Buddha Bar V Mixed by David Visan (George V) DJ Claude Challe must be laughing all the way to the bank. The Buddha Bar in Paris was once the stuff of legend: with a soft, ambient soundtrack wisping out of the speakers like burning incense during dinner time, the tables would then be pushed to the side as thumping beats became le plat du jour. These days it seems to have about as much mystique as Cafe De Coral, let alone the heinously over-exposed Cafe Del Mar: Challe has now knocked out five of these compilations in just over two years. Attempting to distil the Buddha's unique vibe on to an exceedingly expensive piece of plastic, it's eclectic listening at the very least. Mixed by David Visan, we begin with some kind of self-help meditation session before Jade Or featuring Bielka Nemir-ovski's Nie Kantshaietsa threatens to become camp, cruise-ship cabaret. Mikis Theodorakis' ghastly I've Kept A Hold Of My Life, meanwhile, would be more at home on the Jesus Of Nazareth soundtrack. The uptempo moments are the best as the compilation wakes from a Gallic hash-haze with the slick robo-grooves of Latour's Blue, while Rubin Steiner's Wunderlande is a 1970s jet-set delight. Volume V has its moments, with flashes of gypsy flamenco and string-laden house grooves making up for some of the cod-spiritual nonsense on offer.
