International Feel: A Compilation

Liner Note Author: Mark B .
Collecting a swathe of tracks from across the International Feel label catalog, A Compilation is just that, two CDs' worth of songs that, to borrow label founder Mark B's description, aim to come together as an ultimate Balearic mix for the 21st century. That the music world has come across steadily once more to the promise of Balearic as a general style and reference point seems understandable enough -- in a time of general unease, why not something that lets people feel a little more celebratory while never getting too frenetic? There's also the sense that plenty of veterans can explore and have fun as well, so hearing Locussolus' "Gunship" get a reworking from Andrew Weatherall is only apt, down to the references to the two Kansas fans that seem to have wandered in from another milieu altogether. Whether it's Maxxi & Zeus' "American Dreamer" -- either sampling or at least cloning one of Jim Morrison's more zoned and stoned deliveries -- Hungry Ghost's "I Am a Series of Strange Loops" paying something of a tribute to Alvin Lucier, or Parada 88's "You're Gonna Miss Me," there's a feeling that Uruguay seems to be restarting history a bit all over again, and there's plenty on the collection that feels like a polite celebration of the past more than an exciting reworking. But whether it's Com Truise on another Locussolus remix, in this case for "Throwdown," or the slightly Mungolian Jet Set touches on Bepu N'Gali's "I Travel to You," there are more than enough engaging moments to welcome a full listen. ~ Ned Raggett