Vol. 6-Hotel Costes
Stéphane Pompougnac'sHôtel Costesseries gets a boost on its sixth installment, mixing in a bit more grit with the pretty ambience and silky beats. Actually, "grit" isn’t quite accurate; Pompougnac’s musical choices still lean heavily toward the cool, classy lounge of Jean-Louis Costes’ famous Parisian hotel/club. But bits of urban groove and subdued jungle rhythms are present as well.Tosca’s druggy "Rolf Royce" (fromDelhi9) mines a simple, slap-bass line like aHappy Mondaysouttake, whileMinus 8makes a jazzy, beautiful mess out of "Snowblind." Unlike past efforts,Costes 6gets better as it goes, wrapping with the d&b-meets-French-chanteuse; clatter of "Un Monde Sans Frime." Like slightly uncouth, yet good-natured guests, these newHôtelresidents might not be as fashionable, but they’re still the best things about the joint. --Matthew Cooke