Downtempo & "Chillout" Electronica on eMusic

Comments

• omnifoo

  March 2022

  It seems if I don’t do a list for this style every couple of months my backlog just piles sky high. I guess I must like it quite a bit, and I hope others do, too.
  
  

  In the order of my listening preferences, and noting that those near the end of this long list are only very qualified recommendations for enthusiasts but definitely not detractors of the style…

  
  1. “Invisible” & “Muance” - Chapelier Fou (2012, 2017). I’m slowly gathering everything CF has done, which I’m grateful all appears to be on eMusic, maybe the best ambassador for electronica for people who think they don’t like electronic music. Seamless integration of non-keyboard instruments is this guy’s stock in trade and main selling point, with knacks for melody, mixing, and songcraft. To listen to a full album by CF is to behold a thing of incongruent beauty, as part of you insists stodgily that strings and chamber music instruments can’t possibly fit in electronica like this. I’m less fond of when vocals are attempted (on “Invisible”; “Muance” is fully instrumental), but it would be wrong to put any constraints on the boundless creativity on display. Anyone who likes the seemingly effortless melodies of Luke Vibert and his ilk but who wants a little more heft and serious substance must try these albums on for size. https://chapelierfou.bandcamp.com/album/invisible & https://chapelierfou.bandcamp.com/album/muance

  
  2. “Creaks (Original Game Soundtrack)” - Hidden Orchestra (2020). I’m not sure how much of an actual orchestra is involved or how easy it would be to hide one, but over the course of more than an hour and a half, this game soundtrack (which may well be the future of how anyone under 30 hears new music) spans a very impressive range. Sure, they’re no Cinematic Orchestra, but the comparison is not nearly so farfetched as one would expect given the sterling reputation & label prestige of CO and these videogame incidentals on eMusic. Given the extreme length and 21 tracks to work with, most of the styles covered elsewhere on this list make at least one appearance, but mostly these hover around cinematic territories just mentioned or Plaid-like IDM. There’s also inevitably some formless filler for stretches and I haven’t listened all the way through in one sitting many times. Does that mean would rather it have been separated into two albums? Not necessarily, as these generally feel quite closely related in theme and atmosphere. Even two-disc classics like FSoL’s “Lifeforms” & MBM’s “Subliminal Sandwich” have some pretty significant differences between their first and second disc, whereas even dividing this epic in two anywhere wouldn’t seem quite right. One unique point that bears mentioning is that this is electronica mainly in its use of atmospheric keyboard loops that don’t appear on every track; more consistent is the use of what sounds like a live drum kit or, if not, electronic drums that are meticulously programmed to sound like one. And while the rhythms are interesting and varied, they’re usually quite low in the mix, hardly noticeable until at least the second or third listen. The first time around, one is more likely to be captivated by the melodies and atmospheres, the variety of indeed orchestral sounds at their disposal. Strings and piano feature most prominently, sometimes solo. What’s real and what’s a simulation is, appropriately, left to your speculation. In short, this small label is consistently impressive. https://hiddenorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/creaks-original-soundtrack-2

  
  3. “Musique Non-Concrete” - Adam Kempa (2021). When a new album of quality and distinction comes along on eMusic, one must grasp it with both hands immediately, especially in the rare cases like this when there’s no other obvious way to buy it. Both in voice and electronic industrial backing, Mr. Kempa bears a more than passing resemblance to a subdued Trent Reznor on the opening “Regalia,” but rest assured that he eventually finds his own way for most of the remainder. But first he has to get through an increasingly dissonant Harold Budd tribute on “Mysterium Tremendum,” a remarkable shift just two tracks in, serving as a warning that you’re about to enter uncharted sonic territory. The third track probably plays nicest with others on this list in downtempo electronica, but the tone will remain akin to a darker Ulrich Schnauss. Vocals return with guitars on “The Venerable” and stay for “Satellite Band.” The closing “At Disposal” is yet one more slow burner of highly experimental synth-pop that grows on me each time I hear it—the jarringness of silence at its conclusion attests to how hypnotic an experience the whole thing has been. In sum, this is a freeform album that really reminds the listener what a many splendored art form a single album can be, as opposed to the severe constraints of a single—let alone a single that one might expect to hear on a radio station.
  
