Working in the festival industry means I’m constantly in contact with different music. I grew up in LA when everyone from Guns N’ Roses to Nirvana to NWA were popular – I was part of the MTV generation, so I had access to all these different genres. Then my family relocated to Hastings, so I got massively into British rave culture in my mid-teens. My Lebanese heritage also means I have a huge appreciation for Middle Eastern melodies, too, and I plug into lots of radio stations worldwide regularly, like Triple J in Australia or the Parisian station Fip. So, all in all, I would say my tastes are pretty broad: I’m as at home listening to dance music as I am to lo-fi guitar bands or a Hans Zimmer soundtrack.
Before I decided to give this challenge a go, I’d already checked in with my Discover Weekly playlists a couple of times with the aim of using them as a way to find new artists I might have missed or delving into the vaults a bit. This week’s selection was really interesting: although I already knew Nathan Fake, his ambient electronica is the perfect soundtrack for my post-Latitude downtime. I also really liked the Kieran Leonard tune. I’m a big fan of Father John Misty and Leonard is kind of a protege of his from this side of the pond, so it’s interesting to see how the algorithm deduced that I’d appreciate his strange but brilliantly inventive music.
I’d say my highlight was probably Kelsey Lu, though. She’s an American cellist who has this really expansive, experimental sound – it’s not necessarily what you might expect from a classically-trained artist, but she’s obviously ripped up the rulebook a bit and I see she’s collaborated with Blood Orange. Actually, a second highlight would be Katrine Stochholm, who is a Danish artist I reckon came recommended because I’ve been listening to so much Let’s Eat Grandma lately; she was similarly stripped back and experimental, but also soothing.
There was a good amount and variety of electronic music on the playlist that I’ll probably be listening to on my upcoming holiday to Croatia – from Factory Floor, which is post-industrial and very retro-inspired, to Liima, which is a cool new Danish outfit from the guys behind the Efterklang collective. The only thing I wasn’t hugely keen on was the Kaytranada track featuring Little Dragon. I like it as a piece of music, but I did think it was perhaps a bit too house for this selection. Perhaps with another batch it would’ve gelled a bit better! Next week, maybe?
As I head off on my break, the playlist has definitely given me lots of solid suggestions for my playlist for Loki Lillistone to include alongside some things I’ve already got earmarked for the journey, like the Whitney album, which is real radio-friendly Americana – I’m sure Loki would enjoy it. I would’ve probably liked a few similar tracks on my Discover Weekly, as well as some soul or Motown, but that’s kind of the fun of it: you never know quite what you’re going to get.
Spotify user? See what’s in your Discover Weekly playlist