The Late Night Mix
(Universal)
The success of the Cafe Del Mar series has spawned dozens of chill-out compilation albums in recent years. None, however, quite as eclectic as this one. Over 38 tracks on two CDs, Nigel Pierce weaves together tracks from artists as diverse as Moby, Marvin Gaye, Fatboy Slim and Miles Davis. No mean feat.
For the most part it works suprisingly well, sliding from the Art Of Noise's sublime Moments In Love, through The Korgis' Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime and into that Roy Ayers classic Everybody Loves The Sunshine. It may sound an unlikely combo, but it doesn't jar. A few tracks do, however, like James Brown's The Payback, but full marks for the inclusion of The Beloved's Sun Rising (a drum and bass remix) and Paul Weller's Wildwood.
The concoction is as smooth as a pina colada, saccharine sweet with an essential kick. But who, one wonders, decided to throw Simply Red's Thrill Me into the blender? It may well be the 'Steppin' Razor Ambient Mix' but that doesn't save it from being a blot on an otherwise beautiful landscape.