  

  4. “Angel” & “Olympic” - French 79 (2014, 2018). I noticed French 79 as a remixer on a couple of tracks I’d enjoyed but never thought to search for their original work until pretty recently. Owing a lot to disco is a surefire way to lose my approval, but these songs are so smooth in a way that only French musicians can pull off, I’d almost be ready to drop my prejudice against electronic disco music (for perpetuating stereotypes and associating with that scourge of the 70s). The vocals fit very well with the songs and should serve as a clinic for some others on this list that never achieve or can’t sustain the right balance or variety. Similarly, just a light sprinkling of house on “Hush Hush” is exactly the right amount. Lots of grooves going on here; they’ll lift the mood and get you moving with them. Note there’s one duplicate track on the “Angel” EP, which is entirely instrumental for 99 cents. https://french79music.bandcamp.com/album/angel & https://french79music.bandcamp.com/album/olympic

  
  5. “Octazooka EP” - Octazooka (2015). While several albums on this list toy with adding a guitar or sampled guitar to a track or two, none other incorporates the instrument so well into what are still clearly electronic songs as this EP does. From the first track, this oddly named project establishes itself as a force in hook-laden, trippy compositions that crank every song to 11. The way they play with effects is endlessly fascinating to the ear, but going without a vocalist appears to be another commercial suicide. They deserve a ton of recognition but have apparently gotten little or none. I’d liken them to another criminally under-appreciated band, We Are Enfant Terrible combined with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but again, without the sultry female vocalist with which each is blessed. Ratatat if they just wanted to jam would be another point of reference. https://octazooka.bandcamp.com/album/ep

  
  6. “Mickey Mouse Operation” - Little People (2006). This album can lay claim to be among the most rated and most highly rated downtempo electronic albums left on eMusic, dating to a time when there may actually have been a scene with some fame involved. I hesitated for a long time whether to pony up for something so obvious and hyped (and expensive); living up to high expectations can’t be easy. Even at the time of release, I doubt much on here was particularly groundbreaking, but it’s all especially well done, smooth but also rewarding attention like Bonobo or Blockhead. These songs are a fair bit more haunting and spacey than either of those, less loungey than the former and less hip-hop than the latter, then suddenly going full Portishead on “Unsaid.” I think I still prefer the best work of Deadly Avenger for being a bit more cinematic than this album, but I don’t think there can be too many strong examples to establish the subgenre as both serious art and highly enjoyable listening. Finding a balance between repeating elements and those that trick the ears into forgetting that one is listening to assembled loops is a key to the best electronica; vocals with verses might be the easiest way to do that, as on “Breathe Again,” but most songs on this ironically self-effacing title also expertly add slurred sounds from a seemingly limitless palette, shifting rhythms, and turntable fills to blur the edges and prevent pattern recognition from setting in. https://littlepeople.bandcamp.com/album/mickey-mouse-operation

  
  7. “Intensity & Dedication” - Skygaze (2017). Subtle elements of R&B and soul infuse this album, highlighting the generally unfulfilled promise of acid jazz to be its own kind of futuristic fusion. Slow but full beats, shimmering and echoing tones, and a groovy semi-psychedelic mood prevail on these eight instrumental tracks, quite appropriate for gazing at the sky in wonder or making one say “Whoa” at something profound, whether or not one happens to be under the influence at the time. https://sinhilo.bandcamp.com/album/intensity-dedication

