Sample Magic - sample dvd's and downloads for house, dance, electro and trance music

"Chill-out is a pretty wide genre, so there's no better way to compile this 1.8 GB collective hangover than by commissioning samples from a diverse range of talent — including analog pioneer Ian Boddy, soundscape veteran Eat Static, lounge lizard Jake Island and more.

The disc unfolds in three stages of insobriety (80, 90 and 100 bpm), from dancing away the last call at a balmy beach club to recovering in slow motion back at the resort. Setting the pace are roughly 50 drum loops per tempo category (many of which are variations) mostly made from acoustic kits. Though not overly wet, these are often processed using distortion, reverb or a trippy "grain" effect on only specific snare and hi-hat beats for carefully appointed accents. I'm a big fan of the crossover nature to these loops, blending crusty funk and dark dub with vinyl-resourced hip-hop and modern electro minimalism. The beats are strong and intelligent. Supplemental fills, percussion loops and a vast folder of drum hits are also provided.

In the live instrument folders, some exquisitely played double-bass loops have been close-miked to capture tons of great wood tone and lively string character. Soft jazz and folk-inspired flute phrases proved to be great REX ammunition. The dusty Rhodes phrases and broken chords are, in a word, gorgeous; their riffing counterparts practically write booze-soaked compositions for you, particularly when arranged haphazardly. Strident classical and jazz styling on acoustic piano and swirling acoustic guitar tremolo runs lend a defining smokiness to any groove. And I absolutely loved the sultry trombone licks that give this library another unique dimension. Sunset Sessions offers a mature and organically seductive sound to lounge music traveling in the slow lane."

"Sunset Sessions is a slightly twisted take on the ubiquitous chill-out and lounge libraries that we're used to seeing - and a refreshing one too.

Most of the samples are in loop format and cover a wealth of real instruments, including electric piano, guitar, flute, bass amd even trombone. Though the loops are short, they're well recorded and played and have a very authentic, modern and sleazy chill-out vibe to them. You also get plenty of synths and pads (with their chords and keys in the filenames - brownie points aplenty!), and a small selection of single hit drums. This comes highly recommended. 9/10"