Summer and electronica music go wonderfully hand in hand. Synthetic pops and beats are great for lifting the mood and dancing the long evenings and short nights away, but sometimes you’re in need of an ambient track to help you take a step back and just relax with. Here are ten artists that will help you do just that.
ticktock
Last March, part-Danish part-English musician Sebastian Zieler released his TCOLT EP, four songs of lush ambience. ‘A- A- A-‘ was the first single off the release, an atmospheric three and a half minutes that creates a lazy, hazy, mood, ideal for those lounge around daze when the heat forces lethargy on the country. Enthralling vocals will be enough to keep you from dozing off, but if you fancy something a little more energetic, look to the bounce of ‘Time For A New School Of Alchemy’.
Faded Paper Figures
R.E.M.’s ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It’ has always been a classic, and American trio Faded Paper Figures updated and paid homage to what they describe as “one of the most important American bands of the last three decades” with their track, ‘Not The End Of The World’. Take the same structure of the original song, then lace it with synthersisers and you’ve got this indie-pop tribute.
Wolf Colony
Little is known about New York based singer/songwriter Wolf Colony, a man who doesn’t reveal his name because he says anonymity “liberates” him, but gladly meets fans after shows. Last year he released his debut album, ironically titled Unmasked, with ‘Beauty’ to be one of the first tracks released off it, helping build a name for him on SoundCloud where it easily racked up over 100,000 listens. Raw instrumentals line up beside emotion, creating a piano fused number that’s got a bassline to dance to and lyrics to relate to.
Owlle
French electronica artist Owlle released her debut album France last year, with a hook filled number laying at its centre. ‘Ticky Ticky’ is equal parts fantastic and irritating, with one refrain bound to stay in your mind, stuck on repeat. This is a first-song-of-the-night sort of track – to be accompanied by a balcony, the beginnings of sun burn, alcohol and good company.
Lyonn
Last April, musical duo Tyler Gelrud and Attila Yavuzer released their second EP, romantically titled We’ll Light The Sky. Though it only seems to scratch the surface of what the pair, better known as Lyonn, are capable of, it’s a promising achievement. ‘Shining Eyes’ is a snowballing track and one that’ll be the first song after the sun sets and the fairy lights come out. This track manages to both glimmer like a disco ball and rush like a getaway car, energetic enough to pump up any lazy summer day.
Saycet
Another French artist, Pierre Lefeuvre, better known as Saycet, released his mostly instrumental album Mirage last April, and after the ironically slow opening track ‘Ayrton Senna’ comes another song for a lazy day, ‘Mirages’. Featuring frequent collaborator Phoene Somsavath, the captivating vocals politely demand that a sunset over a beach accompanies the music, setting the scene for a happy close to a long day.
Antonio Paul
If you’re looking for something that’s going to inspire the feeling of summer whilst you’re sat inside an office chained to a desk all day, look no further than Antonio Paul’s ‘Coloured Screens’ from their Modern Daze EP, released back in 2014. Fond, filled with electronic pops, and somehow bearing a homemade, handcrafted stamp, this is a track to brighten the inside of any sunlight deprived room, any day.
Generationals
When it comes to the unadulterated feeling of being immersed in sun, laughter and beach spray, it’s hard to dodge the happiness that exudes every note in Generationals’ ‘Gold Silver Diamond’. When night draws in and your thoughts get a little deeper, turn your focus to the lyrics and you’ll find a melancholy hint you probably skipped over at first. Find this, and it’ll make the superficial optimism of the song all the more positive. Off their 2014 album ‘Alix’, this is a simple but bright tune.
Oh Wonder
Oh Wonder’s debut self-titled album sent the world of electronica into a frenzy last year, the delicate combination of male and female vocals intertwining and complimenting each other perfectly. ‘Technicolour Beat’ is another track for your evenings, sat with a beach view and the scene lit only by the moon and an array of fairy lights. It’s a magical song that can relax and romanticise any situation.
IYES
Another delicate song that’s picked up by a swarm of energy, IYES’ ‘Glow’ is for the chilled out days that turn into fun, spiralling nights. If you can’t escape to a beach in summer, these three minutes will glam up any night spent in a busy city after the chaos of a busy day. Glow will make the city lights shine a little brighter.
For those Spotifyers out there, check out a summer electronica playlist of these artists:
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