playlists

I have been making playlists for a long time, and mixtapes before that—for about thirty years all told, I reckon. I’m fascinated by selection and juxtaposition. In early 2016 I signed up for a Spotify account. It’s a limited platform, and a problematic one. But it is also where people gather, and it has been a productive place to imagine and be with a community of listeners.

Below are links to my public playlists on Spotify. The playlists are grouped into general categories, though the majority of them really should be under “eclectic.” Favorites are marked with asterisks, and all time faves are marked with double asterisks.

LATEST (2022):

turning: music from the last two or three years, uptempo mostly, free of genre constraint, unified by the drum

water, stars: originating in Latin America, a music that happens between a few people gathered around an illegal fire

steady on: the sweet sounds of Jamaican rocksteady, with a little bit of relevant digression

near: a playlist under the aegis of the solo cello, a line that to me sounds like the black line of a contour drawing

season: the line “you’re not the season you’re in” by the Fleet Foxes is still resounding in my head

soledad: what began as a voyage around Piazzolla ended up acquiring a number of extraordinary Mediterranean voices

RECENT (2021):

brook: favorite Bach pieces for piano (or, rather, played on piano), focusing on his extraordinary legacy as a melodist

red room: warm contemporary vibes of low-tempo jazz and r&b, with a fair bit of retro and synthwave

the angel said: a playlist on presence and strangeness, on beauty, patience, and holiness

grandes abraços: some beautiful Brazilian songs, a sequel to beijos

the hundred greatest songs of all time: what it says on the tin, a riposte to a parochial list by Rolling Stone

ten greatest songs of all time: your mileage will certainly vary, but these are ten songs that acknowledge that the world is big

unfurl: a sequence of morning ragas (with one exception), played on a variety of instruments, each raga unfurling from a slow beginning to a more vigorous conclusion; music at vaster and more immersive time scales

extra time: not at all “relaxing” jazz, but also not unapproachable; a set of intense and coherently structured improvisations; foreground music, not background

tender too: a sequel to “tender one,” which is one of my favorites; the bandoneon/drum duo on “todos los recuerdos” is a standout

musoya: “musoya” is Bambara for “womanliness”—but what is womanliness; a strength that does not deny its softness, says one woman; which is the testimony of these voices—among my most beloved in the whole wide world

four moments of the sun: Congolese rumba from the classic period; dedicated to the notion that Lingala is the most beautiful sung language; the playlist title is a reference to the four solar moments of Kongo cosmology: birth, life, death, and rebirth

soon as we get out: music for the body, mostly 2-step, dubstep and other electronica; I imagine a dark basement club, no sign outside, intense bass, somatic sense-making; follows on from the “endocytosis “playlist

group therapy: contemporary classical in mostly dirge-like mode; not background listening; composers have found many ways to reach beyond the accommodating and arrive at an intransigent mournfulness; it’s not a mode I’m always in the mood for, but when I am, with patience and good headphones, I find it incredibly consoling

blossom: at the beginning of a difficult spring, thinking of that line of Szymborska’s that encourages us to attend to the available good: “forgive me, distant wars, for bringing flowers home.” This playlist has some overlap with “lovingness,” but it’s in airier, somewhat more relaxed mode

lovingness: “jazz” continues to feel like the wrong term for this aspect of our music, for this long conversation around certain instrumental textures, certain harmonic commitments, certain unfinished histories; this playlist alights on each of the last seven decades, and Trane is the sun

fresco: eight hours for a full day’s work; focally similar to “dream sequence” and “the blue window”; play on shuffle

leaf shadow: in awe of how our thing crossed the ocean and retained its coolness; a meditation on Afrolatinidad

begin again: an offering at the start of the year, contemplative and searching; an intake of breath

earlier playlists:

