Let's bring some happy back up in here. I'm in hardcore school mode for the next 48 hours, with a 20-page paper due and a final both going down on Wednesday. Thankfully, though, I've found some new music that's helping me along with the studying and it's fantastic:The Sushi Club - Sakura
This group is the Japanese answer to Thievery Corporation, and it's just as good. Their newest, Sakura, finally hits the nail on the head after two late-90s albums that came really close but were tainted by this awful 80s-experimental-electronic-music sort of sound. This album really is as good as The Mirror Conspiracy and it makes me happy that there's great new chillout music happening.Junkie XL - Radio JXL - 3PM/3AM and 7PM/7AM
For people who enjoy all tastes in techno, JXL satisfies. I first fell in love with this dude's work after hearing his epic 7-minute remix of BT's Somnambulist and I've been looking for his own stuff ever since. Recently, he's cut two albums, each of which contain two full sets. The PM sets are just plain good techno that's somewhere between Oakenfold and BT. On the other hand, the AM sets are closer to ambient sounding and are really good for chillout purposes. All four are great, but if you only find one, make sure it's the 7PM "Dance" set - the first track of it is one of the greatest house tracks I've ever heard.
Update: The track is called "Tennis" and it's by Tom Holkenborg, but iTunes credits it as by him and Junkie XL together, so I don't know if it's a track that's ever been released.Mark Farina - Mushroom Jazz 5
Mark Farina's been spinning his own brand of chilled-out house music for ages, and No. 5 doesn't disappoint. Whereas volumes 1-3 tended to wear thin after a while and I've never found 4, this one sounds like it could be a classic, except for the first two tracks (which are too repetitive). All of the above get the blakerson Seal of Approval™. Grab, spin, and enjoy.
This group is the Japanese answer to Thievery Corporation, and it's just as good. Their newest, Sakura, finally hits the nail on the head after two late-90s albums that came really close but were tainted by this awful 80s-experimental-electronic-music sort of sound. This album really is as good as The Mirror Conspiracy and it makes me happy that there's great new chillout music happening.Junkie XL - Radio JXL - 3PM/3AM and 7PM/7AM
For people who enjoy all tastes in techno, JXL satisfies. I first fell in love with this dude's work after hearing his epic 7-minute remix of BT's Somnambulist and I've been looking for his own stuff ever since. Recently, he's cut two albums, each of which contain two full sets. The PM sets are just plain good techno that's somewhere between Oakenfold and BT. On the other hand, the AM sets are closer to ambient sounding and are really good for chillout purposes. All four are great, but if you only find one, make sure it's the 7PM "Dance" set - the first track of it is one of the greatest house tracks I've ever heard.
Update: The track is called "Tennis" and it's by Tom Holkenborg, but iTunes credits it as by him and Junkie XL together, so I don't know if it's a track that's ever been released.Mark Farina - Mushroom Jazz 5
Mark Farina's been spinning his own brand of chilled-out house music for ages, and No. 5 doesn't disappoint. Whereas volumes 1-3 tended to wear thin after a while and I've never found 4, this one sounds like it could be a classic, except for the first two tracks (which are too repetitive). All of the above get the blakerson Seal of Approval™. Grab, spin, and enjoy.