The KLF - Chill Out [KLF]

A difficult question to answer if you're not a nocturnal, meditative, or introspective person. Reflective self-examinations are common in humans, but what if one were to give these introspections a soundtrack? Surely names like Brian Eno, Isao Tomita, Ryuichi Sakamoto, or even Hans Zimmer would come to mind, but there was a project that existed in the late eighties, early nineties, whose members decided to take a stroll along the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico and record sounds that appeared along their way. They are The KLF, a band that gave the world of rave a breather without leaving it, with their legendary album Chill Out, an ambient masterpiece that continues to this day as a direct influence on this genre and electronic music.

The last decade of the century was beginning, electronic music was no longer a genre just for people who understood synthesizers and strange cables, synthetic drugs were paradise, rave dominated the best and most avant-garde dance floors. What a blessing it was to be young. In 1990, the golden age of house and techno was experienced in cities like Chicago, Detroit, New York, Manchester, and, clearly, London; projects like The Future Sound of London, 808 State, Technotronic, Aphex Twin, Orbital, Beats International, Underworld and many more solidified themselves in every gram of ecstasy that youth consumed. In Manchester, The Hacienda established itself as the cathedral of rave, the party culture for electronic music was experiencing its glorious era. And of course, The KLF was in that world.

Formed by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty in 1987, The KLF quickly became a reference in the nascent rave scene. Inspired by electronic music, disco, funk, industrial, hip-hop, dub and other energetic rhythms, The KLF knew how to combine all these genres to achieve a strong presence. But amidst all the dance frenzy, they knew how to pause. A very important part of house and techno is ambient sounds; if you remove the beats, that sometimes imperceptible but elemental skeleton remains, allowing these other genres to exist. That pause and embellishment of ambient is Chill Out.

This album was recorded entirely at Transcentral, a physical but also spiritual place for The KLF. They describe it, yes, as a studio with the best facilities, but also as a state of mind and mood that brings together the necessary elements to focus their attention on nothing else but the music they loved to make.

Chill Out was recorded in a single take lasting 44 minutes, 43 seconds. Cauty recounts that it took them several attempts to record it completely; there were times when they were close to the end, someone would make a mistake, and then they would start all over again from the beginning. Then, it took them two days to put everything recorded together to produce it and have it ready. The result is an auditory marvel rarely achieved in the history of music. The almost perfect arrangement of each sound, auditory effect, samples of nocturnal moments that exist only in the imagination, and a combined spirit of tranquility and nostalgia, make Chill Out an ideal album to listen to at any time of the early morning or during an introspective journey. Pieces like “Madrugada Eterna,” “Six Hours to Louisiana, Black Coffee Going Cold,” or “Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar In My Soul” are perfect examples of the mix of radio frequencies with unfinished ideas while the stereophonic effects of crickets, grazing sheep, and distortions of 'housey' elements.

Chill Out is an album that we could define as a monument to the soundscape imagined from the minds of those who packed the rave dance floors. It is pure oxygen within a world of eternal parties that, despite its tranquility, could be perfect for creating that necessary breather to prevent frenzy from winning. This masterpiece by The KLF is and will be a benchmark in the DNA of electronic music within all its sub-branches. Probably many current artists don't know that, but it doesn't matter, the party goes on and the heroes of the past dance too...