June 6, 2025

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Godfather Of Downtempo Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation Releases New ’90s-Inspired Trip-Hop Single, “L’Ocean”, Feat. Acclaimed Argentine Vocalist Natalia Clavier

GODFATHER OF DOWNTEMPO ERIC HILTON (THIEVERY CORPORATION) RELEASES NEW ‘90s-INSPIRED TRIP-HOP OFFERING, “L’OCEAN,” 
FEAT. ACCLAIMED ARGENTINE VOCALIST NATALIA CLAVIER

MUSIC VIDEO FOR “L’OCEAN” DIRECTED, FILMED AND EDITED BY PUMA PTAH

NEW “COMPILATION MIX”-INSPIRED, ENGLISH / FRENCH / SPANISH-SPEAKING LP, MIDNIGHT RAGAS, AVAILABLE VIA MONTSERRAT HOUSE MUSIC ON FRIDAY, JUNE 20

WATCH: “L’OCEAN” FEAT. NATALIA CLAVIER
(MUSIC VIDEO DIRECTED BY PUMA PTAH ON YOUTUBE)

Montserrat House Music and trip-hop pioneer Eric Hilton are excited to present “L’Ocean,” the latest single to be lifted from the Friday, June 20 release of Midnight Ragas, the godfather of downtempo’s brand new “compilation mix” LP that has the distinct feel of international exotica, a sound that Hilton has cultivated over 30 years of album releases. Featuring dreamy French vocals from acclaimed Argentine singer Natalia Clavier, “L’Ocean” stays on the ‘90s trip-hop wavelength and is a standout for Hilton, as good as any track of the era/genre. Watch the music video for “L’Ocean” directed, filmed and edited by Puma Ptah on YouTube HERE. Pre-save, pre-add, and pre-order Midnight Ragas HERE.
Midnight Ragas album cover art. Download hi-res HEREDownload hi-res Eric Hilton press photo HERE. Credit: Puma Ptah.
Compilation albums have always been a great tool for discovery, especially in electronic music. A couple of familiar artists or tracks, sequenced amongst unknown treasures, taking the listener on a satisfying journey through different moods and sounds. It’s not easy to make a good compilation album, one bad track can throw off the whole vibe, the flow. A great compilation album can elevate the individual tracks and put them into a context where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

With Midnight Ragas, Eric Hilton has made a great compilation album. Except not really. We’ll explain.

Midnight Ragas is a new album by the downtempo electronic music producer, with vocal contributions by longtime collaborators Natalia Clavier and Puma Ptah, along with newer recruit Kristina Westernik-Dandridge. And while the tracks are all new Eric Hilton recordings, the album sounds like a killer compilation record, with shifting tempos, moods, vocalists, and languages across twelve tracks. The vintage age of mix CDs may be long over, but listen to Midnight Ragas and you’ll think it never left.

Hilton has plenty of experience with compilation albums. Tracks by Thievery Corporation, the downtempo combo Hilton co-founded in 1995, have been featured on over 600 mix CDs, according to music database website Discogs. “I loved compilations back in the day. You bought them to get turned on to new sounds, or you liked the artist compiling it. ‘Midnight Ragas’ was not conceptualized as a compilation; the album is a moment of eclecticism,” says Hilton.

The opener, “Life In the Deep End”, hits like an even more laid-back Khruangbin, soundtracking a vintage Billy Dee Williams Malt liquor advert. Track three is “Je ne t’aime plus” (I don’t love you anymore) — imagine it’s 1970 and you’re Alain Delon or Catherine Deneuve, driving a light gold Ferrari Daytona along the coast from Cannes to Monaco. Clavier provides the vocal accompaniment, singing for Hilton in French for the first time. The third song is “Behind My Eyes” (‘70s crime flick meets ambient drum & bass). “I love the wildness of this track, we really nailed the production on this one, it’s tough and sets the tone for the next few tracks,” says Hilton.

“All I Want” also features Ptah; the track is an ass-shaking, purple crushed velvet groove, hard but smoooooth. Track six, “Burkina Faso”, will be a standout track for longtime Thievery fans, a tough D.C. bounce and “you know what time it is” feel. Things start to shift with the title track — seven songs in and things start sounding mysterious on “Midnight Raga”. “Traditional ragas are improvisational but repetitive; this song somehow is repetitive but doesn’t hit you that way,” opines the producer. Next up: “Sol Interior”, with gorgeous vocals from Clavier amid Ipcress File/John Barry twinkles. It sounds a bit like a great lost track from Air’s classic debut Moon Safari.

The album closes out with a few late-night slow burners. “Madame Asha” is classic trip-hop, a nod to legendary Indian American vocalist Asha Puthli. Finally, the passionate “Beautiful Moment” leads the listener off into the sunset. 

And then it’s all over, sigh … unless you’ve put your CD player/turntable/streamer on auto repeat, which is the right idea. Midnight Ragas is the compilation album that isn’t; perhaps that’s why it’s so listenable, and so unforgettable.

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