The Very Best of AfterHours
Various Artists
Instinct
I am on record innumerable times stating my belief that Shadow is the best damned downtempo label currently in operation, and, while I’m definitely not as equally laudatory about the Instinct side of the label, I do have to hand it to them for AfterHours. This two-CD set is perfect for the prescribed time with its downtempo, dubby grooves mixed with slick jazz atmospherics. A combination of Prozac and Viagra, this compilation takes the fray off your day with its erotic ooze.
There’s the ethereal menace of Ollano’s “La Couleur,” Le Gooster’s “Love Supreme”-ish “Elements,” Superpulse’s icy groove, “Towards The Edge,” Kosma’s head-nod francaise, “Les Promesses D’une Chevelure,” and the astral-butter dreaminess of Jimpster’s “Playtime.” Other than that, you have all of Shadow’s usual suspects (Greg Long, Mujaji, Saru, DJ Krush, Hybrid Device, and the Merkin Dream) with a nice cut from United Front Organization thrown in for good measure.
With the overwhelming proliferation of chill-out compilations, AfterHours still stands out as an exceptional groove.
Instinct Records: http://www.instinctrecords.com
