Summers wrapping up (in this hemisphere anyway) up and I've been meaning to start this thread.
In the last few years I've found I have a real sweet spot for very organic and lush sounding exotica and lounge music from the 50s and 60s (Les Baxter, Arthur Lyman, Martin Denny, and many others) and more specifically music that samples it. It's easy for me to hear but it's a bit tricky to pin it down to a certain label or movement, it's a bit hit-or-miss in terms of quality.
These are currently active artists nailing the sound:
http://youtu.be/yZAqL-lgg38
http://youtu.be/DZz