Butterflies, Zebras, and Moonbeam is an ambitious 2-disc set of moody downtempo tracks from Philadelphia band Nucultures. Nucultures is a project of lyricist/vocalist Ellie Perez, guitarist/producer Tim Motzer, and bassist/songwriter Barry Meehan.
The tracks on this CD are a solid collection of jazz-tinged vocal numbers. The tracks are primarily acoustic, but feature frequent use of loops, [...]

Iris Nova is a great new vocal electronica release from Mudville, the duo of producer Ben Rubin and vocalist & songwriter Marilyn Carino. If there’s a bar in the next David Lynch movie, you might find Mudville in it, playing one of their off-center songs.
The first thing you notice with Iris Nova is Carino’s [...]

 

 Eternity [4:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Podcaster Jim Nye sent me some info recently about his Idyllic Music Podcast:
Idyllic Music Podcast features songs by independent artists working outside the mainstream. Music you are unlikely to hear anywhere else. Idyllic Music can be Trip Hop or Ambient, Chillout, Dub or Downtempo. In short, headphone electronica.
What is the new “alternative” music? A strong [...]

 

 Love, Sex & Romance [25:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Vocalist Natalie Walker is a vocalist making ethereal downtempo tracks influenced by artists like Portishead, Beth Orton and Bjork.
Here’s a video from Urban Angel, her solo album debut, that showcases her style:

Chill is the latest CD from Code Indigo, a collaboration between David Wright and Robert Fox. Both artists work in various combinations with others and in solo formats, but have an ongoing relationship as a new age/ambient/space rock group as Code Indigo.
On this album, Wright & Fox are joined by Dave Massey (production, rhythm and [...]

No One Else is the debut single/EP from Natalie Walker. The release features the track No One Else, with three remixes, and Circles.
The single No One Else is a attractive love song delivered in a longing, yet forlorn way, by Walker. Walker is backed by underwater Enoesque piano and downtempo orchestration that brings to mind Portishead [...]

This CD sat in limbo for a long time, because the review copy “features” intrusive copy-protection. The first thing it tries to do when you listen to it on a computer is pop up a window and try to install something. It’s too bad, because the The Cosmic Game captures Thievery Corporation doing what they [...]

Balance 010 is a new massive 3-CD DJ compilation from Jimmy Van M.
Balance 010 explores a different world of electronica with each CD. Disc 1 explores ambient and downtempo tracks; Disc 2 picks things up a little with midtempo tracks; finally, Disc 3 moves into uptempo progressive electronica.
Throughout the sets, Van M does a great [...]

Paul & Price are back with Sounds Like Sex 2, a sequel to Sounds Like Sex, one of CD Baby’s top CDs to have sex to. We’re not sure what that means, other than that maybe CD Baby customers like to have sex to mid-tempo house tracks.
Guest vocalists include Angela McCluskey on I Adore You, [...]

Joey Fehrenbach’s Mellowdrama is a very welcome set of ambient/downtempo tracks. At its best, the CD mixes the beautiful otherworldliness of Brian Eno’s ambient classics with mellow beats, creating a future chill-out classic.

em:t records has created a name for itself by releasing a steady flow of quirky, interesting ambient/downtempo disks. They’ve managed to maintain a high level of quality with their releases, by taking interesting music and packaging it with great photography and design.
em:t’s recent gaudi:test 1105 Continuum is no exception. The cd brings together Gaudi’s electronic [...]

Four years ago, Bebel Gilberto’s Tanto Tempo was a surprise hit, bringing bossa nova rhythms to electronica fans and a mainstream audience. The late DJ Suba produced most of the CD, and he brought an adventurous production style to the CD, helping to make it a must-have.
Gilberto is the daughter of bossa nova pioneer Joao [...]

Solo Elektronika is a project of electronica artist Matthew Cahoon, who’s also been involved with an electronic rock group Everpresent.
With his Solo Elektronika release, Cahoon explores an area he calls “danceable soundscapes and groove hypnosis”. He says the music is designed to create “a futuristic dream-like atmosphere”. The CD EP features a collection of mellow [...]

With TimeCode, Code Indigo delivers an outstanding album that combines elements of orchestral electronica, new age and chill-out music.
Code Indigo’s music draws upon a wide set of styles, including new age, orchestral electronica, jazz, chill-out, and world music. The tracks on TimeCode blend these styles seamlessly into a continuous musical work.
On this release, Code Indigo [...]

Perfecto Chills Volume 1 is a chill-out collection that brings together some popular downtempo tracks and a some cool tracks by less well-known artists. The two-CD set captures the current sound of chill-out, including both instrumental and vocal tracks.
Chill-Out seems to be the latest category for CD dividers at Best Buy. Chill-out is a nebulous [...]