Kenji, Naoki

Artist: Naoki Kenji
P: 2011
Shiokaze is a very well mixed album, balancing laid back beats with more uptempo dance beats.  None of it felt disjointed.  ”Umi No Oto” was a great “chill” track featuring the beautiful vocals of Japanese vocalist SHIZU which has a bit of a trip hop intro and then glides along a gentle groove with flowing string sounds in the background.  VERY relaxing.  A perfect track for a chillin’ after a long night out is the darker “Hoshi” which also had “SHIZU’s” whispering vocals and were accompanied by a sultry saxophone part, a great upright bass sound, and just the right amount of scratches to keep the trip-hop feel going. On the more uptempo dance side, “Stratos 57″ has some gentle synth waves which keep the track relaxing and almost hypnotic, but there is a great beat to it with some interesting muted trumpet and bluesy keyboard throughout.  I also really liked the opener called “Ki Ite Mite” which is a nice dance track, but still had a hint of the beautiful mellowness that is to follow on some of the other tracks.  The bass beat is the hardest hitting on the album though, so it really gets you going.

Artist: Various Artists
P: 2003
Elektrolux e1111100cd
This really sets the mood for individuals wanting to take that chill-time with that special someone. Be it downtime with your companion, or even a simple get togther with family and loved ones. This CD is simply that versatile.

Artist: Various Artists
P: 2005
Elektrolux e10001001cd
"Can Chillout and Pop go together? Electronic music has gone through a remarkable change during the last years by tracks having become less anonymous and more recognizable, especially with regard to song-like structures. Therefore, it was only logical that Elektrolux gave an impressing proof of the consensus of Ambient and Pop by the first issue of the compilation series The Future Is My Melody"" about two years ago. The aim was to set a new benchmark especially on the international market (e.g. Major licensings to Columbia for the US and Canada and to Universal for France). As a logical consequence, this success story is continued congenially in the anniversary year 2005. Twelve tracks of the more recent label history and two tracks which have not been released yet form an Ambient Pop Compilation which is already making us dream of next summer.
Marko Bussian, Jean-Charles Vandermynsbrugge and the Argentina-born Sol Ruiz de Galarreta are meeting for a sensual kiss on the beach of Ibiza (Fous de la Mer ""Conmigo""). The latest label act Groovecatcher is bewitched by the cathartic power of rain expressed in a deeply melancholic dub (""After The Rain""). The label founders Alex Azary and Pascal FEOS give an exclusive outlook to the third Aural Float by blending smooth but funky chilled Elektro breaks with vocals by Kim Sanders in a track akin to Prince productions (""Him And Her - Chris Wood Re-Edit"").
""The Future Is My Melody Vol. 2"", like part one, of course features tracks by Naoki Kenji, The Sushi Club, Jean F. Cochois, Fresh Moods and PFL feat. Julia Messenger. Thus, the future of the aesthetic power of melodies could not be brighter.