Chillax.2

The second installment of my “chill pill” replacement playlists. Time to close your eyes and let the music envelop you. Eleven of the twelve tracks on this playlist are “labeled” electronic or electronic/dance. Chill music and electronic go hand-in-hand, dance music is all over the music map, but I’m sure you all remember that last slow song that was, and probably still is, played at high school proms. If you’re old like me, you might even remember that “special” teacher/chaperone on the gym floor during that song with a ruler going up to couples and yelling: “Six inches…” Sure, now I have a smart-ass comeback, but not then! The lone track not designated as electronic/dance, is labeled “rock.” Now, rock music is not the first thing that comes to my mind when I want to chill. However, and in direct relation to my buddy Randy Dafoe’s (Mostly Music Covers) running series, “Genre-ly Speaking,” music provider’s genre labels are often misleading, if not downright wrong. That is exactly the case with the fourth song on this playlist by Zero 7, “Simple Things,” which is the antithesis of rock. Okay, I got that off my chest. Now for some “deets” on a few of the artists you’re about to listen to.

The oldest track on the playlist, “God Moving Over the Face of Time” (1995), is from the album, Everything is Wrong, by Moby. That is the professional name of Richard Melville Hall, an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He is often hailed as among the most important dance music figures of the early 1990s, helping bring dance music to a mainstream audience in the United States and the United Kingdom. He began playing in several underground punk bands through the 1980s, before moving to New York City in 1989, where he became a prolific figure as a DJ, producer, and remixer. It wasn’t until his fifth album, Play, in 1999 that he gained commercial and critical success. In 2000, the album became an unexpected global hit after every track was licensed to films, television shows, and commercials. It remains the highest selling album, with 12 million copies sold.

Bitter:Sweet is an American trip hop duo with jazz-like influences. Based in Los Angeles, California, the band is composed of Shana Halligan, who provides vocals and lyrics and composes the songs, and Kiran Shahani, who produces and composes the songs. The band was formed when Halligan answered a Craigslist ad for a singer posted by Shahani. Their 11-track debut album, The Mating Game, was released in 2006, which includes my feature track, “Heaven.” Their music has been featured in movies (The Devil Wears Prada, Because I Said So, and Shoot Em Up) and several television shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, Moonlight, Lipstick Jungle, Smallville, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. It has also been featured in a variety of advertisements.

I:Cube (not to be confused with Ice Cube) is the alias of French DJ and electronic music producer, Nicolas Chaix. Paris based, he first gained attention and the limelight on Paris’ underground dance scene in the mid to late 1990s, most notably through his remix of “Around The World” by Daft Punk in 1997. Daft Punk had remixed one of his earlier songs, “Disco Cubizm” (1996). His music appears on many compilation albums, which is where I first heard my featured track, “Adore,” on a 2002 compilation album. The track is from his second album release of the same name in 1999.

The Dining Rooms is a band based in Milan, Italy, which combines ambient and electronic music, described as downbeat. The band consists of Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti. They have had a long run as a duo with their first release, Subterranean Modern, Vol. 1, coming in 1999 and their latest, Sensibili alle fogile (The Lost Soundtrack), released in 2025! In between these two are fourteen releases between 2000 and 2024. They are one of my go-to groups when I want to, you know, “chillax!” And now for some music. Enjoy.

Los Angeles 2025