American electronic music duo Odesza have found themselves mostly on the darker side of chillwave and downtempo, best known for their sweeping, cinematic pieces of minimal tech that are as propulsive as they are introspective. Sonically opposite is Emile van Dango, AKA Yellow House, the Cape Town indie folk artist
That Ben Howard can play musical hopscotch, flitting from one style to the next, while maintaining a melodic and musical identity is testament to the English singer-songwriter’s preternatural talents. His approach to music is intrinsically natural to him, and hitherto unique from everyone else. The finger-plucked guitar popularised by him
Gumar, the latest EP from the sensational Fatima Al Qadiri, is a shimmering example of cultural fusion at its best. Her inclusion of Arabic culture and heritage in the otherwise whitewashed sphere of ambient and downtempo is a breath of fresh air, as was her early work which traversed the
It seems that Vancouver ambient producer and composer Loscil is making a habit of starting each new year with a new, and breathtaking, body of work. Last year gave us The Sails, a collection of sound pieces designed specifically for dance, and the year before saw the tranquil and triumphant
ambient / Chillwave / Downtempo / Drone / experimental / neo-classic
“I should have never dated white men,” Mykki Blanco says with a pang of regret through the droning string loops of Steps. It’s one of the many confessional moments that stud their latest album, Stay Close To Music with jewels of intimate, honest emotionality. Later on Carry On, an even
Alt-Pop / Alternative / Chillwave / Downtempo / experimental / Hip-Hop
When you hear the name Nils Frahm, you expect ‘piano’ to follow soon after. The Berlin-based composer and experimental musician is best known for his work on the ivory keys, using the instrument as a means toward realising his improvisational technique in visceral action. Over the past while, however, he’s
Chet Faker has released a music video for the track It Could Be Nice. The song was originally released a year ago as an Amazon exclusive, but now receives an official release with a 3D animated video by Félix Panis-Jones. Watch it below.
William Orbit is like a comet. The English producer and composer had been active since the 70’s as more of a background player than main act, though every now and again, he’d experience a resurgence of sorts at the apex of the decade. Prepare to Energize in the 80’s, Fascinating
Four Tet has been through the most lately. The prolific producer, real name Kieran Hebden, has just come out the other side of a long and twisty legal battle with his former label Domino. The case, a watershed moment for artists’ rights concerning royalties from streaming and licensing of material
Bass / Breakbeats / Chillwave / experimental / House
Ecuador’s Nicola Cruz has been a pivotal figure in recent electronic music, largely introducing the sounds of Andean music into the lexicon. He’s regarded as a pioneer in evolving the sound of Latin American tradition for the modern world, pulling from its rich instrumentation and rhythmic design to create transportive
