Search - Various Artists :: Perfecto Chills 2

Worthy follow up

C. Bear | 07/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being a Paul Oakenfold fan, I originally purchased the first Vol. of Perfecto Chills just off the Perfecto name. I was really impressed with it, and it's since become one of my staple chillout compilations. I was exctied to see Vol. 2 in my local record shop the other day, and I have to say that after a weekend full of listening, Vol. 2 is a worthy follow up. The Junkie XL / Robert Smith collaboration is a fantastic kick off to the album, which is followed by pretty cool tracks from knows like Nelly Furtado and Pete Tong. But it was the artists I was not famaliar with that really blew me away, like Savath & Savalas, Afterlife, and Backini (I'll definiately be looking out for those).Disc 2 is my favorite of the 2, and it's got some really excellent vocal downtempo tracks, my favorites being the Chungking (just really beautiful!) and Zero 7 tracks (I'm a big Zero 7 fan, and this is the first time I've seen this mix anywhere). Perfecto favorite D:Fuse also contributes a really cool, smoldering vocal cut to close out the album.After soaking up this second version, I'd say the Perfecto Chills series falls somewhere in between the Ultra Chilled Series and the Buddha Bar Series. Where Ultra seems to try and sell off the name recognition of often disparate sounding pop acts, and Buddha Bar has really unknown acts yet a really coehsive vibe to each installment, Oakenfold's series puts forth some big names, but also I've found that each disc has a really good, cohesive vibe, and he always presents a bunch of stellar tracks from new discoveries. In fact, the best thing about both Volumes of Perfecto Chills is that I end up digging the acts I'd never heard before more than the songs from the bigger names. I've been playing this all CD weekend, and it keeps sounding better. Like the Vol. 1, I'd highly suggest picking this up if you are a fan of quality chill music!"

Well, I didn't get into it...

C. Bear | Arlington, MA USA | 01/15/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I like chillout music. I've got over 50 discs of it. All I can say is this didn't really tickle my fancy. Here's why:

1. I didn't like the music (but you might, of course).

2. The discs are gimicky. (Read other reviewer's comments about including your voicemail messages...)

3. Not everything is mixed, let alone mixed well. I like my chill to be continuous. Disc 2 here isn't mixed at all.

4. The discs aren't full. Not to nitpick, but if you have two 50-minute CDs with a bit of crud on them, you could really make it a single 80-minute disc. If I get two CDs, I expect at least 60 min/disc, and probably 70+.

5. There is better stuff out there. The MoS "Chillout Session" series is better than this. The Euphoria chillouts are better than this. Ultra, Radikal, and UBL have better stuff than this. Heck, even Deca and Beechwood have better stuff than this.



Can you tell I'm disappointed? I like Paul Okenfold and Perfecto, but this is a letdown..."

Poor Follow-up to Vol 1

J. Ennis | Dayton, OH | 07/04/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Unfortunately, a lot of the bright spots on this set have been left out (a very different tracklisting was advertised on first release and for nearly a month everyone who bought this set thought they were paying for other selections). I have less of a problem now that Amazon has finally corrected the track list. For those who buy "chill-out" CD collections regularly, though, much of what is left comes as either no surprise or is bland filler. This is not a decent follow-up to the first Perfecto Chills set, which was worth the $20 sticker price. The Zero 7 track is a barely-recognizable murky soup and the Oakenfold track that uses the Hunter S. Thompson speech has been used before and is not as well-crafted as what we've come to expect. Also, starting another track with a personal voicemail message to yourself is sheer egotism. The good news is that at least people can take a look at the tracklist now and know whether it's for them or not. I would recommend Paris Lounge 4 or Buddha Bar VI or any Hotel Costes to this.



Also, note to the graphic designer: there's nothing cool about imagining a red wood tree that's been defaced with a carving of the lousy Perfecto logo. I know it's only Photoshop, but who is supposed to buy this set - a bored group of Dremel-wielding teenage vandals? From the very concept, there seems to be a minimal amount of thought invested in this release."