DREAMING:

dream sequence*: long ambient playlist inspired by a similar one made by Ryuichi Sakamoto

field hospital: sorrowful ambient contemporary composition

the dark fact: similar to field hospital in mood, but longer tracks and edgier compositional techniques

book of dreams: contemporary classical and ECM-style improvisations, very beautiful, see also “blue books”

the blue window: gentle classical piano, broody soundtracks, and some low key electronics

in a zone: Tarkovsky homage, from Bach chorale to Russian ballads; music for altered landscapes

blue books*: eclectic melancholy; contemporary classical, with some Asian folk influences

endocytosis: danceable electronica and percussion, but with a twitchy and chill vibe

year: algorithmically determined sequence of the tracks I listened to in the awful year 2020; like a hypertrophied version of “dream sequence”; seven hours long but, strangely, it works

HIP-HOP and R&B

the S playlist: neosoul, around a core of my beloved Sade

swarm: anti-imperial hip hop, energetic raps, mostly 90s

the spell: heavy liquid R&B grooves, see also “V”

casa bey: all Yasiin Bey playlist, a favorite rapper

V : ravishingly beautiful R&B and neosoul compilation, meditation on the color violet

JAZZ:

tender one**: a tender one, brief but goes deep, around a core of Abdullah Ibrahim

make mine a double: joyous jazz, mostly from the big band era; originally compiled as a holiday mix

peace peace: a gentle sequence of repetitions, with some variations, around the tune Flamenco Sketches

solstice: assorted bop and post-bop favorites, purely instrumental

dear john, dear coltrane: Coltrane favorites

naima: obsessing over Trane’s Naima, see also the similarly repetitive “peace peace”

air miles: Miles Davis favorites

melodious uncle: Thelonious Monk favorites, each tune followed by a contemporary cover

BLACK ROOTS:

take my hand: grappling with death and loss in the African American tradition, very beautiful songs

heartline*: emotionally intense, connected to “tender one” and “lifeline”; starts with nina simone

lifeline*: similarly intense companion piece to “heartline,” but also connected to “take my hand”

go down moses*: gospel, with jazz, blues, and folk; compiled for an exhibition I curated in summer 2019; a lot of joy in this one

DID YOU GET MY LETTER?

did you get my letter? vol. 1: instrumental French baroque music; with a bit more harpsichord than its sequels

did you get my letter? vol. 2*: sequel to the above, more favorite tunes, very solo viol forward

did you get my letter? vol. 3: a third go round on the instrumental chamber music of the French baroque

NIGERIA:

one night in lasgidi*: regularly updated selection of contemporary Nigerian Afrobeats

liquid grooves of lagos**: Nigerian classics from the 60s to present, with great high life; a delightful gathering

MALI:

songs without words: an all kora compilation

kéla blue: downtempo music from Mali, mostly contemplative

ali farka touré: an homage to Ali Farka Touré

in bamako**: long compilation of Malian music, full of treasures; a definite favorite

bamako nights: in memoriam malick sidibé: Malian and Mandé music, and some American soul

GLOBAL SOUTH:

later we put some records on*: originally made to play at parties; good beautiful compilation of 50s & 60s African music, and then going farther afield from there; see also “liquid grooves of Lagos,” “les amis Chez TC,” and “excellent ingredients”

les amis chez TC*: sequel to “later we put some records on”; danceable compilations, but also really good for something simmering in the background

african ears: less focused compilation of African musics made for a public lecture

the mupandawana dancing champion: dance classics from Zimbabwe, a homage to Petina Gappah’s short story “The Mupandawana Dancing Champion”

jaama rek: hard-driving Senegalese mbalax and pop; the rhythmically most complex of my playlists

excellent ingredients: a sequel to “liquid grooves of lagos,” considering the origins of Nigerian high life; see also “later we put some records on”

beijos*: Brazilian mpb favorites, but not the usual suspects

más al sur: Malian, Cuban, and Mexican roots music meeting on the field of groove

we are free to be free: a compilation of Nitin Sawhney favorites

chicha y más: compilation of chicha made at the time of a visit to Peru; excellent tunes at the junction of campesinos and surf rock

memory of a night—were it not for: made for some friends in Brussels after a canceled trip; global groove of the 70s, strong funk influence

islamophonic incidents: assorted music from Muslim communities, from folk to rap

return from mount damavand: a homage to the beautiful sound of the Persian kamancheh; see also “songs without words”

imagined community: a diverse selection along the lines of “later we put some records on” and “les amis chez TC,” but compiled in a time when parties were no longer possible

