POTW (2019/37): Dreamy Cinematic and Ambient

This week’s playlist of the week, Dreamy Cinematic and Ambient, is just what the doctor ordered after a monster-shaped week. It was my first week in a new temporary day-job, trying to learn the ropes. I was not feeling well, and plumbers were replacing the central heating system in the house where I was staying. (Following their work, there is now a working shower as well, which is my favourite part of last week!)

I’ve taken the job because my income as a musician falls woefully short of paying even my basic bills currently. Let me be very clear: I am not giving up making music (I couldn’t if I tried). But it will do wonders for my stress levels to know that I am earning enough to cover my bills.

Our playlist this week is a collection of pieces curated by Andy Salvanos (he of the Chapman Stick). It is one of the most relaxing sets of music I’ve played in a while. It will take best part of a day to play it, so expect to feel really chilled by the end. (That’s always assuming you haven’t dropped off in the meantime). This playlist would actually work quite well for sleeping music. I managed to stay awake all the way through this time, though!

Stand-out tracks

The talent represented in this playlist is phenomenal. Max Richter, Hans Zimmer, Pat Metheny, Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm… Just to mention a few of the best known artists – and the list goes on.

The stand-out tracks for me included Salt of the Sound’s Deep Peace, and Armstrong’s The Noetic Quality. Deep Peace is unusual tracks for this list as it features a female vocal, whereas most tracks are instrumentals. The Noetic Quality is a gentle percussive track with ringing marimba and xylophone over synth washes. It has a repeated theme that slowly morphs into forms that are different, yet the same. Two other tracks that grabbed my attention were Maneli Jamal’s Floating and Kirsten Agresta Copely’s Onde. Floating is a beautifully recorded, layered, echoing guitar piece, and Onde is a lovely harp piece with Celtic vibes. Both fit their names very well.

Dreamy, Cinematic and Ambient playlist, curated by Andy Salvanos

Duration: 6h 38min, 106 songs

Rating: U – nothing to be scared of.

Ideal for: Focussed study, destressing, and/or quiet evenings in.

POTW (2019/36): Acoustic Artists

Jürg Kindle is the curator responsible for this week’s Playlist of the Week, Acoustic Artists. I’m going to be honest with you and admit upfront that I haven’t been able to listen to the whole playlist this time, because it’s 8h long. (I forgot to check the length before I selected it and started listening.) I’m starting writing this at about the half-way point, just after I looked to see if I’d got to the end because the music had stopped and realised the pitfall I’d set for myself!

This is the kind of playlist that your Mum will love. (Assuming your Mum is of a certain age and isn’t a punk-rocker… If she’s more the rock-chic type, you’ll be better to play this one when she’s around, instead!).

There’s a broad range of quite gentle music in this list, from classical pieces and instrumental cover song versions from purely acoustic artists, to soft rock, country and songs with orchestral backings. There are even some tracks that are really electronica, but which fit the soothing acoustic vibe.

The list’s curator, Jürg Kindle, is a musician himself. (If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, that won’t really be a surprise, there’s been a bit of a theme, hasn’t there?) Jürg composes for guitar and mandolin, and for ensembles of the instruments up to guitar or mandolin orchestra size. Some of his pieces are used as compulsory pieces in competitions. There are several pieces that he composed and played in this playlist, so you’ll hear some examples of his work.

Jürg plays an impressive range of chordophones himself, several of which I hadn’t even heard of before, plus drums and percussion. He says that his guitar pieces express his inner drummer because they can be quite percussive. (Ok, so I know you’re curious about the chordophones! Jurg plays saz, chiftelia, bouzouki, mandolin, bandolim, cavaquinho, 12-string guitar, soprano guitar, quint and quart contrabass guitars).

Duration: 8h 35min, 140 songs.

Rating: PG – No songs labelled as ‘explicit’, but some more sensitive parents might consider some lyrics unsuitable.

