Anyone into chillout on this board? If not, you should be. It's an incredibly versatile genre for a start; it can immerse you or offer a relaxing background melody, it can be beautiful but not always intrusive, the percussion is often inventive, it can bring you up or bring you down depending on the time of day/night.

It can be enjoyed while indulging in pharmaceuticals but is by no means restricted to it; I like having it on when I'm writing essays and aren't in the mood for a long progressive dance CD and the pumping beats contained within.

I own #1 - #7 of the Cafe del Mar chillout CD's, and it's eclectic and rhythmic and perfect sunrise or sunset or late at night music. They have just re-released the first two, which are essential listening, and the series contains everything from mellow Dusty Springfield soul numbers, to ambient trance such as Bedrock, the dark beats of Underworld and your usual chillout suspects such as Leftfield and Salt Tank. You can get the aforementioned first two in a double pack for £5.99 here ... http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetail...&sku=307157 ... well worth it for any music fans in general.

Also worth checking out if you're new to the genre are Thievery Corporation, Herbalizer, Kruder + Dorfmeister, William Orbit, Afterlife, Banco de Gaia and Jose Padilla himself.

I've always just referred to relaxing music in general as chillout music.

I like the strictly trip-hop/downtempo moments in so-called "chillout" as a genre more than the Ibiza/neo lounge-y beach Charlie Byrd-wanna be moments.

I kind of like trip-hop and downtempo, I find the stuff I described often overlaps with it rhythmically anyway, one of the great things about chillout as a genre is the eclecticism you find in most albums.

I love Charlie Byrd, but inferring stuff like the Cafe del Mar compilations want to sound like him is slightly laughable. Especially when you consider the variety on those discs, from vocal electronica, to trippy dark stuff to mellow acoustic-guitar based stuff.

All you need:

Agreed. It can be electronic, folk, lite rock, whatever.

Try this one - a live album by Townes Van Zandt:








or for some electronica, I love this one:

I've always just referred to any music made by people as folk music.

I was using chillout as a noun not a verb. It's a genre, not simply music that chills you out.

So far the stuff posted sounds like some of the electronic Christian world music an ex used to make me listen to.

I cant think of a genre/fad more pathetic than one that was grown out of and supported entirely by compilation CD's/boxsets. There was a period there in the late 90's when you couldnt take more than 5 steps without tripping over something akin to "Buddah Lounge Volume 13".

Why listen to Thievery Corporation's pseudo watered down poseur Americanized version of "world music" when you could just as easily go straight to the source instead? Its the type of shit some yuppie who cant even locate Brazil on a map throws on at a dinner party in order to appear cultured and worldly. Utterly disposable.

I'm not "inferring" the music on the lame Ibiza comps "wants" to sound like Charlie Byrd, I'm simply saying that my own preference amongst the "ecclecticism" endemic to those comps is for the trip hoppy-downtempo tracks as opposed to the cheezy/ dorky neo-Bossa Nova moments, which are undeniably legion in those "Chillout" mixes. There are some good practitioners of the genre (Koop come to mind), but a lot of it does come across as the type of derivative, watered down second generation disposable lounge that Cerebralheadtrip rightfully decries up-thread.

Yeah, I understand. I wasn't trying to derail your thread, just pointing out that I've heard the term used in other ways.

Carry on.

Pretty strong, and equally as ignorant.



So lame that they have been a critical and commercial success? It's this type of elitism which makes fans on boards such as this reviled and ridiculed. I'd wager you've never even heard one of these compilations, and if you have I doubt you gave it more than a single spin. There is a lot more to these compilations than a few tunes thrown together; they are atmospheric mixes that set a mood and are enthralling and often soothing.

In the case of the Cafe del Mar albums, they evolved from the music played in the cafe itself, which made it such a mecca for travellers and generally people wanting to experience something at the time new and different. The music reflects those experiences, and people are extremely passionate about it; in fact, there are few if any cheesy songs accross all of these albums, coming from someone who owns them all. They are experiences and memories for a lot of people, not simply music they sat listening to on their laptop. If not the songs themselves, then the mood and the places it takes the listener bring back memories and conjure up imagery of the kind not seen in any of the generic SOMB lauded indie albums of the last few years.

Sheesh, Mike, settle down. "Chillout," if you will. This isn't a personal attack. For the record, I've heard at least three of your treasured Cafe del Mar series, and have heard them all about 3-4 times apiece (they were in heavy rotation in South of Market clubs a few years back). Please try to differentiate "SOMBIE Indie Elitism" (whatever that means) from an informed listener who just doesn't find "Chillout" compilations as compelling as you seem to.

I like that the dude trying to get the board to buy into showing the genre called "Chillout" respect is calling detractors elitist.

Fair point, but there's a difference between not liking something a labeling it 'lame'. Chillout isn't even my favorite genre or anything, but I do enjoy it immensely and it's disappointing that a lot of people just write it off as cheese when most times that couldn't be further from the truth.



I find a lot of this board is elitist, and there are certainly a few genres/styles that are looked down upon. The 2009 list had it's fair share of eclecticism, which was a nice change, but there was still far too little dance music in my opinion, as well passionate music which is enjoyed through experience in a time and place rather than internet favorites.