Various

Chillout Excellence - Lounge 1 It's bound to be an exciting listen if a local label releases a compilation with tracks that were all previously found only on import records. So, Quebec's Premier Muzik International label has set itself the task of pulling together some of the best cuts of the chill-out variety. The 15 tracks clock in at nearly 80 minutes, and the metronome is set to slow hearts down to a barely audible BPM. But the chill-out experience isn't an amorphous sea of soft sounds lulling its listener to sleep. There is clearly something for everyone here, from slow numbers that end within four minutes to gorgeous ten-minute epics that firmly plant themselves in your head, looping indefinitely. The shortest track is from Lemongrass, called "Journey to a Star," and contains a precious and melancholic refrain of the title set to atmospheric strings and a steady rhythm. The compilation also features Parisian house DJ Dimitri from Paris's hard to find single "Infinity," with its touch of organ and a tight bass refrain. For the more acid-jazz oriented, Quarter's "Logic" and Kyoto Jazz Massive's "Eclipse" fills the gap. The latter track features the Okino brothers, Shuya and Yoshihiro, doing their best blend of jazz and bossa. But the best track, and also the longest on the record, is Art of Noise's "Moments in Love." This anachronistic 1984 track is a ten-minute loop de loop experience of pure bliss in this version. If there ever was a perfect love song with no words, Art of Noise wrote it back in '84, making this a record worth purchasing for this moment alon