Dave's Top Picks: Chillout

First, a few terms you may find unintelligible (Unintelligible. n., difficult or impossible to understand). Not to sound like a wise-ass, but there is little chance a regular Juan would bother to have a more-than-average reservoir of musical terms; especially now that our culture refers to One Direction as the new EBTG*.

Chillout or chill-out music is one of the least known branches of the electronic music genre. It's almost a given that when you dive into the chill-out music industry, unless you're Da Vinci kind of talented, there is no way of making it into the mainstream. Chillout is commonly used when a rave is coming to a close. Characterized by long, smooth, and repetitive loops, it's like a designer drug you take in the ear to soothe your nerves. Most tracks in this genre are called tunes, not songs, as they tend have little to no lyrics. Personally, I use them to put myself to sleep.

Sub-genres include: Lounge, Easy Listening, Nu Jazz, Ambient House, Downtempo and Trip-hop.

A rave is a gathering of people from a part of a city or town who have one, single agenda: to dance themselves away. Raves are commonly underground and are held in private club rooms or more commonly, an unoccupied building without any kind of permission. When the cops come, it's every raver for himself. Your chances of getting a ticket is based on how well connected you are with fellow ravers. Otherwise you'd just have to hope no one's guarding the back door. Raves are most of the time associated with illegal drugs, casual sex, alcohol, break dancing, and fights. They are commonly hosted by an emcee who introduces deejays or bands that play. When a DJ or a band becomes successful that they start to pack thousands of people in an appearance, they play in legally held events and not in raves. A good example is Swedish House Mafia.

Remixes are done by a producer or a deejay to add his own touch to a tune while retaining its original elements. For example, a deejay can change a tune's beat, key, and chord pattern but the melody and message should remain the same; when alteration is done more insomuch that it changes the tune to a degree no longer recognizable from the original, that's theft of intellectual property.

Edits are complete version of tunes that are taken from a different source other than a studio or a record label. This is commonly done in unreleased tracks where a radio station is authorized to record as the artists play them live. Edits are usually lo-fi. Sometimes, you can even hear a commercial finishing up before a track plays.

Alright! Now that we're done with the technical part, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Here are my top 5 Chillout tracks. (If you're still hung up on technicalities, they aren't actually "mine," I discovered them on my quest for a magic Slurpee across the milkyway and decided I should play them on Earth.)

Top 5:

The Ramona Flowers - Dismantle and Rebuild (D/R/U/G/S Remix)

The record starts with creepy, incomprehensible whispers on a synth background. Then comes an even creepier distorted guitar lick, which after fading, sends the tune underway. The keyboards kicked in with a faded-energy progression that enveloped the entire track. This tune is a perfect play when everyone is boozed enough to dance naked. Its wild but mellowed down vibe prevents them from doing so while keeping them on the floor. Look on the bright side: as far as reputations and your future parties go, it's a win-win.

Top 4:

Owl City - Hello Seattle (Remix)

Okay, I'll admit this one's a little biased. It isn't chillout at all. It's more of electropop blended with a little trance. But heck, I'm a big Adam Young fan so here it is. If you're familiar with how Hello Seattle originally sounds, this version is a whole new experience. It opens quiet, slow, and atmospheric. Almost like something from a cancer-drama movie. The tune then builds up a 4/4 dance beat (sigh), a rhythm section, and finally, the standard Owl City vocal-echo ending. All in all, this tune is like a colorful tour of the ocean.

Top 3:

Flight Facilities ft. Giselle - Crave You

This one's actually a song, complete in lyric and melody. In all the records that graced my ears, this one's probably the sexiest. Flight Facilities' steady and calm approach to the synth and basslines provided this song the ability to make you hate having to dance to it alone--preferably naked, in your room. The beats are plain; nothing to write home about but they fit in just right. The lyrics are of a young woman carrying a torch and are akin to a (far) more artistic female version of The Script-meets-One Direction.

Top 2:

Tycho - Hours

This track has an unexplainable ability to send a person inside a daydream--and a vivid one at that. It's so good, it makes it mystifying how Skrillex's mechanical-testosterone antics made the Grammy's while guys like Tycho remain independent recluses. In this 5:45 minutes of ear sugar, Tycho translates time to music without trying to go all Picasso. And boy, has it paid off. The whole track is a smooth walk across the shoreline or a quiet drive in the night. And, oh, if you're planning to make it past second base tonight, buy some harmonic-colored lampshades, put this on and you're good to go.

Top 1:

Blue Foundation - This Is Goodbye

After listening to this track, I think we both can agree it ends too freaking early. This song soothes down the tensest nerves and the sulkiest frowns--it could very well be the epitome of escapism. But take note, this song is about a relationship past the verge of failure (it's one of my ultimate post-breakup songs). It's also from an extended play entitled "Dead People's Choice," and the house on the EP cover is probably a haunted house. I know artsy symbols are at play here, but with a track this good I can't help but to shed no care. The song is trip-hop with shoegaze and modern classical elements, so it's tailor-made for your earphones, not for blaring party stereos. Though it sounds quite messy the first couple of listens, it begins to grow on you as you listen more. It can pull you to sleep or awaken you to dream--see, it doesn't really matter which.