Zero 7

Zero 7 spent studio time with the Pet Shop Boys and some singer named Robert Plant well before the two Brits started building their own electro-soul songs, so don't worry, downtempo fans — the following cuts are free of drab drum loops and sleepy synth lines. Instead, "Destiny" walks along beat-savvy shores with an acoustic guitar in hand, "Throw It All Way" lights a fire beneath a crack beat-keeper and subdued horn section, and "Distractions" glides across perfect skies like a shooting star.

Like a top chef's arsenal of secret ingredients, Zero 7 has impeccable taste when it comes to guest vocalists. No wonder repeat performers Sia and José González also moonlight as stellar solo artists. González's cleaver-sharp acoustic songs ("Stay In the Shade," "Crosses") have a way of turning smooth skin to goose bumps, while Sia's weightless singing ("Don't Bring Me Down") is always in search of the perfect beat or wilting string section.

Judging by our Deep Cuts, Zero 7 tracks are rife for remixing the way apples are ripe for the picking in October. Astral pop artists Stereolab dress "Home" up in keyboards as colorful as a Christmas tree, Bugz in the Attic break-beats over the jacked tempo of "Distractions," Roni Size remakes "End Theme" as a chase scene from a sci-fi movie, and Gorillaz/Gnarls Barkley guru Dangermouse invites MF Doom over for an underground rap rethinking of "Somersault."

Another awful day at the office, one you can't numb with happy hour specials at the local gastropub? Then head on home, slip into something comfortable, and cue up this hip-hop, electronic, jazz, and soul-spiked Zero 7 playlist. Like Massive Attack and Morcheeba during the height of trip-hop's reign, it's the music to zone out to — as chilled and smooth as a $15 top-shelf martini without resorting to any of the future-shocked lounge clichés that make most of us cringe.