The second volume in Ministry of Sound's Chilled series is a continuation of the first, which proved popular enough to warrant a follow-up. Like the first volume, Ministry of Sound: Chilled, Vol. 2 (1991-2009) is a triple-CD mix of relatively downtempo electronic dance music from the previous couple decades, including classics as well as more obscure songs. The track listing is truly impressive, featuring tracks by Pacific State, Leftfield, Primal Scream, Sneaker Pimps, Groove Armada, St. Germain, Moloko, Kruder & ...
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The second volume in Ministry of Sound's Chilled series is a continuation of the first, which proved popular enough to warrant a follow-up. Like the first volume, Ministry of Sound: Chilled, Vol. 2 (1991-2009) is a triple-CD mix of relatively downtempo electronic dance music from the previous couple decades, including classics as well as more obscure songs. The track listing is truly impressive, featuring tracks by Pacific State, Leftfield, Primal Scream, Sneaker Pimps, Groove Armada, St. Germain, Moloko, Kruder & Dorfmeister, the Prodigy, Coldplay, Air, Faithless, Zero 7, Roots Manuva, Daft Punk, Mylo, Fatboy Slim, Thievery Corporation, Nouvelle Vague, Nightmares on Wax, UNKLE, Deep Dish, Everything But the Girl, Underworld, Jam & Spoon, Kings of Tomorrow, Röyksopp, and Moby. Most of these better-known electronica artists date back to the '90s, though there are more recent inclusions on the remix-heavy third disc such as Kid Cudi vs Crookers' "Day 'N' Nite (D.O.N.S Remix)," Sébastien Tellier's "Kilometer (A Trak Remix)," and Lindstrom & Prins Tomas' "En Dag I Mai." In contrast to the third disc, the first two generally feature the original or best-known versions of the songs. Make no mistake, this album is chill, but it's not necessarily ambient. Lots of these tracks are rhythmic and beat-driven, and some are quite uptempo, the entire third disc in particular. As for the mixing, it's nothing special. It's so subtle, in fact, the album could be played with a random play setting and it wouldn't make much of a difference. All in all, Ministry of Sound: Chilled, Vol. 2 (1991-2009) is best-suited for casual listeners of electronic dance music (people who could care less that "Pacific State" was released in 1989, outside the date range stated in the subtitle). Electronica purists will already have much of this music in their collection, and neither the track selection nor the mixing will impress them. Yet for those who would like an all-in-one package filled with some of the most popular chill-out music of the previous couple decades, Ministry of Sound's Chilled series is ideal, both the first and second volume. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
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