Chillwave

History and character

Chillwave is a microgenre born in the United States in the late 2000s and developed almost entirely online. The name was coined in July 2009 by Carles, author of the satirical blog Hipster Runoff, to make fun of a group of indie artists with a similar sound; he himself has said he tried out absurd names to see which one would catch on. The sound is a hazy, retro pop that recalls the late 1970s and early 1980s: vintage synths, abundant reverb, lo-fi or psychedelic production, soft vocals and slow to moderate tempos. The themes are nostalgia and memory, with escapist lyrics about summer and the beach; a period description evoked the background audio of a found videotape from the late 1980s or early 1990s.

Panda Bear's album Person Pitch (2007) is considered the starting point; Atlas Sound's first record (2008), Boards of Canada, J Dilla and Fennesz also mattered, as did the lo-fi indie of Ariel Pink and James Ferraro, the blurred sonorities of shoegaze and the nostalgic psychedelia of Animal Collective. The main figures are Washed Out (Ernest Greene; Feel It All Around, 2009, samples I Want You by the Italian artist Gary Low, 1983, and became the Portlandia theme), Neon Indian (Psychic Chasms, 2009; Should Have Taken Acid With You) and Toro y Moi (Causers of This, 2010), along with Memory Tapes (Seek Magic) and Small Black. Toro y Moi has cited the Beach Boys' All I Wanna Do (1970) among his influences.

The critic David Keenan coined “hypnagogic pop” in August 2009, and chillwave was initially grouped under that name and under “glo-fi”: it is considered the more commercial version, with catchier hooks. The phenomenon peaked in mid-2010; then the glut of releases, the ease of production and the use of the term as an insult made it fade by the middle of the decade. Vaporwave arose as its ironic variant, and its legacy passed to bedroom pop and lo-fi.

Scales and keys

In modes, Roman numerals refer to the scale of the mode.

Major with 7th and 9th

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (T T S T T T S). In C: C D E F G A B.
• Characteristic note: major 7th and 9th: sweet, dreamy nostalgia.
• Chords: Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7 Am7 Bø7; with ninths Cmaj9, Fmaj9.
• Use: IVmaj7–Imaj7 loops, iii7–vi7, sustained pads.
• Mistakes: chords that are too dense: in the reverb and saturation the notes blend together. 3–4 notes are enough.

Mixolydian

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 (T T S T T S T). In D Mixolydian: D E F# G A B C.
• Characteristic note: b7 (C): 1960s summer lightness (Beach Boys).
• Chords (scale of the mode): I D – ii Em – iii° F#dim – IV G – v Am – vi Bm – VII C.
• Use: I–VII–IV loops, relaxed synth riffs.

Dorian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. In A Dorian: A B C D E F# G.
• Characteristic note: major 6th (F#): major IV (D), a “sunny” minor.
• Chords (scale of the mode): i Am7 – ii Bm7 – III Cmaj7 – IV D7 – v Em7 – VII Gmaj7.
• Use: i7–IV7 vamp with funky bass (Toro y Moi).

Lydian

• Formula: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7. In F Lydian: F G A B C D E.
• Use: I–II over a pedal for a “suspended,” dreamlike color.

Major pentatonic

• 1 2 3 5 6: simple, hypnotic vocal melodies, almost sing-song.

How to choose

Harmony

Function

Simple, cyclical harmony: loops of 2–4 chords, many common tones between chords, no cadences. The “fog” effect comes from saturation, reverb and sidechain more than from the progressions.

Techniques

• Sampled loops (even from 1980s records, as in Feel It All Around) with ready-made chords.
• Pads and sustained chords with pronounced sidechain (slow pumping).
• Borrowed chords: minor iv and bVII for nostalgia.
• Suspended chords (sus2, add9).

Harmonic rhythm

One chord every 1–2 bars.

Voicing

Pads in open position in the mid register, synth chords with chorus, bass with long notes.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

Simple 1980s drum machine, relaxed feel, swing 0–10% (more swing in songs with hip hop roots, J Dilla style). Kick on 1, 3 and “3 and,” or a soft four on the floor, clap on 2 and 4 with long reverb, eighth-note shaker. The slow, pronounced sidechain of the pads on the kick creates a characteristic rhythmic breathing (“pumping”). Tempos 80–115.

Drums

Kick

Steps 1, 9, 11 or four on the floor; 808 or cheap drum machine sound, soft, little click, filtered.

