The 50 Greats: 40-36

40. Tiesto

The Foremost DJ of Heavy Trance
Genre: Trance
Years Active: 1985-Present
Key Songs: “10 Seconds Before Sunrise”, “Morning Star”, “Adagio for Strings”

Tiesto was introduced to me by Peter Troitter in Chicago, as his favorite techno artist. He is regarded as the greatest DJ in the business, yet I myself have put several others above him. He has an upbeat trance style, with strong bass, and lots of complexity. Tiesto’s music is ideal to run or work out to, but not necessarily ideal for relaxing. I think of it as heavy upbeat trance, good for dancing or just getting pumped up.

39. Wilco

Easy Living in Chicago
Genre: Rock
Years Active: 1994-Present
Key Songs: “Impossible Germany”, “Handshake Drugs”, “Jesus Etc”

The music of Wilco will always remind me of my year in Chicago, most notably my spring and summer days. Being from Chicago themselves, I always consider Wilco as the Ultimate Chicago Rock Band. Their music is that easy-going soft-rock style that I love, that often mixes some good jamming and some good psychedelic. Their song “Impossible Germany”, is quite possibly one of my favorite songs all together, and has a guitar solo unlike any other. Their music is ideal for some good chilling and good listening.

38. Donovan

Imaginative Psychedelic Folk
Genre: Classic Rock
Years Active: 1965-Present
Key Songs: “Catch the Wind”, “Atlantis”, “Colours”

Donovan was Britain’s answer to Bob Dylan in the mid 1960s during the peak of the hippy flower-power movement. His style is similar to Dylan, yet he sings with a much softer, smoother, and clearer voice. His music is simple easy-going acoustic folk, and some of his lyrics are very creative like, songs such as “Atlantis” that tell of extreme fairy tales and imaginary worlds. I think Donovan has a gentle sound to his music that is perfect for a long road trip.

37. Enigma

Ambient Relaxation
Genre: Ambience
Years Active: 1980-Present
Key Songs: "Celtic Dream", "Deep Forest Meditation", "Return to Innocence"

The music of Enigma is a blend of Ambience and Electronic Beat. The founder Michael Cretu succeeded in creating his own authentic sound, which has become an essential to pure relaxation and meditation. The music is always ideal in the evening perhaps before or even during sleep. It is also nice to wake up to.

36. Jack Johnson

Hawaiian Mellow Music
Genre: Rock
Years Active: 2001-present
Key Songs: “Dark Water and Stars”, “Traffic in the Sky”, “Upside Down”

Jack Johnson takes me back to my college days, cruising around in EJ’s Honda or getting wasted at the Bluebird. His music is generally a mellow Hawaiian acoustic style, yet he still produces some more upbeat songs. I think his music is always best to listen to during the summertime, especially because it has that gentle Hawaiian sound to it. Some of his songs are also pretty transcending, like “Dark Water & Stars”, where he just kind of takes you on a trip. It’s a very versatile music, that goes well when chilling or goes well partying.