Artist-Curated Playlists

When Daft Punk released Random Access Memories in 2013, they posted up two artist-curated playlists on Spotify, one from Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and the other from Thomas Bangalter. Frequently, artist-curated playlists feel like marketing artifacts, promoting the artists’ own music, or that of their crew or label mates. But both Daft Punk playlists seem genuine, reflecting something essential about the legendary duo’s tastes, and, in the process, revealing new aspects about their own music. Thomas’ playlist is probably the most useful in understanding where Daft Punk were as a group in 2013. There’s the jaunty disco of Chic’s “Good Times” and the French Touch-inspired synth pop of Phoenix, as well as a lot of tracks from Random Access Memories’ collaborators—the Neptunes, Giorgio Moroder and Panda Bear all show up. It’s a fun collection of some great (if painfully overplayed) songs, but the playlist delivers few surprises. Guy-Manuel’s playlist, on the other hand, does feel both more sprawling and idiosyncratic. From the lost ‘68 Move hit “Blackberry Way” to Juicy J’s hypnotic 2013 trap banger, “Show Out,” the playlist covers a lot of ground. It also focuses on some interesting detours in well-known catalogs, offering up a genuinely great “Casablanca” from Raekwon’s Immobilarity (the mostly overlooked follow-up to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx) and rescuing the disco honky tonk of the Rolling Stones’ “Dance (pt 1),” a deep album cut from Emotional Rescue. There are times when it feels like Guy is taking the piss out of us—Exhibit A: Phil Collins overearnest “Against All Odds”—but few playlists can make it from Rocko’s 2013 smash “U.O.E.N.O.” to Alan Vega’s “Jukebox Babe,” and Guy-Manual should be applauded for connecting a lot of dots. — Sam Chennault

In July 2017, veteran Washington State sludgemasters The Melvins unleashed their 26th album (and a double, to boot), A Walk with Love & Death. At the time of its release, we gave you a thorough introduction to their extended family; now, with his debut solo album,The Fickle Finger of Fate, out this month, drummer Dale Crover has created a special Dowsers playlist celebrating his kings of the kit.

"Heres a playlist I made of some of my favorite drummers. I left off the obvious. Theres no Bonham, Moon, Charlie, or Ringo on the list. All of these songs/drummers have had a big influence on my playing. Even though none of these songs date past the 1980s, I can still listen to them to this day and get excited. Enjoy!"—Dale Crover

1. Judas Priest, "Exciter" (Unleashed in the East version)Drummer: Les Binks

2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Little Miss Lover"Drummer: Mitch Mitchell

