Playlist Reviews

Whats This Playlist All About? The London DJ and producer offers an ever-expanding mix of "the music in his head," and, thankfully, it doesnt just stop at 2017.What Do You Get? Much like Averys own moody, minimalist translations of classic club sounds, this lengthy collection is all about harnessing negative space to create dark, disturbing, sometimes disorienting, alien atmospheres. As the playlist takes several celestial detours, current tracks (including selections from his own 2018 EP, Slow Fade) seamlessly mix with older classics from New Order and exotic gems like the dizzying 808 experiments from Hypnobeat.Greatest Discovery: The rare, rather inviting voice comes from Australian singer/songwriter Carla dal Forno, whose hypnotizing track "Clusters" is dark and dreamy, all while laced in a soft lo-fi buzz.Will This Playlist Ever End? Currently at 103 songs and nearly 11 hours, it does have its moments of seeming endlessness, where beats and loops refuse to cease. This may admittedly cause some slight anxiety, but theres enough transcendent bliss in between to set you at ease. In other words, the real answer to that question is: We hope not.

What’s This Playlist All About? Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl helps us keep our sanity in quarantine with 10 songs devoted to each stage and emotion we’re all likely experiencing during this unprecedented time of anxiety and isolation. He also offers a few quick words of advice: “Go wash your fucking hands.”

What You Get: The Cars kick this off with the buoyant New Wave groove “Let’s Go,” which then seamlessly flows into Madness’s horn-happy ode to the abode “Our House,” an apt song for easing into the second stage of nesting. From there, the Ahmad Jamal Quintet offer some smooth jazz to push your productivity, LCD Soundsystem forces you to move, The Art of Noise inspire some romance, and Patsy Cline sums up all the feelings in under three minutes with “Crazy,” before The Beatles help us see the light (and the sun) at the end of this scary, maddening, claustrophobic tunnel.

Strangest Pick: Grohl slips in a Yuletide gem for stage 8—panic—perhaps because a little childhood nostalgia may be our only source of comfort. “You might as well put on ‘Linus and Lucy,’ by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, make gingerbread cookies, and wait for the aliens,” he writes.

Best Foo Fighters Song to Wash Your Hands To: What Grohl doesn’t give us here is a song for the many times we find ourselves sudsed up at the sink. We’re going to go with Foo Fighters’ inspirational “Times Like These.” Go ahead, sing along: “It’s times like these you learn to live again/It’s times like these you give and give again/It’s times like these you learn to love again/It’s times like these time and time again.”

Whats This Playlist About?: In the words of musical polymath David Byrne, "I assume I dont have to explain where the shithole reference came from." This is the avid cyclist/art-pop masterminds thoughtful way of exposing some of musics brightest talents from what some people (ahem, certin presidents) deem the bleakest of locales. More from Byrne: "Heres a playlist that gives just the smallest sample of the depth and range of creativity that continues to pour out of the countries in Africa and the Caribbean… can music help us empathize with its makers?"What You Get: A whole lot of fantastically funky rhythms and sun-soaked celebrations that are undeniably infectious. Byrne starts and ends in the Caribbean, with the 60s-rock-infused Cuban pop of Los Van Van, the dizzying drums of Irakere, and the heart-pumping beats of Haitian greats like Michel Martelly. But he spends most of his time exploring the rich, rhythmic traditions of the African continent, from Mali duo Amadou & Mariams hypnotic Afro-blues to Senegalese band Orchestra Baobabs smooth Afro-Cuban grooves.Greatest Discovery: Jupiter & Okwess’ fusion of slick Congolese rhythms and sizzling psychedelic guitar, with some fresh keyboard work from Damon Albarn.Will This Inspire You to Catch the Next Flight Out to a Beautiful Shithole? For sure. And if you can’t quite do that, it will at least have you daydreaming of stunning subequatorial sunsets and crazy fun dance parties——all pleasantly far away from this D.C. shithole.

What’s This Playlist All About? The endlessly inspiring singer, songwriter, writer, actor, and cyclist offers a refreshing musical tonic for surviving the holidays that has nothing to do with the holidays. Byrne explains more about his picks here.What You Get: A whole lot of impressive musical wordsmiths and abstract thinkers, starting with world-weary, stream-of-conscious avant-garde blues from Lonnie Holley and a heady blend of hip-hop and slam poetry from Hobo Johnson. Following that is a tasty kitchen-sink blend of the “eclectic” promised in the title, from the groovy electro-art-pop of Mitski, My Brightest Diamond, and Kimbra to the eccentric Afro-Brazilian rhythms of Bixiga 70, the sultry Latin R&B of Rosalia, and the bubbly self-love pop of Carly Rae Jepsen.Greatest Discovery: The enchanting mix of classical strings and ethereal electronics of “Stretch Your Eyes” from Danish musician Agnes Obel.Should You Play This At Your Holiday Party? Only if your friends and family are very open-minded.

