More chilled-out, sophisticated vibes compiled with mindfulness + gin cocktails by Alex Macnutt, owner of The Common Rooms and curation guru extraordinaire. Background music that blends into the foreground before you've realised quite what's going on. with kartell, tony allen & africa 70, quantic, roy ayers, rosie lowe, loure et. al.
Curation by Alex, Cover art by Mick, Concept by Keith. Drink up. Do not do Spreadsheets.
In an absorbing, entertaining piece earlier this year in the New Yorker (a discerning read for discerning listeners) Amanda Petrusich somewhat dissected the current meaning of the word chill, thus:
“These days, to describe someone as “chill” is to propose that they’re slightly apathetic, but in a delightfully easygoing way. The rise of chill as an aspirational state suggests that perhaps the best thing to feel is not much at all”.
We’ve lamented before about this translating of chill into streaming music, with some gazillion (meticulously researched in a highly controlled environment) playlists now containing the word chill. And, once the word was appropriated-as-meme in the form of ‘Netflix and chill’, well that was that – chill was no longer a music genre.
A funny thing happened to me last summer, regarding chill. I took a call from an old colleague who works in the highfalutin world of ‘luxury brands’. As it turned out, I was invited, along with a small party of ‘industry experts’ (there is really no such thing), to Ibiza, where chill and the whole Balearic beats sounds was not only created, but became intertwined with the culture and economy of that Island.
The ‘mission’ should we all choose to accept it (which was not hard) was to visit with the new owners of an institution said to be at the genesis of the chill genre and advise the best ways to ‘bring chill back’ – the vibe, the culture, the economy. It was an interesting trip not only taking in a tour of the Island (beautiful place) but a stay at the legendary Pikes, where Wham filmed the famous video for ‘Club Tropicana’ and even better, one Freddie Mercury held notorious, debauched birthday parties.
That trip was fun. And from a business point of view, fascinating. But, once the bottle has been rubbed, and the genie has popped out, it is hard to put it back in. Chill leaked onto streaming like the outbreak of a particularly aggressive virus. It infiltrated study playlists, coffee morning playlists, YouTube channels and finally, Netflix memes. Chill was commodified.
The essential problem is, it’s hard to tell what is good chill – sophisticated, slow disco beats, a gentle Balearic breezy feel, clever mixing and segues, classic references, exotic ethnic flavours – and ‘average’ chill – background music you can study to, just as if you were watching Netflix originals but fooling around while they are on, in ‘the background’.
Well last summer, I didn’t have the solution in my back pocket (most experts never do you know). However, I did dwell on it. I put in a call to a friend who might have the answer (this is what good experts do really well – they ask people who can actually do stuff). That was the genesis of the Boutique Hotel Bar.
And so here you have it, Volume 2 no less. More chilled-out, sophisticated vibes compiled with mindfulness + gin cocktails by Alex Macnutt, owner of The Common Rooms and curation guru extraordinaire. Background music that blends into the foreground before you've realised quite what's going on. And by then you are suitably stimulated. And chilled. As opposed to simply numb.
Playback notes: Mix a cocktail. Press Play. Move. Under no circumstance attempt to study.