Originally, Café Del Mar was a bar located in Sant Antoni de Portmany, a town on the western coast of Ibiza. The collections of the music played at the bar were first sold on cassette at the end of the 1980s. In 1994, the first official "Café del Mar" CD was released on React.
The best Cafe Del Mar albums date mostly from DJ Jose Padilla's time as curator of the series (1994-1999) and they remain essential snapshots of warm, tech-savvy, post-dance chillout music… an oasis of old-school ambient, warm Arabian strings, liquid dub, Latin melodies, nu jazz and lounge. Each is spread over a wide, blissed-out canvas that's as bright as a sunny day.
The seaside club Café del Mar in Ibiza has become one of the world capitals for electronic chill-out music, and after lending their name to a popular series of CD compilations, this special three-disc set pays homage to the bar on the occasion of its first quarter-century in business. Café del Mar 25th Anniversary 1980-2005 features 45 tracks whose insistent but laid-back beats are potent and relaxing at the same time. Artists include Lovers Lane, Zuell, Rue de Soleil, Tom Oliver, Lemongrass, DJ Three, Koru, the Light of Aidan, Joke Society, and many more.
The premier purveyors of Ibiza comedown have selected two dozen tracks of laid-back, cozily experimental music to help celebrate their 20th anniversary, and while it at times feels ungainly, it never seems too scripted. The first disc has Amalagation of Soundz creating a rustic drum'n'bass mantra ("Enchant Me"), Moodrama mixing tribal beats with flitters of jazz (the appropriately titled "Jazz Tip"), and even Deep & Wide constructing a gorgeously subtle native twinkle along the lines of Dario G's "Voices." The other disc tends to go for the more celestial (Jean Michel Jarre, Jon & Vangelis) or the post-sunset reawakening (Foundland, Christian Alvad), but begins to sag with the drugged-out self-importance of a born-again hippy. Luckily, with so many tracks on offer, it's easy to sift out the treasures. This is a fine, calming collection of indigenous, open-door attitude.
Under the spell of Toni Simonen Cafe Del Mar displays once again a yearning to create and collect the most ingenious output in downtempo, still being as Innovative and relevant as ever. While featuring exclusive tracks from some of the most iconic artists of today's electro scene. It showcases new talents from all corners of the world. Dusty, Laid Back, Soulful, Organic Grooves from The Broken Orchestra new offering "Over and Over" featuring Natalie Gardiner.
Exclusive new composition from Raffaele Attanasio, "Der Himmel U-ber Berlin" beautifully played at the piano, reminiscent of Keith Jarrett finest output Downtempo Masterpiece "La Ritournelle". Composed by Sebastian Tellier and edited excluisvely by T-Mo for this album. New York City sound from Waldermar Schwartz, a heady mix of upfront modern Disco, muscular bass lines, swirling atmospherics. The Orchestral sound of Kinobe, played live with a 10 piece band, with violins and flutes…