It’s Been Awhile…
Haven’t done a blog post in awhile, but I’ve been listening to some really dope stuff lately so I figured I ought to share.
I have a super eclectic taste in music. I grew up playing classical music on the piano, with a few years of flute and trumpet mixed in there as well. I think learning how to play those instruments, playing with other musicians, and learning how to read music, gave me a greater appreciation for music as a whole. Whether I’ve been sad or happy or angry or heart broken or whatever, I’ve always turned to music. Maybe I was just super lonely growing up because I’m an only child but we’ll pretend that’s not the case.
My parents grew up in the 60s and 70s (and were major hippies, like my dad had long hair for like, awhile) so I grew up listening to some of the greatest rock musicians of all time. My favorites being Hendrix, Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, The Who, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, The Stones, BB King… I could go on but I won’t.
I think my parents own something like 500 CDs. There’s an entire floor to ceiling bookshelf in our house filled with them. So I guess I could blame my obsession with music on them.
My true love is house music (obviously), but on any given day you can catch me listening to anything from jazz to hip hop to indie rock to moombahton. Some of my favorite bands of the moment are Of Monsters and Men, Tame Impala, Alt J, Local Natives, The xx, Alabama Shakes, etc.
I’m also totally obsessed with hip hop and rap. I have yet to stop listening to Kendrick’s new (and old) album and I love me some 2 Chainz and A$AP Rocky as well.
So you see what I mean.
Actually, if you really want to see how widely ranging my taste is, check out some of my playlists on Spotify here.
Between my hour long commute, sitting at a desk all day, and hitting the gym after work, you will rarely find me headphone-less. Lately I’ve been super into essential mixes and podcasts, especially Diplo and Friends on BBC Radio 1, because you get an hour (or two) long mix that a DJ has specifically crafted for you. A lot of the time it’s stuff you wouldn’t necessarily hear if you saw that person live (Avicii’s mix for Diplo and Friends is a perfect example of that), but rather music that the artist enjoys themselves or is inspired by.
With all of that being said, here are some mixes I have not stopped listening to in the past few weeks, as well as a link for Araab Muzik’s new mixtape, because it’s just fucking bomb.
What all of these mixes have in common (and why I can’t stop listening to them) is that they all combine songs and sounds from different genres, to create a final product that is interesting and different, not just the 20 same electro songs every DJ is dropping in their sets right now.
Nicolas Jaar’s Essential Mix is really fucking weird (and I love every minute of it), while Mat Zo’s just makes me super happy, and Prydz’s is magical (as expected). Even Avicii’s mix on Diplo’s show is funky and fun and the exact opposite of what you would expect from Mr. Levels. One of my favorites is definitely Diplo’s “got stoned and mixed really old records for half an hour”. I mean, the guy is a legend. ENJOY!
Max Vangeli Podcast feat. DJ Bambi
Nadastrom on Diplo and Friends
Dillon Francis on Diplo and Friends
Flosstradamus on Diplo and Friends
Araab Muzik - For Professional Use Only
Diplo - Got Stoned and Mixed Really Old Records for Half an Hour
