and trying to overcome daily burdens of tiresome life, go explore Cafe del Mar Ibiza with respect it deserves for the sake of its age and legacy. Certainly not only to watching sunset. And if you think so, try change your old ways for this may be reason why you consider this compilation is dated or not resonating with you, too.

The bonus 12" single from Cafe Del Mar Vol 1 album is hard to find. Had to buy it separately. Surprised so few copies of the album version around.

As reviewed by me in January 1995:

Summary: Out of the ordinary chillout room music. Diverse but not memorable.

(from the liner notes) "Ibiza is the mecca of the '90s dance scene, period!! ...Cafe del Mar is the leading venue of choice, famous for its sunrise sessions of early morning post party 'Chill Music' featuring the best in ambient, trance and trip-hop. Here is the sound recreated for enjoyment in the safety of your own home. Tune In. Turn On. and Chill Out."

Stop the presses, Moonshine just put out a compilation oriented toward the most clueless of the shopping mall CD store customers. I'll forgive them for using the word "trip hop"; it is the latest fad and if labeling music that doesn't have a disco beat "trip hop" is going to sell a few records to the dorks who think it's a cool word, then so be it. Okay, maybe that's a little harsh. What's important is the music, not that packaging, right? Down to business.

On the negative side, Leftfield's "Song of Life", a classic that we really didn't need to hear again, appears here in beatless form. Sun Electric's contribution is forgettable, although it is nice to hear them do something with syncopated, nonstandard percussion. Someone calling himself Ver Vlads provides a disappointing, dated instrumental dance industrial piece that sounds like Depeche Mode with hand cramps.

Underworld, on the other hand, deliver a super-smooth trancey cut with a beat that comes in near the end, aligned one count off from the other rhythms for a surprising shift in the feel of the song. Sisterlove combines a compressed break with a cheesy meditation record to make a filler cut I'll probably use in my next chillout room. Sabres of Paradise almost make fun of themselves with the uplifting harmonies of "Smokebelch II" minus the percussion.

A Man Called Adam kick in the only really funky track, a vocal acid jazz ditty that highlights the eclectic preferences of Cafe Del Mar dj Jose Padilla, who assembled the copilation. His own piece is a pot influenced ambient tribal jam with Eastern, North African, and Western club influences. Obiman and Tabula Rasa's tracks are my favorites, being the most ambient of the bunch.

Overall this compilation isn't too bad. Like most, it has its hits and misses, and your mileage may vary. It's unfortunate that people are going to think that a lot of this is new, though, when it is the same kind of stuff that was coming from and influenced by Ibiza during the Acid House daze.

React records compiled some great ambient/chill tunes from the record playing repertoire of the legend that is José Padilla. I don't know if they sound dated to a younger generation but for me being an 'oldie' they revive so many wonderful memories of times spent with friends enjoying the beauty of life. All of the Cafe Del Mar compilations that React did up to number 5 are awesome, good times.

The first of the Cafe Del Mar Series, there had been tapes knocking around for a few years before the first official release. A seminal album from the time before the plethora of ambient electronica mixes available today. Great for coming down to and watching the sunrise at the end of the night.