“Cantamilla” by Tranquility Bass

As many of you may already know, I adore compilation albums, and in the spring of 1993 California Dreaming “The Ultimate Cyberhippy Experience” was handed to me by a FFRR talent scout. It was an electronic, sampledelic nod to Haight-Ashbury and featured an opening track that was hard to ignore. 

“Cantamilla” didn’t conform to much of what was happening in the world of electronic dance music at the time. It was downtempo, mellow and breezy, and far from the 160 beats per minutes found in warehouse raves. Some have even noted it was a precursor to what would now be known as “Trip-Hop.” Whatever its significance, there was nothing like flying through the streets on my bike with those beats pulsing through my headphones.
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Michael Adam Kandel was the creative force behind Tranquility Bass and he passed away in 2015. He was an extremely talented musician, who created without compromise, and his influence on Trip-Hop should not be forgotten.