Milieu

Music has always been in my blood and an important part of my life. My parents sent me to a piano teacher when, at only 6 years old, I could pick out tunes by ear on our old upright. But I quickly tired of the regimentation of formal instruction and moved on to other interests.

During the 1980s I started going to clubs in New York where the hardcore dancers arrived late to hear the sexy atmospheric grooves that DJs played well after sunrise. It was awe-inspiring to hear these often ethereal and always sexy songs mixed flawlessly on vinyl by extraordinarily talented DJs.

My interest in this “chillout” music bloomed in 2000 when a friend gave me a copy of a CD put out by Buddha-Bar in Paris, a club acclaimed for cutting edge grooves in a sophisticated atmosphere. I was hooked and started collecting this genre of music from all over the world.

I now have thousands of tracks that range from smooth down-tempo (80-110 beats per minute, or BPM) to a still smooth but energetic 140 BPM (what I call "chillhouse"). I can play entire sets of Latin-infused chill; darker, more soulful chill; faster, definitely danceable chill; happy-people party chill; and anything in between.

Some of my favorite artists include Urban Myth Club, Goloka, Alpha X, Ganga, Late Night Sneaky, Tosca, Cantoma, Chris Coco, Afterlife, Blank & Jones, Bliss, De-Phazz, Gotan Project, Radar, Schiller, Slackwax, Thievery Corporation, Waldeck and Zero 7. These groups define the contemporary down-tempo sound; I encourage you to buy some of their CDs.