Here it is, our debut album! ‘The Chill Out Tent Volume 1‘ – 12 new tracks or versions of some our favourite tunes of the moment, curated lovingly by The Chill Out Tent crew.

The Chill Out Tent is our festival sanctuary, our country retreat, our dream of a better way to live with more sunshine, more sheep, more music, more love. It’s acid house hippy, it’s a blade of grass in your mouth, it’s getting stoned beautifully, it’s all our friends at once, it’s our new secret, favourite place. It’s that fleeting, unforgettable moment, it’s here, it’s now, it’s forever.

What’s the story of this beautiful collection, where did it come from? The compilation album peak happened around the turn of the century with the rise of the curator DJ and the peak of CD sales led to a boom in collections of music, mixed and unmixed. Of course, back then music was still hard to find and an album compiler could share gems from the past that would be really hard to find any other way.

Now, in the streaming age, a compilation of already released tracks, however obscure is effectively the same as a playlist because most music is available digitally somewhere or the other, and most of it on the popular streaming services.

So when we decided to make a Chill Out Tent compilation we had to re-engineer the idea of the compilation. We decided the only way to make it work was for all the tracks to be exclusive and previously unreleased. But because we wanted to share some of our favourite tunes for playing out in fields and listening bars we had to make new versions of some of them. That led to a lot of work for our in-tent producer Chris Coco and some exciting innovations and surprises from some of our current favourite producers who re-imagined their own tracks.

So here it is, our first collection of tunes that aims to reflect the sound of The Chill Out Tent, somewhere to relax, for sure, but also the perfect place for a party that probably starts some time in the afternoon and keeps on building.

‘The Chill Out Tent Volume 1‘ – Track by Track…

1 Calm – Long Summer Dream (Dub Mix)
Our friend in Tokyo, and one of the first contributors to the Chill Out Tent online events, comes through with a lovely, building sunset moment.

2 Turbotito – To Feel In Love (Projections x Turbotito Version)
With a cheeky reference to a top ranking reggae classic, this new version of Turbotito’s cover of the mighty Lucio Battisti’s classic is a real party starter.

3 SONLIFE – The First (Chris Coco Version)
Here’s Chris Coco’s dance version of what has become a surprise Balearic classic from South London’s finest band, SONLIFE.

4 Blair French – Honey Rooftops (Chris Coco Version – Part 1)
A favourite from last year gets reworked for the dance floor, or at least a grassy field. One of those tunes that always gets a – what’s this! from someone in the crowd when we play it out.

5 Sauco – Sun Goddess (Chris Coco Sunset Mix)
Another firm favourite with The Chill Out Tent crew turned into a sunset classic with an extended guitar part from Nick & Samantha’s Nick Cornu.

6 Hear & Now x Chris Coco – For You (The Chill Out Tent Edit)
A collaboration between the Italian duo Hear & Now and Chris Coco, leaning in a slightly more disco direction from their usual grooves

7 Reggae Disco Rockers – The Whistle Song (Quiet Storm Version)
A reggae cover of Frankie Knuckles’ classic tune, here in a new extended version.

8 Quinn Lamont Luke – Don’t Run Away (Chris Coco Version)
A great song from Cantoma collaborator Quinn, given a Mr Fingers type deep house twist.

9 Projections – Original Cell (Chris Coco Version)
This one’s another Balearic beauty, this time via California, given a lift for an early or late play on one of THOSE nights.

10 Dexter Scott – Break Noise
Some experimental psychedelic breaks and freak beats straight from the south coast of Merrie England from upcoming artist Dexter.

11 Coyote – Home Grown
Everybody’s favourite Is It Balearic? duo with a dubby, bass heavy chug of a groove.


12 Joan Bibiloni – Castanyetes Eivissa / Mar Blava
One of our musical heroes from Mallorca, Joan, puts a real Balearic twist on this atmospheric track for another magic sunset moment to close the album. 

credits

Released July 6, 2022 – Buy / Listen via Bandcamp and all major streaming services

Compiled by Matt Nearest Faraway and Chris Coco
Cover design by Studio Imeus
Impulse control & creative tech by Steve Machin