Today has been the first time in a long time that I've managed to find sufficient inspiration, strength and time to continue my little endeavor into the world of incredibly specific mood playlists.
The setlist compiling electronic music associated with textiles is still very much alive and I'm here to unpack its latest installment. Linen.
Linen is a material usually worn in the summer in hot countries. I have therefore associated it with a subgenre of electronic music that relies heavily on African drum sounds, latin lyrics and rich high-hats.
Here it is, in order.
If you've followed the three materials before this one, you might know by now that I like to tell little stories with my playlists and that they're divided into smaller sections.
Linen begins with our arrival in this hot country. It starts off calm and we can hear crickets, so we've arrived at night and we can barely see the ground in front of our feet. Akabongi by Daniel Haaksman, Spoek Mathambo, Los Bulldozer and Kapote (who provides the remix), wouldn't have made it on the list but for the guitars that kick off around the second minute. I thought it was quite a cheerful sound that fit perfectly with the start, to help everyone understand what's coming.
Pray by Trashlagoon on the other hand isn't as cheery but it does feel like a warm breeze on your face and it would be a song that I could picture myself listening to at sunrise. It only has a hint of the drums I was referring to at the beginning so it feels quieter, like the day is just starting.
Caparica by Populous signals that the sun is getting warmer. People are on the streets, there is hustle and bustle, there is chaos and strange smells surround you. You start to truly connect to the drums and you can feel invisible threads pull at your chest and force you to dance to the beat.
Things change when we get to Pa Lante by Tom & Collins, Mr. Pig, Minow and Gabsy. It has gotten a lot faster and the drums require quicker feet. We're at twilight and there is a lot of humidity, the linen starts to stick to your back as the dancing gets heated. It might be one of my favourites of the list simply because there is no way this song doesn't make you feel good.
But my favourite is without a doubt Xtasis by Nick León and Dj Babatr. It feels like the dark side of the moon but it is in fact the heart and soul of the mood I'm trying to encapsulate with the list. There is still positive energy coming from it and there are fast drums even though the sounds are slightly less organic than before. It holds the exotic essence and it has a great kick-off around the middle that just sends you spiraling into some other dimension. Ten outta ten.
The harshest song on the list is once again by CRRDR, it's Besinho and it's hard to keep up with it. The sounds are nowhere near organic anymore yet it still manages to hint at those drum arrangements we've been listening to so far. Also, the lyrics in Portuguese make us think it might just be some dodgy Brazilian number. I didn't want to get too far into this vibe so after CRRDR I softened the mood again.
Even though we're keeping the list quite chilled out, it's still night in my mind and that's what Umma represents. The song by Matt Sawyer and Everything Counts is clearly a darker energy than the first songs and it serves as a good transition between CRRDR and the African-beat-infused house music that is up next.
The purest house song on the list is Significant Others by Chaos In The CBD. It is lounge house as I like to dub it but it has the same drum sequence as the rest of the list entwined with the rest of the elements of the song. It is the heart of track and yet it remains classy and expensive. It also has this Peruvian pan flute segment that brings it all together and highlights the warmth of the song. Riu - N'Dini mix by Millok and Kingja is exactly like the previous song only with a little bit more spice to it. It's faster, groovier and is asking you once again to sway to the beat. The horn charts in the middle are excellent and it's what earned it its spot on the list. It has peak moment of the night energy.
Another one of my favourites is Ritmo del Amor by Hamza Rahimutula. The DJ manages to balance perfectly the moment in which he drops so he spends the first two and a half minutes teasing the listener. The drop isn't even that spectacular but it's enough to want to keep listening. The moment when it all comes together is as the lyrics are added in and he starts to prepare the next one.
And to finish off, we have a high-energy track, Hear My Soul by GW Harrison. We're still respecting the drum sequence that has been with us since the beginning but this one also has a soulful voice guiding us along the latin rhythms. An excellent communion of elements and a final tune to leave you wanting more which is the general feeling when your summer holidays are coming to a close.
Linen was hard to make but extremely enjoyable to listen back to back. Hopefully, the listeners will agree.
Anyways.
More materials will be up shortly.
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