  
  8. “Talk from Home” - Suzanne Kraft (2015). This is straightforward, no frills downtempo flirting with the edges of ambient, nice for reading, contemplation, or getting work done. Plinky keyboard tones paired with a Fripp-derivative guitar open the proceedings on “Two Chord Wake.” It kinda sounds like a more laid back Plone, whose new album is a blockbuster for eMusic and itself less frenetic than their almost ancient debut. “Flatiron” reminds me of early, instrumental Múm. Experienced electronic listeners will find much else to compare, and at their easy-going leisure. https://suzannekraft.bandcamp.com/album/talk-from-home

  
  9. “Bat Karé” - Ojûn (2021). Electronica & world fusion may well have gotten its start before Deep Forest, but that’s my earliest association with one of the easiest and potentially laziest ways to spice up EDM. Evolution of “put that country’s most famous musical traditions/singer over a dance beat” to this new take is not as far removed as one might expect, and this album is a step or two short of extraordinary. It is, however, fresh for at least half its duration from the swirling opener to the bombastic “Bat Sezie” as a conclusion. Quiet field recording interludes function as a buffer between the exuberant songs, which again mainly work the Loop Guru angle of sampling an unusual world instrument or vocals over a beat and keyboards. Absent that, these songs would be too conventional, but with them there’s a considerable sense of adventure with positive vibes. There will always be a place for exotic crowdpleasers, but do also check out the classics and more masterful manipulators.

  
  10. “Internacional” - Los Chipitos de Chapultepec (2016). Two songs and three minutes longer than 2015’s s/t EP, this more expensive sequel took a long time to reach the top of my wishlist, and overall it overs more of the same, good thing: strongly Latin electronica with a quirky streak. It’s not often an aggressive electronic dancefloor anthem like “Mar Negro” builds to a near-acoustic mariachi break. Hot theremin action leads to unpredictable Oriental dancey noodling on the third and fourth tracks, reminiscent of the amazing “Dabke91” by Ko Shin Moon. The last song, featuring a young boy whose speaking voice may be re-appropriated as singing, will probably be skippable after a couple of listens, but it’s a nice, energetic set nonetheless. https://americamediarecords.bandcamp.com/album/internacional

  
  11. “Bedsofaland” - 9Lazy9 (2010). What an odd label for this former NinjaTune alum to end up on, choosing the name of a town on the Monterey Peninsula rather than going for obvious pun of Pacific Groove. A very expensive and less overtly electronic outing than 2003’s fine “Sweet Jones,” one could almost call this an easy listening album to fit with the other explicitly woo woo and new age titles on the label. I initially thought it might be an unplugged reworking of the previous album, but apparently these are new compositions that just sound like less sampling and sequencing were involved than live performances—labeled as jazz in Apple Music (gasp!) and having a clear affinity with lounge music while at the same time not possible to confuse with the genuine (and IMO, inferior for being cheesy) article. At $7.49, it’s readily apparent that nothing else on the label should fetch such a sum. https://9lazy9.bandcamp.com/album/bedsofaland

  
  12. “Void” - Sirso (2019). This 99-cent EP manages to bridge a lot of different divides between purely electronic keyboards and pianos, dancefloor broadness versus headphone-rewarding subtlety, and even takes on gray areas of dubstep versus trance on the opening “Hello World” as well as later on “Hope.” Being fairly new allows these attempts to succeed at sounding freshly syncretic, but I wonder if in future years this may just sound less than fully committal. Each of the five tracks is about three minutes long, and there’s enough packed into each of them to sustain one’s attention. “Being” has a vaguely female vocal element, and the title track chops up some synthesized Asian folk instrument in an interesting way. Beats and basslines here are less consistently driving than propulsive in short doses, perhaps a reflection of hip-hop’s influence. Due to the slight runtime, I’d rank this as better than most music of its kind but hardly elite or especially innovative.

