ayiyi FM | 005

It's been a lovely spring in Seattle this year, by far the sunniest since moving here in early 2022. With the warmer temperatures, my desire to simply be outside when the sun appears has returned in full force. There's nothing I love more than spending an afternoon outside with friends, connecting, watching the breeze dance through the trees, and savoring the moment. This playlist features mostly instrumental songs with just enough bounce and rhythm. The tracks are prefect for alternating between focused listening and drifting into conversation as each song progresses and evolves.

The playlist opens with "Dartmoor National Park" by Dal, one of my favorites from their latest album which I'd wholeheartedly recommend experiencing in its entirety. This connects to something I've been intentionally trying to do more in my day-to-day listening, experiencing albums as complete works.

I grew up listening to CDs, but around age 7 was introduced to the iPod shuffle. It's remarkable how much influence a single product can have on our relationship with music.  Yes, not all tracks on an album might be your favorite, sound like your favorite, or even make sense to you initially. But that's precisely the point. When listening to a full album, you're not in control, the artist is.

In our modern technological landscape, we're constantly presented with content (music, words, images, videos) that we already like or that algorithms think we'll enjoy. This approach deprives us of new experiences and ideas, only reinforcing our existing preferences and narrowing our connective tissue rather than expanding it. Okay, thats enough ranting.

The way that Thievery Corporation can transport me to so many different places with their music amazes me.  Each of their albums stands distinct from its predecessors while somehow maintaining the core essence of their signature sound. Bario Alto was a more recent discovery in their rich discography. It's somewhat of a hidden gem on its album and a track I might never have encountered had I been skipping through singles or relying on algorithm-generated playlists. 

And yes, I still listen to algorithm-generated playlists. I think there is a time and place for them. Sometimes I don't want to pick an album but I know I want to listen to a specific genre, uninterrupted for hours. I've discovered many new artists and some great songs that way. But that can't be the only way. I don't want to relinquish control of what music I consume to some code written by a software engineer. I get that statistically, I'll probably like the songs they play, but music is so much more than that. And artists deserve so much more than that too.

So what can we do about it? Dip deep into your favorite artists, what music do they listen to? You can probably find them talk about it in some interview on youtube. If they're a smaller artist, maybe just ask them! Ask your friends, they definitely know you better than a computer. I've found a lot of new music by coming early to shows and watching the openers. Their opening for your favorite band for a reason. End rant.