CD, Modus Vivendi Music, 2002
www.modusvivendimusic.com
We’ve all been there. Tapping our pens on the desk, making figures out of office stationary, overcome by the boredom of our 9-to-5 schedules, looking for some means to escape. Well we might just have a solution here.
Modus Vivendi Music, an L.A.-based label and DJ collective, has put together in its second compilation release what may very well be the best collection of tracks I’ve heard in quite a long while. Featuring 13 tracks from 8 artists, “Modus Vivendi Vol. 2” showcases some great talent in a rather diverse display of genres ranging from trippy dubs and lounge sessions to some very memorable and absolutely danceable pieces of funk and electro.
The track placement is excellent, offering a seamless flow to the album and giving it a shifting yet surprisingly solid feel as a whole. The mastering is also excellent with heavy – though not overemphasized – bass dominating the sound of the album (as is expected of the above-mentioned genres), giving enough space to the chilled grooves and ambiences within to breathe their summery vibes through your speakers and headphones.
All in all, “Modus Vivendi Vol. 2” is an excellent compilation that will definitely offer you a way out of your empty, meaningless mockery of a desk life and into a sunnier, warmer place, right up to the cool night party by the beach, in just 61 minutes. Just make sure you don’t get fired for daydreaming on it.
[9/10]
— George Mouratidis