The best chill EDM artists to start with are Kasbo, ODESZA, Petit Biscuit, Shallou and RÜFÜS DU SOL. Kasbo suits slow focus sessions. ODESZA suits long drives and warm, cinematic work playlists. Petit Biscuit suits yoga and stretching. Shallou suits late-night listening, and RÜFÜS DU SOL suits long study blocks or evening wind-downs. A good pick has a slow to mid tempo, soft or sparse vocals, and builds that swell instead of hitting hard.
Most EDM is built for festival fields. A search for relaxing electronic music usually gives you 100-song playlists and forum threads with no clear starting point. "Chill EDM" also covers melodic downtempo, future bass, chillstep and deep house, so it is hard to know which name matches your mood. Below, each artist gets a short profile, three ways in, and the setting where the music works best.
At RIKIO ROCKS we follow the EDM scene every day, and that includes its quieter corner. These five are the ones I would hand to a friend who says they do not like loud electronic music.
1. Kasbo Sound and background
Kasbo is a Swedish producer who came up in the same orbit as ODESZA and toured with them early in his career. His sound is slow, spacious and emotional. You hear soft synth pads, light percussion, and high, processed vocals that float over the beat instead of pushing it.
His debut album, Places We Don't Know (2018), was released with ODESZA's help and is the cleanest introduction. Nothing on it demands your attention, so it works as background music without turning into wallpaper.
Tracks to start with and when to play them
Start with these three, then let the album run:
- "Places We Don't Know", the title track and the best snapshot of his sound
- "Found You", one of his best-known singles
- "Lay It On Me" (feat. Keiynan Lonsdale), a vocal track with a smooth drop
Kasbo fits studying and writing, because the even tempo holds a rhythm without surprises. Some listeners with ADHD say steady, low-lyric electronic music like this helps them focus. It varies from person to person, so test a few tracks before you build a long playlist.
Kasbo is the safest first click if you want chill EDM that never spikes.
2. ODESZA Sound and background
ODESZA is the Seattle duo of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, and they are the biggest name on this list. They have released four studio albums, the latest being The Last Goodbye (2022). Their sound is warm and cinematic. Live-style drums, brass, guitar touches and chopped vocal samples sit on top of their own synth style.
They are chill in mood, not always in energy. Some tracks build into big, festival-sized moments, so the playlist you make matters more here than with the other four artists.
Tracks to start with and when to play them
Pick from the calmer end of their catalog:
- "Line of Sight" (feat. WYNNE and Mansionair), from A Moment Apart
- "Say My Name" (feat. Zyra), from In Return
- "A Moment Apart", the title track of their 2017 album
ODESZA is the right choice for long drives and focused desk work, when you want music with some forward motion. For yoga, skip the bigger builds and stay with the album's slower pieces. The mood of A Moment Apart leans toward nostalgia and hope, so it also works for a reflective evening.
ODESZA is chill EDM with momentum, so choose your tracks by how much energy you want.
3. Petit Biscuit Sound and background
Petit Biscuit is the French producer Mehdi Benjelloun, who has played cello since he was five. That classical training show