- Cafe Del Mar, located on the island of Ibiza, in the province of San Antonio de Portmany, and was opened On 20 June 1980. Well known architect, Lluis Guell, was entrusted with the design of this Cafe situated at the edge of the ocean. Visited by personalities from culture, intellectuals and bohemians, the reason was its stunning sunsets which are arguably one of the most unbelievable on the planet. Accompanied by music different from what we are accustomed to hearing coming from Ibiza such as the many nightclubs and dance venues, It was the music combined with the sunset which gave infamy to this now renowned place called Cafe Del Mar. In "94" the English label React released the first Cafe del Mar CD. Cafe Del Mar Volume Once has style and panache. The Cafe’ Del Mar series has proven a class of its own over the years. Essentially it's a ‘chill out’ compilation. The long drawn-out nature of this CD should be enjoyed by all.
Te Karanga by artists Rhian Sheenan includes sweeping drawn-out background sounds, acoustic and electric guitar licks and nature samples of birds hanging out in the background. This is blended with soothing female vocals, and pan flute melodies. Invisible produced by M-Seven is on a similar tip with orchestral-synth background, layered over chilled break beats and piano keys. Ludvig and Stelar slow the tempo with Signal (ambient mix). This track has a whaling saxophone intro, into down tempo beats. Waters in Motion relies on an emotional piano melody to keep the track moving, rather than any percussion at all. Cette Planete, by artists JP Juice, has a quirkier arrangement of sounds, layered over a hollow flanged-out beat. Bleeps and breaks add some ambience to this track as well. The ears prick up with Under the Sea from Digby Jones, which was one of the standouts for me. Piano keys seamed together with organic pan flute sounds, lush and lucid. This is layered over a subtle but groovy baseline, with chilled beats that gives this track a loungeier feel. Simple although very effective. All the tracks on this compilation are of a down tempo nature. Cafe Del Mar Volume Once is a very smooth and melodious collection of tunes. All the tracks are rich with tranquillity and serenity. It is most probably marketed for a ‘retired’ more mature audience, who are in search of that laidback, relaxed vibe.
Over all, does Cafe Del Mar Volume One has some good tunes on it? It's a first-class collection of high quality ambient music. The finesse of the Cafe Del Mar compilations is not to be questioned.
The cover art adds flavour to Cafe Del Mar Volume Once. A picture of Budda that is hand drawn by a Japanese man who came to live in Ibiza hundreds of years ago. There is a nice little story to accompany the cover art, which is included on the insert, and is a good read. All up, it's a pleasant experience. As they say "Cafe Del Mar" Was born to put music to the sunsets".
Track List
01 RHIAN SHEENAN – TE KARANGA
02. M-SEVEN –INVISIBLE
03. LUDVIG & STELAR – SIGNAL (AMBIENT MIX)
04. JENS GAD – ART NOUVEAU
05. OHM – G & BRUNO – IN’SLIDE
06. ADANI & WOLF featuring PRAFUL – WHERE WOULD I BE (MEMORIA VERMELHA MIX)
07. SONIC ADVENTURE PROJECT – WATERS IN MOTION
08. MIRO – HOLDING UP
09. RUE DU SOLEIL – ESTON