Help me turn my apartment into a den of sin.

November 28, 2010 2:10 PM

Music to make out by? (trippy, downtempo, lounge feel)

I've been trying to cobble together a few hours' worth of tracks with a smooth, sexy, electronic lounge feel to them. I'm not really sure what genre exactly to classify this stuff as, but I've always thought of it as basically "make-out music". The kind of thing that you can put on when you've brought a special someone back to your house for the first time after a night on the town, ostensibly to "have some wine" or "watch a movie". Or just something to listen to when it's late at night and you're playing video games or cruising the web and just want something smooth and warm sounding to put on in the background.

The sort of feel that I'm looking for is very warm, very relaxing, but energetic and exciting in a dark and sexy way. It's hard to describe, let me hit you with a couple of tracks:

Bitter:Sweet – Heaven
Lovage – Stroker Ace

OK, so a little corny perhaps, but hopefully you get the idea. I'm looking mainly for specific tracks here rather than albums, since I find that it's hard to get a whole album of songs without there being one or two in there that just kill the mood. Of course, if you know of an album (or even an artist) that's just solid gold, I'd love to hear about it.

So, MeFites, hit me with your smoothest, sexiest cuts! Show me what you've got – I know you've got it, you sexy, sexy people you.

posted by Scientist to media & arts (38 answers total)

My friend, you need some Stan Getz and Carlos Jobim (here's Getz playing Desafinado live). And when you hear Astrud Gilberto singing, you'll think, "huh - she sounds a little funny." That's because in the early recordings, she sang English phonetically.
posted by plinth at 2:22 PM on November 28, 2010

Somebody's already done the work for you. Pretty decent selection of tracks on those discs.
posted by cosmicbandito at 2:24 PM on November 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

Portishead
Tricky
Burial
Goldfrapp (although that's closer to gettin' it on music than makeout music.)

This question can help you.
Also this one.

Careful, though. I remember reading the following (fictional) complaint in a humor magazine a few years back: "why does every guy I go home with already have Portishead queued up on the stereo?"
posted by griphus at 2:28 PM on November 28, 2010

As it happens, I'm listening to Buddah Bar IX as we speak.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 2:32 PM on November 28, 2010

Sade - Lover's Rock
posted by pinkbungalow at 2:33 PM on November 28, 2010

Massive Attack - Mezzanine (the whole album, but particularly the tracks Black Milk & Exchange)
Sneaker Pimps - Becoming X (the track)
Coralie Clement - Samba De Mon Cœur Qui Bat, L'Ombre Et La Lumiere
posted by aldebaran at 3:13 PM on November 28, 2010

Look up the Cafe Del Mar series for smooth, sexy chillout. I have about three of those discs, and there are tons of mellow and slinky without being obviously sexual tunes.
posted by Gilbert at 3:32 PM on November 28, 2010

That Bitter:Sweet song samples from João Donato's "A Rã" from the LP Quem é Quem, which is pretty great overall. Although the nasal sing-song of "Cala boca menino" ("Shut up, boy") might ruin the mood.

Arto Lindsay's LP Mundo Civilizado would be my go-to album for this. Seriously, it's great.
posted by hydrophonic at 3:38 PM on November 28, 2010

For a streaming station, I would recommend Lush, by SomaFM. Self described as "Sensuous and mellow vocals, mostly female, with an electronic influence." Might want to listen and check the track list.
posted by zabuni at 3:38 PM on November 28, 2010

Bonobo is pretty sexy, as is Funki Porcini.
posted by Sebmojo at 3:53 PM on November 28, 2010

Lovage. C'mon, their only album is called Music To Make Love to Your Old Lady By.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 4:06 PM on November 28, 2010

Okay, just read all of your question. Ignore me :D

Accept this by way of apology. I would grind all over youx to Folk Implosion's Natural One.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 4:09 PM on November 28, 2010

J. Axel: "Deepness is Served"

Daft Punk: "Something About Us" and "Make Love"

FC Kahuna "Hayling"
posted by 4ster at 4:20 PM on November 28, 2010

Air- Highschool Lover/Playground Love

Belle and Sebastion- Nightwalk (from the criminally underrated, not-actually-used-in-the-film Storytelling Soundtrack)

And, getting a bit away from your criteria, but still more than justifying it's place on any list of this sort:

Mazzy Star- Fade into You
posted by jimmysmits at 4:32 PM on November 28, 2010

Ministry of Sound: The Very Best of the Chillout Session which has THIS song on it... so sexy.
posted by darkgroove at 5:05 PM on November 28, 2010

It's pretty obscure, but if you can get ahold of a copy of Bendy Line by The Prayer Chain it's pretty smokin'. That track pretty much explains why they never made it as a Christian band: the chorus starts something like, "I want to travel every bendy line from your throat to your heel..."
posted by verb at 5:08 PM on November 28, 2010

As long as I'm pulling out strangely appropriate makeout music from oldschool Christian artists of the 90s, i'll also mention Kiss My Lips by Bon Voyage.

Also worth noting are Chocolate Lovely by Amon Tobin, and 2 Wicky by hooverphonic.
posted by verb at 5:31 PM on November 28, 2010

Alright, so you guys have confirmed for me that people who like this stuff exist. Now, where to find them in real life?

And allow me to suggest the classic Art of Noise. That might be more oriented more towards sedate, opiate-washed lovin' than just making out however. You might also like Nicola Conte's "Bossa Per Due"
posted by jellywerker at 5:41 PM on November 28, 2010

+1 for Buddha Bar. Get them all. Awesome.
posted by kdern at 6:06 PM on November 28, 2010

4ster already beat me to suggesting Hayling by FC Kahuna.
posted by radioamy at 6:08 PM on November 28, 2010

Nothing beats Portishead.
posted by hoodrich at 6:23 PM on November 28, 2010

I definitely second everything linked. Some albums to look for in addition: Thievery Corporation - DJ Kicks Compilation or The Mirror Conspiracy; Nightmares on Wax have good stuff though I cant think of anything specific; Tricky - Maxinquaye; The sometimes great Zero 7 - Simple things; and the always great (but possibly on the far end of what you want) Jazzanova - In Between.
posted by tmthyrss at 6:53 PM on November 28, 2010

Air "all I need"
posted by hollyanderbody at 9:27 PM on November 28, 2010

Hôtel Costes!
posted by Tom-B at 9:33 PM on November 28, 2010

almost the entire album: Hooverphonic "A new stereophonic sound spectacular"
posted by hollyanderbody at 9:43 PM on November 28, 2010

Lots of great suggestions above. I'll also suggest Groove Armada - Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub). I can't remember specific tracks right now, it starts out a bit more upbeat but mellows out to something you might like.
posted by Joh at 9:48 PM on November 28, 2010

You should get this Morcheeba record.
posted by ersatzkat at 4:17 AM on November 29, 2010

A lot of the trip-hop people are posting about is much slower than the sample tracks provided. The Getz/Gilberto tracks are the closest that I can think of that match those, and that's largely because my roommate happened to play them last night when I first read this thread! If you're going the slow & slinky & triphoppy route, Lamb is a good bet. Try Kruder and Dorfmeister too.

There's also the Back to Mine series.
posted by knile at 4:24 AM on November 29, 2010

Thievery Corporation?
posted by talldean at 7:57 AM on November 29, 2010

MeMail me if you want the Massive Attack, Portishead and Psychonauts essential mixes from the mid 90s and the Faithless and Groove Armada Back to Mine CDs.
posted by empath at 8:23 AM on November 29, 2010

(that goes for anyone, I'll throw them on my public drop box folder)
posted by empath at 8:24 AM on November 29, 2010

Since you mentioned Lovage, what about Handsome Boy Modeling School's "I've Been Thinking" which involves Chan Marshall being sultry? Or perhaps some of the stuff from the Twilight Singers, like "Verti Marte" or "Clyde"?
posted by ifjuly at 10:57 AM on November 29, 2010

9 Lazy 9 - Sweet Jones
posted by heatvision at 2:37 PM on November 29, 2010

Dear gods, so many awesome suggestions. Hard to pick a particular "best answer" for this kind of thing but I threw one down on cosmicbandito's suggestion just for the sheer volume of solid gold tracks in that collection (which I shamelessly torrented) not to mention the speed of the reply.

I was already aware of a few of the big ones, but there's so much to work with here. Now to preview, collect, process, and organize it all! Gonna take a little while, but I'm sure to have the slinkiest, most sensuous trip-hop playlist ever devised once all's said and done.

Thanks! (And keep 'em coming, if you think of anything else! I'll be checking up on the thread and hopefully it'll be useful to someone else someday as well.)
posted by Scientist at 2:11 PM on November 30, 2010

Late to the makeout party...

The recent album by Teebs is called Ardour, and is amazing.

check | it | out
posted by pilibeen at 6:46 PM on November 30, 2010

If you use Pandora, the Trip Hop station may find you a few tracks.
posted by mimo at 8:44 PM on November 30, 2010

I would not describe this as trip-hop, but Four Tet - Hands (and that whole album, Rounds, really) is sort of excellent mysterious spacey slinky dream-time music.
posted by the cat's pyjamas at 4:17 AM on December 1, 2010

To me, Portishead reminds me of crying in the dark after a breakup. Not so sexy. But that's just me.

I'd recommend pretty much any of Mark Farina's Mushroom Jazz albums. There are like 7 of them, now.

Here's a track from volume 2
posted by brisbane at 2:25 PM on December 1, 2010