  
  13. “Preface” - Carreno is LB (2016). This bathtub full of plants for just 99 cents might better fit under house music, but I’m never going to buy ten house albums intentionally. I like that the beat is usually in the background, favoring instead electronic stabs that burst in or vary over the course of each track without ever sounding patronizingly melodic or too simple. A relatively high play count of eight suggests I still haven’t figured this one out, or the dancier portions still build pleasingly and not too predictably. If there ever where such a thing as a thinking person’s house music, the opening “Aesthetic Reflection” has it right in the title. Where IDM generally sacrifices actual danceability to challenge the listener, this is a fully instrumental electronic ride that raises the pulse without lowering the IQ. Its label, Hafendisko (& I assume relatedly hfn), is now my first stop for electronic dance music. https://hfn-music.bandcamp.com/album/preface

  
  14. “Loona” - Ebb (2014). At over an hour, one memorable vocal chorus on “I’m All Made of Music” carries the whole thing, but only so far. The others rather blend together without highlights sticking in the mind. Lightly buzzing electronic backing for repeating falsetto phrases starts to feel samey before the midway point, and attempts to mix things up don’t feel especially different or fully formed. Ten years earlier, Steven’s “The Mystery of Attraction Cancelled” covered similar ground with more interesting variety for weaving between pop and rock songs while staying basically within the electronic realm of verse-chorus-verse songs. These are harmless and manage to be both glitchy and pleasant, but I think a producer less wedded to the individual songs would notice the need for a few radically different approaches to keep the listener interested in the following track’s revelation—even adding guitars on “Stay Out of Traffic” and “Keep or Nothing” feel like less of a divergence than they should. An alternative would have been to take a more experimental route like Decomposure’s 2005 “At Home and Unafffected” or an IDM champion. The electronics themselves, with a strong grasp of both melody and rhythm, suggest the guy has some good instrumentals in him, but he seems insistent on soothing, somewhat forlorn, quasi-pop vocals the Notwist also mastered (while sounding fresh from song to song) a decade or so before this. “In Beauty” switches to a more drum & bass format, but again the change is too subtle, connected clearly by the same vocal style. A guest vocalist, a big (and sustained) change in the tempo, more lyrics delivered by rap or sung more punchily, or something dissonantly experimental would really help to punctuate these songs, but maybe the intention was to paint an audio picture of a highly skilled solipsist who wants everything to be self-contained and totally under control. By the time the 9-minute closer and two bonus tracks tacked on at the end (their more guitar-based grooves do suggest the overall tone of the album was quite intentional) conclude, there should be more of a feeling of having gone on a journey far more epic than a walk around one electronic block. https://ebbmusic.bandcamp.com/album/loona-bonus-track-version

  
  15. “s/t” - KYE (2018). Stumbled upon this independently released album and am glad to have bothered sampling, an example of partial reinforcement behavioralism if ever there was one. This uses apparently real guitar sounds, sometimes acoustic and sometimes electric, over more standard downtempo beats and occasionally adds vocals to the mix for an unvarnished and different sound than generic electronica. “Slumber” exemplifies the 31-minute album with disjointed drums and an electronic keyboard bassline overlaid with what sound like distant, high vocals switching over to more guitar and then shifting again before the listener can grasp or get tired of any single loop. The homemade feel of it also reminds me a bit of the instrumental tracks by Looper, or more obscurely, Acrosleuth. It’s not something that demands repeated listening and one does sense a formula by the time strained male vocals appear at the end.

  
  16. “Nausicaa EP” - Visonia (2015). This isn’t a particularly original or unique electronic EP, and I assuredly would not have bought it if not for being a fan of the Studio Ghibli film of the 1980s. I’m not going to set it side by side with the actual film soundtrack. It’s dark and evocative of the film’s sense of unknown possibility, a time before feature length Japanese animation had established itself in the West or in the musical sense before one new what techno was or could be. Those offended by a dance beat or who actually want something for a dance party alike should look elsewhere, but those in between could find this intriguing. Industrial rave music must have an audience somewhere. https://visonia.bandcamp.com/music

