Piet Blank and Jaspa Jones continue their summer ritual with the twelfth episode in their Relax Edition series, released in 2006 alongside the Milchbar-Seaside series, inspired by Norderney, a sea-side resort off the North Sea. A double album which throws us back into the downtempo/acid-jazz/lounge movement which reached its peak at the end of the 90s, it is also presented in the image of the famous Café del Mar compilations, the legendary bar popular for its sunset DJ sets. It’s a place that Blank & Jones know well through playing there several times. In 2002, their chill out track Desire (Ambient Mix) even featured on Cafe Del Mar 9. Between trip hop, downtempo, Brazilian rhythms and beachside grooves, the German duo give the voice of Zoe Durrant (member of Swedish trio Little Majorette) star billing as she features on five tracks on this ultra-smooth record. Also on the vocal bill is the French Coralie Clément (sister of Benjamin Biodlay known for her collaborations with Nouvelle Vague, who also worked with Blank & Jones from 2010 with J’en rest là on the album Relax Edition 5) on the brilliant C’est pas la mer à boire, an ideal addition to a record which strives to reinterpret the concept of dolce vita. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz