Songs on Chillout Sessions compilations vary in style from lounge to electronica and are released by many different artists.
The Chillout genre of compilations started in the UK and since 2003 Ministry of Sound has released them under different tropes such as "Chilled", "After Hours", "The Morning After..." which has shown MOS to have seemingly ended its branding of the genre as Chillout Sessions.
Ministry of Sound, as a label, began in 1993 and its first album was the first volume of a series called Sessions.
Although not as successful as the prior releases, it received positive reviews, as did the Ibiza 2002 album.
This series, despite sales success, was suspended in favour of other Ministry of Sound albums in 2003.
This was followed by a second volume in 2009, a third (suited to acoustic chill-out music) in 2010 and a fourth (Chilled Afterhours, similar to the label's Late Night Sessions albums) in 2011.
By 2016 these were distinctly split between house-based chillout tracks (Chilled House Sessions 1–7, "Morning After...) to more chart-friendly (compared to the eclectic range of earlier releases) compilations (The Chillout Session (2012), Perfectly Chilled and Just Chillin').
2016–2017 has notably been a key focus on chillout albums from MoS, much like the early 00s when Dance music had reached its zenith, due to the EDM emergence in America that has moved onto producing slower electronic tracks that combine synths with slower house rhythms or hip-hop beats.
In 2016, the Ministry of Sound UK record label was sold to Sony Music.
In January 2022, Ministry of Sound released Chillout Sessions (Calm Mixes), an album of three one hour tracks called Ibiza, Energy and Clarity.
The Chillout Session is the first compilation in the series and was released on 5 February 2001 in the United Kingdom and Australia.
The front cover uses the same image that the UK release The Chillout Session 2003: Winter Collection does.
The red B&B Italia UP series "Big Momma" chair & footstool featured on the album cover was courtesy of the Space Furniture site.
Disc One Disc Two Chillout Sessions XX is the twentieth installment of the Chillout Sessions series of compilations, released by Ministry of Sound and was released in April 2018.
The cover art for the album used on the slipcase depicts the Ministry of Sound logo uprising out of water.
Although well received, some criticism has been made for CD 3 of the album, with many describing it as dance music rather than chill out.
The top half of the Ministry of Sound logo, which appears on the reverse side of the digipack, is accidentally printed upside down.