3. Black Flag, "Slip it In"Drummer: Bill Stevenson

4. Blondie, "Dreaming"Drummer: Clem Burke

5. The Stooges, "Dirt"Drummer: Scott Asheton

6. Gang Of Four, "Hed Send In The Army"Drummer: Hugo Burnham

7. Alice Cooper. "Public Animal #9"Drummer: Neal Smith

8. The Sweet, "Sweet FA"Drummer: Mick Tucker

9. Deep Purple, "Fireball"Drummer: Ian Paice

10. Iron Maiden, "Murders In the Rue Morgue"Drummer: Clive Burr

11. Kiss, "Parasite"Drummer: Peter Criss

12. Mountain, "Never In My Life"Drummer: Corky Laing

13. Cactus, "Evil"Drummer: Carmine Appice

14. Black Sabbath, "Turn Up The Night"Drummer: Vinnie Appice

15. Jeff Beck Group, "Shapes Of Things"Drummer: Mickey Waller

Since the late ‘90s, New Jersey trio Dälek has been pushing hip-hop into harsh, dissonant realms, and their latest album, Endangered Philosophies (Ipecac Recordings), honors their reputation for raw rhymes, bruising beats, and extreme sonics. On this playlist created specially for The Dowsers, the crew’s namesake MC salutes his fellow rap iconoclasts. “This is a collection of songs and groups that move me. It is a playlist of underground musicians who each, in their own way, have pushed the culture of hip-hop forward. What strikes me is the sheer variety of styles, sounds, and experimentation here.“I am lucky enough to have shared stages or studios with most of the musicians here. Some I only admire from afar. All of them leave me in awe of how powerful and beautiful music can be. These groups to one degree or another are, in my opinion, underappreciated.“There are a few artists that unfortunately were not available on Spotify that should be on the list: Techno Animal, B L A C K I E, The Labteks, Company Flow, and I’m sure a few others that may have slipped my mind.“Also, full disclosure: I added two of my own groups—Dälek and iconAclass—and a few tracks I produced for other artists, as I feel these all are a part of the story that this playlist paints.“This list goes back from the mid-’90s to present day. It is not in any particular order, chronological or otherwise. It was just compiled to show the depth and scope of what hip-hop music is.”—MC Dälek

Though best known as the electro-pop Pied Piper of the Baltimore underground, DIY deity Dan Deacon has also delved into modern-classical composition through commissions for Kronos Quartet and scores for ballets. His latest project marks his first full-album foray into the form—a soundtrack for Theo Anthony’s new documentary, Rat Film, an examination of the rodent infestation in their hometown and, by extension, the systemic poverty and racism that suppress the city’s underclass. For this playlist he created specially for The Dowsers, Deacon selects the film music that put him in a cinematic state of mind. “Music composed with the intention of being paired with a moving image is written with such a different mindset than music written for any other context. Being able to listen to soundtracks separate from the films allows my imagination to seep deeper into the universe of the films. For example, listening to Bernard Herrmanns themes for Taxi Driver or Jerry Goldsmith’s music for Total Recall puts me in the mindset and emotions of the characters and transports me to the locations. It adds levels of depth that further my enjoyment for subsequent re-watchings of the films. This playlist contains some of my favorite music for films available on Spotify.”—Dan Deacon

This playlist was curated by Soft as Snow. Like what you hear? Subscribe to the playlist here, and check out their music here. And be sure to pick up their upcoming album, Deep Wave.Since its inception five years ago, the Houndstooth label has quickly emerged as one of the leading lights of progressive, experimental electronic music. From Marquis Hawkes to Guy Andrews, the musicians on the label have consistently privileged artistry and innovation, and they continue to push boundaries. The label also oversaw the emergence of immensely talented Call Super, who would go on to become one of this generations more acclaimed new electronic musicians. To celebrate five years releasing electronic music, Houndstooth are delighted to offer a free 15 track compilation Hound5tooth, available here.The Norwegian-born, Berlin-based duo Soft as Snow are one of the Houndstooth’s stand-out acts. Their sound mingles the more gothic-tinged edges of post-punk with liberal swaths of classic Detroit techno and a splash of glitch. The result is a sound that is foreboding and mercurial. The group recently got together to capture some of their favorite synth classics. The playlist is titled “Dark ‘80s Synth Pop,” though most of the tracks are taken from their contemporaries in the synth trenches.