  
  17. “Outside In” - Freeform (2005). Anyone who likes playfully unpredictable electronica befitting the band name should own the shorter 2003 album, “Wildcat,” one of the all-time 99-cent greats. Expecting more of the same or even an improvement on that album’s unevenness set me up for disappointment with this nearly hourlong excursion into electronica that meanders more than seeks a destination. There’s still a smattering of organic sounds (or samples) as on the 2003 album (they’re clearly done by the same group), but they seem more random here than in service to the songs, taking coherent shape, or being particularly innovative. There’s still some pleasure in trying to identify the sounds one is hearing, but the variety and sense of adventure are sorely lacking. Vocals just repeat the slight variations on title of the second track, with somewhat uneasiness-inducing accompaniment, proving to be an omen for the album in that this position is usually where a catchy single would go. Vocal sounds make several half-hearted appearances throughout the album, but one could easily miss or ignore them altogether. Objectively, a lot of different sounds went into making these songs, but their middling tempos and overall (, deliberate) disjointed pastiche feelings fail to differentiate themselves from one to the next or be memorable in any instance. “Follow Your Shadow” is at least unsettling, like an electronic version of a Chad VanGaalen song. Skam Records may have survived on the site for being defunct, but it’s got a lot of great stuff, hardly diminished by mediocre titles like this one.

  
  18. “Gang” - Minutes Unlimited, Elliot Lipp, Michna (2020). A 15-minute EP pairing two big names in downtempo electronica with one I hadn’t heard of were an easy 99-cent purchase while it lasted, but I don’t think I’d shell out for the full Bandcamp price. As is often the case with electronic collaboration, the strengths and styles of each contributor get rather lost in the mix. Saying the word “gang” in the title/opening track might serve to announce the group nature of the project but doesn’t win points for creativity or repeat listenability, really. The same (repeating the one-word title) is done for the second track, which does at least have a nice, shifting bassline and more going for it. What might be dismissed as instrumental hip-hop beats in less capable hands gets a fair bit of manipulation on the two second half tracks as well. Overall, not as interesting or recommended as either luminary’s solo work, not unlike the Lipphead combo (w/ Blockhead). https://minutesunlimited.bandcamp.com/album/gang-ep

  
  19. “Faded” - Ainek (2019). Rather expensive, quite long, and one of those that sounds more interesting in 30-second samples than in its full form. I thought this would be more varied in its melodies and not as minimalist as it turned out, and while the first track has a nice downtempo groove, I think my overall feeling towards this album is similar to how non-fans of electronic music describe the genre as a whole…just repetitive and not very interesting. The compositions are predictable (if you heard the melody on one synth, you can bet you’ll hear it again, stripped down and with mellow rhythm) and with only wavy synths or electric pianos for variety. The second track’s melody sounds like a variation on the first, and perhaps the same critique could be lobbed at each ethereally named tune in turn. All that said, it’s non-intrusive, fully instrumental, and works quite well for reading music. Remove the most distinctive elements of either System 7 (a guitar) or B-Tribe (sensual Histpanic flavor) and what one would be left with might sound like this album. Both the title and atmosphere of “Suicide” remind me of Moby’s ambient tracks. Note that it might want to be IDM but isn’t experimental enough, while uninitiated listeners are likely to miscategorize it as ambient (too many beats for that). Neat album art.

  
  20. “Onda Remixes Vol. 3 New Age Wondertwinism” - D Numbers (2013). After loving & buying everything I could find by D Numbers, this remix maxi-single (when’s the last time you read that word?) proves they can’t all be winners. The originals themselves are OK but rather less compelling or interesting than on other EPs by the #sD, and the remixes don’t change the style or tempo or really add anything besides padded run times, pushing this well into full-length album territory unnecessarily. It doesn’t help that there’s only one track being remixed here, whereas the superior Vol. 2 is shorter despite being of the more standard two tracks with one remix each.

