Great chillout tracks at M2 chillout!

Check out M2chillout for some great chillout tracks. The French not only know wine and cheese, but they know how to chill as well.

Listening to Goodbye by Mauro Picotto right now and it's very chill.

Here's the link again- http://www.m2radio.fr/index.php?m2=chillout

Keep chillin'!

Review- Chillout Sessions XI

Ministry of Sound- Chillout Sessions XI

This compilation was very hit and miss. As I mentioned on Twitter to @Brett Borders it sounds like whoever put this compilation together recently fell in love with 80’s synth pop. A lot of the songs fit that mold but there is a section on the second disc that really hits the mark. Perhaps the presence of MGMT’s “Electric Feel” was the reason they went for the 80’s synth pop sound, but doing so turned it into a dance album rather than a chillout album. The aforementioned middle section and end of the album really saved it from being a total loss. I still recommend picking this one up as it does have some very good tracks.

Here are the highlights-

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi from Radiohead’s most recent release appears on this compilation but it seems out of place on a chillout compilation. It’s great to have Radiohead on a chillout compilation, but I would have went with All I Need, Nude, or House of Cards from that album, which are definitely more chill than this track. Since this one wasn’t really a downtempo album, I can see why they decided to include it. I was hoping for at least a remix of this track from In Rainbows, but it is just the album version. There’s an urgency in this track in the pace of music as well as the lyrics. He talks about escaping to follow a loved one. I’d say that’s quite an urgent matter and would be a very good reason NOT to chill. House of Cards has the perfect downtempo beat and light guitar which make it a much better fit here. But I digress...

After the Radiohead track, a cover of Teardrop (one of my favorites from Massive Attack) is done very nicely with acoustic guitar by Jose Gonzalez.

So Sorry follows up Teardrop as another acoustic number and Leslie Feist puts on a great vocal performance, which makes it simply a great chillout song. “Les” is more in this case (so sorry, bad pun!)

Made in the Dark- Hot Chip

Sounds like something you’d hear in a dark, smoky hotel bar with a guy on piano. Very nice vocals with bluesy background guitar make it a winner.

Ghosts (Modwheel Mood Remix)- Ladytron

(this one is from my notes during my listening session)

FINALLY! A true downtempo mix after a ton of 80’s synth pop tracks. Nice slow beat, trippy female vocals with ghost-like/haunting effect- very fitting to title of the track.

Great guitar on the bridge and towards the end…end sort of sounds like Joy Division.

I’m not sure if I really like this song or I’m just happy there’s finally a true chillout song on this album.

With You Forever- PNAU

This decent track closes out the first disc. Has a light beat with some airy vocals and leads us out of the disaster that is the first disc on a higher note.

Above the Clouds- Aeroplane

This was a great chillout track that built nicely with a cool synth melody to go along with a catchy guitar rhythm in the background.

Here Today- Al Usher

A great driving bass line and synth percussion melody with some airy effects in the middle makes this my favorite on the compilation.

Love Love Love- Low Motion Disco

Sexy track that continues the great beat from Here Today…great transition from the previous track. Great vocals that echo the Beatles in saying “All we need is love”

Great piano accompaniment helps makes this a favorite as well.

Folk I Farta- DiskJokke

Huh? This one also has some interesting piano work at the beginning that leads into a great bass line and a funky synth melody. Very cool synth whistling, then it all comes together 3 minutes in. For such a weird title it’s definitely worth the listen!

Tiergarten (Supermayer Remix)- Rufus Wainwright

The closing track has a nice churning beat. Some very cool operatic chanting leads into the verses. Some creepy bells and the sound of rain lead us out of the compilation. Definitely another great late night listening track.

Tracklisting from Wikipedia

Disc One

1. Kasper Bjorke feat. Allison Pierce - "Doesn't Matter (Trentemøller remix)"
2. Radiohead - "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"
3. José González - "Teardrop"
4. Feist - "So Sorry"
5. Lisa Mitchell - "Neopolitan Dreams"
6. Bat For Lashes - "What's a Girl To Do?"
7. Ratatat - "Falcon Jab"
8. Hot Chip - "Made In The Dark"
9. The Presets - "If I Know You"
10. Sam Sparro - "Black & Gold"
11. Empire of the Sun - "Walking on a Dream"
12. MGMT - "Electric Feel"
13. Cut Copy - "Feel The Love"
14. Sébastien Tellier - "Divine"
15. Ted & Francis - "Erlend"
16. Metronomy - "Heartbreaker"
17. Ladytron - "Ghosts (Modwheel Mood Remix)"
18. The Do - "On My Shoulders"
19. PNAU - "With You Forever"

[edit] Disc Two

1. Aeroplane - "Above the Clouds"
2. Al Usher - "Here Today"
3. Low Motion Disco - "Love Love Love"
4. Mission Control - "Innerspace (Long John Saliva remix)"
5. Kaoru Inoue - "The Secret Field (Todd Terje remix)"
6. Popular Computer feat. Pacific!) - "Lost & Found"
7. Shazam - "Luckier"
8. 40 Thieves feat. Qzen - "Don't Turn it Off"
9. Cazals - "Life is Boring (Ali Love/Harder Remix)"
10. Amy Winehouse - "Tears Dry on Their Own (Al Usher Remix)"
11. CSS - "Move (Cut Copy Remix)"
12. Panthers - "Goblin City (Holy Ghost Remix)"
13. Black Kids - "Hurricane Jane (Twelves Mix)"
14. Bag Raiders - "Shooting Stars"
15. Fred Falke - "909 PM at the Beach"
16. Pacific! - "Break Your Social System"
17. DiskJokke - "Folk I Farta"
18. Rufus Wainwright - "Tiergarten (Supermayer Remix)"

Blip.FM!

