Thursday, October 30, 2014

What Is The Lounge Music Style And Where Can You Hear It?

By Patty Goff


Throughout the nineteen fifties and sixties, a style of music became prevalent that had first appeared on the musical scene about thirty years prior. Lounge music is defined as a chillout, easy listening style. It is a very mellow form that is most likely to be heard at hotels, such as in their bars or lounges, or at casinos.

There are many influences to this musical genre. These include electronica, downtempo, space age pop, swing, polynesian, bossa nova, exotica and particularly jazz. Instruments typically used to create tunes in this genre are vibraphones, the guitar, drums, the piano and ethnic percussion.

The notion behind this genre is to feel a sense of being somewhere tranquil and mellow. This could be the jungle or outer space. The idea when listening to this genre is definitely one of relaxation, which is understandable considering the locations in which it can be predominantly heard. It is a great way of facilitating an easy social atmosphere.

While most of the genre is instrumental in nature, especially when it comes to the more modern examples, there are indeed a number of singers who attribute their success to their beginnings as lounge singers. In the swinging thirties and forties, known at the swing jazz era, this style was prevalent. However, during this time, the singers were more highly regarded than the sound itself.

The Rat Pack, comprised of Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, were key figure at this time. Other known singers from the era include Sonny King, Jackie Gleason, Sam Butera and Louis Prima. Burt Bacharach was a musician, producer and songwriter who provided much of the music that these artistes would perform to. He is both a multiple Grammy and Academy Award winner. Most of the singers of this time were found in the casinos of Las Vegas.

There was another revival of the genre at the end of the twentieth century. Groups like Love Jones, The High Llamas, Combustible Edison and The Cocktails ruled the final decade. In the mid-nineties, the company Capitol Records was responsible for issuing an Ultra-Lounge album series. The entire musical style was in stark contrast to the other most popular style of the nineties, known as grunge.

At the turn of the century, the genre was again spun to create new sounds by using a combination of musical styles. Richard Cheese and Lounge Against The Machine did a number of covers of hip hop and metal tracks in the style of lounge singers. Similarly, Nouvelle Vague, a French group from Paris, used eighties post-punk tracks as the basis of their creativity.

Ultra-lounges are like nightclubs, however the layout is more like that of a cocktail bar than one where you would find a dance floor separate to the drinking area. It is a more relaxed social setting, where there is not so much musical noise; it is much more subdued than in the average nightclub. Furthermore, in these places, you can socialize more intimately through use of their semi-private rooms.




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