Escaping Low-Fi Cynicism

The genre of Downtempo, colloquially referred to as 'chill-out' or 'low-fi', hit a popularity streak a decade ago and then eased itself into a stagnant pool of boring music. Although recent releases from Thievery Corporation and Nightmares on Wax were certainly above average, they displayed a complete lack of innovation. In essence, their 2008 albums present nothing musically that wasn't already played to death during the 1998-2002 golden era of Ibizian Chill-Out compilations. So when I came across a slew of contemporary Downtempo artists from Britain, Switzerland, and Sweden, I was extremely skeptical, to say the least.

Much to my surprise, Bibio, jj, Air France, and Low Motion Disco (links to buy albums) are pioneering a complex blend of resplendent tracks that help low-fi listeners escape from a much deserved cynicism. These are artists that transcend the 'chill-out' moniker to produce great music, plain and simple.

Bibio displays a mastery of diverse compositional forms and hip-hop style sampling, while jj manages to bring a post-modern Swedish ethos (think The Knife) to Balearic sunshine and Lil Wayne lyrics.

• Jealous Of Roses - Bibio
• Lovers' Carvings - Bibio
• Ecstasy - jj (link fixed)
• Things Will Never Be the Same Again - jj
  

Hailing from the same record company (Sincerely Yours), Air France sounds more like Bibio with their use of samples. Yet for an interesting contrast with jj, play 'Things Will Never Be the Same Again' and 'Collapsing at Your Doorstep' back to back with a little crossfade action. The violin samples are identical, yet the tracks reach such different aural outcomes.

• Collapsing At Your Doorstep - Air France
• June Evenings - Air France
• Things are Gonna Get Easier - Low Motion Disco
  

Enjoy this relaxed cluster of tracks as summer begins to wind down.