Ideal for: playing all day in a café setting.

POTW (2019/30): Mellow Indietronica

I found this week’s playlist of the week, Mellow Indietronica, randomly via Reddit. I can’t tell you anything about the curator, other than that they make a lot of electronica playlists.

Mellow Electronica

Not to worry, let’s talk about the music! This is mostly mellow electronica from artists with labels regarded as ‘independent’ (as if you couldn’t guess from the title). Guitars are not absent, but are secondary to the synths. The beats propel these tracks along and I’m feeling quite motivated listening. (Yes folks, I have even, finally, defrosted the freezer between listens. Don’t fall off your chair!) Without actually counting, I’d guess that 80% to 90% of the artists on this list were unfamiliar to me; the ones I already know fall mainly under the triphop banner, with the odd exception like Aphex Twin. (I’m probably showing my ignorance of the club scene here; there are some well-followed artists amongst the ones I don’t recognise.)

Goldilocks Zone

This playlist has found something of a Goldilocks zone, with music that’s not too fast or too slow, not too heavy or light, not too energetic or sleepy. Music that boosts your mood and helps you get things done. Or that you could play at a party where you want to be able to talk to your guests above the noise. Many of the tracks are danceable: Digitalism’s Utopia, Soulwax’s Close to Paradise and This Mystic Morning (Dub) by The Darkside with its Madchester-style vibes being just a few examples. Another remarkable thing about this list is that, while only a handful of artists appear more than once, it sounds very coherent. (I have my suspicions that the curator is some sort of DJ).

Warp Factor 5

There’s an audible early ’90s ‘Warp factor’ – the influence of Warp Records, that is. A certain quirkiness and originality gives their presence away. It’s hardly surprising when you consider that a number of the artists represented have been through Warp or a subsidiary label. And let’s face it, what electronic artist isn’t to some extent influenced by the iconic label’s back-catalogue?

Duration: 14h 28min, 163 songs

Rating: PG. The curator has produced a playlist that’s almost completely clear of ‘explicit’ labelled tracks. There were lyrics I didn’t catch, though, and not all artists and labels label their tracks accurately.

Perfect for: study or work, if you don’t find the tempo a little too fast. Otherwise, this playlist is a good all-rounder that you could use to motivate you or as background noise for your party.

POTW (2019/27): Stress-Free Zone

I chose Susan Moss’s Stress-Free Zone as this week’s Playlist of the Week. Who doesn’t want to be stress-free, after all? I’ve shared a few of Susan’s playlists before – the most recent being her excellent Eclectic Female Fusion playlist. (Susan is a musician herself: if you’d like to find out more about her and her own music, a good place to start is her Moondreams Music website.)

I set Stress-Free Zone to play whilst I read a few articles on the interwebs and then got a bit lost in the rabbit holes of Twitter. It was a good playlist for this, as the music here is generally gentle and unobtrusive, soothing even. Most of the playlist is instrumental, in meditative through to ambient styles, but there are also a small number of songs with lyrics. Although the style of the music in this playlist is a tad more sentimental in a few places than my personal taste, I was lulled into a sense of timelessness; a span of nearly two hours vaporised before I knew it.

Some of the stand out tracks for me were Jim Sande’s ambient track Diamant, and Crows Labyrinth’s Heliograph, neither of which should be played anywhere power tools are operated, as well as Enriclinaire’s haunting Thanks Pat.

I’d say this is an ideal playlist for reading fiction or studying, provided that you are not someone who will get distracted by there being a few songs with lyrics. You could spend your nearly-two-hours quite productively, if you choose, as it gives you the space to focus in deeply, whilst helping to put your mind in a state of flow.

Duration: 1h 45min, 25 tracks.

Rating: U (suitable for all listeners).

