We did an interview with the Nearest Faraway Place blog about the Chill Out Tent, our inspiration and some plans for the future. Worth a look if you’d like to know where we’re coming from and where we’re going…
This radio interview that Chris did with Dave Howell on Music for Beaches is another chance to hear the Chill Out Tent story...
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THE SUNRISE SESSIONS is an audio-visual experience with DJ mixes set to sunrise videos captured from various locations around the globe. The series is streamed bi-monthly on Mixcloud Live in partnership with The Chillout Tent (chillouttent.com). DJs and selectors who have provided mixes for the series so far: Andy Pye (Balearic Social radio show), Phil Mison (Cantoma/Café Del Mar), Helene Rickhard (HMD/Drum Island), Coyote (Is It Balearic) and Plastic Fantastic. Forthcoming guests include: Faint Waves, Studebaker Hawk (Peace & Rhythm), Mike Salta (Music For Dreams) and Paul Hillery (BBE/Folk Funk). The overall theme/vibe of the music is mellow with styles ranging from ambient, world music, downbeat, soul, funk, jazz, soft rock/AOR, dub, reggae, disco/edits and house. We provide an eclectic soundtrack that has an overall laidback ‘sunrise’ feel, and a strong emphasis on quality of content.
DJ Rocca is a master DJ and producer. Here he delves into his extensive vinyl archive to create an exclusive mix of some of his favourite old school Italo Disco moments. See you on the dance floor.
The prolific German musician, who has died aged 74, released an astonishing range of music, spanning techno, prog rock, ambient and more. A lovely primer on his enormous musical output from Alex Petrides here, we’ll say farewell with this epic piece under his Richard Wahnfried alias – ‘Druck’. x
This is the first fruit from a forthcoming compilation – The Chill Out Tent Vol 1.
The album features exclusives and versions of some of our favourite tunes to play in a tent in a field in the sunshine. As you can tell from this initial release we’ve pulled in favours from some of our favourite producers to make this a unique and beautiful thing. So it’s only right to start with some genuine home grown loveliness to set the mood for things to come. More on the album soon…
Designed by our very talented friends at Hidythingto celebrate 2 years of the Chill Out Tent. The design is inspired by the now famous musical animations that Hidything have created for all our online events over the last two years, featuring an idyllic rural landscape dotted with our spirit animal, the noble sheep.
And best of all, it’s been printed using low waste technology by a certified organic company in the UK. Add adventure to your every day with this cool new tee. Available now with worldwide shipping. We’ve also got a long sleeved t-shirt and a beautiful art print all made by our manufacturing partner Teemill / Rapanui.
Veteran reggae vocalist, Horace Andy, has released a new LP, Midnight Rocker, care of Adrian Sherwood’s legendary label, On-U Sound. To celebrate, I thought I`d pick a few personal favourites from Horace`s 5 decade-spanning career….
Horace Andy – Watch Over Them – On-U Sound – 2022
Horace Andy – Praise Him – Joe Gibbs – 1981
Produced by Joe Gibbs, I pulled this from a Jah Shaka play-list. The DJ is Michael Coburn aka Jah Mike.
Horace Andy – Don’t Think About Me – Randys – 1973
Produced by Keith Hudson, and recorded at Vincent Chin`s Randy`s, at 17 North Parade, Kingston,in 1973. This track was included on the classic compilation of Hudson’s work, Studio Kinda Cloudy, which came out in 1988 (and was name-checked by Saint Etienne on their single, Filthy). The song contains the line, “The time you take to check me, check yourself”, which everyone would do well to heed.
Horace Andy – Ital Vital – Rhythm – 1974
A cool cut of Freddie McKay`s Rockabye Woman that was issued on Horace`s own label, Rhythm. I think that the DJ here is Woolton Harrison aka Jah Bull.
Horace Andy – Fever – Studio One – 1973
Produced by Clement “Coxsone” Dodd and backed by Cedric Im Brooks – billed for some reason as Im & The Agg. It was Coxsone who gave Andy his break, taking Horace under his wing in 1969.
Horace Andy – Problems – Santic – 1975
Produced by Clive, son of Vincent, Chin at Randy`s, and engineered by Errol E.T. Thompson, for Clive`s label, Santic. The story goes that Horace wrote the lyric in 2 hours after first hearing the rhythm.
Horace Andy – Love Hangover – Bullwackies – 1983
A cool cover of Diana Ross` `76 hit, produced by Lloyd “Bullwackies” Barnes, in the Bronx, New York. To my ears, it`s tunes like this – the mix of stoned stripped back dread and a sweet love song – that directly influenced Massive Attack, the ground-breaking Bristol band that Horace would famously, later, join.
Horace Andy – You Are My Angel – Jackpot – 1973
Produced by Bunny Lee, and backed by The Aggrovators. One of the tunes that Horace radically reworked with Massive Attack for the album, Mezzanine, in 1998.
Horace Andy – Skylarking (A Better Version) – Jackpot – 1975
In 1972 this song was Horace`s first big bit for Coxsone at Studio 1. Featured on the Jamaica Today LP, it was picked up and played by both Sir George and Tipperone Sounds. This version was, again, produced by Bunny Lee, with The Aggrovators, and given a serious dub mix by the then Prince, now King, Jammy`s at King Tubby`s studio on Drumalie Avenue. Filtered, phased and full of severely mistreated spring reverb lightning and thunder.
Horace Andy – Mr Bassie (Discomix) – Hungry Town – 1978
Mr. Bassiewas one of the first songs that Horace penned himself, while still at Studio One. It`s a piece that he’s frequently versioned, for a variety of producers – perhaps most famously for Everton Da Silva, in Queens, New York, for Da Silva`s Hungry Town imprint. It is a definite, definitive, Andy “signature tune”. The 12 is super expensive. Those after a vinyl copy – on a budget – should instead shell out for the brilliant Good Vibes comp.
Horace Andy – Careful – On-U Sound – 2022
Horace Andy’s Midnight Rocker is out now, care of On-U Sound.
We’re back with a special edition of the Chill Out Tent, it’s our second birthday celebration livestream this Sunday 10/4/22 at 19:00 BST on Mixcloud live. This will be our 21st livestream since we started in April 2020 as a lockdown project in response to the global pandemic. Since then we’ve hosted over 150 films, DJ mixes, interviews, live gigs, festivals and listening sessions featuring an amazing community of artists, producers, DJ’s and creatives from all over the world.
The special 2nd birthday livestream will feature the following films and mixes:
Seion – An Evening Of Ambient Music From Japan – The Resonating Sounds Of Silence (featuring Chillax, Lone Star, Takashi Kokubo, Inomayaland, Ayane Shino) with thanks to Livemine.
2. Plastic Fantastic Sunrise Session – Coyote
3. The Chill Out Tent resident Matt Nearest Faraway at Spiritland Kings Cross, London
4. Sheepwatch Deluxe – The next instalment of our legendary ambient mix from the Chill Out Tent head honcho Chris Coco
I’ve written about this in more detail over at Ban Ban Ton Ton, but I`d just like to highlight a few projects, that have been put together by friends, associates, and musically likeminded souls, to help raise funds for humanitarian aid in war torn Ukraine. All the proceeds from these compilations are being donated to charities such as UNICEF`s Emergency Appeal and The Red Cross.
Music From Memory’s Music For Freedom features 17 exclusives from artists with releases on either the label, or its sibling, Second Circle. These are largely mellow, ambient affairs, but Adam Oko`s High Press and Giuseppe Leonardi`s Angelo head straight for the dance-floor.
Test Pressing`s The Sound Of Now collects a dozen cool, previously released jams – some of them highly sought after – from a long list of imprints closely associated with the website: Claremont 56, Deewee, ESP Institute, Futureboogie, Highwood Recordings, Lexx Music, Mysticisms, Phantom Island, and World Building, all contribute cuts, that in general are more uptempo than the MFM set. I guess the big coup, though is the until now unissued collaboration between Trevor Jackson and Billy Ray Martin, No Control.
Thirdly, Wrekin Havoc are three Midlands-based friends, self-confessed “music fiends”, diggers of very rare vinyl, re-editors of European, Brexit-busting, Balearic pop, who have donated 5 prime pieces of their handiwork to charity.
While the album that this single is lifted from, Sueno Mediterraneo, takes its cues from the “loved-up” Italian house of the early 1990s – all loon birds, warm pads, and serene, dream-like, synth washes – Underwater is actually much more of a tribal thumper. Where twisted ambient techno tones, and big, bold, pulsating bass, do friendly battle with conga rattle, cowbell, and carnival whistles. The muted brass, and vocals – provided by London-based singer / songwriter, Louis Vann Johnson (last heard on the previous Chris Coco-coproduced composition, Superstars) – had me thinking of Arthur Russell – in particular Arthur’s truly magical masterpiece In The Light Of A Miracle – and especially on Chris` spaced-out 11 and a half minute mix. Boasting more breakdowns, Art Of Noise / Fairlight-like outbursts, and with Louis` falsetto peaks signaling showers of cascading sequences – shooting star like shots of spirit lifting sonic sunshine – the tune heeds Russell’s request, “Let`s go swimming”, and fashions an extended deep dance-floor dive.
Chris Coco & Luca Averna`s Underwater is out now, on DSPPR.
The Chill Out Tent 