Key V.a.

Manifold Records presents Lounge Del Mare - Chillout Cafe Pearls Vol. 1-4. It is a little piece of diamond in the overwhelmingly large ocean of Chillout music. It has character and carries the secret message of the deepest desires a man's soul might encounter with.

Manifold Records presents Mykonos Chillout Café (Feelings Del Mar) Vol. 1-5. Frank Borell, Paradise Blue, Orange Music, Chillwalker, Noise Boyz, Mahoroba, Cafe Americaine and many others.

Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Anita O'Day, Mildred Bailey, Cab Calloway, Peggy Lee, Fats Waller and many more.

Freezone 1: The Phenomenology Of Ambient (1994). The debut in the Freezone series looks at the world of mostly beatless ambient, courtesy of tracks by Porcupine Tree, Pete Namlook's Air, David Byrne, Deep Space Network, Moby, Deep Forest, Young American Primitive and Terre Thaemlitz…

The September 2015 sees the release of the first compilation to be curated by Toby Marks, aka Banco de Gaia. Strange-Eyed Constellations (the title was inspired by a line from Thomas Hardy's poem "The Dead Drummer") features thirteen tracks by ambient and downtempo soundsmiths drawn from across Europe. The compilation weaves from AstroPilot's soothing opener, via 100th Monkey's epic choral piece and Oombata Key's glittering contribution, to Andrew Heath's contemplative finale…

The title of this compilation is a bit misleading, as Louis Armstrong only appears on seven of the CD's 20 tracks. All of them were recorded during a visit by the trumpeter to France in 1934 and were made on the sly, since he was under an exclusive contract to another label. The all-stars were primarily European musicians assembled for the session, though pianist Herman Chittison, a fellow American, makes his mark in "Super Tiger Rag," along with the leader's crisp, high-note solo. They compare favorably with some of Armstrong's later work back home with larger orchestras, but for the most part, the music is of minimal interest aside from his contributions. The other selections are a mixed bag…