Search - Various Artists :: Buddha-Bar, Vol. 9

Five Stars for Disc One, Three for Disc Two, but Still Worth

Daniel Ambrus | Louisville, KY United States | 06/19/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am a long time fan of the series and with each new release, I become more and more wary of purchasing. Let's face it, the rest of the releases were never going to live up to the pure quality of the first three, and logiv would tell you that the pool of quality tunes to choose from dries up faster than the rate at which George V like to try and release two disc lounge masterpieces.



Yet, somehow, Ravin has constructed another gem worthy of the series, while finding time and tracks ample enough to release his own Siddartha compilations on the side. You have to doff your cap to the man.



General impressions first; yes this mix happens to have a more eurocentric feel, and some bashing of it's partial abandonment of World/Asiatic roots is warranted. But then you have to remember the series started as music in a fine Parisian nightclub. If you can accept it for what it is and not forever lament its failings in comparison to its predecessors, the music will grow on you. What's more, the abandonment is far from complete; it's just that one area of the world predominates, and this time around, that's Europe.





Disc One begins with a very symphonic, almost Gregorian track. An operatic female alto leads a gorgeous choir and string arrangements into a chill beat... i was instantly hooked after i heard this tune. The second introduces a bit of the familiar Asiatic theme with one of the many excellent tracks by lounge masters Mystic Diversions, which then gives way seamlessly to the awesomely hypnotic, seductive tune "Sleep" by Amanaska, my favorite of Buddha Bar IX. The next track, by Hess is More, divides opinion. When you first hear the male voice on "Yes Boss," it's not at all pleasing, and jars you out of the sonic groove set by "Sleep." But for me, with the sweet female voice and the even sweeter bass line, the tune redeems itself and it's quirkiness makes it one of the highlights. Koop's track is the last in the series of amazing tunes to open disc one, and it's a delightful French flavored trip hoppy number with some cool vocal parallels to "Yes Boss."



After these opening five, the quality drops a bit, but remains pleasant throughout. Another quirky track, "I Know Jayne" makes things interesting, and this ambient take on trance producer York's "Iceflowers" is another beauty.



Disc two is not as solid as the first, but even from the halcyon days of I, I have always preferred 'Buddha's Dinner' to 'Buddha's Party.' It starts well with a pleasant Sunset Blvd track, but quickly deteriorates into some measure of monotony and what are, for me, irritating little samples. There is an excellent if minimal remix from prog-house guru Trentemoller early on, and trance producers Blank & Jones bring quality with a chillout mix of "Loneliness." All in all, it's not bad music but you do wish there was more consistency. Disc two feels like it wants to be a full on, genuine chill-house mix, but is deprived of the fluidity that beatmatching would have brought. The result is a bit fragmented and you get the feel Ravin was stuck in two minds on this one.



So there you have it! I would rank IX well above V and VI, probably a little better than VII, and just below the untouchable I, II, and III. The bottom line is that this is a quality album if you're a fan of the series and it is well worth the purchase.



"