03 May 2006 - Private Reserve (Show 4)

The Rock Records Special
One of the longest surviving regional indie record company that boast an impressive stable of labels like XL Recordings, 4AD and V2. This installment showcases some current outstanding material from their catalogue as well as a few classics.

LEMON JELLY – The Staunton Lick

Taken from the album “Lemonjelly.ky”
Filed alongside leftfield downtempo exponents like Air and Kid Loco, North London duo Nick Franglen and Fred Deakin make a fusion of beautiful chilled out beats with light atmospheric arrangements that leaves the listener desperately trying to suppress a goofy grin.

NITIN SAWHNEY – Mausam

Taken from the album “Philtre”
Mercury Music prize nominee Nitin Sawhney is one of Britain's most exciting and imaginative writer/producer/DJ and is best known for his compulsive and unclassifiable fusion of Indian music, flamenco, hip-hop, jazz, blues, soul and funk. Like an Asian quilt, Sawhney's music is colourful and interwoven with complexity.

SAINT ETIENNE – Stop And Think It Over

Taken from the album “Finisterre”
The internationally acclaimed outfit are the epitemy of the melancholy and the beautiful. They have a neck of writing catchy pop tunes with flowery perfection, something they do very well.

RON SEXSMITH & CHRIS ‘COLDPLAY’ MARTIN
– Gold In Them Hills
Taken from the album “Rarities” and “Cobblestone Runway”
Canadian craftsman is a highly respected singer-songwriter in the art-pop arena who weaves adventurous folk-rock with great artistry. Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin joins him on this melancholic pop gem.

ISOBEL CAMPBELL & MARK LANEGAN – Black Mountain
Taken from the album “Ballad Of The Broken Seas”
Isobel Campbell, former member of twee-pop outfit Belle & Sebastian and Mark Lanegan ex-vocalists of Seattle’s Screaming Trees and Queen Of The Stone Age come to together for a quirky mix of indie-folk and blues.

CLASSIC FLASHBACK OF THE MONTH
ESKOBAR feat. HEATHER NOVA – Someone New

Taken from the album “There’s Only Now”
Stockholm's trio Eskobar produce soulful, melodic and haunting music effortlessly and skilfully, with lyrics that provide an amazing antidote to life’s tragedy and drama. Daniel Bellqvist and guest vocalist Heather Nova delivers this evocatively melancholic piece that never tires out despite repeated plays.

KID 606 – Spanish Song
Taken from the album “Resilence”
Composed in many places at home and on tour, the ever prolific Kid 606 take influences like dancehall, dub, house and hip-hop; and produces an intricate soundclash of moody pop-electronica.

MAGNETOPHONE – Kel’s Vintage Thought

Taken from the album “The Man Who Ate The Man"
Matt Saunders and John Hanson, the brains behind this British electronica outfit who weave a tapestry of sounds into organic creations like this single – with a tempo and a melody that is dark and murky, but still quite appealing.

CUBA feat. ANGIE BROWN – Starshine (Rae & Christian Remix)
Taken from the album “Leap Of Faith”
Made up of Christopher Andrews and former Chapterhouse drummer Ashley Bates, the duo revel in their sample-heavy, genre blurring blend of electronica and rock and has since attracted innumerable comparisions to Primal Scream. 'Starshine' is perhaps the finest and the most beautiful number one ever written. It is an ultimate love song where there is no element of pain or angst, just a celebration of romance.

LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES – Comodon Johnson
Taken from the album “The Venezuelan Zinga Vol. 1”
These six Venezuelan are not only a benchmark in latin-funk music but also and an international phenomenon with the Nuyorican fraternity. Signed to David Byrne's Luaka bop label, they team up with Masters At Work ("Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzales) to greater effect.

SUSANA BACA – La Noche Y El Dia (Ananda Project Remix)
Taken from the album “The Best Of”
Signed to the David Byrne-helmed Luaka Bop label, Susana Baca is dedicated in recovering and preserving the nearly extinct culture of Afro-Peruvian blues. She takes the sambas and alcatraz rhythms to high art of undeniably robust Cuban-flavoured grooves with songs of love, heritage and slavery.

