Sunday, January 28, 2018

Cocktail Nation: The Best of James Morrison

As Koop takes his annual vacation, please enjoy hand-picked highlights from past seasons. Grab yourself a smart cocktail, sit back, and reminisce over past shows. This week, let's take a listen to the Best of James Morrison.


Well, I am pleased to have a legend of the Australian Jazz scene join me on the show this week. We talk to James Morrison about his new best-of album, and it is spectacular.
We talk Dean Martin, with some fun facts about the man and I have a movie to bring you that I think you will like. 

Moonrays - Tarantuala
SG Sound - Man From Uncle
James Morrison - Nice And Easy 
Stan Getz - The Look Of Love
Audrey Morris - The End Of A Love Affair
Dean Martin - Just In Time
Barney Kessel - Something For Cat
Gold Dust Lounge - The Wednesday Night Song
Cocktail Inn - Brief And Breezy
Jane Seidel - Love For Sale
Julie London - Fly Me To The Moon
James Spencer - Nightfall


Saturday, January 27, 2018

The Top Ten - week ending 27 January 2018


Welcome to the weekend, my fellow loungers!!

If you're a regular listener you'll know what frustrations the station has been going through lately. First it was issues with the station continually stopping broadcast (and needing a reboot), and yesterday, a power outage in Belgium virtually shut down all Shoutcast and Radionomy stations for most of the day! And we were down this morning for an hour or so!

If you have weathered this technically challenged storm and continued to come back, I sincerely appreciate and applaud you for your diligence. Hopeefully, things will return to normal and everyone can enjoy the music.

Naoki Kenji remains atop the chart again this week with Floating Minds, a beautiful track from his newest release, Aketombo. Jazz legend Stacey Kent's rendition of the Jobim classic, Photograph, slides into number two, as our friend Phigroa slips to number three. Tune in for some good rotation on these wonderful artists.

Bubbling Under this week, we see the first release from chillout artist Stephanie Sante join in the mix. If this track, Afterglow, is any indication of what the rest of the album sounds like, we're all in for a treat. Stay tuned and check out her website and Facebook page for more updates.

Just sneaking into the playlist on Thursday, Maretimo Records' release of saxophonist Vladi Strecker's Morning Beach (Ante Meridium Mix) is starting to more than just bubble under.

We also find indie artist Mittens hit the chart this week at number nine. A Soundcloud find, their track Singularity is off to a fine start.

As always, a heartfelt thank you to all of you that are supporting the station and tuning in for a few minutes or a few hours, despite the frustrating technical issues. A thank you must also go out for the support that you've shown the artists. Keep buying their music!

Enjoy your weekend and your week. Keep us tuned in!

Stay chilled!


Bubbling Under




Sunday, January 21, 2018

Cocktail Nation Best of the Best 2011

As Koop takes his annual vacation, please enjoy hand-picked highlights from past seasons. So grab yourself a smart cocktail, sit back, and reminisce over past shows. This week, let's take a listen to the Best of the Best of 2011.

This week on the show we take a look at the best of the best of 2011 ….with some of the best releases in lounge and exotica, and some of the highlights of the Cocktail Nation year as we revisit 2011.


Tikiyaki Orchestra - Aloha Baby 
Orchestra Superstring - Easy 
Ding Dong Devils - Mai Tais In The Moonlight 
Mr Ho’s Orchestrotica - Third River Rangoon 
Crazed Mugs - Find Fobidden Island 
Jennifer Keith -I magination  
Tony Bennett with KD Lang - Blue Velvet 
Beverly Kenney - Tea For Two 
Spy Fi - WEB Theme
Wynton Marsailis - Awakening 
Jerry Sun - Tiki  
Michael Buble - Santa Baby 

Saturday, January 20, 2018

The Top Ten - week ending 20 January 2018


Welcome to the weekend, my fellow loungers!

As we pass the halfway mark through January, we find ourselves a little bit closer to Spring. Mother Nature has blessed the Toronto area with a mid-winter melt, pumping up the temperature to 5C this weekend. A far cry from the Arctic-like deep freeze we’ve been experiencing lately.

As we get closer to that reawakening of nature, we are blessed with a wonderful soundtrack to put us in that mood. The sounds of This is Lounge strives to embrace that warm weather feeling.

This week, we couldn’t feel much warmer. The wonderful smooth sounds from Naoki Kenji’s latest, along with Phigroa’s make up the top two tracks again this week. Along with Five Seasons, Velvet Dreamer, and Weathertunes we have a very chilled Top Ten.

News of a new This is Lounge artist this week, as we find Mittens bubbling under with a wonderful little chillhop track called Singularity.

Thanks for tuning in. So nice to have our mobile access back again. We welcome your "on-the-road" return to listening.

Thanks for all the support. (Shoutouts to Phigroa and Darren Pearson for their "above and beyond" support on social media.) Thanks for supporting the artists. They are the ones that make the station what it is.

Stay chilled.


