Funk, disco, boogie, jazz
What to say? You don’t need another newsletter. I don’t need to be writing one.
Yet here we are.
I’ve been immensely cheered this month by the people-playing-records-at-home genre. I hope some of this works for you…
This Vinyl Factory set with Sarah Evans is particularly joyous. No show-off mixing, just choosing oddly marvellous records and playing them in a good order. “funk, disco, boogie, jazz and a touch of techno”. Infectious and comforting.
And here is Avsluta introducing some ‘introspective electronics’. It’s like having a knowledgeable pal come round and play you some music. Good house plants too, that seems to be a DJ staple.
La Fleur’s 5 Favourite B-sides is similarly splendid. Maybe this is the future of ‘music discovery’
And then there’s Nelly Cook (10-year old daughter of Fat Boy Slim) with a set of tunes that will bounce you round your bedroom. Things to note in here: a) her father cannot resist leaning in to fiddle with some controls, something that appears common to both DJs and Dads and b) Nelly’s lip syncing to Greta Thunberg. That’s cultural potency; when the 10-year olds know your speeches.
It’s a bit off topic for this list but ‘using TikTok to make ambient music’ is a must as well. It is what it says, but in a way you can’t quite imagine. Give it a look.
And finally, it’s Not Music, but I enjoyed these posters by Annie Atkins. They evoke vintageiness without being all Keep Calm And Etc. You can buy them and contribute to a good cause. Her book looks fantastic too.
That’s it. Make Your Bed!
(There are 582 of you. One more than last month! Perhaps we have plateaued and this will be our merry band forever. You can unsubscribe but you can never leave.)