UNDERWORLD – Twist

Taken from the album “A Hundred Days Off”
The godfathers of techno are single-handedly responsible for stretching the boundaries of dance and putting it into the live arena. Their innovative productions remain bouyant milestones and timeless through the trends.

ALEX GOPHER with DEMON pres. WUZ
– Use Me (Plastic Fantastic Machine Mix)

Taken from the album “Wuz”
French electronic producers Alex Gopher and Demon King were initially commissioned by designer Yves St. Laurent to write music for his shows. One of the results is this brilliantly relaxed and laidback dance track.

26 April 2006 - Private Reserve (Show 3)

COLDCUT – Mr Nichols
Taken from the album “Sound Mirrors”
Tipped by critics as one of the most imaginative album Coldcut have ever made in their illustrious career, their latest offering attempts to explore political and humanist themes across a mural of sounds and beats. This cinematic track utilises the deadpan vocals of Saul William weaved over a beautifully subtle score in such perfect synchronicity that it leaves you to wonder how clever this production team really is.

FREEFORM FIVE – Slow
Taken from the album “Strangest Things”
This London based four-piece is no ordinary production outfit. Despite being tagged by the media as merchants of brash “electrodiscopop” and neon uber-pop, they churn out this acoustically melodic and beautiful heartache of a song with introspective lyrics. Interestingly, they have remixed almost everyone from Felix Da Housecat to X-Press 2, from Destiny’s Child to Pink, from Nitin Sawhney to Natalie Imbruglia.

KILOWATTS & VANEK – Gone
Taken from the album “RawQ”
James Watts, Peter Van Ewijk share an innate talent for concocting seemingly capricious melodies, coming together almost seamlessly. Watts' well seasoned electronics, enriched with the warm vocals of van Ewijk, are perfected with a balance of modest guitar arrangements. Comparisons have been drawn to such acts as The Postal Service. Nevertheless, this pair is difficult to class to genre.

NO.ON – Morning (Zen Mix)
Taken from the compilation “Tealosophy”
"Tealosophy" is the project of Inés Bertón, one of the scarce dozen of people in the world who hold the title of "tea nose". Capable of preparing the finest tea infusions, Inés Bertón has conceived a spiritual and mystical chill out album.

OVERSOUL feat. GRAM’MA FUNK – Universal Unfolding

Taken from promotional CDR
Lennart Krarup & Arian Behesti teams up with Gram’ma Funk for this Cafe Del Mar choice cut.

KOSHEEN – Little Boy
Taken from the album “Kokopelli”
Bristol based outfit Kosheen progresses with a more guitar driven approach to their already dark and desolate direction. Singer Sian Evans’ folk-hued vocals remains as haunting and potent as ever, with the constant hint of being emotionally wrought.

S-TONE INC. – Limbe
Taken from the album “Sobrenatural”
S-Tone Inc. has been the primary music project of Italian producer Stefano Tirone whose early influences include Isaac Hayes, Miles Davis and jazz. He came to light in 1992 and was received with appreciation in the UK as one of the first artists to represent the acid jazz scene. With the years, his refined style of Brazilian, soul, jazz and smooth house influences have made him a household name with the Bossa Nova fraternity.

DIPPER – My Funny Valentine
Taken from the album “Sleepless Night”
Dipper is the multi- collective of musicians led by Ugo de'Crescenzo, a Neapolitan Classical/jazz piano player and producer. The central vocals accompanying Ugo are by Elena Colombo, a Milanese songstress classically trained as a jazz vocalist. Dipper wipes through the residue of benchmark jazz fusing it to the digital world of electronic music. They tackle the traditional jazz standard melody 'My Funny Valentine' and use their bold avant-garde engineering to resign enhance the classic into the fabric of contemporary music.

RUE DU SOLEIL – La Francaise
Taken from the album “Essential Feelings”
Thanks to their formula musical sort of soft electronic grooves, Rue de Soleil are the best expression of the sound of Cafe Del Mar and it’s blueprint compilation releases.

