[dead] AMG The Chill Out Room [WAV]

Team: unknown | Date: unknown
The Chill Out Room is a good description of the retro, laidback, and slightly experimental edge of this fine collection of samples.

Drawing on an enviable collection of synths: Prophet S, Jupiter 8, MKS80, PG800, ARP2600, DX7 and so on, the producer, 'Space Echo', is clearly infatuated with all things analogue and, unlike many sample CD producers, here's one dude who actually knows how to get the most out of the gear.

Track one is the aural equivalent of a hot sauna followed by a massage, and is followed by 28 tracks of 'Atmospheres'. These take the form of elongated pads that evolve and mutate over time, fusing flangey hippydom with deconstructed techno overtones. There's something here for nearly every programmer, whether you're writing for TV or filling dancefloors.

Working with the disc is made easy with some wonderfully descriptive names including 'Evocation In F Minor' or 'Tibetmosphere', and each one is listed along with key signatures and bpms, where appropriate.

The next section features a series of drum and percussion loops which all rely heavily on interesting effects processing, but manage to cover a wide range of styles with musicality and usability, built in throughout. This is followed by some 'Sequences' which contain phrases and chord progressions to use as sonic building blocks, perhaps more dancefloor-oriented than chilled out, but inspiring and usable.

The 'Single Note Synth' section offers loads of bass, lead and pad sounds, in the form of multisamples, and an impressive range of timbres is covered from gritty and distorted to elegant and ethereal.

The section curiously titled 'Dub Events And Synth FXs' is a mixed bag of whooshes, stabs and effects culled ffom the depths of analogue hell - some work fantastically and some remind you of Sesame Street in 1976.

The Chill Out Room offers a huge variety of highly usable and creative material. However, while analogue still seems to be cooler than a penguin with frostbite, the attempt to bring instruments like the DX7 into the 21st Century meets with limited success. It just feels a bit too retro for it's own good in places and is in danger of stepping on the toes of the millions of similar CDs.

Nevertheless, there is much to delight in, and if you're after some laid-back weirdness with a distinctly analogue flavour, relax with 'Space Echo', because you are in the hands of an expert. Paul Farrer

http://www.filesonic.com/file/1635239644
http://www.fileserve.com/file/5UgQv4e
http://bitshare.com/files/lzitmzca/thchlltrm_wv.rar.html