Chill Music Suggestions

[Stravo]

A freind of mine recently had some music playing in her office while she worked and I asked what it was because it sounded sort of like Jazz but not and she said it was a genre of music called Chill. I like it and would love to add a few Chill music jams to my Ipod for those long lonely commutes and was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions for certain songs or albums?

[Dangermouse]

Anything by Godspeed You Black Emperor. The songs East Hastings and Moya are amazing. If you have seen 28 Days Later, the song in the opening montage when he walks out of the hospital is East Hastings.They are known for their 10-20 minute songs that build and descend from a cresendo. I have most of the albums on LP and love listening to it when I am reading. Fascinating music. The one with Moya is Slow Riot for New Zero Xanada. The one with East Hastings is strange symbols, something like F#$l#.

Mogwai is also good for relaxing to, as is Flying Saucer. Both are good progressive/instrumental rock bands. Leahy, a Montreal band known for their excellent fiddling, is also good to chill/relax to as well. Their debut CD Leahy is fantastic; their later two CDS not as much. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is sorta progressive jazz and is recommended as well. Their 2 CD Live album is fantastic.

Edit: I don't know if this fits in under the genre "Chill" but its music I relax to.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

A freind of mine recently had some music playing in her office while she worked and I asked what it was because it sounded sort of like Jazz but not and she said it was a genre of music called Chill.

Does it have 4/4 rythm like house music, but in slower pace? With jazzy guitars, jazzy bass, and such?

If that's the case, I guess the more correct name is "Chill House". It's a sub-genre of house music, but in slower, relaxing pace. Good house/techno clubs usuallly provide "chill rooms" for the guests to take a rest before the next jigging on the dance floor. The music being played in chill rooms usually has relaxing pace, although still house. Hence the name chill house.

I like it and would love to add a few Chill music jams to my Ipod for those long lonely commutes and was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions for certain songs or albums?

If my guess is correct, then I would reccomend any Ibiza compilations with the "chill" word in their title. An example is Cafe Del Mar: Chill House series.

If you're looking for specific song titles, True House by Marcel or Esa Magia by Deep & Wide would be a good start.

[EmperorMing]

You might want to check out some Trip-Hop.

And if you can access shoucast, I would suggest checking out the "Monkey Radio" station. If you have a copy of Winamp installed, you can find it under the "Funk" genre.

[Lord Pounder]

Groove Armada, some of their stuff is quite chilled/

[Zaia]

Er, are you serious? There's a genre of music called 'chill' now? Le sigh...

If you want some quality music to listen to at work with that kind of feel, check out Jamie Cullum's "Twentysomething" album. It's very good--half covers, half originals, and the title track is my favourite. Modern piano jazz with wonderfully rich-sounding vocals.

Another artist I love to chill to is John Mayer. His style is more pop than jazz, although he is a blues guitar virtuoso and you can certainly hear his talent and musical ear in his guitar work and solos, like in the song 'Neon.' He's got this way of playing and singing that makes me envision hanging out on a lazy Sunday morning, no matter what I'm doing. Listening to either of his CDs at work usually take down my stress level by a few notches.

[salm]

Try Kid Loco.

[Avalon616]

I'm not sure if this is quite the right genre, but the artist Funki Porcini. I love listening to his stuff before bed, or during sex. It's great! Mellow trippy techo-jazz-ish stuff. I have the double CD set, Hed Phone Sex, I'd definitely recommend it.

[Rye]

Stravo, if you like that kind of music outlined in your OP, you MUST AT ALL COSTS get stuff by "Nightmares on Wax" ...I have their "Carboot Soul" album, and it fits exactly what you asked for.

Dead Can Dance - chillin' tribally industrially-at-points music.

The Orb - apparently the only good song of theirs is "little fluffy clouds" but that song is very relaxing.

Orbital - they're industrial dance, and their slower stuff is very calming. Stuff like Adnan's, Dwr Budr and above all else, Halcyon +on +on. Halcyon was a hit a few years ago, so you'll probably recognise it and go "oh yeah, i liked this song, thanks Rye!" and then you'll want to pay me money, but I'll refuse. I'm not saying I'm Jesus...that is for others to say.

The synth music from the original assault on precinct 13 is good chilling music in my opinion.

Morbid Angel have a lot of interlude instrumental tracks that chill you out, like ascent through the spheres, abyssous and desolate ways. If you have means to just get those tracks, and not the rest of the album, unless you like death metal, i highly advise you go for that option.

Ageisopolis and Cliffs by Aphex Twin are good chilling songs.

You will not regret getting these tracks, so get them forthwith and tell me how right I was.

[Bertie Wooster]

Kreshna is indeed correct about it originating at the cafe del mar in Ibiza. "Chill" is a newly-coined is more of a style than a genre, but I'd describe it as as possessing elements of ambient house, latin pop, smooth jazz, trip-hop and mediterranean dance.

