By Rob Kotevski October 21 2009
It’s the eternal question: Sydney or Melbourne?
When people ask me which city I prefer, I often find myself stuck for an answer. Although I was born and raised in Sydney, I’ve lived here most of my life and I adore it, I have visited Melbourne a few times and fall a little more in love with it each time I see it.
Trying to compare the two cities is like trying to compare apples and oranges. Sydney has great weather (most of the time!), knows how to throw an awesome party, beaches to die for and one of the most beautiful harbours in the world.
Melbourne holds a soft spot in my heart because it’s like a taste of Europe in Australia. It hosts some of the finest wine bars Australia has to offer, a labyrinth of alleys filled with hidden treasures to blissfully get lost in, the best shopping I’ve seen in this country, a vibrant and dynamic art and culture scene, very cool clubs and people really do seem to love wearing head-to-toe black there, which is pretty much most of my wardrobe, so I feel like I have lived in Melbourne all my life as soon as I step off the plane.
You can imagine the thrill that raced through me when the latest in Designer Muzik’s International Bar Grooves collection landed on my desk. International Bar Grooves: Melbourne is more mellow than its predecessor, Reykjavik, which was also reviewed here on myhairdressersearch.
There is a definite ‘80s feel to some of the tracks, adding another layer to the compilation.
The CD starts off ethereal and breezy, setting the scene for what is to come. The shimmering electronica Portishead would be envious of dances as it swirls around the listener, paving the way for a journey through Victoria’s capital.
The tracks reveal themselves slowly, as you unwrap the layers one by one, to be rewarded by a great listening experience. It is essentially a chill out album, without sending you off for a snooze. The Melbourne compilation wears its influences on its sleeve, but this adds rather than detracts from the CD. You can hear the composers pay tribute to Portishead, as I’ve mentioned, as well as someone that sounds remarkably like Tricky guest starring on a Massive Attack track, with another song sounding similar to Sade.
As the tracks continue to beep and whir, there is a definite ‘80s feel to some of the tracks, adding another layer to the compilation.
International Bar Grooves: Melbourne will add some welcome ambiance to any hairdressing salon and will be perfect for those Monday (or Tuesday) mornings back at work. Another addition to the Hangover Cure series, perhaps?