Audio CD review:
Cirque du Soleil - Cirque Du Soleil: Tapis Rouge Solarium

Cirque du Soleil - Cirque Du Soleil: Tapis Rouge Solarium

Band: Cirque du Soleil Title: Cirque Du Soleil: Tapis Rouge Solarium Rating: Release Date: 2004-12-28 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Ombra - Cirque du Soleil, Dorion, Hélène 2: Allegría - Cirque du Soleil, Dragone 3: A Tale - Cirque du Soleil, Jutras, Benoit 4: El Péndulo - Cirque du Soleil, Corradi, Violaine 5: Africa - Cirque du Soleil, Traditional 6: Nocturne - Cirque du Soleil, Dupéré, René 7: Le Rêveur - Cirque du Soleil, Sawhney, Nitin 8: Gamelan - Cirque du Soleil, Jutras, Benoit 9: Ombra - Cirque du Soleil, Dorion, Hélène 10: Africa - Cirque du Soleil, Traditional

Tapis Rouge... However, be warned, if your are a Cirque du Soleil purist, or if your not a big fan of the chill/lounge genre, this might not be for you. I bought this cd not really knowing what to expect, but I knew it would definitely be worth taking a listen, with names like Christophe Goze, Phil Mison (Cantoma), Steve Miller (Afterlife), Lenny Ibizarre, Stuart Matthewman (Cottonbelly), and the Banzai Republic involved with this project. I have nothing bad to say about the tracks on this cd, they each stand out on their own, even though some tracks do apear twice on the cd, they are nothing alike since each producer has molded it into their own vision. Actually, there is one thing that I did not like about the cd, and that is the absence of "A Tale" [Munchäusen Mix], which was remixed by the production team of Bliss. If you are not familiar with Bliss, they current have three albums, "Afterlife", "Quiet Letters", and "They Made History", all on the Music for Dreams label. But back to this cd, Ibizarre's version of "Ombra" is down-tempo, and a bit sombre in comparison with Afterlife's up-beat take of the song. Cottonbelly's and the Banzai Republic's take on "Africa" are both dub flavoured, but that is where the similarities end. Both tracks are like night and day, the Cottonbelly mix has a "warmer" sound to it, while the Banzai remix has their signature "minimalist" dub effects that makes their version song completely their own. Phil Mison's (Cantoma) remix of "Gamelan" is denitely one of the best of this cd, if you are familiar with his other material, then you will love this. Christophe Goze's remix of "Nocturne" is by far the smoothest track on the entire cd. This remix definitely captures an "after hours" sound that only Christophe Goze could craft, while including his signature guitar work. I did'nt go into any detail over the other songs, not to take anything away from them, beacuse the are equally as good, but I'm just not all that familiar with those producers and their "sound". Overall this is really a great cd, especially if you are familiar with any of the producers involved, but you don't have to be to appreciate the sounds on this cd. The remixes on this cd really breathe new life into the songs, not that there was anything wrong with them before, but it is interesting what each individual has come up with. You can see a complete list of all Cirque du Soleil discography, or go back to the Cirque du Soleil tabs