Anton, who has compiled and produced five Chillout Project releases, is the least bit surprised.

"Most people usually play the Chillout CDs after a long day or before they sleep at night but it’s also perfect during dinner time, if you want to appreciate the sunset or when you’re simply at the beach," says the unassuming and youthful T-shirt-and-jeans president of Music One Corporation, the company that operates Music One and Tower.

Well, the carrier single of the new house music compilation is a "beach mix" of Bonnie Bailey’s "Ever After" (Eric’s Beach Mix to be exact) which Anton himself describes as "head candy." The entire CD at initial spins does provide a relaxing and even invigorating feeling that is indeed perfect for summer. I have to admit that this is a guy who knows what kind of music would be perfect for many people’s ears at this time of the year. We are, after all, talking about the most recent work of a sought-after DJ who made his name and reputation with his annual sunset sessions in the Beach Island of Boracay every summer.

Now 30, Anton has been collecting records since he was 12. In 1997, he started the Chillout Project as a radio program for radio station 99.5 RT where it focused on the then cutting-edge sound of downtempo and trip hop. The program ran in RT until 2002 when it transferred to Joey 92.3 where it continues to remain on the air as Licensed To Chill. The Chillout Project compilation CDs began at the start of the new millennium in the year 2000 and one has been distributed by Universal, Sony Music and EMI, which also distributed the first house compilation in 2003.

Anton gets his material from his ever growing collection which he acquires from all over the world. Most of the material that makes it in the Chillout CDs are originally and available only on 12-inch vinyl. Since even regular vinyl releases are already hard to come by on the local market these days, let alone their 12-inch single varieties, we can only imagine the extra effort Anton makes in finding those rarefied selections that will eventually be included in his compilations for mainstream consumption.

"I usually work on a theme," he says in explaining the compilation process of the Chillout series. "If a certain song fits my idea for the album, then I include it in my short list of possible candidates, which is around 40 songs. Out of these 40 songs each of which has an average running time of about seven minutes, about 14 to 16 make the final cut."

What Anton does after finding the right songs is not just merely paying for the royalties (which can actually range from US$100 to £3,000 per song alone) and sending the materials to his desired local distributor, he actually masters the entire compilation himself in his own studio at home.

"My home studio houses two turntables and CD players, four monitor speakers, two mixers and a dedicated PC used exclusively for mastering the album. I first had to transfer all my analog to digital files using the PC and the final mixes were all done using my PC."

The latest Hyper-Threading technology of the Intel Pentium 4-processor that powers Anton’s PC also has allowed him to handle multi-track recording and playback, digital mastering and producing CD audio quality output, among other related multi-tasks. Intel’s 915G Express chipset of the Pentium 4 is also responsible for the great media playback, multiple or separate audio streams and music customization in the digital surround sound environment of Anton’s home studio. Anton himself describes it as "incredibly fast and no longer necessitates the need for a specialized sound card to get my job done."

Even with all this technology at his disposal, Anton still sees to it that the final product still sounds "organic and not too perfect" which is the way he prefers his music.

"My music is really more down tempo, chillout. The house music in my current compilation is more Latin, upbeat, fun and accessible. It’s deep, sophisticated but not noisy," he says. Tracks that are likely to enjoy repeated listenings aside from Ever After include Demon Ritchie’s "La Piage," Sueno Soul’s "Tempo Da Solo", Dalminjo’s "Bossa Note," Malena’s "Vida Mia" and Jazzy Eyewear’s "Found The Way."

"The thing with chillout music is that it’s a very personal and solitary experience for me. When I make a chillout album , I am the only one I’m thinking of. My listening regimen consists of driving out and listening to my car. With this latest album, I also have to consider other people, how this will play out in a bar or in their car. Since this was meant for a bigger audience, it sounds a little bit more, uh, happy."

And speaking of bigger audiences, the Chillout Project CDs are now also available in select stores in the US and will soon find their way across Asia as well. Anton’s next goal is to see his records available in his favorite record shops like The Virgin Megastore at Champs Elysees and the Tower Records in Shibuya, Japan. "That will be a dream come true," he beams.

But for now, Anton Ramos is already looking forward to his next CD releases including a flamenco-inspired project called Las Mejores De Canciones Flamenco Chillout and an acid jazz compilation called Sisters of the Sun this coming May. The music man is in the house and it looks like the house is full.