L.A. singer and genuine son-of-a-preacher-man DAVIE has lent his golden voice to recordings by Childish Gambino and CeeLo Green, among others. But he’s recently stepped out on his own with his debut EP, Black Gospel Vol. 1, a modern update of church-schooled soul and smooth ‘70s R&B epitomized by the swaggering lead single “Testify.” For The Dowsers, he’s created “a soulful playlist for your ears and your heart.”Emily King, “Distance”This song is the most beautiful rhythmic whisper. Her voice is soothing and percussive at the same time.Prince, “Darling Nikki”I remember wondering about Nikki "not feeling well" when I first heard this as a kid—and then I realized as an adult it’s about SEXXXXXXX. I love the record and Prince’s seductive delivery.James Brown, “Papas Got A Brand New Bag”Feeling overwhelmed? Dance in your underwear to this song. Problem solved!Jazmine Sullivan, “Lions, Tigers & Bears”This song is so clever and the vocal performance is unmatched! Jazmine is R&B royalty to me.Beyoncé, “Jealous” This is a Beyoncé B-side to the world, but it is such a great song of human struggle with jealousy. The bridge is so simple, but takes the song into a different direction and the song becomes about being insecure.Stevie Wonder, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)”This the classic for every celebratory moment in my existence.N.E.R.D., “Provider”This song was my introduction to my hero Pharrell. He was like “we are punk, hip-hop, and rock all at once.” It was unapologetic and I watched TRL because I wanted to be like him in this video, riding the bike with the homies.”Tyler, the Creator, “911 / Mr. Lonely” The Frank and Tyler combo forever!Daniel Caesar, “We Find Love” Issa vibe.Sabrina Claudio, “Confidently Lost”Her voice is sexy, she is bae. I love the cadence in her falsetto—it’s seductive but angelic at the same time. Weird eh?The Clark Sisters, “You Brought the Sunshine” First song these ears ever heard. I learned how to sing and do every riff in the back of my parents’ car.Lauryn Hill, “Ex-Factor”Best song about false expectations towards an ex. Why didn’t they? Why don’t they still care? Also: Lauryn is the GOAT.Frank Ocean, “Bad Religion” Frank’s Channel Orange is the closest thing we have gotten to full body of work like The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. “Bad Religion” is layered with so much heaviness. Each line could mean four things to the listener.Chris Stapleton, “I Was Wrong”I challenge any contemporary R&B singer to sing as good Chris Stapleton. They cant! Soul is blind to color—this is country, but soooo soulful. His runs are straight-up from the school of Aretha.OutKast, “Rosa Parks”First OutKast song I ever heard. I wanted to learn all the words to it, and I would sneak and watch TRL and write down the words so I could impress my friends at school.Kamasi Washington, “Henrietta Our Hero”This song is heavenly.Aaliyah, “At Your Best (You Are Love)” This song is so pure and beautiful. I love Aaliyah—this is her best song in my opinion. It lives on and still sounds so fresh and relevant.Missy Elliott, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”This video is everything! Missy is the ultimate hip-hop entertainer. This song introduced me to Timbaland’s production and I was hooked.Kanye West, “Cant Tell Me Nothing” This is Kanye at his best, being honest. My favorite line is “and what I do/ act more stupidly."DAngelo, “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” Sexxxxy time song.

Wats This Playlist All About? The masked mouse crusader shares an ever-changing, ever-expanding mix of "songs n stuff," which has been getting a heavy update in the days before the March 30 release of his new collaborative album, Wheres the Drop?, an orchestral rendering of his electronic works with help from composer Gregory Reveret.

What You Get: A heady, head-bopping, nearly 10-hour mix of slick, silvery progressive house and minimal techno—much of it atmospherically suitable for a futuristic sci-fi blockbuster or a sweat-soaked trip in an exotic, lavish club. Dreamy or robotic voices float through on occasion, but mostly its a study on dance music at the intersection of melodic and hypnotic. In other words, its a good way for you to get out of your head and for our keen curator to slip in some of his sounds and those on his mau5trap label.

Greatest Discovery: The stabbing metallic beats and slippery grooves of "Machines" by Bulgarian DJ and producer Gallya, a newcomer on the mau5trap roster.

Does This Prove the Death of EDM? Always a mouthy one—especially when it comes to his own mode of moneymaking—Deadmau5 was once quoted as saying that EDM will "eventually fuck itself so hard." He also tweeted, "I fucking hate fucking EDM." Ok, we get the message. We wont call this EDM. Its just a solid mix of electronic "songs n stuff."

