Ibiza albums are more common than trains in strife these days and 2000 has been an especially bumper year for compilation carnage. So quicker than you can say 'cash-in,' here's dotmusic bonzer round up of all that's Balearic or just plain boshin'.
Ibiza …[The Story So Far] [Columbia]
It's a foolish plan: but someone had to do it. Someone ie Matt Cassar, has attempted to make a definitive album of every track to truly make the white isle's foundations tremble. Very foolish.
But hell: it's fun trying.
For yer average nu-trance devotee there's lots here to show where the current sound rose from: Hardfloor's mix of Mory Kante to BT's mix of Grace for a kick-off.
Elsewhere tracks like 808 State's epic Pacific 303 and Sueno Latino prove modern classics like Garnier's 'Man With The Red Face,' while great, didn't spring from the ether. Todd Terry, Mousse T and Pete Heller appear as does an old rave tune. Other classics include 'Helicopter', Simon Ratcliffe's from Basement Jaxx's first break through tune.
Either way, as Ibiza [The Story So Far] shows, the route to hedonism's been eclectic, messy and but so often found on an island not far from Spain.
DJ Pippi presents Undiscovered Ibiza Vol2 [Undiscovered]
In stark and absolute contrast to most Ibiza trance cash-o-lations, this sees Ibiza's long serving Pasha resident DJ Pippi going deep in Balerica, breaking new artists. Wot no ATB? Yup.
Despite the recent popularity of the more hedonistic end of the house spectrum, Ibiza as long since been equated with chilled ambience, sunny latin licks and eclectism.
Ibiza Undiscovered is where ambient, jungle, latin, hip hop and soul meet, have a tasty cocktail and bask in some rays. Just feelin' groovy. Some cuts might edge towards the bland at times, but when it gets flowing Over Soul feat. Gram'ma Funk the result is intoxicating.
Now let's just bask baby c'mon. Mmm…
Ibiza Euphoria mix Alex Gold and Agnelli & Nelson [TelstarTV]
You pay's your money, you takes your chances, as they say. But buying Ibiza Euphoria ain't no gamble. The only surprise is that it takes over three minutes for the beats to bosh in.
What you get for your hard earned escudos is hard house, epic trance and the odd mix of chart hits. Chicane, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Sister Bliss are the bigger names featured here, but mostly this is a heads-down pump-a-thon to please any of the Pashion/'Crasher massive.
Someone pass the glowstick?
Kiss Ibiza 2000 (Universal)
Equipped with a 20 page booklet courtesy of sister publication Mixmag, dance station Kiss have compiled most of the tunes that you couldn't avoid in ibiza and then chucked in some from their own summer play list in London for good measure.
The two CDs are divided between funky house, CD 1, and Trance/ hard house, CD2. Funky additions come from Modjo, Bob Sinclar and Black Legend, with a fair few surprises, such as Artful Dodger's 'Women Trouble'. Surely some mishtake? Big in Aiya Napa mayber, but not much of a Balearic beat there.
CD2 kicks off with Darude's 'Sandstorm', the tune that rumbled through the tarmac of San An all day and all night, and then rolls on through Hi Gate, Sander Kleinenberg and again hits on a few surprise entries, such as Coco and Stonebridge's 'The beach'.
Bora Bora Ibiza - Day & Night mixed by DJ Gee [React]
What makes Ibiza different from dancing in a club, say Romford, is that you get down in full sunlight while the sea laps the shore. Sorry, but that just don't happen in Essex.
Leading the maritime clubbing experience with sand between his wotsits is DJ Gee. A resident at caféclub Bora Bora, he's an ex-pat Brit with a penchant for mixing dance genres like cocktail ingredients ie liberally.
Bora Bora Ibiza is not the chart cash in compilation DJ Dave 'Tong' McJules might release. Which is refreshing. Gee gets busy, mixing tech house, 2step, NY garage and deep house together. And that's just the first CD. It's not hot chart action but then again it's not rocket science either. But it reflects the Bora Bora sound…
Which all goes a bit boshing by the second CD depending what floats your boat on a hard house and trance tip. Overall, however, the highlight has to be the Svek mix of Laurent Garnier. Barman make mine a double.
Ultimate Ibiza mixed by Brandon Block & Alex P [Inspired]
Ahh. Inhale…can just smell the rochefort. Yup to most this is the Ibiza club compilation at it's best. DJ's leading the laaaarge, pumping the tunes you know you'll hear on the radio when you get home.
So it's a double helping of Bob Sinclar, Black Legend, ATFC and The Police. Disco house at it's dumbest but who cares? It's summer and you've had a few so shake your ass, cos come Monday you'll be back in the office…Is that how it goes?
Real Ibiza 3 "Chilling Me Softly" mixed by Chris Coco [React]
Mixed by DJ Chris Coco, if you know his sets you'll know what to expect: chill, chill, relaxing ambience with a side order of chill. Mr Coco, as well as the ex-Editor of DJ magazine, is a fine exponent of all things deep, tasty and groovesome. In a relaxing way of course.
So who said euphoria couldn't be chilled?
To spread a warm glow over your lives and get you in the mood for rays and waves, are past masters like A Man Called Adam, Nightmares On Wax, Ron Trent and jazzer Pat Metheny. Coco's own collaboration with Lenny is equally lush.
But the great lost masterpiece here is one of the best and widely overlooked tracks of '99: Ralf Hildenbeutel's exceptional African-ambience 'Hommage A Noir.' The compilation is worth buying for that alone. Do so, and you'll encounter 23 great bonus tracks to boot.
Bar M "The Album" mixed by Lucci & Buff [Virgin]
Like many an Ibiza compilation, Bar M is a game of two halves, son. Chilling in the dugout is DJ Lucci, dropping well known and classic chillout cuts. Putting Pharoah Saunders, Joe Clausell, Marshall Jefferson and Ursula Rucker next to each other is divine.
The other half, let's say letting rip on the pitch, is courtesy of the [hilariously named] DJ Buff. The Buffmeister lets rip in a disco-breaks-house kinda vein. Sure Laurent Garnier's 'Man With The Red Face' pops up but mostly this is fillers and Spillers. Yeah 'This Aint Love…
CaféMambo 'The Real Sound of Ibiza' [Columbia]
Hello, good evening and welcome to compilation school. Step one on your journey to cash in hand, is to pick a bar.
Not any bar, mind, make it one in Ibiza that people large it at. Then ask DJs, nay listen to commercial radio and find what out is 'large' at the moment. Put every large tune on two CDs one for club warm up, the other for chilling and wait for cash rewards.
Sure your compilation has Isolee, Sueno Latino, Laurent Garnier, Handsome Boy Modelling School and Rae n Christian. But is it rocket science? Is it f…
