Kid Loco

8 years ago...open air cafe...Montreal...sun...and this music that melted into me from their stereo system. Bought this, and the rest of Kid locos' compilations.

The remix of the mogwai song Tracy is enought to buy the album, one of the prettiest long songs. Listen to any with anyone you like and you will always connect it with them. The Mogwai version of Tracy doesn't come close.

Well, first of all i want to tell you that this CD it's a beat and pop chill-out (electronic of course). Here there are no funky no jazz no fusion etc. The music it's a little "old fashion style" but for sure it's of good quality. I love very much the sequence, very clever and never casual.
I suggest to listen KAT ONOMA with his LA Chambre (very sensual atmhospere) PULP with A little soul and CORNU with Youpi, 3 very different songs but they give to you the exact feeling of the CD. KID LOCO makes his job in a real personal style very far from his dj Frances collegues (CHALLE, RAVEN, POMPUGNAC ETC.)

This album is still taking me far, far away and I've heard it hundreds of times. This is "elegant" music by all means that has the power of submerge you effortless into a beautiful and soft universe.
After over-listening to Air, Carboot Soul, Fila Brazilia, Massive Attack and other great down-tempo music this album felt completly unique and refreshing.
Buy it whithout a doubt and dive into warm water.

Truly. Hills, hills and it keeps me going. There is no greater sweat song then the first. Makes me want to pant. And I do. Im alive. You will be too if you play this in hard times and smooth times. Worth every groan. I must thank Kid Loco for this CD -- he makes life easy.

Effervescent, ethereal downtempo that ages like fine wine.

Swirling beats woven into numerous samples,flutes, and the only Apocalypse Now vocal sample I have ever heard in this genre! funky chill tunes to drive, smoke or love to. Changes directions in mid-song without missing a turn and goes back the way it came just as easily.

I am a big fan of a number of downtempo acts and albums from this era (and beyond) but I have to say that this is probably my favorite electronic album simply because it has such a strong presence without being overpowering. It can sit in the background at a party or you can crank it to the center of everyone's attention.

This album covers a lot of ground , starting slow but building up (A Grand Love Theme) , going into conga drums and delightful feminine vocals with ease (Love Me Sweet) and slipping back into a nice solid groove before taking off into the outer reaches (The Bootleggers) A little stormy in sections, at one point (Sister Curare) the jangling, off key piano chords are a bit shocking when you are so used to the sweet melodies but it's all a set up into the next groove. By the time you are into the last three songs (esp. She Wolff Daydreaming) this album will be in your head for life.

I have played chill and down to mid tempo for a number of friends who don't ordinarily listen to electronic tunes and this is always the album that converts them.

In "A Grand Love Story," producer Kid Loco (real name: Jean Yves Prieur) has created the perfect downtempo album. His French trip-hop is laid-back and airy, but much warmer and sunnier than most such albums. Things get a bit odd in the middle, but it's never boring and never too strange.

It opens with the gently ambient "A Grand Love Theme," and follows up with gentle trip-hop and guitar-laced pop music. But things start to get a little eerie in "Bootleggers," a wavery little song that becomes darker and a bit more surreal, with horns and the occasional odd clatter.

"Calling Aventura King" is slower and more ambiguous -- it has warm, soft notes woven in the essentially cold beats. And "Sister Curare" is a patchwork of odd samples. Things shift back into warmer climes with "She's My Lover (A Song For R.)," an exotic little tune that brings us back into the realm of warm chill-out music.

That arc is what makes the album so intriguing, since it keeps listeners from predicting what the next song will sound like. It's a bit like walking into a haunted house on a sunny day, and walking back out into the sun at the end. On that note, "Grand Love Story," ends with the gently spacey "Cosmic Supernatural," which reminds one of watching the stars while listening to the radio.

There's a warm pastoral flavor to "Grand Love Story," as if Kid Loco is driving you through the countryside. These are truly beautiful pop songs, and they show Loco's exceptional skill as a downtempo artist, whether it's happily stoned pop, ghostly trip-hop, or warm ambience.

Some of the songs are almost completely constructed of sampling, although in songs like "Relaxin' With Cherry" the gentle guitar line and mellow drumming ties it all together. Prieur also contributes some faint vocals, and Katrina Mitchell of the Pastels gives a pretty guest performance in "Love Me Sweet." She sounds a little uncertain as she sings to a quiet percussion backdrop, although even that is charming to hear.

