Downtempo, or downbeat, is a laid-back electronic music style similar to ambient music, but usually with a beat or groove made from loops that have a hypnotic feeling. Sometimes the beats are more complicated and more featured instead of being in the background, but even then they are usually less intense than other kinds of electronic music like trance. The name “chill out music” is often used to refer to songs demonstrative of the genre.
Downtempo music started to surface in Ibiza when DJs brought down the vibe with slower rhythms and gentler electronic music upon approaching sunrise. At the end of 1990s, a more melodic instrumental electronica incorporating acoustic sounds with electronic styles emerged under its own umbrella name of “downtempo”.
The Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister popularised the style with their downtempo remixes of pop, hip-hop and drum ‘n’ bass tracks with influences of the 1970s soul jazz. British Steve Cobby and Dave McSherry also produced under the name Fila Brazillia, releasing a handful of downtempo, electronica and ambient techno albums that propelled the style further.
