Tranquility Bass started life as the duo of Michael Kandel (born May 19, 1967, Chicago, Illinois, USA - died May 17, 2015, Buffalo Grove, Chicago, Illinois, USA) and Tom Chasteen. After the first three EPs for their own imprint Exist Dance the duo parted company and the label went on hiatus. Kandel went to Lopez Island to record what would become Let The Freak Flag Fly and Chasteen went to Arizona where the Skull Valley project was born.

By the time both musicians reappeared on the scene in 1997, Tranquility Bass had become Mike’s solo project, while Tom, back in LA now, managed a resurrected Exist Dance.

As a solo project, Tranquility Bass, now riding on the slightly larger imprint Astralwerks, saw Kandel releasing Freak Flag and several 12s, all the while gathering a larger following than ever before.

Known affectionately by friends and family as ’Uncle Mike’, Mike Kandel’s music has been variously categorized as ambient house, trip hop, and funk rock.