POP/ROCK/INDIE:

I have a recurrent dream: homage to Björk, one of our great living songwriters

ao vivo: live tracks from some favorites; an imaginary perfect concert

afterglow: mid-tempo rocking, with Laura Marling at its heart; see also “clear light of july”

embers*: excellent songwriting, with strong focus on slide guitar

27 roads: compilation of Americana made around Robert Adams’s photography

ECLECTIC:

call me when you get there: slightly more energetic take on the dream playlists, but still very dreamy; see also “there is still time” and “blue books”

there is still time*: companion piece to “call me when you get there,” a gentle map of the world

take a chance: lot of drift and entropy in this one; strong nod to folk traditions worldwide; made with help from contributors

fireflies*: centered around a couple of flamenco tunes, and spinning out from there; very intentional

more light: easy listening tunes from all over the place, including some pop

perceptual: some great tunes, but frankly unfocused as a playlist

ritual for*: wintry, cold, very intense; made in a time of mourning; see also “blue books” and “_ ‘ ^ ‘ _”

headlights hoovering up the darkness: all over the place, in a good way, with some far-fetched selections

luna: easy listening tunes around the theme of the moon; see also “more light” and “clear light of july”

+: electronica and experimental vocals; at the junction of “_ ‘ ^ ‘ _ ” and “spoken lonesomeness is prophecy”

nothing to declare: compilation of pop from all over the place; fun but not focused; good to cook to, maybe

known and strange songs: unfocused compilation of music mentioned in the Known and Strange Things essay collection

clear light of july: really nice easy songs; some forever favorites here; see also “more light” and “embers”

one night in beirut: moving ballads with a global focus; compiled with friends one night in Beirut

_ ‘ ^ ‘ _*: sonic adventures, invitation to brave ears; related to “ritual for”; tightly conceived

spoken lonesomeness is prophecy: essay on where music meets the speaking voice; chorus of poetries

ON THE WAY TRILOGY:

on the way**: playlist made the moment ECM made their catalogue available; an all time favorite sequence

keeping going: a sequel to “on the way,” with a less ECM Records focus

traveling mercies: part three of this set, each of which potentially contains your new favorite song

CLASSICAL:

where we meet: this was my very first Spotify playlist; slow movements of string quartets; still bangs

sitting with you: consoling and straightforwardly gentle classical fare

ce moys de may: compilation for the month of May, with a lot of medieval tunes

allemande: my shortest playlist; some Bach solo allemandes on piano, violin, and cello

an hour of bach: three full works by Bach— a piano partita, a cello suite, and a cantata

army of shadows*: Italian baroque, and some contemporary twists; homage to Caravaggio; some really beautiful tunes

countdown: little essay in passacaglias and chaconnes

five songs by jessye norman: five favorites in memoriam Jessye Norman

the companions**: deeply melancholy and beautiful sequence, made at the news a friend was dying

courante: running sequel to “allemande”; not as successful a sequence

a singing line: the gentler and more lyrical Beethoven, with some lesser known selections

aria: the aria from the Goldberg Variations, twenty six ways; see also “peace peace”

A HISTORY OF JETLAG:

a history of jetlag 1*: these nine, as a set, are very eclectic; they were precursors in a way to the “dream” playlists; for this one, see also “dream sequence”

a history of jetlag 2: has some kinship with “the blue window”

a history of jetlag 3: arvo pärt & johannes brahms: see also “the companions” and “sitting with you”

a history of jetlag 4: classical, jazz, and songwriters in various languages; see also “blue books” and, for a more intense approach, “ritual for”

a history of jetlag 5: shifting beats and patterns*: an homage to Philip Glass

a history of jetlag 6: companion piece to “a history of jetlag 4”

a history of jetlag 7: certainly dreamy; a number of the composers here influenced by Glass

a history of jetlag 8: see also 4 and 6 in the “history of jetlag” series

a history of jetlag 9: india: brooding ragas and dhuns from India, with Partho Sarothy’s magnificent Raga Bhairav at its center