mix cds for moi please!

September 10, 2009 1:34 AM

Favourite compilation CDs? These are my ultimate way to find new music - so many hidden jewels! I've liked many of the MoS Chillout Sessions, Hed Kandi Winter Chill, a couple of Ultra Trance; and I love Kruder & Dorfmeister K&D Sessions. All suggestions welcome, as long as you think they're genius!
posted by nomnomnom to Media & Arts (19 answers total)

From me, three recommendations:

Ambient Nights:
http://www.ambient-nights.org/

Back to Mine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_mine


Late Night Tales:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Night_Tales

Enjoy! :)
posted by LittlePrince at 2:57 AM on September 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

This is what I use to find music. Not compilations but far easier and less restrictive. (I can listen to music for most of the day and I still find it hard to listen to even a third of what I'd like to using these methods.)

Last.fm lets you stream music and will suggest similar artists to the ones you are listening to. One of the useful features is the radio stations. You enter an artist or a style or a tag and you'll be streamed music that fits in with that style / artist. e.g. enter 'Kruder & Dorfmeister' radio station and you'll be played K&D along with Theivery Corporation, Coldcut, DJ Shadow and so on.

Spotify allows you to search for & play music (again, it's streamed). You can set up playlists, share them (see these two in a recent Pitchfork list thread) and you'll get artist biogs and a similar artists list.

I also use an online DJ download service called Trackitdown.net (it can be a bit clunky at times, I find it less restrictive than the Beatport interface) and you can enter a simple search term, e.g. chill to get a list of tracks, artists & labels that contain the term. There's a player that you can cue track into and you'll get about 2'30" of a track.

(Artist recommendation: pantha du prince. DJ mixes: fleep)
posted by i_cola at 3:09 AM on September 10, 2009

[Clickable links for LittlePrince's excellent recommendations. Ambient Nights is very handy although not sure about some of the legality ;-) ]

Ambient Nights

Back to Mine

Late Night Tales
posted by i_cola at 3:17 AM on September 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

The DJ-Kicks series from K7 is super good. The Nightmares On Wax one as well as Kruder & Dorfmeisters are still among my favorite albums.
posted by Glow Bucket at 3:47 AM on September 10, 2009

You might like the Verve Remixed series.
It includes such gems as Sinnerman and The Boy's Doin' It.

The other DJ Kicks albums are pretty good too: I particularly like the Erlend Øye one.
posted by jonesor at 3:56 AM on September 10, 2009

"rebirth of cool phive" is great. More acid-jazzy then what you list above.
posted by backwards guitar at 4:54 AM on September 10, 2009

Big fan of the various Kitsune compilations.
posted by patricio at 6:11 AM on September 10, 2009

clicks_+_cuts [i, ii, iii, iv]

NO NEW YORK, featuring Steve Albini's favorite song, James Chance & The Contortions' "Flip Your Face!" as well as other certifiable classics

A Factory Sample, FAC-2, released 1978; Joy Division, Durutti Column, John Dowie, Cabaret Voltaire

Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 - compilation of 60s garage rock released 1972; original liner notes by Lenny Kaye include first known use of the phrase 'punk rock' in print

Soundtrack from the film That Summer! - I have never seen this film, nor do I know anything about it, but this record from 1979 is one of my very favorite. It's like a brief rundown of everything good about the beginning of the eighties: some classic punk tunes (like Richard Hell's "Blank Generation") and some of the better, more intelligent new wave (Ian Dury, Nick Lowe). 14 fantastic tracks, and then two tracks by the Boomtown Rats so you have time to get up, take a crap, and get another drink.

John Peel: The Tenth-Anniversary 'Festive Fifty,' December 1977. [rapidshare d/l: i, ii]

posted by koeselitz at 6:15 AM on September 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

FabricLive and hearty 2^nds for Another Late Night/Late Night Tales and DJ-Kicks.
posted by cowbellemoo at 6:18 AM on September 10, 2009

I really liked Jungle: The Sound of the Underground, though I haven't listened to it in a while.
posted by reptile at 6:43 AM on September 10, 2009

I'll post a couple more chillout recs in a bit when I can get my ipod.
posted by reptile at 6:47 AM on September 10, 2009

Sounds like you are interested in downtempo, chill, lounge type music. That's primarily what I've been listening to for the past several years. Here's what I've been listening to:

The Hotel Costes series is excellent. Each disc has some hits and some misses, but I've been pleased with them overall.

Vienna Scientists has some good compilations.

Naked music makes some of my favorite compilation albums. Nude Dimensions is a little more chill house and dance oriented than the Bare Essentials and Carte Blanche series which are a little more lounge.

Hi Fidelity Lounge is also a good series although it may be a little older. Its about the same timeframe as K&D Sessions though.

Stuff from the ESL (Eighteenth Street Lounge) is pretty awesome. I have Den of Thieves and Jet Society and listen to them all the time.
posted by kookywon at 8:15 AM on September 10, 2009

Cafe Del Mar 25th Anniversary is great, as are many in the Cafe del Mar series
Chill Out in Paris is top notch.
The Erotic Lounge series is good, I have volumes 1 and 4. Don't have a link though.

BTW listening to the Ambient Nights linked above, great stuff.
posted by reptile at 8:28 AM on September 10, 2009

Thirding the Dj Kicks series. I'm a fan of the ones by Terranova, Rockers Hi-Fi, and the Stereo MCs.

You'd also probably like the stuff at ThetaStates, which has a number of ambient and downtempo mixes, all of which are FREE!
posted by googly at 9:38 AM on September 10, 2009

The In-Kraut series is fantastic, and The Trip series is a fun glimpse into the record collections and influences of random musicians and DJs. The Saint Etienne edition is a favorite.
posted by otters walk among us at 11:06 AM on September 10, 2009

Far afield from what you normally listen to, but the American Primitive compilations, curated by the late John Fahey (the Goodbye Babylon set contains more similar stuff), and the Return of the DJ series (especially the first few), are both really great. If you prefer your hip-hop MC- rather than DJ-centric, the Lyricist Lounge and Soundbombing comps are excellent. Considering that it tries to cover the entire history of Jamaican music in four discs, Tougher than Tough is pretty darn good. It might be a challenge to track down old ones, but the Oxford American southern-music CDs are worth hearing.

Much closer to what you normally enjoy, Mark Farina's Mushroom Jazz mixes are usually good.
posted by box at 12:57 PM on September 10, 2009

The original 2-CD version of Sasha & Digweed's Northern Exposure. Probably my favorite compilation of all time, and right up your alley from the sound of it.
posted by Lazlo at 10:02 PM on September 10, 2009

For something a little darker try the Subterranean Hitz Vol. 1 and 2.
posted by Glow Bucket at 11:44 PM on September 10, 2009

You might want to check out SomaFM's Groove Salad. They play K&D and the various side projects a lot. There is a lot of similar music on their channel. I've found some awesome chillout and downtempo on that site.
posted by ollyollyoxenfree at 7:47 AM on September 11, 2009