Lounge
Downtempo · 1996 · 90 to 115 BPM · also known as Lounge Music, Nu Lounge, Cocktail Electronica
Lounge is the 1990s recovery of 1950s and 60s easy listening: cocktails, exotica and bossa nova run through the sampler, equal parts irony and genuine comfort. Vienna's dZihan and Kamien, the Paris scene and the Hotel Costes compilations turned it into a soundtrack for a lifestyle. The kitsch is a conscious material here, and the craft behind it is entirely real.
10 reference tracks
- Thievery Corporation: Sounds From The Thievery Hi Fi (1996)
- De-Phazz: The Mambo Craze (1999)
- Tosca: Suzuki (2000)
- Nicola Conte: Bossa Per Due (2000)
- Gotan Project: Epoca (2001)
- Rowald Steyn: Dash Berlin - Oceans (Rowald Steyn Lo-Fi Chill Mix) (2021)
- Enjoy: Lounge Thoughts (2022)
- The Lemon Twigs: Corner Of My Eye (2023)
- Peter Gabriel: What Lies Ahead (Bright-Side Mix) (2026)
- Peter Gabriel: What Lies Ahead (Dark-Side Mix) (2026)
At a glance
- Tempo: 90 to 115 BPM
- First appeared: around 1996
- Machines: Contrebasse, Orgue
- The sound: Samples exotica et bossa, Contrebasse et cuivres feutrés, Beats downtempo propres, Orgues vintage
- Labels: G-Stone Recordings, ESL Music, Pschent, Real World Records
- Key artists: Thievery Corporation (frange), De-Phazz, Tosca, Gotan Project, Waldeck
Producing Lounge
Lounge runs 95 to 120 BPM, livelier than the chill-out it descends from, groove drawn from bossa nova, mambo and slow samba: a regular sixteenth pulse with a 3-2 clave motif shifting the accents, swing kept to just 52 or 54 percent since bossa stays straight and the sway comes from accents rather than lag. The kit stays clean, unlike downtempo: a dry short kick with no sub, snare swapped for a rimshot or brushes, and clean closed hats in even eighths. Latin percussion, bongo, cabasa, shaker, guiro and a clear clave, sits on top for the genre's blend of precision and hand-played warmth. The double bass is the instrument, sampled or played pizzicato with real wood and finger noise, walking a bossa or tumbao line, mixed quieter than trip-hop. Vintage exotica samples and a Hammond fill out the palette.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Lounge?
Lounge is the 1990s recovery of 1950s and 60s easy listening: cocktails, exotica and bossa nova run through the sampler, equal parts irony and genuine comfort. Vienna's dZihan and Kamien, the Paris scene and the Hotel Costes compilations turned it into a soundtrack for a lifestyle. The kitsch is a…
What tempo is Lounge played at?
Between 90 and 115 BPM.
Who are the key Lounge artists?
Thievery Corporation (frange), De-Phazz, Tosca, Gotan Project, Waldeck.
