Chillout music (also referred to as chill out, chill wave or simply chill), always seems to transport me away from assiduous metropolis, into utopic suburbia, with ethereal instruments and soulful harmonies accompanying me. Personally, I believe chill out music isn’t synonymous with any genre or musical structure, it’s anything that relaxes you. Some people listen to the likes of Beethoven, others to the Sleep Party People; soul, jazz, rap or indie, it’s really all down to personal preference. So without further adieu, we present the top 25 chillout songs of 2012.

UPDATE: Best Chillout Songs of 2013 So Far…

30. Luvian – “My Life“

20 year old, Brighton-based producer Luvian, makes our first entry on our list of best chillout songs of 2012, with “My Life”; a post-garage electronic track. “My Life” is packed with dark synths, contorted vocal samples and quasi bells. “My Life” is featured on “Jams”, Luvian’s debut EP.

29. Shelter Point – “Braille”

WOW, what can I say about this track, literally the epitome of chillout. Two Nottingham guys (Liam and Robin) make up Shelter Point. I feel “Braille” speaks for itself, so – just listen.

28. How To Dress Well – “& It Was You”

How To Dress Well isn’t a mens fashion guide for sartorial gentleman but the stage name of experimental producer and singer Tom Krell. “Total Loss”, How To Dress Well’s sophomore album heavily regards the death and devastation which has run rife throughout his family. “& It Was You” is my best song of “Total Loss”.

27. Karma Kid – “Temptation”

Karma Kid is a 17 year old producer from Derbyshire who’s fighting among the likes of Disclosure and Kidnap Kid with his enthralling 808 electronic tracks. No. 27 is Karma Kid‘s enthralling “Temptation”.

26. FTSE – “SIRVYVIN”

We’ve been keeping tabs on UK producer FTSE for a while now, but it looks as though his music is finally starting to gain some proper recognition. Have a listen to “SIRVYVIN”.

25. Miguel – “Do You”

“Do You” is the second single of Miguel‘s 2012 album “Kaleidoscope Dream”, and what a second single it is.

24. Sepalcure – “Pencil Pimp”

“Pencil Pimp” which features on Sepalcure’s album “Sepalcure” is another heavy sampled track featured on our list of best chillout songs. “Pencil Pimp” is a bit more up tempo, but still manages to chill me out.

23. King Krule - “Rock Bottom”

Super young and super talented. There’s not much more King Krule can add to “Rock Bottom”.

22. Sharon Van Etten – “Give Out”

Sharon Van Etten’s “Warshaw” is extremely endearing. Etten’s album “Tramp” was one of the best albums of 2012. We hope she brings out some more music in 2013.

21. TROUMACA  – “Lady Colour”

Taken from the EP “Virgin Island”, TROUMACA‘s impalpable “Lady Colour”. We love it!

20. Jessie Ware – “110%”

Right in the thick of the sorority of women, which are thankfully gracing our electromagnetic radiative wavelengths, is Jessie Ware, a 28 year old singer-songwriter from South London. Currently on the cusp of mainstream fame, Ware’s Julio Bashmore-produced “110%” certainly puts me down a notch or two. I’m unsure of the sample, but I’ve been informed that it says “coughing my delicious on your forehead”… Though the sample is somewhat of an oddity, its folderol nature interlaced with Ware’s soulful harmonies is definitely worth a listen.

19. Rhye – “Open”

Another mysterious artist from California, Rhye has delivered one of the most intimate chill songs of the year. The confessional and tender vocals with the minimalist beat is a perfect mix for those special playlists.

18. Major Lazer – “Get Free”

As a lot of you will already know, Diplo & Switch are preparing themselves for a brand new Major Lazer album release, and so far they have dropped quite a few teasers, including this new free download called “Get Free” which features Amber Coffman (of The Dirty Projectors who also recently collaborated with Rusko).

17. Laura Mvula – “She”

“She”, a song from English singer-songwriter Laura Mvula is rather splendid.

16. Swindle – “Mischief”

Mala’s label Deep Medi dropped some fire in 2012, and none more so than Swindle’s EP, which in turn offered up the outstandingly jazzy “Mischief”. Having more in common with the Pink Panther theme tune than anything that dubstep’s old-schoolers could muster, this guy knocked it out the park recently when he proceeded to play an impromptu keyboard solo over one of his tracks during a set at Cable. Madman.