|
|
Putumayo Presents: Asian Lounge
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price:
$15.98
Asia Trips Trips Price:
$13.99
Your Savings: $ 1.99 ( 12% )
Subject To Change Without Notice
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Putumayo World Music
|
|
|
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0790248024424
Label: Putumayo World Music
Manufacturer: Putumayo World Music
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Putumayo World Music
Release Date: 2005-11-08
Studio: Putumayo World Music
|
|
|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
|
There has long been a cultural exchange between the East and the West. Marco Polo and the Silk and Spice trading routes began the process that, over time, has led to the creation of new musical styles. Putumayo presents examples of this ongoing musical interaction with the release of Asian Lounge. Travel from London to Bombay, Bali to Tokyo with this compilation of innovative Asian fusions, the sixth in Putumayo’s successful Lounge series. More than half the tracks on Asian Lounge have never been released in North America, paving a path for those who like to stay connected with ever-evolving music scenes. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this album will be donated to Oxfam America and Novib/Oxfam Netherlands in support of their development efforts in Asia.
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing
Comment: I have bought many Putamayo CD's and this one is by far the best one. It is full of great songs with deep and clear instrumentation. Even if you do not understnad the words as some songs are in Hindi, Uzbek and others; it is still very nice to listen to. All my friends like it and is good for background music at a party and for easy listening when relaxing. A must have for any world music collection.
Customer Rating:
Summary: **Let's chill out - light some candles and break out the wine!**
Comment: Great tunes! I bought this CD because I wanted some music that was sort of like "smooth jazz" but with an Asian ethic vibe and I was happy to get just that. As the title of my review suggests, this is great "chill out" music. I like to light some candles, play the CD, and sip some wine and unwind after a stressful day at the office. Ahhh! To me, this is a little bit of heaven on earth.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Eastern Grooves for Chilling Out
Comment: Another stellar release from Putumayo, this CD focuses on ambient/lounge music from Asian artists. The whole CD works as a wonderful compilation. As others have said, theres not a single track to skip over. Many of the songs are completely new, and have never been released in North America until now.
Needless to say, the strongest influences on this CD come from the Indian subcontinent. Nitin Sawhney's "Koyal" has a mellow Bollywood sound, complete with flutes and female vocals. Deepak Chopra and Biddu Orchestra both showcase South Asian percussion, while sitars are featured in Nataraj XT's "Space In...". And then theres "Water Down the Ganges", collaberation between Prem Joshua and Manish Vyas that runs for more than 10 minutes! But theres also other stuff too. "Campuhan" by Blue Asia and "Angels of the Island" by Bali Lounge draw upon the rhythmic music of Indonesia. Ancient Future weave together a lively blend of Indian and Chinese sounds. And the Yoshida Brothers mix ambient sounds with traditional Japanese instruments on "Fukaki Umi no Kanata". The final track, "Dreams of Happiness" by XCultures, draws upon and reflects all the same influences as the others and is a perfect ending to the CD. It'll stay with you long after going off.
This is an incredible CD, whether your dancing to it, driving out someplace late at night, or just chilling at home. You'll get hooked on this CD after the first song. Especially, as others have already pointed out, if you liked Putumayo's other CD "Music from Tea Lands". Like that CD, this compilation showcases artists from across the Asian continent, but in this case there is a more ambient/electronica feel to the songs. Nonetheless, the two CDs complement one another perfectly. Indeed, the band Ancient Future is featured on both CDs. If you liked one, then you'll certainly like the other. So do yourself a favor and go out and buy this CD. Your ears will thank you later.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Putumayo's further travels into Asia
Comment: This is superior to the mixed bag of Asian Groove;it has more variety, but it also sticks to its lounging theme. It is wonderfully meditative. It's a fit companion for Music of the Tea Lands (I've put both in a CD player&put both on random shuffle--they're compatible)
There isn't a single weak track on this.
Highlights-
1)Fukaki Umi No Kanata-It's no wonder the Yoshida Brothers have so many New Age albums.They have the perfect blend of Japanese&electronica.
2)Koyal-A haunting trip-hop take on a Bollywood song.
3)Ja Nam-A reggae take on a traditional Vietnamese song.Ancient Future as great as usual.
4)Bali Lounge-It's loungy.Like "Campuhan" before it,it uses an Indonesian theme.
5)Funky Guru-Wow!Prem Joshua is worth further exploration.This is worth singing along or dancing to.
6)Water down the Ganges-More Prem Joshua.While most pop songs are only 3 minutes long,this clocks in at 11 minutes.And worth every minute.
7)Dreams of Happiness-A haunting song.
While many people would dismiss New Age music as snooze-inducing&synth-heavy (think Yanni or Enya!),this album lays those worries to rest.This album is perfect for lounging,writing,or yoga.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Solid Indian Trip Hop
Comment: All the tracks are Indian flavored so while it's Asia, it's a pretty narrow focus.
It's not really 'loungey' in the correct dance sense, it's more trip hop - at best, you might call these tracks mid-tempo chill but a more accurate description is trip hop.
Unlike some other discs masquerading New Age as Trip Hop, these are all fine tracks with solid musicianship and are real trip hop tracks.
Other than KOYAL which is a flat out spooky track (and the only actual chill/lounge dance track) - the others all blend into each other - nothing really wrong with consistency but nothing else really outstanding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