What a great tool to use on Twitter and add to a website. Check out my Blip.fm station at the bottom of the page.

It's pretty addicting and so far I've been able to find all but one song I was looking for. Check it out!

Chillin' at work?

One of the main reasons I got so heavily into chillout music was the fact that I could listen to it for hours at work and it seemed to pass the time.



What got you into chillout? What are some of your favorite compilations? I want to hear from you!

I think my favorite (at least my "go to") compilation is Ultra Chilled 01 which I reviewed previously here on ChilloutScene.com. Anything by Zero 7 or St Germain is usually going to suck me in.

James Talk

I stumbled upon this great mix from James Talk on the Ministry of Sound Club website today.

http://club.ministryofsound.com/club/newsfeed/article/jamestalkmix

It's more of a trance/club mix than a chillout mix, per se, but it is a nice light mix with a great dance beat. He brings in some horns throughout the mix as well. James Talk appeared at the London club this past Saturday (28 Feb). If anyone has been there before or can provide a review from last night, email me at chilloutscene@gmail.com and I will post your review to the blog.

On a side note, I am going to start a forum to discuss the Chillout scene. Anything goes. The music including artists and albums, chillout clubs and bars, etc.

Air- Mer du Japon

I don't think I've heard an Air song that I didn't like. Here's one I just heard on Sirius/XM Chill.

Air Mer du Japon Video

Lovin' the new Röyksopp single!

Keep chillin'

-Chris

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Things have been crazy since we welcomed our son into the world on September 14th, so I am late in wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hopefully 2009 will bring you good fortunes and many opportunities to chill. Here's a nice video I found on youtube with a chillout version of Joy to the World.



Keep chillin'

Chris

Clubbed Out 2

Just received Clubbed Out 2 via eBay all the way from England and I must say it is splendid! The one complaint I have about it is that the first disc is a mishmash of other compilations. It mostly mirrors the Ultra series. I can only listen to One Too Many Mornings by the Chemical Brothers, Lovely Head by Goldfrapp, or Eple by Royksopp (and many more) so many times before I have to move on to find new chillout music.

The second disc is great and I will post a more detailed review in the near future. I will be moving the blog to Wordpress so hopefully that will make it easier for me to post and easier for others to find the blog.

Keep chillin'

Ultra Chilled 01- Disc 2 review

Sorry to take so long to follow up on this but I just had ear surgery and had not been feeling very motivated to finish blogging, much less listen to a lot of music. Anyway, this is a quick review of Disc 2 of Ultra Chilled 01, one of my favorite chillout compilations.

Another Chance (Afterlife Mix) - Roger Sanchez

This is a great airy track to start of disc two. It has a nice light bass beat with repetitive lyrics, making it quite hypnotic.

American Dream (Afterlife Mix) - Jakatta

The hypnotic message of Another Chance leads perfectly into this next dream-like track which includes a bit of the main theme from American Beauty. This one has great off beats of drums, but the mix stays pretty simple and doesn’t get too complex. The light piano which starts plays the movie’s theme at the beginning is a nice accompaniment to the light, seemingly angelic vocals.

One Too Many Mornings- The Chemical Brothers

I love this track. Very grand in scale, a lot like the Massive Attack track on the previous track. Great female vocals here (if someone could tell me who did them on this track, I’d much appreciate it). Great driving bass beat with accompanying off beats. Just feels like it should be at the end of an epic motion picture when the credits roll.

Childhood – Dusted

Great electronic track here. A lot like a Moby mix would be with great keyboards adding to the scale of the song. Very good, deep bass mixed in with those keyboards, mixed in with some funky eclectic dripping water-type sounds.

My Only Sin – Deep Dish/ Richard Morel

This is a great track that seemingly tells a story of love lost. The repeated lyrics “Loved you but I had to go away” haunt the writer and the listener, drawing a picture of a conflict of some sort. Also grand in scale, this is another hypnotic track that accomplishes the chillout feel quite nicely.

The Child – Alex Gopher

I love the Billie Holliday-type vocals on this one. The mix is pretty good too with some funk guitar mixed in with a lot of echo effects on the vox.

16 Again - Neon Heights

I think this one would be a great ending track on the compilation, but it is placed towards the end, so that’s close enough. I can hear a little Talking Heads in this mix and it works very well with a tight beat and sleepy vocals.

The remaining tracks are a little weak, but fit nicely in with the rest of the tracks on this great compilation. I maintain that the first disc is more interesting, but the second one holds its own with some solid tracks.

Chillcast Radio!

The Chillcast has posted a live radio link!

Pretty good listening. The first song I encountered was a chillout mix of a Bush song, followed up nicely by a funky Roy Ayers track called "I am Your Mind Part 2."

Kudos to the Chillcast for getting this online. They have a loyal fan here at Chilloutscene.com.