What’s This Playlist All About? The seasoned singer-songwriter is returning with his 11th studio album, Gold in a Brass Age, set to drop on March 8. To accompany the release, he’s posted this playlist of timeless gems, which he describes as “something bright and zesty to see us through as the days lengthen into Spring.”What You Get: A blissed-out collection of acoustic wizardry and electronic ecstasy from a largely British crop of artists, including English folk legend John Martyn with “Over the Hill” and dream-pop pioneers Cocteau Twins with “Iceblink Luck.” In between, he gets a tad more global, with Nina Simone flipping Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” on its head (according to Gray, who also says he digs her version’s “celebratory” spirit), and the Kronos Quartet with TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe taking on Fela Kuti’s rhythmic odyssey “Sorrow Tears + Blood.”Greatest Discoveries: The folky-acoustic/dreamy-electronic blend of Brighton-based artist Birkwin Jersey, who kicks off the list with the hypnotic “Sixes & Nines,” and the glistening ambient world created by London-via-Adelaide artist Inch-time.How Does This Reflect Gray’s Evolution as an Artist? On Gold in a Brass Age, expect Gray’s signature poignant songwriting, but intertwined with soft, supple electronic touches that make it all sound so very sweet and, well, fresh.

According to one account, disco was born on Valentines Day, 1970, in New York City. It certainly couldnt have come at a better time. Nixon had been president for a little over a year; the Vietnam War was dragging on, and the unrest of the 60s had settled in like a hangovers dull throb. Some groups had it worse than others: In New York, it was still illegal for two men to dance together, and while the Stonewall Riots of the previous year had helped kick a nascent gay-rights movement into gear, undercover cops were still busting gays, lesbians, and transsexuals in dimly lit bars.So you can understand why a young, bearded bohemian named David Mancuso wrote "Love Saves the Day" on invitations announcing a private party at his home, a loft in a former warehouse in a deserted corner of lower Manhattan. A little positive energy was needed. A safe space was sorely needed—space to dance, space to socialize, and space simply to be oneself. ("Love Saves the Day" might also have been a way of hinting at the mystery ingredient in the punchbowl, but what world-changing musical event hasnt come with its own social lubricant?)Mancusos private party eventually became a regular shindig, known simply as the Loft. Its trappings became legendary: the scores of multicolored balloons hugging the ceiling and bobbing along the floor; the sumptuous fruit spread; the Klipschorn speakers, so clear that listeners heard details in records theyd never noticed before. Two elements above all were paramount: the mixed crowd—a joyfully nonhierarchical sampling of sexualities, genders, ethnicities, and social classes—and the music, chosen and sequenced according to Mancusos own impeccable instincts.And while it wasnt a club, by any stretch of the imagination—for one thing, the Loft remained a members-only event, and strictly BYOB—in its focus on the music and the crowd, its attempt to carve out a refuge from the pressures of the outside world, the Loft established the blueprint for the discotheque and the modern nightclub. Thats not to say that many modern clubs live up to the example set by the Loft; most dont. (As Mancuso himself told Red Bull Music Academy in 2013, "For me the core [idea behind the Loft] is about social progress. How much social progress can there be when youre in a situation that is repressive? You wont get much social progress in a nightclub"; for Mancuso, the non-profit motive was crucial to preserving a venues liberatory potential.)Mancuso didnt call himself a DJ; he preferred to be known as a "musical host," and somewhere along the line, he even stopped blending his transitions, simply letting each song play out in full before starting the next one. But the open-mindedness of his selections helped establish disco, at least before it codified into an oonce-oonce beat, as a zone of possibility rather than a narrowly defined genre, and that message continues to resonate with DJs today. This Spotify playlist gathers more than 100 songs that Mancuso played at the Loft: deep, ecstatic funk (Wars "Me and Baby Brother," The J.B.s "Gimme Some More"), African funk (Manu Dibangos "Soul Makossa," a song Mancuso popularized), classic soul (Al Greens "Love and Happiness"), house music (Fingers Inc.s "Mystery of Love"), even folk-rock (Van Morrisons "Astral Weeks"). No playlist can replicate the way he played the music, though, juxtaposing songs to play up their lyrical themes, or building intensity as the party crept toward dawn.In Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979, Tim Lawrence asks various New York DJs who came in Mancusos wake if they had ever danced at the Loft. "Time and again," he writes, "they would describe Mancuso as their most important influence, a musical messiah who also happened to resemble Jesus Christ."That messiah died on November 14, 2016, after a protracted illness, at the age of 72. It seems a cruel irony that he should leave us now, precisely when safe spaces, both real and metaphorical, suddenly feel more necessary than ever, their survival even more precarious. His followers can only hope that love might save the day once more.

