Lalo Schifrin, John Barry, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Dalai Llama, Banzai Republic, Herbie Hancock,Plastic Bertrand, Max Sedgley, Isaac Hayes, Jimi Hendrix, funk, dub, hip hop, house, flamenco, latin, Joe Clausell, Quincy Jones, Raiders of the Lost Dub, Freddy Fresh, Jose Padilla, The White Island of Ibiza.
Sounds Like
Originally released on the Bar De Lune label ‘Speck of Gold' sold thousands of copies in its brief one month life-span before the label officially ceased operation. One World Music picks up the reigns and repackages this highly sought-after CD along with a bonus second disc with some previously unreleased mixes. Spend an hour or so immersed in the down-tempo splendour of Afterlife's Speck of Gold - one of music's best kept secrets.
The charmingly horizontal Steve ‘Afterlife' Miller delivers a fine 17 track opus. Cathy Battistessa opens proceedings with the title track and fuses her balmy vocals into its minimal electronica. Afterlife favourite Rachael Calladine lends a lenitive chant to ‘Clear Blue Sky', and then it's over to the dubby baggy-bubblings of ‘Like Prana', a track born of Steve's Reggae/Northern roots. ‘King of Chill' Chris Coco makes his vocal debut on the lugubrious ‘How Does It Feel' one of the album's stand out tracks. Sub Sub favourite Melanie Williams picks up the tempo adding delicate whispers to ‘Still', then Angela Neve brings the tempo back down by filtering her crystalline harmonies through ‘Miracle'.
The bonus CD takes in remixes from more leftfield luminaries: Christophe Goze re-rubs Dannii Minogue and takes her to new sub-aquatic depths. Chris Coco gets back behind the mixing desk and washes a celestial sheen over ‘Shine' and ‘Speck of Gold'. Then finally it's over to Miller's Ibizian ‘Release Yourself' chum, Roger Sanchez to round off the mix with his take on ‘Sunrise'
The UKs Radio 1 DJ Chris Coco says "Listening to Afterlife's music is the aural equivalent of a night in a king sized bed with Egyptian cotton sheets in a five star hotel"
"One of the rare down-tempo artists that consistently puts out high quality tracks. I cannot comment highly enough … buy anything he releases/has released to enrich your life in a positive way. Enjoy." - Paul Lonsdale, Amazon reviewer
"For anyone who likes chilled out beats.... think, Bent, Air, Royksopp, Lazyboy, Chris Coco...... Just as good if not better!" - Richard Williams, Amazon reviewer www.oneworldmusic.com.au
The Lux album came about as a collaboration between Steve and James Bright, both the title track "Northern Lights" and "100 Billion Stars" featuring on Cafe del Mar and received high acclaim. The sleeve notes were written by Howard Marks.
Northern Lights - Lux - Tundra Records Lux are Steve Miller and James Bright. Steve is better known as Afterlife. You may not know the name, but if you've been anywhere near any kind of chill out compilation in the last 5 years, chances are you have heard his productions. He excels at make beautiful, organic downtempo music - he's a proper musician, and his musical sensibilities shine through on this record.
It's a wonderfully relaxing album, which ideally should be listened to in combination with bright sunshine. Gorgeous, sun-kissed Spanish guitars skip over warm atmospheric soundscapes which perfectly capture that feeling of lying on a hot beach without a care in the world. Tablas and bongos speak exotic phrases from far-flung corners of the globe. This album takes in influences from around the world and pours them into a melting pot of sublimely soothing music. An expertly crafted downtempo longplayer. Sod Real Balearic Chillout Cafe volume 24 - if you need something to drift away to, these guys certainly know how to achieve the desired effect. Ben MTV
Steve Miller is Afterlife. The top UK Downtempo producer. The most played artist in Ibiza, at least at the beach bars and anywhere into lush, lilting, chilled and totally saturated sounds of impeccable taste. He is the sunset phenomenon, purveyor of deep and soulful music.
As AFTERLIFE and LUX he created both opening tracks on Café del Mar vol.7 and 2 further tracks on Café del Mar vol.8. With previous tracks also on volumes 3, 4 and 6. Steve produces Chill classics as his Simplicity 2000 album has proven.
Steve has been producing for a long while and has worked with K - Klass, Jose Padilla, Chris Coco, Lenny Ibizarre, Cathy Battistessa, Matt Black and others too numerous to mention. He comes from a latin jazz/reggae/house background cutting his engineering and production techniques with the legendary Karl Pitterson who produced Handsworth Revolution by Steel Pulse and engineered the Exodus album for Bob Marley.
The first ever Afterlife gig was played at The Glade in Glastonbury Festival 2000 to a very surprised audience - they were not expecting chillout but loved it all the same. Other gigs in Ibiza during july that year including the exquisite Dreamdaze at Kumharas, Pacha Playa, Base Bar and rounding off by headlining at Cafe Del Mar 20th anniversary along with A Man Called Adam, Mandalay, Levitation and Trumpetman. The gig was televised by MTV.
During 2002 Steve played the sunset at Café Mambo before going on to chill the crowds at The Roof Terrace at Pacha, Ibiza every week complementing Roger Sanchez in the main room on his Release Yourself nights. His blissful remix of Another Chance was the only remix to be included on the the UK Number 1 hit single. He co-compiled Café Mambo with Pete Gooding and the new Osmoz series with ex Café del Mar resident Bruno.
2007 saw him create the Private Beach Club compilation for i-label condensing a typical 6 hour set into a 2 disc package starting with the freshest downtempo tracks to peak time party tunes. Vol 2 followed in the same style and Vol. 3 is on its way in 2009. "LET IT GO" signed to DEFECTED in 2008 proved to be an underground hit reaching no.3 at traxsource with full support from main room DJs worldwide.
Here is an example "The Alkemyst" a track he wrote with Phil Mison
from Cantoma
His most recent album of collaborations The Afterlife Lounge sees him hook up with other well known members of the chilluminati Chris Coco, Cathy Battistessa, Pete Gooding and Phil Mison including a remix of the Coldcut classic Return to Margin. The album is available at all good record shops or online purchase at www.i-label.uk.com You can listen to some of the tracks from the new album on this page and to listen to new material fresh from the studio go to www.theafterlifelounge.com and click on audio player/track list. Here's a typical sample of the reviews… AFTERLIFE: I-LABEL THE AFTERLIFE LOUNGE
"One of the most pleasing things about the last 12 months has been the decline in numbers of tacky chill-out albums. Clearly the cloth eared marketer/chancers have moved on. Theres still room for the big chill though and its good to know that masters of the genre can still do it. Steve Miller is one such master and in his Afterlife alter ego hes been responsible for some of the best chillers. This new album certainly will ensure he retains his status. The soundscape here is lush and cinematic and even if you never saw the sunset at the Café del Mar you can maybe hear what it feels like." BLUES & SOUL May 2006
"Its dreamy, its epic, its everything you would expect" DJ MAG
"Overall this is a superb LP that demonstrates perfectly the eclectic nature of chillout" M/8/M/8 M8 MAGAZINE "More than just music. This is a beautifully crafted album." PATHAAN
"This barely left my CD deck for two weeks" BLAH BLAH
"The sheer variety and scope of this LP more than secures a surefire hit. Well worth your attention" 4* Mr Sushi DMC
"a musical experience with much to enjoy" IDJ
"very,very, nice" UNPEELED
"Stunning collaborations" Notion magazine "The Afterlife Lounge has a gloriously unfashionable feel to it which I warmed to.." THE BIG CHILL
"Afterlife's heavenly chillout session" HOT PRESS
"Champion of chill and remixer de jour for those wanting a horizontal retouch to their music" MOSOUL
The new Afterlife album "Electrosensitive" will be released in July 2009 through Defected/Bargrooves.
Afterlife Far Away (SUBATOMIC) Well what can i say about this, it's Steve Miller a.k.a Afterlife on top form yet again and has summer written all over it!
The main influence here is dub, as it has a phat dubby bass and soothing pad and strings soar over the wonderful female vocal, with all manner of electronic bleeps and fx over the top to compete the vibe. this is one of those tracks you want to hear on a beach in Ibiza to make your day, in recent days I have been playing this first thing in the morning and it just makes you feel good. This is also another tracks that will be featured on the forthcoming and highly anticipated l.p
'Electrosensitive'
and believe me it will be the best to date! M7/M8
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