Review | “Daydream Utopia” by Chris Coco
Electronic Bliss at the Outer Edges of a Post-Dancefloor Reverie
The latest opus from the legendary London-based DJ/producer Chris Coco, “Daydream Utopia”, released in 2024 on his own distinguished DSPPR (Disappear) label, is a meticulously crafted journey into the liminal spaces of sound, where waking reality blurs with R.E.M.-induced fantasy.
This album, composed to be experienced in two distinct yet continuous sessions on traditional vinyl, epitomizes a celestial convergence of atmospheric downtempo electronica.
In an era of rapid-fire digital releases, "Daydream Utopia" stands out for its thoughtful composition and cohesive album-length statement. It demonstrates that chill-out, easy-listening post-club music can be both intellectually engaging and emotionally resonant, offering listeners a space for reflection and gentle introspection.
The lush production invokes, at its core, spectral versions of classic chill-out idioms, including the lightest of after-hours deep house, quasi-hauntological oddities, deterritorialized fantasies such as South Eastern Indian tablas accompanying a Middle Eastern detour, and other exotic hybrids of club-adjacent genres populating a sonic menagerie of counter-intuitive chimeras birthed from seemingly incongruous cross-fertilizations, like strands of ambient shimmering with glittery disco elements.
This atypical variety of influences and seductive eclecticism is stylized and unified by drifting, sparse arrangements, modulated and arpeggiated riffs, and expansive synth pads. It’s a soundscape reminiscent of Boards of Canada, infused with the soulful touch of Larry Heard, creating a seductively warm and technologically sleek ambiance.
“Daydream Utopia” floats on deracinated beats resembling party music heard fuzzily as it drifts from a distant beach club, its propulsive grooves shrouded in vague pads, synth washes, and echoing effects. This auditory experience unfolds like a daydream, inviting listeners to explore their ability to map and induce a liminal space, where the line between reality and reverie becomes delightfully obscure.
The psychedelic interplay of arpeggios and gentle old-school acid squiggles lends a busy yet gentle touch, invoking a serene, daydream-like state. There’s a woozy, wonky quality to the music, providing a charming levity as a counterpoint to the overall ethereal daze. Ghostly feedback washes over delicate melodies, and conversations sampled from everyday life, complete with giggles and sweet nothings, add an intimate layer to the atmospheric whole.
Highlights abound: tumbling tones and muted melodies evoke a Sueno Latino-esque dreamscape. At the same time, drones and sustained notes dance over delicate drums, summoning visions of summery skies with the crystalline clarity of symphonic elements.
“Daydream Utopia” is a testament to the power chill-out electronica has as it transcends the limits of background listening and becomes an immersive experience, proving itself as a seductive soundtrack for contemporary living as vital and relevant as straightforward pop or dance music.
It’s a sonic exegesis about the outer edges of sophisticated easy listening, a thesis whose explanatory purpose is not clarification but a considered argument in favor of mystical auras, non-specific atmospheres, and abstract surfaces, inviting the listener to lose themselves in its depths, finding solace and wonder in its cosmic interpretation, unfolding like a new world, waiting to be discovered.
Text written by Panagiotis Chatzistefanou, Berlin, July 2024