  
  21. “Lack of Resistance” - Coss (2020). I’ll be the first to admit that this 99-cent EP could be basically interchangeable with hundreds of others on eMusic. It’s fully instrumental & rather plodding in its beats, slightly dark in effect, and only for those who love the style (i.e. electronic purists who don’t want organic sounds intruding excessively). I’m unfortunately forced to level the same criticism at this EP that electronica’s detractors do at the whole genre: it could use more variety between songs. https://serafinaudio.bandcamp.com/album/lack-of-resistance-2

  
  22. “The Red Balloon” - Mr. More No (2021). In my last booster binge, this was the purchase I came closest to regretting, due to its high price even at 60% off and the feeling that I’d been duped by 30-second samples that sounded fairly interesting in the melodic way I like my electronica to be. Upon listening to the whole track, it becomes readily apparent that this is electronica from the old school where a dubious artist could get away with just adding and then subtracting loops in a fixed set from the beginning to end without changing them in any way or progressing to something like a build to a release of pressure. For all I know the loops may be part of a pre-assembled package Mr. More No purchased rather than sampling himself. I find myself feeling guilty for knowing that but still liking some of the tracks for being harmlessly kinda groovy. This was the only title on a newfound label I saw fit to wishlist, and I certainly won’t try any more on it. No more, I say! I don’t know who I’d recommend it to other than a melodic techno fan who irrationally and dogmatically refuses to like any electronic music made after 1993 or so. That’s probably not you, and nor should it be anyone.

  
  Bandcamp Only (& all NYP):

  “Northern Soul” & “Seed EP” - Morpion (2016). It could well be that these two EPs in the style of classic jungle/drum & bass music of the mid-to-late 90s is to me what listening to classic rock or oldies is for good-old-boys & boomers. I can’t expect anyone else to like them as much as I do, but they’re pure nostalgic bliss and maybe even build on what came before. Fans of “Experience”-era Prodigy will enjoy these, too. https://romeda.bandcamp.com/album/northern-soul-2 & https://romeda.bandcamp.com/album/seed-ep

  
  “Smash + Grab” - Hello Skinny (2012). I’m not usually a fan of electronica that could just as well serve as “beats” or “instrumental hip-hop” unless they’re of a clear quality and variety of a DJ on the level of Blockhead of Aesop Rock. This EP isn’t quite there, but it’s far closer than most out there, IMO. I especially like the kooky vintage organ rhythms & sounds combined w/ the contemporary on “Walking Song.” https://helloskinny.bandcamp.com/album/smash-grab

  
  “Gestalt” - No Wuks (2016). This is quite a bit more beat-oriented and dancier than 2017’s “Five Empty Places.” Both are recommended and well worth at least $1, this one getting the nod for those who want their electronica accessible, and the newer EP for those who prefer abstraction. https://nowuks.bandcamp.com/album/gestalt

  
  “S/t” - Perez Muerez (2015). This is a nice half-hour album similar in style to 2014’s “KUA” offering downtempo electronica with a Latin flavor that is far more subtle than overwhelming. https://djperez.bandcamp.com/album/perez-muerez

  
  “Smoke & Mirrors” - Ian Boddy & Nigel Mullaney (2021). Thanks to the folks at emusers who alerted me to this being NYP for one day only. I’d rather become out of touch with spacey electronica sometimes bordering on ambient but mostly beatful & rather melodic in its waves/loops, and that this is a live set makes it all the more intriguing. Over 90 minutes, mostly long and some very long compositions to turn on and facilitate transcendence to higher states of consciousness. All that said, I’m not at all sure I’d shell out the regular price for it, and I’m sure there’s quite a lot of similar music out there I’d enjoy just as much. https://din.org.uk/album/smoke-mirrors-dinddl28

  
  Rather than reposting repeatedly, here’s my lists of what’s left on eMusic: http://www.omnifoo.info/pages/eMuReddit.html

  & by my evaluation http://www.omnifoo.info/pages/eMusic%20Labels.html

  & by genre https://www.emusers.net/forum/discussion/comment/94512/#Comment_94512 Recent, random posts suggest it is time to include a reminder: eMusic is a website for buying & downloading mp3s. It is www.emusic.com
• idiotprogrammer

  April 2022

  Some terrific finds. Thanks for the BC links and to see how many are from emusic.