Various Artists - Skyrager Presents Coconut Dreams Volume One (Various Artists) - Music & Performance - CD

Welcome to Coconut Dreams, a mythical, utopian retreat nestled in the most exquisite of settings, crafted and conjured up by esteemed collector, producer and DJ, Skyrager. At the heart of the experience is a soundtrack evoking this tropical paradise, with an undercurrent of serenity that carries you gently away from the familiar into the expansive. A collection of pleasure-heavy tracks to lean into and get lost within, journeying through sun-drenched folk, dream-inducing soul, astral ambience, AOR breeziness, and much more in between. Known to many as one half of the illustrious Psychemagik, Danny McLewin has spent decades releasing acclaimed original productions, cherished compilations and touring the world DJing. A collector at heart, he's been unearthing hidden gems in record shops and private collections everywhere he goes. With a taste second to none, he is no stranger to curating a compilation. Psychemagik's Magik series and his Traces of Illusion comp under the Skyrager alias are all must-haves for any collection. Coconut Dreams is an embodiment of everything Skyrager is all about - a deep-diving, soft-focused drift that sweeps you up to a place far, far away. Each track has been chosen with care and consideration and is sequenced to take the listener on a peaceful, dreamlike journey. Every song conveys it's own message, but the overarching thread is an invitation to slow down, be present and appreciate the moment. The compilation begins with the crashing waves of The Carmets 'Silver Moon Beach' as you check in and leave your hectic day-to-day life behind. The gentle chimes, hypnotic synths and divine female vocals of 'You Are Like the Sunlight' and Angela Bofill's mesmerising soul jazz masterpiece 'Under The Moon And Over The Sky' further reset your body and brain, ready to lose yourself in an immersive experience from the very first song to the last. Alongside the ethereal dreamers there's also power and pertinence. Keiko Nosaka & George Murasaki's koto-infused prog rock number 'Oritatamu Umi' leads into the insistent and ever relevant 'Apartheid Must Go' by Fred Bryan & The All Stars. O'Donel Levy's otherworldly tale of heartache and longing 'I Am, I Am' then explodes into a tropical fiesta jam. You may find yourself moving between states, between memory and imagination, between the known and something just beyond it. Joseph's soul-rousing, soft rock epic 'Three O'Clock In the Morning' and the cosmic-leaning 'Lady, Lady' marry with the bird calls and organic feel of 'Harari' and the galactic synth-laden 'Drum Drops'. Landing you softly back down to earth is a run of celestial brilliance. Those ever-present waves lap up against you on 'Martinique', as Pat Wells' heavenly folk heart-melter 'The Seeker' and the glistening bassoon-led 'Trullion Alastor 2262' form a blissful penultimate double-header. You return from your tropical paradise escape, lighter and calmer, carried by the sea swell and the ethereal ambient mix of Yasuko Agawa's 'LA Nights'. Unplug, relax and ease into an alternate reality... return trips to Coconut Dreams are essential.

• Various Artists - Skyrager Presents Coconut Dreams Volume One (Various Artists) - Music & Performance - CD
• Music
• Mr Bongo
• R&B / Soul