Since 2012, L.A.-via-Brooklyn imprint felte has been shining a light on the dark, dissonant end of the indie-rock spectrum. This week, label linchpins Odonis Odonis and Chasms (pictured) wrap up the felte Presents: Everything Is Going According To Plan tour with shows in Portland (Dec. 6), Seattle (Dec. 7), and Vancouver (Dec. 8). Here, label founder Jeff Owens reveals the artists that have shaped feltes non-conformist ethos. "The bands on this playlist are by no means the only acts that have been inspirations for the label, but are ones that I have listened to on a consistent basis and have impacted our decision-making beyond words."—Jeff Owens, feltePhoto: Jess Garten

Dennis Lyxzén is the lead singer of post-hardcore heroes Refused, mod-rock revolutionaries The (International) Noise Conspiracy, punk thrashers AC4, and currently, the shadowy post-punk outfit INVSN (who are currently touring North America in support of their latest album, The Beautiful Stories). Dennis created this playing specially for The Dowsers—here, he explains the concept behind it.Growing up in the north of Sweden as a working-class kid there are certain elements of American culture that fascinate and enthrall. Lana Del Rey sings about the real underclass of the USA—not the hard-working people that Bruce sings about, but the real freaks and misfits and about a darkness inherited in the culture. A world filled with sex and drugs and violence with a language of alienation and despair. Under the glamour and glitz, there’s a darkness and depth that give way to a more nuanced picture of America.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StlsK9chYQ0"Love" is, granted, one of her more hopeful and optimistic songs even though it is still filled with longing and a sense of disconnect. To celebrate the release of our cover version—and to try and position Lana Del Rey as a part of a fine musical tradition—INVSN gives you 19 songs from the American Underbelly.1. Townes Van Zandt, "Waiting Around to Die" (1968)The true outsider and part of the outlaw western tradition. Townes claims this is the first song he ever wrote. A song about gamblers and thieves and liars. One of the most haunting songs about human despair ever written.2. The Velvet Underground, "Candy Says" (1969)In a time of peace and love and bubblegum pop, The Velvet Underground wrote songs about sex and drugs and violence. But not speculative or cynical. It always just seemed like stories about their lives. Lou Reed kept singing about the outcasts and the junkies until he died.3. Tom Waits, "Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis" (1978)Tom Waits needs little introduction. Balancing on the edge of the absurd and the dark, but still a mainstay in American music. His songs and stories always touch on the tragic, on the fates of people that never get songs written about them. Beautiful and sad and scary.4. Nico, "Vegas" (1981)Once a part of The Velvet Underground, Nico was the embodiment of everything they sang about. She was a tragic but fascinating figure. She wrote music and songs like no one else, and lived life like her songs.5. T.S.O.L., "Code Blue" (1981)Even by punk standards, TSOL were an anomaly. Weird surfers that exploded with violence and cross-dressing. They were grave robbers and, by any standards, frightening and real. Sure. a song about necrophilia might be goofy, and it would definitely not fly in 2017, but it’s something different and it’s a representation of a fixation with everything extreme and forbidden.6. The Gun Club, "The House On Highland Ave." (1983)The Gun Club took punk and added blues and gospel and country music. They wrote songs about death and murder and drugs and Jeffrey Lee Pierce was tortured soul in the true sense of the term. This song about hope and murder is one of the greatest songs ever written about said subjects.7. Christian Death, "Awake At the Wall" (1984)Goth and all of its glorious darkness never made as big an impact in America as it did in Europe. The biggest goth bands were always imports. Christian Death was, of course, a golden exception to this. Filled with death and darkness and anguish and despair, they made some true American classics.8. