Chill out music
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| Chill out | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins: | Intelligent drum and bass, Ambient, European classical music |
| Cultural origins: | Mid-1990s, UK, Europe, South America |
| Typical instruments: | Various software synthesizers |
| Mainstream popularity: | Unknown |
Chill out (sometimes chillout), a term derived from a slang injunction to relax, emerged in the early and mid-1990s as a catch-all term for various styles of relatively mellow, slow-tempo music made by contemporary producers in the electronic music scene. A number of compilations with "Chill Out" in their titles were released in the mid-1990s and beyond, helping to establish the genre as being very closely related to downtempo and trip hop but also incorporating, especially in the early 2000s, slower varieties of house music, nu-jazz, psybient, and lounge music. The genre also includes some forms of trance music, ambient music, and IDM, and it has entirely subsumed the older genre Balearic Beat, although that term is still used interchangeably with chill out. Chill out is generally tonal, relaxing (or at least not as "intense" as other music from the styles it draws from), and generally does not incorporate music that emphasizes "hard," "deep," or particularly hypnotic rhythms. It is sometimes called "soft techno".
An entire culture surrounding chill out music has evolved, with many fashionable bars and clubs, designed with a retro or futuristic ambience, devoted to the genre. Ministry of Sound in London has hosted many chill out events in places such as Ibiza and there are hundreds of mix compilation titles including the words "chill out" or just "chill" that cater for the chill out audience. As of 2005 "chill out" is recognized by all major UK dance magazines and their charts.
The chill out styles are similar to the Leftfield scene inspired by the group of that name. There are many bands that make chill out music, such as Lemon Jelly, Urban Myth Club,Mooli and the aptly named Chillage People; DJs that specialise in chill out like Youth, Alex Paterson, Dr. Chill, Unity Dub, The Only Michael, Chris Coco, Pete Lawrence and Mixmaster Morris, the latter known for having released Global Chillage; organisations that focus on this style like Portugal's Chillout Zone and Liquid; record labels like Liquid Sound Design, Vagalume, Ultimae and Interchill; and events such as The Big Chill and Sundaze. Often music is mixed with video art mixed by VJs with gentle, relaxing images of nature or electronic graphics.
The Big Chill festival is a large annual event catering for chilled out clubbers and families in Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire with resident acts including Gilles Peterson and Norman Jay.
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