Hummel is Andy Cummins, originating from Wellington, his first release being a 2001 self-titled album. Specialising in downbeat electronica, contrasting with acoustic guitar and vocals.

He has been variously described as “..musical contrasts with fluid transitions. A token; a watermark; a collage; a correlation. A simple, textural, tonal montage.” .. and so on.

But what you need to know is that this is a great, laid back track, bringing a nice touch of variety and vocals to a world of chillout similarity. The 4-minute journey starts light, and a zesty best starts around one minute in, carrying us through with spaced backing vocals – or backing hums. Somehow it grows into a crashing riff for a second before winding down.

Minuit once again. This track is relatively commercial, appearing on the radiowaves of New Zealand even today. It can be found on Minuit’s 2003 release album “The 88“. Lead singer Ruth Carr was diagnosed with cancer while recording “The Guards Themselves”, underwent surgery, then went on a world tour with a new lease on life.

I had the privilege of seeing them live, perhaps no longer possible as in November 2014 they had a “Final Fling” tour. Electronica live can be tricky, but they knew what to do, and blasted it.
Along with their early track “Menace”, “The Boy With the Aubergine Hair” was one of the anthems that launched them.

This track seems so complete, it’s hard to believe after listening that it’s only 3:09 minutes long. Strong vocals carry you through varied music and a satisfying beat. I nice listen, which I wish was longer.
One of those rare tracks where the “radio mix” is equally as good as a qualified lounge music track.

Sheelahroc were formed in Christchurch, NZ in 1999, initially with 8 members from all sorts of ethnic groups. They lasted until 2002, long enough to release this great track. It also launched the vocal powerhouse that is Karoline Tamati, better known as Ladi6 who went on to a stellar solo career. I’ve seen Ladi6 live and it’s a power voice not easily forgotten.

The original “If I gave u th’ mic” is a great track, but possibly not ideal for the lounge music genre. This version however, the (mt) Peace Please Remix, published by Kontrabande Music, changes it’s tone, so that it fits right in.

With a mellow start including nice guitar work, hinting at a slow pace, while still chillout-eligible we are pleasantly tricked into a slightly more upbeat bass line. Ladi6’s strong vocals normally power the track, but with this remix, she takes a back seat and is more of an accompanying vocal, with the music itself taking the main stage as a prime lounge track. Seven enjoyable minutes.

Prefuse 73 .. one of the many aliases of Guillermo Scott Herren, a Florida born musician suffering from an identity crisis, also going by the names of Delarosa & Asora, Ahmad Szabo, Piano Overlord, and part of the groups Savath y Savalas, Sons of the Morning, Risil, and Diamond Watch Wrists.
Starting out as a club DJ, then a hip-hop producer, he wanted to create his own music. The moniker Prefuse 73 first released and album in 2000, then an E.P., this song comes from the third album of the same “One Word Extinguisher” title, released in 2003.

A quirky, funky track with a great beat, devoid of vocals, to raise the mood. Whether Chillout or Midpace is hard to choose as it seems to fit into both tempos, “upbeat chillout”, if there is such a thing. A great tune that stays busy throughout its 4 minute run.

Lounge legends Groove Armada come with a great track record for releasing quality music since the last millennium, and for reinventing themselves with a variety of musical styles.
I only came across this track quite a long time after it’s release. Tracking it’s history, it seems to have come from the 2001 album “I Am Fearless, Funky & Five“, but also on a re-release of their first ever 1998 album Northern Star, replacing the At The River track. It seems that it was born in 2001. Once I had heard it, I wanted it, although it took a while to track down, eventually inspiring a 6-CD chillout compliation purchase.

A nicely constructed track, the rain and crackling fire sound effects lending atmosphere without feeling too cheesy. The man track cruises along nicely, not using vocals, with a catchy tune I find myself wishing was a bit longer than it’s 4:20 duration. A strong contenter for any chillout playlist.

A tragically unknown track, found buried on a 2002 compilation CD, with little to go on except it’s from New Zealand artist Cameron Fisher, other wise known as Soulboy. 13 years is a long time, even the compilation CD can’t be bought anymore. At least, I feel I am doing my part to try and get this storming track known.

If I had to really think about my favourite lounge music track, this would have to be in the top 5. In addition, it’s that rare and elusive creature, the “upbeat lounge music” track. Chillout, and Midpace, there are many. Upbeat, not many at all. At least, not many good ones. And there are those that (subjectively) stray over to House or other formats.
And lyrics? We don’t need no steenking lyrics.

Not so here.. if you like lounge music, and you are in the mood to crank it up, look no further. Right from the first bars the beat smacks up the speakers, at 1:40 my skin starts to tingle as one of the best buildups ever creeps in, at two minutes the full bass line is under way, at 2:48 the main line starts, teasing us oh so much, until finally at 4:03 we are rewarded, assuming your speakers have not exploded at this point.

Seven glorious minutes. Play it now, play it loud.

19c Trumpet comes from Cuffy & Leon D, otherwise known as A. Cuff and L. Dahl.
Cuffy started on the scene as a DJ in 1997 around Auckland, and joined the Red Bull DJ Academy in Dublin.
Leon started with playing guitar in Rock band Fat Mannequin. In 1998 he switched from guitar to keyboards and samplers, DJing regularly in Auckland and Wellington.
Cuffy and Leon teamed up in 1999 and led to this great track, published by Reliable Records.

As the name suggests, trumpets abound. It’s mostly instrumental, with said trumpets and solid accompanying bass taking you along. After many listens over more than ten years, it’s a track that doesn’t get old very fast. Let the well crafted horn section take you through this 9-minute work of art, and you might find an urge to add it to your permanent lounge music favourites.

