Tropics

Tropics is the project of British electronic producer, composer, and singer Christopher Ward. Based in Los Angeles, his fusion of ambient electronica with soulful touches of house, R&B, and jazz can be heard on releases like 2014′s Rapture and 2018′s Nocturnal Souls. Tropics debuted in 2010 with Soft Vision, an EP on U.K. indie Planet Mu Records which introduced Ward’s dreamy, warmly melancholic style. Following a second EP, Mouves, he issued his full-length debut, Parodia Flare, in 2011. Blending elements of chillwave and electronica with organic piano and guitar-led songwriting, the album fared well critically and led to some collaborative work remixing bands like Bear in Heaven and Little Dragon. Over the next few years, his music began to increasingly rely on a more organic approach, and, after a handful of additional singles, Ward began employing a live band to better represent his newer material. After signing with American indie Innovative Leisure in 2014, he delivered his sophomore LP, Rapture, early the following year. A move to Los Angeles preceded his next record, which proved to be his most eclectic yet. Released in 2018, Nocturnal Souls infused Tropics’ sound with echoes of jazz, light psychedelia, and French new wave and Italian film music. It was followed a year later by the Petite Noir collaboration “Opioid.” ~ Timothy Monger