"A Grand Love Story" is perhaps the perfect example of a chillout trip-hop album, without a single dull song and with plenty of little tweaks to keep things interesting. Absolutely wonderful.

Dreamy, simple sounds that stick to your heart. This badger is so nice.

Due to sample clearance problems, A Grand Love Story never received a full domestic release, arriving heavily edited with half the original songs snipped out. Hence, Kid Loco's countrified take on smoked out, chilled beats (I dub thee twang-hop) slowly garnered buzz as a regrettably missed classic.

Which it's not. Though it has plenty of idyllic charm, complete with twinkling skies ("Calling Aventura King") and fluttering instrumentals ("The Bootleggers") laced with acoustic guitar and fleshed out with the usual orchestral nods. The addition of Katrina Mitchell's tender voice, highlighted with the indellible "Love Me Sweet," adds emotional resonance to this starry-eyed soundtrack.

Unfortunately, dialogue samples and moaning women - ten years cliché even back then - make unwanted appearances, notably on "Sister Curare" and "She's My Lover." It's a blotch over his sumptuous programming, and a mild lament; If Kid Loco would have let the music speak for itself, A Grand Love Story might have been indeed been a classic.

Due to sample clearance problems, A Grand Love Story never received a full domestic release, arriving heavily edited with half the original songs snipped out. Hence, Kid Loco's countrified take on smoked out, chilled beats (I dub thee twang-hop) slowly garnered buzz as a regrettably missed classic.

Which it's not. Though it has plenty of idyllic charm, complete with twinkling skies ("Calling Aventura King") and fluttering instrumentals ("The Bootleggers") laced with acoustic guitar and fleshed out with the usual orchestral nods. The addition of Katrina Mitchell's tender voice, highlighted with the indellible "Love Me Sweet," adds emotional resonance to this starry-eyed soundtrack.

Unfortunately, dialogue samples and moaning women - ten years cliché even back then - make unwanted appearances, notably on "Sister Curare" and "She's My Lover." It's a blotch over his sumptuous programming, and a mild lament; If Kid Loco would have let the music speak for itself, A Grand Love Story might have been indeed been a classic.

This my first cd from Kid Loco and I like it. "Kill Your Darlings" is a good cd. All of the songs are decent. But "Horsetown in Vain" is my favorite one so far. It's the reason why I decided to get this cd. I might get more Kid loco cds later. If u are a fan of Kid Loco or just into laid back music, this is for u.

Being a fan of Kid Loco I wouldnt say that this a bad album or that this is not his stlye. I think Kid has come with something fresh and new alot of people can get with the velet undergorung with that dark edge. Its the kind of cd I can put on with friends sit back and drink Martinies and reflect on life!

Kid Loco is undoubtedly a talented artist. I love his style
of music. However, I was disappointed with this album. He continuously makes reference to "Jesus" in various derogative ways. The lyrics on this album are dark and do not flow together very well. To my disappointment, "Kill Your Darlings" was not a very classy album.

Kid Loco has been talking to me for some time now.

About 18 months ago I began exploring the whole downtempo/lounge/chill-out/wallpaper/call-it-what-you-will scene.

K&D, Fila Brazillia, dZihan & Kamien, anything on Ninjatune, Air... and on and on.

So far, so predictable. Most people reading this review will know the above names, and if there are any that are new to you, please go for a browse around Amazon...

This wonderful range of call-them-what-you-will artists border trip-hop, drum & bass, jazz, techno & house. They cross-over, switch back, mix and match, and generally make up their own rules.

Throughout this journey, a name kept being thrown up. Kid Loco. Again and again. The Kid is French, cue references to DJ Cam and Dmitri from Paris - not bad references to say the least.

So I finally took the plunge with three Kid Loco CDs. This one, Jesus Life, and DJ Kicks.

It might well have been three different artists, and thus I immediately understand how some people may have been disappointed with "...Darlings", but for me variety is not just the spice of life, its the very essence.

All three CDs are excellent and well worth an investment.

So, what is THIS one like?

Actually, Amazon's own review covers it very well. The Velvet Underground is all over this CD, and it evokes images of drug induced trances, mellow moments for the high, and lazy come downs.

Clearly this is a big change from Loco's previous work, but hey, keep your mind open. Kid Loco not only gets away with this change, he has created a marvellous opus.

The Kid did good.

