It’s been an exciting time for Chillhop Music! We have numerous projects coming together behind the scenes that we’re certain you’re going to love. In the meantime, you can read the third post in our Chillhop Lockdown series, which just went live. If you’ve enjoyed any of our recommendations (or feel like sending us recommendations of your own), be sure to let us know on Twitter or Discord!
Album: Ryo Fukui – Scenery
Everyone could use some new music for working, playing or just enjoying. Jazz has a special place in our hearts as it influences the Chillhop sound, and this album is no exception.
“It’s a fantastic jazz album by Ryo Fukui, a Jazz artist who was – until YouTube algorithms pushed the album – largely unknown outside Japan. Sadly he passed away before his music became widely known. This album is my absolute favorite and never gets old for me!”
— Karpour
Game: Chrono Trigger
Chillhop Staffer: Matt D • Gaming
Find it: On Steam, Nintendo DS, Android, iOS (Steam version is probably the best place to start)
Chrono Trigger is regarded as one of the best Japanese Roleplaying Games that has ever been released, and was assembled by a “dream team” of developers. It was groundbreaking for 1995, innovating many features (like a New Game+, and multiple endings) that are commonplace today. It has also aged incredibly well, and is a good place to start for people who are looking to jump into the genre.
After an accidental bit of time travel, Chrono (the player) must assemble a party from different eras to stop a space parasite, Lavos, from destroying their world. With memorable characters, side plots, and an easy-to-pick-up battle system, Chrono Trigger tops many peoples’ “best games of all time” lists.
“I keep replaying Chrono Trigger because there’s just so much to experience; there’s amazing music, settings, characters, and systems. However, it never becomes bogged down in itself, and doesn’t take an encyclopedia or dozens of hours to learn. Instead, you get to figure things out at your own pace and gradually get sucked into something that can only be described as ‘classic.’ I’d recommend it to anyone looking to explore ‘games as art.’ Plus, the music slaps.”
“The game had an unfortunate launch on Steam, but it’s since been patched to be closer in line to what fans want in terms of graphical accuracy and included extra content that the DS version introduced. Mobile will feel a bit awkward controls-wise, but it includes all the extra content, too.”
— Matt D
Site: Discogs
Chillhop Staffer: Psalm Trees
Find it: Online
For all those vinyl heads out there, Discogs is a site that allows you to learn more about albums’ production details while also wishlisting physical releases you want to hunt down. There’s a thriving marketplace, as well, so you can buy and sell records that you want or already own!
For the music producers at Chillhop, this kind of service is invaluable; being able to search through new things and find little bits of inspiration is part of what makes our music so versatile.
“If you like records and finding new music, Discogs really is the place to be. Even in not so quarantined times, I probably spend about 14 hours a week searching for and endlessly losing myself in this weird and wonderful world. The only danger is, it might turn you from a vinyl enthusiast to a ‘collector’. My bank balance hasn’t been too happy with this transition!”
— Ben (Psalm Trees)
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We’ll see you next week! We hope that you’re staying sane and comfortable while the world figures itself out. Sending love to you all.
Cheers!
— Matt and the Chillhop Team
Header Photo by Eduardo Romero from Pexels