Bubbling Under







Sunday, January 14, 2018

Cocktail Nation Best of the Best 2012

As Koop takes his annual vacation, please enjoy hand-picked highlights from past seasons. So grab yourself a smart cocktail, sit back, and reminisce over past shows. This week, let's take a listen to the Best of the Best of 2012.

Best of the Best music releases this week on the show, as we take a look at some of the releases of 2012... This wee, we will play those tracks and replay some of the interviews around those releases.


Jimmy Psycho - That Old Black Magic
James Morrison - The Masterplan
Sunday Combo - Womp
Spy Fi - Espia En Vaciones
Jimmy Vargas - Lust Angeles
Laurie Allyn - Paradise
Martini Kings - Dance Of The Virgins
Tiki Joe's Ocean - Soul Of The Sea
Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited - Enter the Tiger
Martita Brake - Shaken Not Stirred
Orchestra Superstring  - Kalopia
Barry Morgan - Touch Of You


Saturday, January 13, 2018

The Top Ten - week ending 13 January 2018


Welcome to the Top Ten, my fellow loungers!

First off, I want to say thank you to the support staff at Radionomy. After weeks (maybe months?) of not being able to access This is Lounge (or any other Radionomy hosted station) on a mobile device (iOS or Android), it was back up and running yesterday! 👏 ..... a big round of applause.

That being said, I urge you to return to you iPhones and iPads and Galaxys etc. if you were listening on them before. Since listeners and listening time have dropped substantially, I can only assume that it was more than just because of the Christmas holidays.

On to the music now, as I'm excited to announce that station fan and respected artist, Phigroa has once again maintained his status as number one this week! Followed close behind is another respected artist - Naoki Kenji.  The cool chill of Five Seasons rounds out the top three.

Stacey Kent's Photograph and Flughand's Hylla have both been getting some buzz on the website poll lately, giving them some much-needed upward mobility in the chart.

The beautiful downtempo of Velvet Dreamer has been joined on the chart by Weathertunes, who have made the leap from Bubbling Under this week with People Love from their recently released album. 

We have a few things brewing, but nothing bubbling under this week. More new tunes to come. stay tuned.

Thanks for all your support.....but we need more of it. Is this station playing in your office? Is it playing in your store? There's nothing more pleasant than the relaxing sounds of chill and jazz as you work - or maybe have us as the music on your office phone when someone is put on hold! Spread the word!

The other support, of the artists, is also deeply appreciated. Please continue to use the links below or purchase from your favourite download store.

Tie to go, so stay warm, but.....

Stay chilled.





Monday, January 8, 2018

Cocktail Nation Best of the Best 2013

As Koop takes his annual vacation, please enjoy hand-picked highlights from past seasons, including a very special (by popular demand) Christmas show, coming the weekend before Christmas. So grab yourself a smart cocktail, sit back, and reminisce over past shows. Let's take a listen to the Best of the Best of 2013.

What a year it had been here at the Cocktail Nation with the show being added to more and more stations across the globe....look out Ryan Seacrest, I'm coming to get you. The podcast was enhanced, we got a new website and I bought a 1964 Austin Healey! But ofcourse the show needs great guests and great music and we have had plenty of that. Each year I like to highlight the best of the best of the year and that's sometimes difficult in a one hour show so for you some of the most stand out releases of the last twelve months.


Mr Ho’s Orchestrotica - Chiseling Music 
O Som Do Jazz - Sambou Sambou 
Metropole Orchestra - My Blue Heaven 
Ixtahuele - Stone Gods Of Bimini 
Codename Carter - Stealth Palmer 
Aaron Diehl - The Cylinder 
Molly Ringwald - Don’t You Forget About Me 
Narco Lounge Combo - Caravan 
Laura Ainsworth - Necessary Evil 
Tiki Delights - Twist Of Lyman





Saturday, January 6, 2018

The Top Ten - week ending 6 January 2018


Happy New Year, my fellow loungers!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and things are getting back to normal. Although "normal"is not what the temperature is here, as we experience a deep freeze and -25C temperatures. Brrrr.... 

But there's nothing like Chill to take the chill away! 

I would also like to apologize for the "spotty" transmission of the station, as the host, Radionomy, was experiencing some technical issues, including issues on mobile devices (as Phigroa pointed out to me) which are still happening.  Fingers crossed, the effects of the Winter Solstice and the New Year's Eve Supermoon will not play havoc with our lives anymore. 

So all of you that went to listen somewhere else during those times, please come back. 

Since this is the first Top Ten of the new year, that feeling of starting fresh does wonders for the January blahs. I'm sure we all appreciate the hours of daylight slowly getting longer and longer every day. 

As the new month begins, we find This is Lounge stalwart, Phigroa capturing the top spot this week with his beautiful Headed Home. Five Seasons moves in behind in second, and Matt Bianco, knocked from his perch, drops to number three.

Velvet Dreamer makes the jump from Bubbling Under, making room for a track from the new Weathertunes album.

So lots of music to stay relaxed. Thanks for choosing us for a few hours a day or so. Your support is truly appreciated. Now that Christmas is over, we can spend some more time chilling out.

Stay chilled.


Bubbling Under