It was there all along. Echoes of Lou reed and the Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan's defiance,
and Serge Gainsbourg's 60's kitsch. You had to listen carefully under the electronic beat layers
of "Prelude to a grand Love Story"(Kid Loco's first album) to capture the mad blunted prodigy's
influences. "Kill your Darlings" offers no apologies for being a rock album, and mocks a
worldwide consensus that the French can't(rock). Kid Loco's "pastiche" humor saves "Darling"
from being self-indulgent and cliché, and never takes itself too seriously. But his genius lies in a grand fakery of sampling and knob tweaking, which with the enlisted help of singers Tim Keegan (Departure Lounge) and Louise Quinn, creates the perfect illusion of a great band lost in time.

This album is not completely reminicent of Kid Loco's earlier work. It has a much more solid trip-hop theme to it than any other of his CD's and features some real complex production.

The beauty of this album can truly be appreciated if you don't focus on the fact that he is remixing other artist's works. Kid Loco deserves more credit for this album than to compare it to the individual songs from whence it came. You should sit down and listen to this one the whole way through because it certainly is an integrated musical journey.

The beginning of the CD is atmospheric with some long repeated hip hop grooves (no rap thank god) which somehow don't become tiresome. After some nice jazzy remix of Jazzanova, the middle section takes you on a real trip with some extraordinary sample manipulations and scary atmosphere. The CD finishes of with some other great tracks which calm you down a little before you are thrown back into the real world as your CD player whirrs to a halt.

After listening to this album, I find I can't go back to Kruder & Dorfmeister's K&D Sessions - it pales in comparison.

wow, this CD is amazing.
So good i scrached it after 1 year and bought it again.
Put your earphones, play this disc and take a walk.
Its so good that walls are almost changing colors.
this jazzanova song is incredible.
I dont like evrything from kid loco.
Only this cd and Grand love story.

Of all the K7 DJKicks this one is unique. I have no words to describe what I'm hearing but it sounds like a genius having a good time doing what he loves to do. With the exception of Future Pilot aka, the Cinematic Orchestra, DJ Vadim, Jazzanova, and Boards of Canada all the artist on this cd are totally unknown to me, but I still enjoy hearing this cd again and again.

Sorry folks, but I have nothing bad to say about this cd and I will problably look for other Kid Loco mixes.

I compare it to a cross between: Kruder & Dorfmeister vs. DJ Cam's mixed cd... has a lil' of that Theivery Corp. flavor too!
It didn't surprise me much, but then again, it didn't put me to sleep either....

I was sorta expecting a very creamy smooth trippy ride, but all I got was another "standard" Frenchy hip-hop comp. I loved the Dj Cam stuff, and Kid Loco is somewhat along the same lines, so it kinda bored me with it's predictability... You'll like it if you haven't heard enough French Hip(trip)Hop.

It's a bit deceptive to call this remix collection "Prelude To A Grand Love Story," since it remixes several songs from Kid Loco's exceptional "Grand Love Story" album. How can you have the remix "prelude" to an album, if the album's content is remixed?

And while it isn't quite as good as that legendary chillout album, this is still an excellent accompaniment to the original. Much better, in fact, than most remix albums are.

Evidently "Love Me Sweet" is a favorite: There are four different mixes of that song on here. The Original Radio Mix is an enchantingly mellow song, while the St. Etienne Remix is a sparkling, music-box remix, the Jim O'Rouke Remix hass a weird, dark, tripped-out reggae beat, and the Tommy Hools Remix has a murky, acid-jazzy sound.

"She's My Lover" gets two mixes: the exquisite Original Mix, and the meandering prettiness of the Bang Bang Remix. "Relaxin' With Cherry" also gets two remixes: the eerie guitar-laden Gak Sato Pre-Echo Mix, and the clubby dancey beats of the Dimitri from Paris+Bibi Remix, which is twelve minutes long. And there's also "Sister Curare," a chillout tune that sounds like the descent of drum-playing aliens.

I was lucky enough to find "Grand Love Story" is a discount "used" bin, though I can't imagine why someone would get rid of it. And since remix albums are usually a disappointment -- or at least a mixed bag -- "Prelude" was a pleasant surprise, a remix album that is a good addition to the original collection.

Perhaps the most enjoyable thing is that these remixes (for the most part) preserve the unique flavour of Kid Loco's original recordings, albeit with more drums or beats.The one exception might be "Relaxin' With Cherry (Dimitri from Paris+Bibi Remix)," which is extremely generic. It could have been done by pretty much anybody.

