Early Hours can mean a few different things: Are you winding down after being up all night, or are you just rising to meet the sun? Often the artists helming Apple Music's exclusive Early Hours DJ mix series cater to both frames of mind. For the LA-based electronic producer Shallou, the intention was to capture his ideal soundscape for a rainy, grey day. “[I’m] someone who can get contemplative and likes a slow rise to the morning,” he tells Apple Music. “The introspective ambient tracks at the beginning build into a nice pace that gently lifts you into your morning activities.” Aiming to “simulate a softer alarm than the stress-inducing default of most phones”, he found inspiration in free-form explorations by musicians like Brian Eno and Fred again.., who recently collaborated on the album Secret Life. He also sought to showcase his personal taste “outside of the chill electronic sphere”, he says, pointing to The Japanese House’s “Boyhood”, Ben Böhmer’s “Beyond Beliefs” and Four Tet's remix of Coldplay's “Fix You”.