Post Description

Paul Hardcastle's name will most likely always be tied to his 1985 hit single '19', a now classic dance track about America's involvement in the Vietnam war. But there's more to Paul than just synth pop: the UK producer has been composing music for television shows since the 80s, took home Billboard's Smooth Jazz Award in 2008, and is an accomplished downtempo/chill-out musician too.

Paul's latest album, '19 Below Zero', is a two-disc spanning mix of 'ethereal beats, hypnotic rhythms and sensuous soundscapes of warm electronic artistry', or downtempo in plain English. Now, there's basically two kinds of downtempo music: the cheesy kind that provides men in their forties with a false sense of over-styled, superficial hipness, and the carefully crafted atmospheric kind that shows you actually do know your way around stylish music. This album falls into the latter category: composed of dreamy vocals, silky strings, warm bass soaked with reverb and slow-moving jazz rhythms, '19 Below Zero' has become a very organic, adventurous and credible selection of tracks to chill to. The first disc moves from beat-less tunes to jazzier material and while nearly every inclusion is very much worth listening to, it's the beat-less tunes that make the biggest impression here. '1000 Miles From Nowhere', the incredible 'Rainforest & What's Going On (Chill Mix)' mash-up and the lush Ibiza track 'Don't You Know' all are pure and intense Chillout tracks marked by meticulous production techniques and perfect examples of Paul's signature songwriting. The second disc follows a more or less similar approach, although things seem to be a wee bit darker and more sparkling here. After a handful of energetic tracks (including the massive progressive-driven 'Absolute Zero', seriously, be sure to check this one out ASAP!), the album continues to serve up a variety of genres. There's some pure 80s electro ('King Tut - Remaster Mix' ), 80s bedroom sway ('Cloud Watching') and ultra smooth chill-out ('Ventura Highway' and 'One Chance') and again we can't say anything else than that we're very impressed with what we hear.

Our verdict
'19 Below Zero' is a rich collage of various facets in downtempo music set against a very balanced atmospheric background. The overall production is among the best we ever heard in the genre and playing this one on a proper sound system is an almost orgasmic experience. Add to that the great songwriting and overall high quality production and you've got one of the best downtempo albums to have appeared this year.

CD1

1. Return Of The Rainman
2. 1000 Miles From Nowhere (vocals Beci Biggins)
3. East to West - Ibiza Remix
4. Summer Love - Chill Mix (vocals Maxine Hardcastle)
5. Solar Sky - Ibiza Remix
6. Emerald Stardust (vocals Helen Rogers)
7. Rainforest & What's Going On - Chill Mix (vocals Marvin Gaye)
8. Ibiza Dub
9. Don't You Know (vocals Beci Biggins)
10. Look To The Future (spoken vocals Maxine Hardcastle)
12. 19 - Rob Da Bank Remix
13. Return Of The Rainman Reprise

CD2

1. Into The Blue - Remix (vocals Margo LeDuc)
2. Absolute Zero
3. Neon Adventure - Chill Remix
4. Ventura Highway (vocals Helen Rogers)
5. Zen Warrior
6. Rainforest & What's Going On - Beach Chiller Mix (vocals Marvin Gaye)
7. King Tut - Remaster Mix
8. Cloud Watching
9. Journey To Tranquillity
10. One Chance (vocals Beci Biggins)
11. Rainforest Original - Remaster Remix
12. 19 Below Zero - The Lost Tape Mix