POTW (2019/26): Long Afternoons

I’m shocked! We’re already half way through this year’s playlists. It doesn’t seem all that long ago I was writing the first few entries. Michelle Qureshi joins us again as this week’s curator, with her fantastic relaxation playlist, Long Afternoons. (You can check out her Yoga Chill playlist here.)

Almost as soon as the opening track by Stars of the Lid began, I could feel a wave of sleep catching up with me. Now I am typing this yawning my head off, about 20 minutes in. (My excuse: it’s late and it has been a busy day).

I would recommend this playlist for siestas or late night pre-sleep listening, or to accompany slow food with slow music. It would also work well in a spa or massage setting if that’s your thing.

[Pauses for sleep before resuming writing…]

With the aid of tea and toast smothered with marmalade I managed to keep awake and listening for about another hour. After that I resurfaced several times with the playlist still going next to my pillow. As a relaxation playlist it definitely works.

One stand-out track for me before I got too drowsy was the melancholically beautiful collaboration Renewal between Al Jewer, Andy Mitran and Michelle Qureshi. There was also Max Richter’s Dream 8 (Late and Soon) which was beautiful and irritating in equal measure; I couldn’t decide which side I was going to fall on. The last track that I remember noticing before I drifted away was Tiempo from Lionel Scardino, a solemnly evocative piano based piece with atmospheric synths and beats.

Duration: 3h 53min, 33 tracks.

Rating: U (suitable for all listeners).

POTW (2019/22): Instrumental imaginaries and Atmospheric Architects

This week’s playlist of the week is Instrumental imaginaries and Atmospheric Architects. It’s a wonderfully varied relaxing playlist that journeys across genres and is all instrumental, as the title indicates. It takes in classic rock, disco, funk, classical, folk, psychedelic, epic and ambient styles – amongst others! A constant is the high quality of the tracks selected and how they conjure up images in your imagination. Artists featured range from household names like Jamiroquai and Jean-Michel Jarre to the relatively obscure and label-free.

Mat Champney of The Mighty Fallen is the curator; he also curated another recent POTW: Silent River. (There’s a little about the band in that article, and you can also hear one of their tracks in this playlist).

I found this particular playlist rather immersive. It’s one you might prefer to actively listen to, without attempting to concentrate on something else at the same time. (It works quite well for that, too, though.) I did find myself just disappearing into the music at times and floating off somewhere remote in my mind.

Duration: 3h 56min ; 57 songs

Rating: U, fit for all listeners. Whilst I wouldn’t expect that to change, this being a relaxing instrumental playlist and all, if you are at all concerned about explicit content, put the filter on. Then you won’t need to worry about dubious lyrics appearing while eg your mum is within earshot!

POTW (2019/20): Soft Calm

This week, we have Soft Calm, curated by singer-songwriter Barry McLoughlin as our Playlist of the Week. I’ve featured two of Barry’s playlists before – his Acoustic Treasures and Winter Wanderer playlists, and there’s a bit more about him in the first of those two articles.

Soft calm is a collection of songs that are gentle on the ears. Moving between jazzy, cool, spacey and just plain beautiful sounds, this is a really lovely relaxing listening experience that can just as easily be used as background music for all-day work, creativity or reading.

Duration: 11h / 179 songs.

NB: I listen with Spotify’s ‘explicit’ song filter switched on. There are a few tracks labelled explicit on this list, but I haven’t heard them! If those tracks are likely to bother you, please make sure you have the filter switched on in your own account before listening.

POTW (2019/19): Making Waves

This week’s playlist of the week is Making Waves, courtesy of Skyline Tigers, a fab singer, songwriter and producer who also features in the playlist. Making Waves has been on my schedule of playlists to review for quite a while – I must have first heard it late last year.

A moody, grey sea and a grey-blue sky. Waves are crashing towards you, one of the Farne Islands is in the distance behind the last wave.

