Per request of a friend who’s been on an ambient music listening bender, today’s song of the day features one of the most iconic and recognizable ambient music stars of the past decade. San Francisco’s Scott Hanson, aka Tycho, takes a refreshing and alternative approach to the typical hi-fi electronically produced song production practices of today’s music world. In an age where electronically produced music is expected to lift audiences out of their seats in moments of pure adrenaline-filled ecstasy, Tycho puts audiences into a relaxing dream state with his down-tempo atmospheric melodies.

“Montana” presents a progressive take on the chillwave genre with Tycho’s rare inclusion of a full four piece band set up. Despite being driven by synthesizers like most of his other songs, momentum is carried by the drum and bass guitar combo to the point of the song’s exhaustion. Even in his more artificial songs, listeners can sense Tycho’s attempt at naturalizing his music, as he cleverly and ironically uses electronic soundbites to include human elements into songs such as hushed voices or simple breathing. It may seem paradoxical for today’s artists to use electronic music production innovations to make songs sound more natural, but that’s why Scott Hanson is a considered a visionary in his field.