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, "Tupelo" (1985)Nick Cave might be Australian, but few people have delved deeper into American culture. His early recordings are filled with so much violence, and are steeped in a language stolen from the blues and the gospel.9. Sonic Youth, "Death Valley 69" (1985)Sonic Youth came armed with equal parts punk and art-school sensibility. Inspired by Manson and Madonna, they set about to become a staple of American alternative culture. Even with their most successful albums, the darkness was never far away. (The Raymond Pettibon artwork for Goo was inspired by the Moors Murders of the 1960s.)10. Dead Moon, "Dead Moon Night" (1989)Few bands have symbolized the American underground as well as Dead Moon. Always the outsiders, always freaks, and always autonomous to a default. Dark brooding songs that channel outlaw country and Delta blues but with a punk edge. Dead Moon are truly an institution of the American Underbelly.11. Pain Teens, "Bondage" (1991)Pain Teens were on the fringes of the punk scene in Texas. Using tape manipulation and sampling, they become more of an experimental noise unit, singing about sex and murder and trying to push the envelope both musically and thematically.12. Lustmord, "Ixaxaar" (1992)Lustmord came to prominence in the early 80s with heavy ambient industrial music rooted in the tradition of everything extreme: mass-murder, death, religion, and the usual subjects. Over the years, his music has become more contemplative, but it’s still very much a part of something different from the ordinary. With an album called The Monstrous Soul, how can you really expect anything else?13. Diamanda Galas, "The Thrill is Gone" (1998)With a voice that has been called the most unnerving, vocal terror Diamanda has haunted us with music about death and religion and darkness like few others.14. PJ Harvey, "The Whores Hustle and The Hustler Whores" (2000)PJ has always had a knack for telling stories about human suffering and alienation. From the streets of NYC to Palestinian refugee camps, the stories are real and bleak. This song from Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea is a portrait of the underclass and the conditions of life that they have to endure.15. Morrissey, "First Of the Gang To Die" (2004)Morrissey is, of course, a Brit in exile. And as much and American has embraced his Britishness, he has also embraced his new home. This song about gang-culture in Los Angeles is both beautiful and sad, and talks about an undercurrent of American violence that dictates the life of the underclass. A true masterpiece.16. Chelsea Wolfe, "Wasteland" (2011)Chelsea Wolfe has worked hard the past 10 years and carved out a nice niche as the new queen of darkness. With heavy gothic themes and album titles like Pain Is Beauty, she is carrying the tradition of American darkness onwards with her own sound.17. Crime And The City Solution, "American Twilight" (2013)From Australia to Berlin to London to, finally, Detroit, Simon Bonney has immersed himself in American culture so much that he made some fantastic Americana records as a solo artist in the 90s. With lyrics about the homeless and junkies and about despair and darkness, "American Twilight" is a fantastic testimony of the American Underbelly.18. Lana Del Rey, "Ultraviolence" (2014)The reason we are here and the reason we are making this list in the first place. No real explanation needed. A beautiful and haunting song about love and violence. Stealing lines from The Crystals and singing about cult leaders, Lana continues the tradition of American darkness with fine form.19. Marilyn Manson, "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge" (2015)Marilyn Manson is one of the most American artists of all time. The bastard child of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson, and a true representation of the opposite poles of a culture of glamour and violence. Drugs and sex and death have filled his songs and life for the past 25 years, making him a true institution of American culture. Here’s a song from his latest record that shows there’s no sign of him slowing down.

L.A.-based Composer, musician, and sound designer Benjamin Wynn has some unique credits to his name, but its his work as electronic artist Deru that has most made the greatest impact. Over the course of five studio albums as well as several singles, collaborations, and remixes on such well-loved electronic labels as Mush, Merck, Ghostly International, and Mille Plateaux, Deru has established a sonic palette that draws from ambient, IDM, glitch, classic film scores, and more to create soundscapes that flicker from tense to haunted to hopeful. To accompany and unpack latest Deru album Torn in Two, Wynn has created this visual playlist. Wynn says: "Torn In Two deals with some of the frustration, anger, and disassociation that I’ve been feeling lately. It explores these feelings and also attempts to gain some perspective on them. One way that I aimed to gain some perspective was by viewing the earth from above while looking down. I did this both in my imagination and also later by capturing drone footage for the 3 videos for the project. Looking down from above had the effect of distancing myself from individual human emotions and allowed me to see societies on a larger scale. It also allowed me to think about our place in history, and where we might be going in the future."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIe9p7tslpg&list=PLe-o8Hf-lfnXWL3LHBoKGw4MjHo15Ywqw