Have you ever been really familiar with a track that you found on a compilation, or for the older ones out there, a mix tape, and not been able to find it anywhere else? This is the case with this track, Pressures, from Wellington band Audiosauce. While there is no doubt it is the product of Miles Tilly, looking around the web I cannot find it on any tracklists from Audiosauce albums. It comes from the excellent Radioactive Silver Selections mix from 2002. It’s possible it was just released on single, but if so, what a waste!
I have to admit I am having some trouble describing this superb track, simply because I have heard it so many times that it has become as familiar as an old pair of shoes.

We are led early into the relaxed beat, vocals and instruments, starting out as they mean to go on. It’s definitely all about the music, with occasional backing vocals, both male and female, just dropping in to assist the music, taking us on a journey in one of those spatial, floating in outer space sort of ways perfect for chillout.

Probably a desert island track for me, if I had to hear something 1,000 times, this would be it. In fact, I’ve probably already heard it 1,000 times…
You could do a lot worse than adding this underrated and underexposed track to your favourites.

Kiwi Ahmen Mahal, MC for the more well known band Rhombus, brings us his debut solo single in 2002, with Let’n Off Shots. Son of a blues musician, he is a true all-rounder, playing bass, keys, guitar and drums in addition to his vocals. He describes his philosophy: “It is like a one man band times infinity – you are only limited by your own ideas.” There was not much from him as a solo artist, his band Rhombus continues through to more modern times.

This track starts us off with some quirky vocals, leaving the listener unsure if it’s some form of hip-hop track, before launching into a bass line at 30 seconds in a more familiar lounge music vein. With vocal effects over top throughout, it merges with some rewarding music. A jaunty number to make a light break from heavier tracks.

British electronic duo I Monster created this version, based on the 1969 hit Daydream, by Wallace Collection. They actually created two very different versions, one in 1998 and this one, first appearing in 2001, with an accompanying music video featuring puppets behaving badly.

The male vocals take us in, following a great melody until we get to a surprise at 45 seconds, where a “vocoder” voice effect kicks in, and reappears later in the track. A great pace and a familiar, classic anthem.

Chicane is a British composer, who began his main musical career with the 1997 release of “Far from the Maddening Crowds”, an album considered a significant milestone in the history of Trance music. This track, “No Ordinary Morning“, came from the 2000 gold album, “Behind the Sun”, reaching 28 on the UK singles chart. It’s not the last time we will hear from Chicane on this site.

The track does not get far beyond 30 seconds before the female vocals come in, and being such an anthem, it’s instantly recognisable to almost anyone who’s ever been near a radio. The soothing and assertive vocals by Tracy Ackerman carry us consistently right through the track, with the desired image conjured up of beaches and long summer days. An absolute classic that just never gets old.

Leftfield are a firmly established part of lounge music legacy.
The song “Fanfare of life” traces its roots back nearly a quarter of a century. It began life in 1992 as companion track to “Song of life”, which in the early days, reached a mere 59th place in the UK charts.
Having taken over the world in 1995 with the ultimate classic album Leftism, the track “Song of life” was credited as one of two that rewrote the British house music scene. Fanfare also enjoyed continuing fame as a similar yet distinct mix, appealing to lounge listeners everywhere.

This version treats us to six minutes of classic chillout beats, emphasised by classic “fanfare” sounds throughout. It starts with classic female backing sounds and instrumentals, soothing us into the mood until a relaxing rolling meet comes in around 1 and a half minutes. The beat carries us along on clouds sound taking it’s time to deliver us a resounding classic.

The excellent DJ Kicks franchise has been under way now for more that 20 years. In May 1999 Thievery Corporation released their DJ-Kicks mix. The album is one of my all time favourites, with the tracks mixed into a gapless sequence. As a whole it feels like a trip to a tropical island, where James Bond could step out from behind a palm tree at any moment, brandishing a martini.

Of the 18 superb tracks, the innocuous sounding “Janine” from Pronoia is remixed to be the hardest hitter of the album, coming out swinging, and in a mere 3m40s manages to punch the speakers. If you happen to be driving, beware subconscious accelleration as the track infuses you.

This track as a standalone suffers from the leading in track and leading out being mixed to the adjoining tracks, but still does the job. The best prescription is to hear the whole album end-to-end.

From the opening insanely complex hand-drumming, female backing vocals setting the scene, with anticipation building, the listener is rewarded after 40 seconds when the bass comes in. After more buildup the plateau is rewarding, throwing it all at us just before the two minute mark. With more than one drop-out of the bass, building us back up every time, it’s a great bassline to follow along.

Kiwi band Minuit began converging EP tracks in the late 90’s before releasing their first album “The 88” in 2002. They’ve been regulars on the Wellington live music scene with the very unique female vocals of Ruth Carr, showing that they can do more than studio electronics.

From the opening bars of Species II, and the first bass guitar lines, this track just makes you sit up and listen. Falling firmly in the “play it loud” category, your neighbours might regret that you ever found this one. Unbelievably they make 3:52 seem like an epic musical journey.

The excellent EastWest [Stoned together] track was released by Austrians Kruder & Dorfmeister in 1998 as part of their mind-blowing K&D Sessions album. The double album was both a compilation and remix pulling together years of prior work.

This track combines smooth female vocals, and on a listen through of the whole set, always results in an almost involuntary increase in the volume when reaching EastWest (track 3 on CD 2), to better absorb the compelling bass line. Five minutes just isn’t long enough.