SHRIFT – To The Floor

Taken from the album “Lost In A Moment”
A new collaboration between former Smoke City vocalist Nina Miranda and producer Dennis Wheatley. Together, they craft an elegant fusion of electronic music.

OUTLINES – Just A Little Lovin’

Taken from promotional CDR
Outlines are long-time friends Jerome, Irfane and Jay1, hailing from Paris and signed Berlin-based label Sonar Kollektiv. This debut single has been played and playlisted by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Peter Kruder, Laurent Garnier and Josh Wink.

LAMB – What Sound (Tom Middleton Deep Step Mix)
Taken from the album “Remixed”
Unquestionably, Manchester's most cutting edge electronica bands and are an integral part of the Bristol sound with their music sitting somewhere between Portishead and Roni Size. Lamb are one of the only acts to survive the trip-hop boom of the early 90s with their credibility intact.

19 April 2006 - Private Reserve (Show 2)

BOOM BOOM SATELLITES - On Painted Desert (DJ Krush Remix)
From the album “Out Loud”
Boom Boom Satellites take Western electronic music and reinterpret and reinvent it with dizzying results, managing to be new and old... at the same time successfully flogging the Japanese cinematic beat culture in Britain

ARKESTRA ONE – I Really Want Is You
From the album “Arkestra One”
Arkestra One is the work of Matthew Timoney, a master of laidback jazzy grooves layered with ethereal sounds and topped with the sultry vocals from Smokecity's Nina Miranda (otherwise known for the hit “Underwater Love”).

BONOBO – D Song
From the album “Dial M For Monkey”
Simon Green has been hailed as an excellent producer when it comes to the science of laying down seductive downtempo with chill melodies and head nodding percussions.

THIEVERY CORPORATION - Warning Shot (feat. Sleepy Wonder & Gunjan)
From the album “The Cosmic Game”
Eclectic dance duo Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, better known for their lovely futuristic bossa/lounge/downtempo sound delivers a heady mix of ragga beats, ethic chants and jazzy touches, showcasing why they are a class act in smooth electronic sounds.

RAE & CHRISTIAN – All I Ask (feat. Veba)
From the album “Northern Sulphuric Soul”
The slick beats and sweeping musical soundscapes are the result of an alliance between the DJ Mark Rae and the studio wizard, Steve Christian, bringing the best of UK soul, DJ culture, soul, and pop together...

MORCHEEBA – Aqualung
From the album “Charango”
Soulful trip hop trio Morcheeba have carved a niche as purveyors of evocative nuevo-lounge and dreamy ambience. And they never fail to take fans on a musical swim with their blend of soothing melancholy and quirkiness

ALPHAWEZEN – Speed Of Light
Taken from promotional CDR
Alphawezen is the brainchild from Ernst Wawra, a prolific German producer of techno and house.

NOUVELLE VAGUE- This Is Not A Love Song
From the album “Nouvelle Vague”
Nouvelle Vague is a French electronica project, which takes classic post-punk songs and give them a sophistcated pop art twist with Bossa / Jazz / 60s pop touches.

THE UNDERWOLVES – Stay A While
From the album “Under Your Sky”
With a recording studio in a Bedforshire farmhouse, these leaders of the nu-jazz movement, drum & bass producers Profresser Stretch and Ned Kelly steer clear of their roots to produce accessible street-soul with Madeline Edgebill of all-girl reggae band ACABU.

AIR – Cherry Blossom Girl
From the album “Talkie Walkie”
The retro-futurist electronica of two hopelessly indulgent romantics return with Radiohead's longtime producer Nigel Godrich to deliver more meltingly electro-pop ... like this heavenly "Cherry Blossom Girl" which showcases their masterful blend of airy voices and delightful textures

MOBY – Dream About Me
From the album “Hotel”
Playing almost all the instruments, the world's only megastar of electronic music returns in grand tradition to his lucrative niche of making beautifully laid-back eclectic records and melancholic torch-sings.

