A1 MOST IMPORTANT, FIRSTLY, TIME WITH LOVED ONES, THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU.
Ahya Simone âFrostbiteâ (Pique Records)
âBlack Musicâ by Amiri Baraka (book)
Grandma Sophiaâs Cookies (music website)
Halfway Booksâ âConsidersâ series (esp. Fullamusu Bangura on Lilâ Kimâs âHard Coreâ & John Morrison on The Rootsâ âDo You Want More?!!!??!â) (books/PDF)
JWords âYear 2300â (self release)
âParable of the Sowerâ by Octavia Butler (book)
top ten ambient releases that kept me company during 2020 /////
Ambient music is very important for me. Specially this year, it has helped me in therapeautic ways, both listening and producing. Even earlier this year I released a collaboration ambient album with Manuela Vilanova on Dream Shore Tapes, it was called Sound Mirrors.
So hereâs a top ten (in no particular order) of all my favourite ambient releases that have inspired and helped me a lot during this dark times.
The Pavilion of Dreams - Harold Budd (1978)
A I A : Alien Observer - Grouper (2011)
On Vanishing Land - Mark Fisher & Justin Barton (2019)
Cluster & Eno (1977)
Requiem for a Recycled Earth - James Ferraro (2019)
I missed my co-workers.
I am lucky to work somewhere I enjoy with people who are close friends that I enjoy seeing. Having to only see them all virtually has been a real trial. I donât actually like people all that much, so this came as a surprise to me!
My wife.
Iâm a âwife guyâ so Iâm ALWAYS super into my wife, but I was happy to discover we could both be up in each otherâs business all day and live/work in the same house, without getting on one anotherâs nerves. If anything, this pandemic has brought us closer.
Iâm SO LUCKY.
I have been able to keep my job through a time of massive layoffs and record unemployment. I can pay my rent and order food so I donât have to go out and expose myself to COVID. I try to practice mindfulness all the time, but this year Iâve really been taking the time to count my blessings, even when things are super hard.
Columbo.
I discovered the classic TV show on the Peacock streaming service, where you can watch it for free. It has been a delightful source of solace to watch Columbo take down some rich asshole every night, knowing that heâll always solve the crime- and do it gently, without violence, and a sense of humor. What a gift Peter Falk was.
Jazz.
Since my Momâs death a few years back I have found myself wanting to listen to more jazz and classical music, not sure why. This year we released a jazz comp called âNew Jazz Centuryâ: https://www.adultswim.com/music/new-jazz-century and I also was super into the work of Makaya McCraven, Kassa Overall, and Joel Ross, among others.
Honey Harper.
Iâm not a super country guy, but one country record I absolutely fell in love with this year was Honey Harperâs âStarmaker.â Itâs something worth checking out if you like spaced-out mellow country vibes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q32wqWh9d4
My dogs.
I had two wonderful dogs that I got to spend every single day with, one of whom died just recently. It has been one of the few bright spots of this year to be able to spend every waking moment with my furry family members.
Books.
Books are still the greatest escape from reality ever invented. I dove in to several amazing books this year, two of note are Suzanna Clarkeâs âPiranesi,â and Victor LaValleâs amazing âThe Ballad of Black Tom,â which reinvents Lovecraft while subverting his racism in an amazing way.
Walks.
Iâm naturally a physically lazy human, but Iâve enjoyed going for walks alone or with my family to just get outside and get some fresh air during this awful year of quarantine (Iâm immunocompromised, so I canât really go anywhere).
My daughter.
Sheâs always at the center of my thoughts, but this year I am so proud of what she is doing and how she is handling herself in this pandemic. Itâs been a real joy to see her spread her wings as an adult.
10 of my favourite tracks that were not created in 2020 but I found out in 2020 /////
my reasoning behind this is⌠to either re-affirm something that may or may not be obvious â every song is kinda new when previously unheard â and that no pressure is needed to find music of now if the love for music and expression through it is eternal.
(in no order)
Cassie Kinoshi - The Future I Thought I Knew
Laraaji - Being Here
Carlos NiĂąo & Friends - Calimayan
Khruangbin - A Hymn
Dif Juz - Crosswinds
Nearly God aka Tricky - Tattoo
Meredith Monk, Allison Sniffin, Silvie Jensen, Katie Geissinger, Ellen Fisher, Ching Gonzalez, Theo Bleckmann, Sasha Bogdanowitsch - Passage
Novelist - Stay With Me
J Dilla - Jay Dee 53 - Instrumental
Dhafer Youssef - Un Soupir Eternal
some of these tracks I found, some of them I was shown by friends; shout out to Amber-Joy for showing me âCalimayanâ by Carlos NiĂąo & Friends
Mica Levi for showing me âNearly Godâ â Iâm not sure how I previously missed this project by TrickyâŚ
Part of a remarkable body of documents gathered on the AfroMarxist youtube channel, featuring a debate among some of the most brilliant African American left-wing thinkers from the 60s and 70s, on how to address the condition of social injustice
ESS Quarantine Concerts
An incredible series of online concerts, initiated by the Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago, that have run throughout the duration of the pandemic
