WILTRN 05

What I’m Listening To Right Now 05

Spent the last few months cleaning up my USB drive and music libraries. These are some of the projects that I’ve added recently to help refocus. I think each really captures the direction I want to go in for the time being when mixing music.

Also tried to include where I found the selection so please do click on any links if you’re curious.

enjoy!

Resist The Groove Challenge – Level: Impossible. This is a Hip-Life album, a genre which blends Ghanaian High-Life and aspects of American Hip-Hop. I first heard about this in an interview from the Ghanaian-American Pop Artist Amaarae. She mentioned how adaptive, out-of-the-box music has always been developing within Africa and how that inspires her style now.

I’d describe Hammer like a Ghanaian Timbaland. He’s making a lot of interesting things happen with very little. The vocals and drums have a live and real airy feel to them and somehow compliment the more computerized instruments and sound effects you’ll hear song to song. The highlight, no doubt, is the MC’s though. Their rapping prowess, chants, storytelling and theatrics make this project feel like one big jam session or cypher. I always picture them in a big group just freestyling in the booth. Great vibes.

---

Fav DJ from Kenya 🇰🇪. I always admire her explorative approach to sound and mixing. Something about her selection always has this expansive and dark feel to it. She also covers a pretty wide range of Electronic and African Dance genres from Drum n Bass to Techno to Amapiano and of course a healthy dose of Kenyan Gengetone. Tune in!

---

A queer gem. I was put onto this by Australian based DJ by the name of CaucasianOpportunities. She has a really cool and casual Substack where she breaks down albums and shares playlists every week of her favorite tunes. She points out that this album confirmed to her that House music is experiencing a resurgence, and honestly I agree. There’s feelings here and in the sound that we really need right now; music for the soul.

“Close My Eyes” is the most likely stand out track but each song here is mesmerizing. The chords and synths are mellow and sweet and the breaks crisp and very danceable. Also really love the pitched vocals, they add an extra bit of humanity and vulnerability to the project.

---

Queen of underground. She plays with a lot of really cool beats based around electronic and edgy alternative music. It’s amazing how well her signature flow works with all of these beats. The pockets she hits are crazy. Glad we exist in the same timeline as her.

---

I saw this was trending amongst the TikTok youth earlier this year right before the app was supposed to disappear forever. (which I guess is still up in the air now ? ?)

Regardless, it’s a remarkably honest and reflective album from a queer black man in 1970s Britain. He reportedly gave up on music because of how pigeon-holed he felt trying to market his music at the time. I really hope he is seeing the interest and appreciation for his work all the years later. He is so much more than that Kanye feature.

---

A dark and vibey north star. It was recommended to me by my SoundCloud Discover Weekly. I’ve been trying to revamp my library/USB these last few months and this has been a refreshing reference point to help hone in on sounds I like for a world that I believe is possible.

It’s a fine tuned collection from the French label and also a good cause donating all funds from album sales to Unaccompanied Foreign Minors. As they state on their Bandcamp, it’s “A collective in solidarity with Unaccompanied Foreign Minors in Paris since 2016, the Midis du MIE provides meals, guidance and support to teenagers in exile.”

---

A Sapphic Classic. Important to mention, this came out the same year as other alternative-RnB classics like CTRL by SZA, Freudian by Daniel Caesar, Take Me Apart by Kelela, and American Teen by Khalid so it was very easy to have slipped under the radar. Projects like this I think are a reminder that there are still many gems to appreciate and rediscover from the 2010s, especially in regard to RnB.

It walks a delicate balance between heavy, industrial beats and sweet acoustic grooves, similar to her contributions on The Internet. Syd’s feathery light vocals manage to enhance that hard-and-soft experience. Very calm, very cool, very collected. Consistently one of my favorite alternative vocalists.

---

Important voice in modeling and for vogue and ballroom culture, Shaun often emphasizes how House music is less of a sound/genre and more like an experience. A feeling.

Like I mentioned before with Name It, I feel like house has a lot of emotional and spiritual importance right now. It’s always been a safe space for TLGBQ+ and marginalized joy to exist and that’s something to be shared by everybody.

---

So fresh and so fun. The drums are punctual and the overall feel is very light hearted and welcoming. Also love the cheeky pop-music/culture references like the interpolation of ‘Don’t Matter’ by Akon on “Letheka”. A good vibe.

---

One of Toronto, Canada’s many saving grace’s. She blends a lot of pop-rap/rnb sensibilities into global club and brazilian baile sounds that are representative of the areas melting pot. It’s never obsessive. As an artist and within her sound, SadBoi I think encompasses the ever growing femme centered subcultures in global club music. Stuff that’s universally appealing, hypes you up, and makes you feel like a part of something. I really like that she’s been collabing with artists like Shygirl, Nia Archives and Bambii, all of whom I’m also a big fan of.

---

more of WILTRN