POTW is a few days late this week as I got ‘kidnapped’ to some beautiful places on the Northumbria coast by some lovely people from my church for the Bank Holiday weekend. I returned to a backlog of stuff-to-do, some of it related to taking excessive numbers of photos while away. (Also see my post on Overwhelm – I still haven’t got anywhere near being through everything I was trying to do that week!). Yeah, I know, excuses, excuses. Will try to do better next week.

Anyway, the playlist has been my companion today for a serious clear-up of my kitchen (it needed it, believe you me). The tone is chilled, but not the sleepy kind, as there are driving beats at times, and there are songs peppered throughout, which provide more focus. There are 80s overtones at times, but not overdone. A couple of favourite tracks from today’s listen: Skyway Meadows from Nicky Havey, a drum and bass piece that’s gentle for the genre, and Skyline Tigers’ own track Home (Wane of Summer Remix). Or her track Moonlight Sea, which has hip hop tendencies, eastern overtones and almost demands you start dancing around in time to it. (Or is that just me? The comments section is there for a reason…)

Do please show Skyline Tigers lots of love as she’s been going through a rough time lately with a major illness and is now recovering. She was still supporting other indie artists while she was in the thick of it, which is pretty hardcore in my book. Major respect!

POTW (2019/18): Instrumental Chill Out Gems

This week, our Playlist of the Week is Jon Magnusson’s Instrumental Chill Out Gems.

I’ve featured some of Jon Magnusson’s playlists in the past, as he is the artist who started the ‘Monster Thread’ movement which started with The Monster Thread playlist and developed into a platform for indie artists to support each other, collaborate and share knowledge of the industry so we can all benefit from each other’s experience. (For more about Jon, read post on The Monster Thread).

This is another playlist that does what it says. Instrumental Chill Out Gems starts out with Chet Atkins’s Maybelle, a folky guitar piece with a hill-billy ragtime flavour, then moves into modern classical piano territory with Yiruma’s River Flows in You, before featuring independent artists like Tommy Berre, Kip LaVie and some of Jon Magnusson’s own guitar-based pieces.

This collection of pieces frequently features solo acoustic guitars and pianos, and would be perfect for waiting rooms or reading, as it is very calm, without being particularly sleep-inducing. (It’s probably still too calm for playing behind the wheel, though). There are also laid back rock pieces, jazz, downtempo electronica and ambient tracks, plus an occasional foray into epic orchestral music.

Duration: 87 songs, 5h 10min. (Subject to change, of course).

Rating: PG. I would have rated this as U, were it not for the inclusion of Alessandros Kilias’s piece ‘My Idea’, which has some spoken samples from the film The Indestructible Man, including the threat ‘I’m going to kill you’, which I imagine may not be suitable for very small children.

POTW (2019/16): Nighttime Ambient Textures

Our Playlist of the Week (#POTW) this week is Nighttime Ambient Textures from Matt C White, a guitar-wielding, drumming, piano-tinkling multi-instrumentalist from North Carolina, now living in New York.

The range of creative projects Matt is involved with is impressive, from graphic design and photography through to multiple musical identities, to assisting running the Sonder House record label. Matt’s musical range spans hard rock (in his bands Dead Seconds and Grandpa Jack), tranquil piano instrumentals (under the moniker Blue Fold), ambient electronica and classical guitar (as Realizer) and bluesy folk (under his own name). Several of those projects – I think you can guess which ones – can be heard on this exquisite playlist full of gentle ambient textures, acoustic sounds and calm electronica.

The full name of this playlist is Nighttime Ambient Textures (Reading, Sleeping, Driving). Now, I’d thoroughly recommend listening to this while reading or for falling asleep to, but under no circumstances would I play this in a moving car! Within a few bars, I could feel my eyelids starting to droop. This is beautiful, slow music for doing slow things – or not doing anything at all, but not for anything that requires 100% alertness. Pray, meditate, write, craft or just doze off, but please don’t play this if you’re behind the wheel or operating any other kind of hazardous machinery!

Rating: U – suitable for all listeners.