Despite the dud final track, "Prelude To A Grand Love Story" is a solid collection of Kid Loco remixes, and a good accompaniment to the "Grand Love Story." Well worth getting, if you have heard the original.

This was a dissapointment,it is well worth spending the extra money to get the import,which is a great listen.

Prelude is generically a number of remixes, For example 'She's my lover' appears on A Grand Love Story. Kid Loco as usual remixes up to top standard. Personally I would go for A Grand Love Story.

This is my first kid loco cd to buy, I'm satisfied... I didn't get to hear much of it before I bought it... it kind of has a touch of reggae in it... but other than that it's pretty hoppy... it sounds like music that I would put as a score for a movie... thank you for your time..

In general, if you like Kid Loco's work, then you will like this. If you have never heard this music, I do not suggest that you buy it until you hear it. Look for a song to hear before you put down your money.

Anyone looking for another "A Grand Love Story" will be pretty bemused after listening to this. Nor is it anything like "Kill Your Darlings" either. In fact, now that I think about it, is there even a Kid Loco sound at all?

Strange thing is, the longest piece on this CD sounds very much like some of Popol Vuh's longer excursions e.g. the title track from Bruder des Schattens etc. I'd love to know if KL has ever heard them. It's very hypnotic but its lack of development given its length may put a lot of people off.

I've been a Kid Loco fan for several years, and have always sought out his work and never been disappointed. This album, in my opinion, is one of his best pieces of work. It consists of one track that fades and melts into different styles of music, so although there is only the single track, it feels like several different songs at times. I have a very long commute to work and was surprised that this album is actually longer than my drive!

The style of music is very Eastern-influenced, very trancey, nicely trip-hoppish. I really enjoy listening to it. It's definitely great background music for day-to-day activities.

The only drawback to the album being one-track is that I rely heavily upon my iPod for entertainment during my long commute, and this album really won't translate to the shuffle-play I usually use, since the single track is over an hour long. I enjoy the artistic concept of the album having only 1 track, but it's not practical for that sort of use. Other than that, this is an excellent example of Jean-Yves Prieur's talent at the mixing board.

I was first introduced to the work of Kid Loco several years ago with his excellent remix collection Jesus Life For Children Under 12 Inches. After hearing and enjoying that release, I sought out some of his solo work and although it didn't blow me away, it was constructed well enough to stick out in a world cluttered with mid and downtempo electronic music.

The Graffiti Artist is his newest work in almost four years (following Kill Your Darlings, which I consider to be his least-interesting work), and it's the soundtrack to an independent film about yes, you guessed it; underground graffiti artists. I've not seen the film itself, but given the basis for the film figured without even hearing the score that it would fall in line almost perfectly with the music that Kid Loco has already created.

I've always been a big fan of soundtracks and how well they hold up as individual pieces of music outside the films that they accompany, and I probably have fifty or so soundtracks in my personal collection that hold up to repeated listening and indeed even conjure up unique imagery on their own (holding court at the top of the list are the usual suspects like Ennio Morricone, Danny Elfman, and John Williams).

Unfortunately, the soundtrack to The Graffiti Artist is so repetitive and plain that it makes me wonder why it was released in the way that it was. Eight un-named tracks run almost eighty minutes long and in most cases barely change instrumentation. The first three tracks (which run almost fifty minutes total time) mix middle eastern percussion, a bit of guitar, and some rhodes for some warm backdrops, but the melodies are all so jammy and non-descript that they could easily be edited down or trimmed.

It's only towards the latter part of the release that things actually change up and get a bit interesting. Track six busts loose with some funky rhodes organ and a hip-hop beat before dropping off into dark ambience while track seven recycles a melody from earlier in the album and pairs it with some chunky beats and synth strings for something that sounds like the theme song for a suave intercontinental spy. Even with the bursts of late creativity, though, the album sags and lags in so many ways that it will probably only appeal to those looking for something very repetitive and innocuous to put on in the background while doing something else.

(from almost cool music reviews)

Kid Loco crafts an ambient melding of Middle-Eastern sounds fused with smart hip-hop beats to create an entrancing soundtrack CD to Jimmy Bolton's emotionally complex film of the same name.
Lovely and inspiring, the music takes its sweet time to slowly evolve and carry the listener through a dream-like journey--and if you're patient(first reviewer, listen up)--you'll be duly rewarded.

a few of the tracks can go little long. great sound. love the fact that there are no lyrics.