Chillwave Inferno - But I Can’t Dance To It!

When I put together 'Heat Coma', (adjust the video volume accordingly) I was inspired by the lethargic, otherworldly feeling of the extreme summer heat we have experienced here in London over the past month.  I wanted to capture that sensation of being half awake in sweltering air, where time slows to a crawl and the mind drifts on the edge of sleep. The mood of the piece is hypnotic and hazy, a warm, heavy calm that’s comforting but also disconcerting and a little disorienting at the same time. I imagined the listener lying under a sun-bleached sky, wrapped in a blanket of heat, experiencing a kind of daydreaming torpor.

Creation and Techniques

To create this atmosphere, I built the music from layers of audio samples that I recorded on my IPhone (distant planes, electric fans, fridge motors etc). I then passed them through Hainbachs Gauss to generate slow-evolving drones and chords. These lush, shimmering tones provided a spacious canvas, but I didn’t script every note. Instead, I introduced generative processes so that some of the track could unfold on its own. I set up looping patterns that let the sounds recombine in unpredictable ways, meaning the piece continually changes without exactly repeating, an approach very loosely akin to Brian Eno’s idea of making music with systems that evolve beyond the makers direct control. This way, 'Heat Coma' feels a bit more organic and alive.

I also wanted 'Heat Coma' to feel warm and worn, so I ran certain tracks through an analogue tape plugin. This added a delicate warmth, warble and lo-fi texture. Each little flutter or soft distortion from the plugin isn’t a flaw, but a feature: it’s like the audio equivalent of heat haze, blurring the edges of the sound. This gentle tape saturation imparted a nostalgic, tactile character to the track, making the tones sound a bit weathered. Field recordings are often crucial for creating an immersive atmosphere they can be the “essence” that places the listener inside a specific environment. In 'Heat Coma', they suggest the quiet, shimmering air of a hot afternoon and help transport you into that world.

Atmosphere and Intention

All these elements combined to shape the emotional core of 'Heat Coma'. The sweeping digital drone and chance driven motifs lull the listener into a meditative trance, while the tape’s warmth and the ambient noises make that trance feel intimate and real. My intention was to have the music evoke a kind of peaceful delirium, the state where you’re lulled by heat into deep reflection. As the designer, I’m sharing a personal moment through sound: that uncanny calm of a heat-soaked day when every motion slows and thoughts evaporate into the air. I hope when you listen, you sink into the same slow, dreamlike state, finding comfort in the haze and perhaps even a bit of clarity in the stillness. I Think ill get a cold beer 🍺🍺🍺

Link to Music page on this blog video avaiable on Youtube

Made on Ipad Mini (A17 pro)  with Hainbachs Gauss, Spacecraft, Tape Casesette 2

Video created in Glitch Camera and edited in IMovie 

m More overat @terre-verte-music

Sources:

1. Alex Bainter, “Introduction to Generative Music,” Medium – Brian Eno on systems producing ever-changing music .
2. This Is Darkness (dark ambient resource) – on field recordings creating immersive atmosphere .