The Chillout Session
Chillout Sessions refers to the high selling series of compilations released by Ministry of Sound that focus on songs from the chillout genre. Songs on Chillout Sessions compilations vary in style from lounge to electronica and are released by many different artists.
The Chillout Out genre of compilations started in the UK and since 2003 Ministry of Sound has released them under different tropes such as "Chilled", "After Hours", "The Morning After..." which has shown MOS to have seemingly ended its branding of the genre as Chillout Sessions.
A similar series started in Australia, where the series changed its name from The Chillout Session to The Chillout Sessions and then simply to Chillout Sessions and continues with annual releases to this day (latest version is XVIII released 2016).
Some Chillout Sessions albums have become known and distinguishable for the symbol of a turntable (with the Ministry of Sound logo on it) frozen in ice, or in one case (The Summer Collection 2003) the turntable itself is made of ice. In the UK this motif is used on the covers of volumes 1, 2, The Winter Collection (2003), The Summer Collection 2003, and The Very Best of album. In Australia, the image is used for volumes 1-6 except on volume 3. The idea of the turntable with the Ministry of Sound logo on had been used on the covers of the Ministry of Sound Clubbers Guide in prior years (and in The Annual IV), the idea of such turntable on the covers was last used on Clubbers Guide albums in early 2001 when The Chillout Session began using the idea.
Ministry of Sound, as a label, began in 1993 and its first album was the first volume of a series called Sessions. The series was successful enough for it to generate a spin-off series of The Chillout Session, which began in 2001 with a UK Compilation Chart #1 album. Volume 2 was also very successful. The first and second volumes were released in both the UK and Australia, but the series divided in August 2001, with one series for the UK and the other for Australia.
In the UK, Ibiza Chillout Session was released in August 2001. Although not as successful as the prior releases, it received positive reviews, as did the Ibiza 2002 album. Though the four albums released were part of the Sessions series, the fifth album The Chillout Annual 2002 was part of The Annual series, which was the Ministry of Sound's second series of mix albums, and likewise had Ibiza Annual spin-offs beginning in 1998.
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