Buddha-Bar XIII

Album Review

The third issue in a series from the infamous Buddha Bar in Paris, this two-CD set diverges from the "Dinner"/"Party" split that Buddha Bar owner Claude Challe had used on the series' first two installments. DJ Ravin, who is at the helm for this issue, splits it instead into two discs entitled "Dream" and "Joy." The first disc has a more new age, ethnic fusion feel with songs that span from the nouveau flamenco of Jesse Cook to Adrian Enescu's ethereal "Invisible Movies, Pt. I," which features hypnotic vocal samples of Sheila Chandra. The second disc veers off into ecstatic territory with percussion-heavy cuts from artists like Talvin Singh and Kodo. Ekova's "Starlight in Daden" also appears, and Dierdre Dubois' heavenly, exotic-sounding voice fits right in with the downtempo feel of the album as a whole. While this release may not fully capture the unique energy that has made Buddha Bar known as the Studio 54 of Paris, it does present some pleasant chill-out music from a wide variety of electronic artists. [The Musicrama edition of this album collects the highlights of the two-disc set into a single disc.]