Sun

by Dean Carlson As Claude Challe's stock in international circles rose, his compilations tended to suffer, evidenced by 2001's two-disc release Sun. The Arabic and Mediterranean coolness returned to combine with '70s funk and ironic hip-hop. And yet he never sounded more eager to please so many different parties at once. Challe's attentions were stretched here. José Padilla and Arling & Cameron grated against quality efforts from Lemon Jelly, Monica Ramos, and Apollo 440, and haunted Ibizan moods were touched upon with real skill, but quickly forgotten. Challe seemed to be losing touch with himself, swamped with self-marketability instead of allowing his mixing talents to develop into something larger, more potent.