Millionyoung

If chillwave is a seasonal genre, living in South Florida gives Mike Diaz a leg up on the competition. With the temperature rarely dipping below 60 degrees, this Sunshine State resident, who records under the guise of MillionYoung, can credibly pump out beachy fare all year round. Despite its October release date, the Sunndreamm EP loses none of the loose, summery feel. As a whole, it fits nicely alongside releases from the likes of Washed Out, Memory Tapes, and Delorean. A blissful paean to lazy Saturday afternoons, Diaz's EP even has a song called "Hammock". While "Weak Ends" isn't a complete departure from the template, it strives to capture the energy of the Miami nightlife as opposed to the paralysis-inducing humidity of the daylight hours. Diaz uses the movement's familiar elements-- the gauzy synth lines and faraway vocals-- but ratchets up the BPM to underscore a more hedonistic mindset. In other words, it's exactly what chillwave produced a stone's throw from South Beach ought to sound like-- a reminder that while most of these artists can only dream of an endless summer, Diaz is living it. - Pitchfork

It was really only a matter of time before chillwave found its way to South Florida. A fledgling, blog-fueled movement, chillwave, also known as glo-fi or hypnagogic pop, is an offshoot of the synth-based psychedelia of albums like Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion. Chillwave, however, takes the sound in a decidedly tropical direction, employing synths and reggae-tinged percussion in service of the perfect summery soundtrack. Yet unlike many of the breakout acts thus far — Washed Out (Perry, Georgia), Universal Studios Florida (Seattle), and Small Black (Brooklyn) — Coral Springs' Millionyoung, the nom de plume of Mike Diaz, gets to enjoy summer weather all year 'round.

Diaz discovered this music and was drawn to it, as many were, via the internet. The term chillwave was coined sarcastically in July on the satirical blog Hipster Runoff and subsequently spread far and wide thanks to a clutch of excellent singles. Transparent blog has since emerged as the go-to source for new chillwave artists, a place to track the movement's rising stars.

Fitting for music so deeply indebted to the laptop, chillwave has thrived in virtual space. Although few of the acts live in close geographical proximity, many list one another as friends on Myspace and remix one another's tracks. "These artists have all heard of each other," says Diaz. "They're all around the same age and drawing from the same pool of inspiration, making something dream-like and ethereal."

While Millionyoung is very much a part of the burgeoning genre, the tracks from his two EPs (Sunndreamm and Be So True) tend toward the kinetic as opposed to the laid-back. "Cynthia" and "Weak Ends," in particular, flaunt danceable beats, more appropriate for club-hopping than serene sunbathing. "It's probably because I only go out at night," says Diaz, explaining his music's more nocturnal bent. "I'm so busy during the day that I can't really enjoy the beach that much."

Also, in somewhat of a break from chillwave's stage-shunning, bedroom aesthetic, Diaz is attempting to make Millionyoung an active live project. Though limited to four dates thus far (two in South Florida and two in New York City), Diaz hopes to become a more regular fixture in the coming months. Onstage, he offers more than mere keyboard-stroking, describing his performances as a "hybrid of a DJ and live band set." He plays both live synth and guitar parts over the prerecorded tracks fed through his laptop. For his next local show during Art Basel, Diaz promises to add yet another new wrinkle: live percussion. Millionyoung is still evolving and taking shape — much like chillwave itself. - New Time Broward/Palm Beach

MillionYoung ‘s hypnagogic, late night, loping pop loops bloom in the shadows of delirious dream territories; Mike Diaz’s aching, arching, always overhead vocals floating lonely above an effervescent, imagined coastal paradise of found tribal drum snippets, syrupy synth rushing and brilliantly colourful, drawn-out circular guitars that just absolutely refuse to fade or break, shading braincells in never-lived nostalgia; making stomachs shift with strange sickness in a beautiful, unshakeable way. - Transparent Blog

MillionYoung from Florida is a new guy in town. I just received his EP titled “SunnDreamm”, and it’s a little piece of indie heaven. Reminding me of Grandaddy, Tough Alliance, and a little Lo-Fi-Fnk this makes me want to bring the friends over for a game of Ouija and wine. Romantic, Natural, and Heartwarming MillionYoung is sure to make a few indie kids get in the mood for a picnic at the Grand Canyon. Think road trip’s and bicycle rides. - Big Stereo Blog

Last month we reviewed "Weak Ends" from Florida's MillionYoung, and now we've got another selection from his blissed-out Sunndreamm EP, which is just as sun-baked and tropical as its moniker suggests (you can download the EP for free here). "Hammock"-- whose title should also provide a clue about its contents-- is another tune with flecks of jangling guitar and echoed vocals lazily swinging back and forth across its channels. - Pitchfork

MillionYoung let us post two tracks a few weeks ago, and now we have another great track called “Mien” from the forthcoming “Be So True” EP that will be released by Arcade Sound Ltd. on the 19th of January. It’s great to hear electropop again with fuzzy guitars, reminds me of Soviet. Big heart, big sound. - BigStereo Blog

Another of our favourite fledgling artists to emerge from the din of the end of the nines into the light of the dime (2010 as the S-Dubz have dubbed it), Mike Diaz AKA MillionYoung has just sent us a new bubbling underwater delirium-disco partypopper. Still coming on hot and heavy, Diaz’s latest jam drifts along dizzily in the same balaeric/ballistic fashion as much of his brilliant, sweltering “Sunndreamm” EP from last year but is a little more straight-shooting in its dancefloor wrecking; the drowsy, tidal melancholy of it’s opening reverb-splashed guitar strains eventually opening out into a pulsating juggernaut of humid electro-house like it was no big thing at all. - Transparent Blog

after following a link from his Twitter, i downloaded the new MillionYoung single (all legal and above board, keep your hair on).

to brand MillionYoung, aka Michael Diaz, as "another chill-wave artist" is to completely underwrite and underestimate his talent for creating beautiful sounding experimental electronic music. if you haven't already got the Sunndreamm EP then you really should sort yourself out with a copy, especially since it's free to download. the new single sounds dreamy, a musical version of picturesque (auralesque?), and taps into a hidden lucidity in my head usually reserved for daydreaming. amazing basically. - FUCKING DANCE