Stravo, what I think you're looking for in terms of the "Chill" or "blu" sub-genre or style is Moby, Zero Seven, Praful, Chris Coco, Air and Bebel Gilberto.

[KowaiYukiDono]

I like to go genre-surfing on SoundClick. Spend the better part of a day off doing that, you'll come up with some miracles. Of course, you'll end up with a huge slushpile of people you write down just so you never run across them again, but hey. The top 40 list is a really good place to start.

[Stravo]

Thanks guys, the Chill playlist will soon be swelling on my Ipod.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

"Chill" is a newly-coined is more of a style than a genre, but I'd describe it as as possessing elements of ambient house, latin pop, smooth jazz, trip-hop and mediterranean dance.

You were right. Chill is more a "style" than specific genre, and it's not limited to ambient house (although it's the most dominant). In fact, you can find one among game tunes.

Stravo, what I think you're looking for in terms of the "Chill" or "blu" sub-genre or style is Moby

Try Porcelain. It's the most relaxing Moby tunes IMHO.

No Ordinary Morning by Chicane is also a good one.

By the way, Stravo, did you play the original C&C: Red Alert? (the one who had Stalin instead of Romanov). There's a song called Vector in the game. Fogger is also a good one.

(and yes, Frank Klepacki really kicked ass with those two. )

Buddha Bar compilations also has some chill out tunes on them, although not many.

[Bertie Wooster]

"Chill" is a newly-coined is more of a style than a genre, but I'd describe it as as possessing elements of ambient house, latin pop, smooth jazz, trip-hop and mediterranean dance.

You were right. Chill is more a "style" than specific genre, and it's not limited to ambient house (although it's the most dominant). In fact, you can find one among game tunes.

I just need to say though Kreshna, it's very impressive you knew off the top of your head exactly what Stravo was talking about. (I had to think about it quite a bit) You must spend a little bit more than a lot of time in da clubs

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

I just need to say though Kreshna, it's very impressive you knew off the top of your head exactly what Stravo was talking about. (I had to think about it quite a bit)

Thanks! Actually it was the word "jazz" that rang the bell, because although Chill is already a well-known genre among clubbers, I'm not really famillar with other music genres (such as rock), so I wondered whether there's another genre called "chill" outside the clubbing music ("chill rock"?).

Why jazz? Because most chill house tunes (like those in the Cafe Del Mar album I've mentioned) incorporate jazzy-sounds instruments which is pretty audible when it goes to the bass, electric guitars and snare percussions.

A good example of jazzy house (although not a Chill) is 'And I Know' by Shunza. It has house rhytm and pace, but the electric guitar alone makes the song more suitable in jazzy lounges instead of underground dance floors. Another example is 'Itchycoo Park' by M People. Notice the piano and you know what I mean. Even some jazz tunes are known to incorporate 4/4 house rythm like 'I'm The Scatman' (the jazz version at the end of the album) by Scatman John.

Even the song 'Vector' (Frank Klepacki - OST C&C Red Alert) has few "jazzy" elements on it, although it's a non-house Chill.

A little bit OT, but I always wonder: are jazz and electronic music actually closer than we thought? Note Basement Jaxx. The blend between two elements are seamless, particularly on 'Romeo' and 'Breakaway'. The song 'Do Your Thing', which is very jazzy, even blended smoothly when house-mixed for the dance floor (I first noticed in Velvet discotheque at Zouk, Singapore).

You must spend a little bit more than a lot of time in da clubs

Even when I'm home I always listen to electronic music.

[Zaia]

Even when I'm home I always listen to electronic music.

*twitches*

[Dangermouse]

Stravo, what I think you're looking for in terms of the "Chill" or "blu" sub-genre or style is Moby, Zero Seven, Praful, Chris Coco, Air and Bebel Gilberto.

I second the Air recommendation. Pick up their Moon Safari album. Its makes for great ambient music. A coffeeshop near me plays it a lot and its fun music for reading, drinking coffee, and relaxing. Simple Things by Zero Seven is also good.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

Ah, just browsed my collection and found something.

Stravo, if you don't mind faster-paced, "semi" Chill, you may want to try 'Star Guitar' by Chemical Brothers. It's pretty noisy on the start, but when the ambience starts, the patience really pays!

The ambient part begins when the lyrics "you should feel what I feel" fades in, getting louder and louder, and that's where you really immerse yourself in the song. I usually close my eyes when the part comes. I wouldn't call it pure Chill, though, since the pace is pretty fast, but the immersive quality beats almost anything, except maybe Moby's 'Porcelain'.

Coincidentally, it's also the song in the Chill Room scene at the Russian discotheque in the movie Triple X (Vin Diesel).