What is lounge music?

Lounge music is relaxed, atmospheric music meant for background or evening listening. It runs from 1950s easy listening and exotica to the electronic downtempo of the 1990s and 2000s, with artists like Martin Denny, Air, St Germain and Zero 7. Slow tempos, warm sounds and careful arrangements are the common thread.

What are good lounge albums to start with on vinyl?

Air's "Moon Safari," St Germain's "Tourist" and Kruder & Dorfmeister's "The K&D Sessions" cover the electronic side well. For the 1950s roots, Martin Denny's "Exotica" is a classic entry point. Add a Zero 7 album for vocal chill-out, then compare the editions available from partner stores.

What's the difference between lounge, chill-out and downtempo?

The three overlap heavily. Downtempo refers to slow electronic music; chill-out points to the relaxed sound popularized in Ibiza, notably through the Café del Mar compilations; lounge is the broadest term and also covers the easy listening and exotica records of the 1950s and 1960s.

Are used lounge records worth buying?

Yes, if you check condition carefully. Easy listening and exotica LPs from the 1950s and 1960s are often cheap on the used market. Original 1990s downtempo pressings are scarcer and pricier, so a recent reissue is often the better way to hear those albums without surface noise.

Lounge

This category brings together Lounge music, an elegant and refined style blending jazz influences, chill-out, and soft electronic music. Designed to create a cozy atmosphere, it’s perfect for a moment of relaxation or an aperitif with friends.

Each vinyl record invites you to savor music as a lifestyle and enjoy timeless moments.

Newest

106 result(s)

New

Nocturne

Wasia Project

Lounge Vinyl Records: Downtempo, Chill-Out and Exotica on LP

What you'll find in this lounge vinyl collection

This page gathers the lounge vinyl records listed on Vinyles.com: downtempo, mellow trip-hop, chilled electronica and the easy listening tradition behind it all. Lounge is less a strict genre than a mood: moderate tempos, round bass, horns or strings in the background, relaxed vocals. It is music built to fill a whole evening, which is why the full-length LP suits it so well. You'll find current electronic producers such as Four Tet, Apparat, Rone and Chet Faker next to the downtempo classics of the 1990s and 2000s.

From exotica to chill-out: essential lounge records

Lounge starts in the 1950s with Martin Denny's exotica, notably "Exotica" in 1957, the space age pop of Juan García Esquivel and the polished arrangements of Henry Mancini and Burt Bacharach. Those records were made for the early hi-fi era, and period pressings still turn up used at fair prices.

In the 1990s, lounge came back through electronic music. The Café del Mar compilations defined Ibiza chill-out, Kruder & Dorfmeister released "The K&D Sessions," Air put out "Moon Safari" in 1998 and St Germain followed with "Tourist" in 2000. Zero 7 carried the sound forward with "Simple Things," while De-Phazz mixed jazz, soul and samples. Ninja Tune, Compost Records and Thievery Corporation's ESL Music are labels worth following.

Reissue, original pressing or compilation?

Many downtempo albums from the 1990s and 2000s first came out as double LPs in modest runs and have since been reissued. For listening, a recent reissue is usually the easy pick; original pressings mostly matter to collectors. With music this detailed, built on pads and space, surface condition matters as much as the edition itself.