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BONDI CHILL TRACK LIST:
01. Price of Love
(dance/ambient house, 3.54)
02. Kali
(dance/world fusion, 4.06)
03. Africa
(dance/world fusion, 6.09)
04. Mor Mor
(dance, 7.04)
05. Somewhere - On
Islands Bergamuta
(dance, 4.59)
06. Escape2Summer
(dance/ambient house, 3.38)
07. Your Heart
(dance/ambient house, 3.44)
08. Dreaming
(trip hop, 4.04)
09. Blu Ska
(ambient dub, 5.18)
10. SpringTime
(ambient downtempo, 3.31)
11. Black Sea
(ambient downtempo, 3.23)
12. Machinations
(ambient trip hop, 1.34)
13. The Freedom Rides
(ambient downtempo, 1.48)
14. Outa Here
(dance/d&b, 2.53)
WHAT CRITICS SAY:
MP3.com nomination for "MP3 ARTIST 2006":
Remember chill-out rooms? These relaxation chambers swelled with G-rated atmospherics and equally harmless beats perfect for those suffering from post-MDMA stress disorder. Well, Rickedee not only continues this musical tradition, but also transports your electro third eye to a sunrise soiree on the shores of Ibiza.
Slackline Radio Review (Anchorage, Alaska):
After taking a sip from my cup of coffee this morning I realize it is 9 o’clock and still the light has only just begun to peak up over the horizon. It seems a small price to pay for the life we live here in Alaska. But, no one can deny that the darkness and cold can grip you tightly this time of year. Many restless hours are spent wishing for warmth, sometimes just the freedom to run around in a t-shirt. Some Alaskans are just crazy enough to wear their summer attire during the peak of winter in some kind of gesture of refusal to the winter’s chill. Music can provide a better suggestion because it can help transport you to a warmer climate where the days are long and the heat of the sun’s rays is felt through your headphones.
At certain times, an album with a particular sound can help transport you to a new destination. Music can be regional and the sound can define a place. Bob Marley is a classic example where an artist’s music helped shape a perception of the Caribbean and Africa. His Jamaican rhythms were filled with a style that many recognize. His music even helped identify a movement against injustice. Sometimes a musician has the ability to make the mind wonder what it is like to live in another region of the world. Rick.e.dee (aka Rick Drummond) has released his debut entitled Bondi Chill, and it is just the kind of music that gives you an aural image of another place.
Recorded in Bondi Beach, Australia, this album infuses ethnic sounds of the world with mostly upbeat electronica to produce music with a definite groove. It opens with “Price of Love”, a downbeat track with nice layers that is bound to attract your appreciation like your favorite Napolean dessert. Rick applies his knowledge of musical theory with use of a subtle keyboard rhythm that is laid over a melodic beat. Occasional vocal chants make this song seem playful, perfect for your next beach outing. Bondi Chill progresses and we find a harmonic beat collection on “Africa.” Here, different sounding vocals are added at the beginning to make the sound of this track regionally recognizable. Like Marley on many of his own creations, “Africa” reminds us of the fight for personal freedoms and the resistance against apartheid. His sample must be none other than Nelson Mandela as he describes his own struggle for the people of his country. Rick even finds use for a didgeridoo on “The Freedom Rides” to brand his own Australian style to this downtempo, electronic work. Near the end on “Machinations”, Rick composes electronica with a sophisticated beat that carries slight Amon Tobin qualities that ends way too quickly. Some tracks like “Dreaming” seem to depart from the overall production sound of Bondi Chill. However, the album never seems to loose its appeal as it continues to deliver a wealth of unique work that make it clear Rick has an affinity for world music. It definitely gives the sense that Rick has done his homework, traveling the globe, and adding his own infectious personal taste to the different electronic sounds of planet Earth.
IntheMix.com.au - Barkus, 31st October, 2006:
Rick Drummond (aka rick.e.dee) is a pianist, guitarist, singer, drummer, composer and producer. The son of classically trained parents who played piano, cello and also jazz clarinet. Music certainly runs in the family. He uses these skills and tries to do an awful lot for one album, but then again, I suspect rick.e.dee has the right approach for this project. Whether you dig the tunes or not, he is definitely a talented artist. The intro sheet supplied with Bondi Chill spoke about “chilled out”, “hypnotic beats”, “world music” and, err, flute. Fair call, it’s a lot to fit onto an album but rick.e.dee certainly goes after it with gusto.
The album starts off with “Price of Love” – reminiscent of Moby with its atmosphere and beautiful floaty feel. Along with “Mor Mor”, they would be right at home on any MOS Chill Out CD. Quality, great mixing, and a working formula. Track 3, “Africa”, is a great world music track. The tribal vocals overlaying a cruisy beat work oh so well and as the track kicks up a gear – its hip swaying, uplifting and a tad driving with its powerful drum. Then you have “Somewhere (On Islands Bermaguta)”, which sounds like a watered down trance track – a skipper on every occasion I played the CD. The last track “Outta Here” – well, aptly titled, sounds like a closing credits song.
The production on the CD is great – awesome sounds, well layered, well produced, and well mixed. The progression through the CD is maybe what made it feel disjointed as it moves through differing styles. Then again, I haven’t absorbed Bondi, and this CD is about a soundtrack to a place and a feel, which is maybe best achieved through variation. The CD worked best for me at home when I was dossing about, a little too engaging as back ground music. My overall impressions, after a few listens, was that it’s a solid piece of music, stellar for an opening effort, but the variety of the tracks gives it an almost “soundtrack” type feel which makes it trickier to get into. It’s not the sort of CD you could drop at a dinner party or chill out to for a solid shagging soundtrack, as the mash up of tunes run at different tempos. Then again, if your shagging needs some variation, it would be a great place to start.
For me, the stand out on the CD was the world music inspired feel – I felt this was where rick.e.dee made the most of his obvious talent.
KIAC Internet Radio, Moodswings and Roundabouts (USA):
So hard to choose
just one song (Springtime) from (such) an impressive listThis one is
pure escapism, a soundscape of seaside and springtime images,
delicate arrangement, bringing on new sounds gently so as not
to disturb your equilibrium.
Norman McCourt of Australian Music Marketing Abroard (AMMA):
“14 excellent
tracks! ….different…great new songs…(has) a certain something…. Excellent sounding
original contemporary global groove/chill productions.”
ejazze on Mp3.com:
What a find! I love this album - all the tracks are masterful, superbly crafted and engaging. I know it's chill, yet there is a real vibrancy here running throughout evoking for me a celebration of life. Really really good.
9.9/10
ericxxxway on Mp3.com:
"Turn it to 11!"
It brings me back to a time of good memories. Keep up the good work.
9.9/10
....you be the judge
