A couple of weeks ago Doc Scott released a digital compilation of his early 31 Records material entitled Nasty Habits 1994/2001. The tracks were first available digitally on the A Bunch of Cuts site but with that long gone Scott had been thinking about getting them out there again for a couple of years. With the current Covid-19 pandemic gripping the globe he decided now was the time to get this project sorted and TeeBee handled the remastering in ultra quick time (and for free). Among many excellent tracks one of my favourites is 'Chillin' Out '94' from 31 Records very first 12".
The original 'Chillin' Out' came out in 1991 on his own NHS Records and was produced in collaboration with Keith Suckling. The duo made a handful of tunes between 1991 and 1993 under the names Scott & Keith and Two Dark. 'Chillin' Out' provides a nice contrast to their other tracks such as 'This Is Deranged' (on the flipside) and 'Get Busy Cru', with a clear influence from house music. In fact it is essentially a breakbeat reworking of 'Our Mute Horn' by Masters At Work.
'Chillin' Out '94' bears no relation to the 1991 version except in title and spirit. It was released under the Octave One moniker in a blatant reference to the Detroit Techno group of the same name. There are two different mixes on the Nasty Habits 1994/2001 collection and this is because after the original 12" was released Doc Scott decided he wasn't happy with the track and subsequent presses featured an alternative version. The main difference between them is the 'Deleted Mix' uses the Plastic Jam break while the updated mix uses the more common Think break. Opinion is divided as to which is the best but I prefer the latter, probably because it was the one I heard first on Doc Scott's Artcore 2 mix.
Whichever version you go for 'Chillin' Out '94' is a tune that does what it says on the tin, pairing serene synth pads with a simple but oh so pretty piano melody and a "Chill" vocal from EPMD's 'You Gots To Chill'. If you missed out on getting it from A Bunch Of Cuts then the new compilation is highly recommended and includes 'Technology' on the other side of the 12" alongside classics such as 'Shadow Boxing', 'Liquid Fingers' and 'Prototyped'. It is also priced very reasonably indeed so you've got no excuse! Head over to the 31 Recordings store or Bandcamp to purchase.
For an even more chilled version check out José Padilla's Essential Mix from 1995 below, where it's played at 33⅓ for those sunrise balearic vibes: