Crossing Over Easy

Michael Crétu's attempt at fusing everything from easy listening sex music and hip-hop rhythms to centuries-old Gregorian chants couldn't have been more designed to tweak the nose of high art, a joyously crass stab straight at a mainstream, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. The result is something that shouldn't exist, but in its own way results in as much of a cultural scramble and explosion as anything Public Enemy were doing around the same time, crossing over the Euro-disco and new age spheres with style…

Michael Crétu's attempt at fusing everything from easy listening sex music and hip-hop rhythms to centuries-old Gregorian chants couldn't have been more designed to tweak the nose of high art, a joyously crass stab straight at a mainstream, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. The result is something that shouldn't exist, but in its own way results in as much of a cultural scramble and explosion as anything Public Enemy were doing around the same time, crossing over the Euro-disco and new age spheres with style…

Beginning in the 1950s, the immensely popular American conductor Arthur Fiedler and his Boston Pops Orchestra made a series of records covering not only the world's most-loved classical pieces, but also crossing over into popular music with great success. Whether it was the Beatles, Broadway, or Hollywood, eventually everyone who was anyone went "Pops." In 1966, Fiedler teamed up with the master of the Nashville sound, famed guitarist and producer Chet Atkins. The match was a good one, and the combo went on to produce many records together. Making its debut in the digital realm, courtesy of Real Gone Records, is a reissue of two of their excellent collaborations, The Pops Goes Country and The Pops Goes West.

Dutch producers Roberto Adani and Daniel Wolf have been working together since the late '90s, but Les Seigneurs (Episode 1) is their first release under their own name. Mellow and down-tempo without ever crossing over into mere ambient prettiness, Adani & Wolf use pop melodies (check out the Pink Floyd-like opening of the slinky "Onto the Light") and touches of jazz instrumentation to enhance their largely electronic dance sound; the results are closer to Air or Morcheeba than any of the more single-minded groove merchants…