Chillout Sessions is a series of compilations released by Ministry of Sound that focus on songs from the chillout genre. Songs on Chillout Sessions compilations vary in style from lounge to electronica and are released by many different artists. The Chillout Out genre of compilations started in the UK and since 2003 Ministry of Sound has released them under different tropes such as "Chilled", "After Hours", "The Morning After…" which has shown MOS to have seemingly ended its branding of the genre as Chillout Sessions.
Early 2015, an idea to marry the world’s most iconic classical music event with Britain’s greatest electronic dance music icon was proposed. Eyebrows were raised and questions were asked. Could it work? Fast forward to July 2015, in the hallowed surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall, as the string section of The Heritage Orchestra played the open bars of Fatboy Slim’s ’Right Here Right Now’, any doubts were dispelled as the audience rose to their feet and a new movement in dance music was born. Breaking BBC iPlayer records and racking up 500,000 views via YouTube in the first week, the Ibiza Prom inspired a younger generation to engage with orchestral music and rekindled the passions of a rave generation.
Crowded House's greatest hit, "Don't Dream It's Over," cemented them firmly into the collective American consciousness as a mere highlight of a John Hughes soundtrack or momentary inhabitants of the mid-'80s college rock ghetto. Though they rose to highest U.S. acclaim with that song and its follow-up, "Something So Strong," Crowded House charted consistently in their homeland of Australia and were widely popular outside of the States for the second half of their initial run. Songs like "Better Be Home Soon" and "Weather with You" charted massively in the U.K., Canada, and New Zealand, but never brought the group more than a cult following stateside. Including a variety of singles and highlights from albums Woodface, Temple of Low Men, and their self-titled debut, Essential provides a comprehensive overview of Crowded House's wistful songwriting style and bouncy pop productions, all of which predated the rise of alternative, but didn't quite fit any mainstream mold.