PAULINE LONDON – Fly In The Sky
From the album “Quiet Skies”
Singer, composer and author, whose music sets out to be a cross-section of jazz, lounge, nu-jazz, combined with mordern eletronics and a rarefied vocal style.

PAROV STELAR – Kiss Kiss
From the album “Rough Cuts”
Parov Stelar is a talented composer and producer of electronic dance / jazz grooves in Austria.

TURNTABLEROCKER – Love Supreme
From the album “Smile”
Michi Beck and DJ Thomilla met for the first time in 1994 at an import record store in Stuttgart. The two vinyl junkies’ shared preferences extended beyond the matter right down to the last groove and they eventually formed this DJ / producer unit. Their productions like this feel good track ‘Love Supreme’ have already won the support in Laurent Garnier, Mylo, Ian Pooley and Lottie.

12 April 2006 - Private Reserve (Show 1)

BONONO – Flutter
From the album "Dial M For Monkey"
Brighton-based beatmaker Simon Green is known for concocting hip-hop skeletons in his studio and then fleshing them out with live instrumentation, lush melodies and downtempo soundscapes.

DEEP DIVE CORP – Coastline
From the album "Freestyle Floating"
This little known German production duo are always evolving and experimenting with different styles. They produce a likeable world of music that blends many genres. Here they create a blissful accompanying score for sunsets.

TOSCA – Rondo Acaprocio
From the album "J.A.C."
Tosca is the recording name for Viennese electronica duo Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber; better known for their mastery of jazzy ambience, superb groove-driven down-tempo vibe and their exquisite relaxing cushions of sound.

DAB – The Million Euro Weekend
From the album "The Best"
Cafe Del Mar’s pride and joy, Digital Audio Band, comprising of two Spanish producers - Pedro Andreu and Luis Sancho. Known for their superb skills in producing a delightful soundtrack for mellow, elegant socialising or a solo headphone experience.

MOODORAMA – Behind The Scene
From the album "Mystery In A Cup Of Tea"
Moodorama certainly belong among the more interesting representatives of the dazzling spectrum of Nujazz-Electro-Downbeat, creating music that is light-footed and melancholic, cheerful and deep, relaxed and energetic. It’s a sound that can be enjoyed everywhere, at any occasion.

LTJ XPERIENCE – And I Love Him
From the album "When The Rain Begins To Fall"
One of the most acclaimed Italian DJ known for his musical eclectism which ranges from black soul to funk to jazz to ethic. Here is his laidback re-interpretation of The Beatles’ “And I Love Her”.

KINOBE – Butterfly
From the album "Versebridgechorus?"
A standout melancholic tune from downbeat groovers, best known for their chill-out anthem "Slip Into Something More Comfortable".

SIA – Sunday
From the album "Colour The Small One"
Australian vocalist Sia Furler was launch into the limelight with those classic pairings with Zero 7. Her seductive yet intense vocals works together with the folky harmonics and big orchestral trip-hop to deliver an addictive end result.

KID LOCO – A Little Bit Of Soul
From the album "Kill You Darlings"
The Velvet Underground walks all over Kid Loco, bringing forth trip-hop blended with a novel pop twist. Despite being a big change from his previous work, there is something hypnotic with the organic instrumentations working in hand with evokative downtempo.

BLONDE REDHEAD – Elephant Woman
From the album "Misery Is A Butterfly"
New York City-based lush indie-band fronted by Japanese songstress Kazu Makino brings a sense of quirky melancholy to new heights with here somber their cinematic instrumentation and deep arrangements. Almost chamber music and yet it isn’t.

J.VIEWZ – Worth Light
From the album "Muse Breaks"
An outfit comprising of live musicians incorporating cool electronic textures with trip-hop mentality.

ROYKSOPP – What Else Is There?
From the album "The Understanding"
Norwegian leftfield electronic duo Royksopp display their creative song-writing skills, cinematic instrumentations and retro-futuristic sound with a hint of pop sensibilities. Together this Karin Dreijer’s soaring vocals, this track is an absolute gem!