The dog days and nights of summer are the perfect times for some chilled beats. So while I was working on my new book to a Pandora downtempo station, I started mentally putting together a list of some of the better tunes in the genre.
The slow beats of downtempo (or alternately, chill out) electronic music are ubiquitous. They are a staple part of coffee house soundtracks, movie scores, and TV show music montages (and great for office work). But mixed in with the background noise are some really good singers, DJs, and composers. And there are some great songs, songs that stand out from the meandering drone of much electronic music. These are not necessarily the most representative of the genre, nor the most well-known; they are simply 15 great tracks.
Most downtempo follows the same basic principles — ambient-like melodies, drowsy yet sharp backbeats, diverse influences, and a sense of place. All great chill out/downtempo is at its heart evocative. And they almost all have female vocals, save for the instrumentals. When it comes to downtempo, male vocals don’t make the cut. The women rule here; the flexibility in their voices is a far better pairing with the music’s languid rhythmic structure.
I can be pedantic when it comes to types of music; so I'm fully prepared to incur the wrath of fellow genre nitpickers with this list I threw in a trip hop tune here and a quasi-pop song there. I do think they all belong under the same big chillout tent, though.
There are dozens of great songs not listed (Air’s “La Feme D’Argent”, Rae & Christian’s “Swimming Pool”, anything by Thievery Corporation, etc.) I look forward to hearing some others in the comments.
1. Everything But The Girl - “No Difference”
One of my favorite songs of all time, by one of my favorite female vocalists of all time, Tracey Thorn. Absolutely flawless musically, combining a sharp backbeat, swirling atmospheric melodies, and an ethereal horn sample. Lyrically, Thorn delivers some of her sharpest lines. (You watch the phone/ like it was a TV/If you’re all alone/ well, whose fault can that be/Your keys, your bags, your car/There where they always are).
Article comments
1 - John
I think you've nailed down some great artists there. Boards of Canada's Beautiful Place in the Country is another amazing tune.
I have a downtempo podcast and would love for you to check it out if you get the chance. I try to find much lesser known artists that are producing top notch downtempo music.
2 - Scott Deitche
Thanks for the link- I look forward to listening.