Snare/clap

Clap on 2 and 4 with long reverb (plate or hall 2 s) and saturation; sometimes a snare sampled from records.

Hi-hat and percussion

Hat on the offbeats, eighth-note shaker, tambourine on the 4; filtered percussion.

Interaction

Pads and vocals “breathe” with the kick thanks to the sidechain; the bass is simple.

By section

Intro with pad and filtered sample; verse with drum machine; chorus with more layers; breakdown with pads alone; fading outro.

Fills and sounds

Few fills; transitions with filters and reverses. 1980s drum machines, record samples, everything run through cassette saturation and a low-pass filter. Mistakes: drums too clean and modern.

Bass

• Sound: soft synth bass (Juno, SH-101) or filtered, saturated electric bass.
• Notes: tonic and octave, long notes, sometimes funky lines (Toro y Moi).
• Relationship with the kick: light or pronounced sidechain.
• Examples: Washed Out — Feel It All Around (soft bass under the sample), Toro y Moi — Blessa.

Harmonic instruments

Vintage synth pads (Juno, Polysix, string machine), slowed-down samples of 1970s–80s records, clean guitars with chorus and reverb, Rhodes and organs, slow arpeggios. Open voicings with maj7 and add9.

Melody and vocals

• Melody: simple and repetitive, in the mid register, almost a sing-song; few notes.
• Vocals: soft, reverberated, often mixed inside the music (lyrics hard to make out), doubles and falsettos.
• Effects: long reverb, 1/4 delay, chorus, tape saturation, low-pass filter, slightly unstable pitch (wow).

Instruments

Vintage synths, drum machine, sampler, electric guitar, bass, Rhodes, organ, processed vocals, tape and cassette effects.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Jun-6 V — Pad and bass: Chorus I/II and soft pads: the basic chillwave sound.
• Solina V — String machine: “Veiled,” nostalgic strings.
• Prophet-5 V — Soft pad and lead: Warm chords and gentle leads.
• Stage-73 V — Rhodes: Seventh chords with tremolo.
• Mellotron V — Vintage flutes and strings: Unstable, nostalgic color.
• Mini V — Bass: Filtered sine or triangle with a bit of glide.

Song structure

Duration 3:00–4:30.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Warm, blurred and “cassette-like”: attenuated highs (little above 10 kHz), saturation everywhere, sidechain pumping, vocals inside the mix. References: Washed Out — Feel It All Around, Neon Indian — Deadbeat Summer, Toro y Moi — Blessa, Memory Tapes — Bicycle.

Kick

HP 30 Hz, +2 dB at 70 Hz, LP 6–8 kHz; soft compression; saturation; center.

Clap/snare

HP 150 Hz, plate 2 s with HP 300 Hz on the return; saturation.

Hi-hat and percussion

HP 400 Hz, LP 9–10 kHz; pan 20–40%.

Bass

HP 30 Hz, LP 2–3 kHz; mono; sidechain 3–5 dB.

Pads, samples, guitars

HP 150–200 Hz; LP 9–11 kHz; chorus; hall 3 s; sidechain 4–8 dB with long release (slow pumping); cassette saturation (RC-20, Wavesfactory Cassette).

Vocals

HP 100 Hz; moderate presence; LP 10–12 kHz; compression 4–6 dB; plate or long hall (2–3 s) and 1/4 delay; level 2–3 dB below pop.

FX

Wow and flutter, tape noise at −30 dB, reverse.

Buses and groups

Master bus with tape saturation and glue 1–2 dB.

Sidechain

Kick → pads, samples, bass, reverbs.

Master

Chain: EQ (soft LP) → tape → compressor 1 dB → limiter. Target −11/−9 LUFS, true peak ≤ −1 dBTP, PLR 10–12 dB.

Common mistakes

Too lo-fi (illegible); sidechain that turns into EDM; vocals too far forward; sharp digital highs.

Reference tracks for the mix

Washed Out — Feel It All Around (2009); Neon Indian — Deadbeat Summer (2009); Toro y Moi — Blessa (2009); Memory Tapes — Bicycle (2009).

Reference listening

• Panda Bear — Comfy in Nautica (2007)
• Washed Out — Feel It All Around (2009)
• Neon Indian — Deadbeat Summer (2009)
• Neon Indian — Should Have Taken Acid With You (2009)
• Toro y Moi — Blessa (2009)
• Memory Tapes — Bicycle (2009)
• Small Black — Despicable Dogs (2009)