Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Black Sands (2010)Black Sands (2010)Released 1 Jan 2010Simon Green, recording as Bonobo, balances living-room background and close listening better than almost anyone. Kiara and Kong glide over relaxed rhythms at low volume, while headphones reveal live clarinet, plucked guitar, bowed strings and small dynamic swells that keep the record fascinating on…0
  2. 2Dive (2011)Dive (2011)Released 1 Jan 2011Best for sunny daytime company and focused work, Scott Hansen's breakthrough as Tycho bathes a room in nostalgic warmth. Sun-bleached synth melodies and buoyant drums on Coastal Brake create an optimistic mood that enriches the space without competing with conversation, and the guitar layers reward…0
  3. 3Music Has the Right to Children (1998)Music Has the Right to Children (1998)Released 1 Jan 1998While its downtempo hip-hop beats and warm synthesiser pads drift comfortably at low volume, this Scottish duo's masterpiece is engineered for solitary headphone immersion. The deliberate tape wobble, subtle playground field recordings and haunting vocal fragments evoke deep, uncanny childhood…0
  4. 4Moon Safari (1998)Moon Safari (1998)Released 1 Jan 1998The quintessential record for casual company and relaxed social evenings. French duo Air combine vintage Moog basslines, romantic glockenspiel phrases and acoustic guitar strums on Sexy Boy and Kelly Watch the Stars, crafting a breezy retro-futuristic charm that puts everyone in a room instantly at…0
  5. 5Smokers Delight (1995)Smokers Delight (1995)Released 1 Jan 1995George Evelyn, recording as Nightmares on Wax, set much of the template for mid-1990s chill-out with this Warp release. Best for communal unwinding, its unhurried breakbeats, heavy dub basslines, warm Rhodes chords and mellow horns give it a comforting, sofa-bound gravity, and the sample choices…0
  6. 6The Mirror Conspiracy (2000)The Mirror Conspiracy (2000)Released 1 Jan 2000Thievery Corporation, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, made a worldly backdrop that lifts a casual gathering. Bossa nova rhythms, dub delays, sitar phrases and velvet vocals meet on Lebanese Blonde, and the constant shifts of instrument and language keep it from turning into lounge wallpaper across…0
  7. 7Simple Things (2001)Simple Things (2001)Released 1 Jan 2001Zero 7's debut moves gracefully from daytime background to intimate evening listening. Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker wrap acoustic soul in plush production, and the guest singers, among them a then little-known Sia alongside Sophie Barker on Destiny, give it songs worth leaning in for over the warm…0
  8. 8The K&D Sessions™ (1998)The K&D Sessions™ (1998)Released 1 Jan 1998Viennese producers Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister redefined the remix album with this sprawling downtempo landmark. Best experienced in solitary contemplation or late-night gatherings, its cavernous reverb spaces, pristine drum programming and sub-aquatic basslines treat time like an elastic…0
  9. 9Rounds (2003)Rounds (2003)Released 1 Jan 2003Kieran Hebden's third album as Four Tet works as pleasant background, with gentle guitar plucks and chimes on She Moves She, but it thrives under headphones. Close listening reveals astonishing rhythmic detail: tiny vinyl clicks and folk instruments spliced into hypnotic, constantly shifting…0
  10. 10Endtroducing..... (1996)Endtroducing..... (1996)Released 1 Jan 1996Built entirely from vinyl samples on an Akai MPC60, Josh Davis's debut as DJ Shadow is a moody, cinematic record best saved for solitary late nights. The crackle, the expressive piano loop of Midnight in a Perfect World and the shifting drum breaks make it too absorbing to stay in the background…0