Caine has put together a compilation CD, Cained, that gathers such tasteful 'chill-out' classics as Chicane's 'No Ordinary Morning', John Martyn's 'Sunshine's Better' and Roy Budd's 'Hurry to Me' along with St Germain's 'Rose Rouge', Felix Da Housecat's re-rub of Nina Simone's 'Sinnerman' and Bent's 'Swollen'. Universal Records will issue the set on 3 September in Britain.

"I've loved this type of music for years and have literally hundreds of CDs, " Caine said of the mellow, generally slow-tempo genre. "I've been buying them for about 15 years and really know my way around."

His sojourn into the music business came about through a fortuitous dinner at Elton John's mansion in Nice, France, during which the Academy Award winner impressed his host with his knowledge of music.

Caine also admitted to a longtime passion for making compilations. By his reckoning, he has assembled "literally thousands" of compilation tapes and CDs.

"And with chill-out I suppose I finally found my forte."