Whats This Playlist All About? Atlantas finest indie/experimental rock band have committed to curating a list of "interesting Spotify finds" every Sunday night. Perhaps their goal is to distract us from any hopes for a new Deerhunter album.What Do You Get? Since this mix changes weekly, we cant get down to specifics too much, but do expect smoky jazz from legends like John Coltrane, pleasant field recordings from far-off places, ancient instrumental song from even farther-off places, regrettably forgotten 80s art-rock, and pleasant harmonies from familial favorites like the Everly Brothers and the Carter Family.Greatest Discovery: So far, weve enjoyed dynamic jazz experiments from the George Russell Sextet ("Theme") and some calming contrabass compositions from Bertram Turetzky ("Reflections on Ives and Whittier").Is This the Best Way to Spend Your Sunday Night? Its a pretty ideal weekend unwinder, better than, say, "Netflix and chill."

What’s This Playlist All About? Everyone’s favorite animated firebrands are back to wreak havoc on Los Angeles with their second annual Demon Dayz Festival on October 20. This playlist highlights 2018’s impressive lineup, one of the year’s most interesting and diverse mini-fest rosters.What You Get: Gorillaz’s own recent jaunts through sleek synth-pop and lite-funk for their most recent album The Now Now, along with classics like “Feel Good Inc” and “Clint Eastwood.” In between, Erykah Badu’s heady soul, The Internet’s ominous trip-hop, and Ana Tijoux’s seductive Latin hip-hop fill in the extra spaces. Every Demon Dayz performer seems to embrace rhythm, soul, a touch of psychedelia, and plenty of eccentricity.Greatest Discovery: Kilo Kish’s dreamy, spacey mix of euphoric dance-pop and reflective R&B with songs like “Locket” and “Fulfillment?”Crossing Our Fingers For: Damon Albarn has been hinting at a new The Good, the Bad & the Queen album, so with legendary drummer Tony Allen on the bill, we’re hoping for a reunion with The Clash’s Paul Simonon and The Verve’s Simon Tong.

Thanks to the Dusty Rhino Camp, Tycho has become something of a fixture at Black Rock City in recent years. The San Franciscan’s gauzy, intoxicating mixes have served as the soundtrack for many a dust-covered, scarf-wrapped Burner tripping, twirling, or cycling across the Nevada desert in insect goggles. This year’s sunrise set is reflective of Tycho’s signature style as a DJ. Featuring Boards of Canada, Cubenx, Tourist, as well as a few of his own productions, it’s 72 minutes of ambient-drenched electronica and avant-rock that, while psychedelic, remains safe and comfy throughout. Beats are present, but they’re like phantoms emerging from a hazy drift only to return before assuming corporeal form. Showing off his deep knowledge of genres outside of electronic music, he closes out with a profoundly meditative slice of West Coast acid rock from L.A. hippie Jonathan Wilson. Well done, Tycho.

Whats This Playlist About? Before the release of their third album, Marble Skies, the British electro-psych-pop act compiled a mix as weird and wild as their own grooves. Or as they semi-accurately sum it up: "Booze, Broads & Barbershop Chords."What You Get: A veritable mish-mash of genres and eras, blind geniuses (Moondog) and brilliant enigmas (Prince), rap queens (Missy Elliott) and pop masterminds (The Beach Boys). Theres also old-school dancehall squeezed in beside classic trip-hop, experimental hip-hop, cheesy jazz-rock, smooth Philly soul, and Brian Enos inimitable ambient mastery.Greatest Discovery: Nuyorican Souls jazzy/Latin/house hybrid "The Nervous Track," presented in a "Ballsy Mix" by pioneering production team Masters at Work.Guiltiest Pleasure: Lipps Inc.s "Funky Town." Nuff said.Whats the Best Way to Enjoy This Playlist? At a summer barbecue, but only if you have really cool friends.