This month's playlist comes from a place with very few words and enough space for a massive inner world. As expressed in my latest blog post on How Instrumental Music Became a Guide To My Healing, instrumental music can have this very special way of connecting to the listener without the need for words. This can be powerful for the listener, because its only then that we can sincerely bring our full, unadulterated story to the music. Instead of pondering the meaning of the lyrics or following the story being told by an artist, we are left to explore the soundscapes and stories of our soul. It's in this space that I have been capable of exploring and healing some of the recesses of my own mind.
So tune in, turn off, drop out, drop in, switch off, switch on, and explode.
The Vibe
The Instrumentalists playlist starts with Intro by Odesza. It is the only song on the playlist with spoken word lyrics, but it's function is to introduce and describe the process of creativity in which these songs get produced.
"You take a sound. Any sound. Record it and then change its nature by a multiplicity of operations. Record it at different speeds. Play it backwards. Add it to itself over and over again. You adjust filters, echoes, acoustic qualities. You combine segments of magnetic tape. By these means and many others you can create sounds which no one has ever heard before.." Intro by Odesza From this point on we travel through upbeat, melodic songs like Jellyfish by Colin Royce, Elephant Survival by Emancipator, Smooth by Saib, and Cafe Dreamin by Will McInnis. These songs come to me when I am channeling that hyped up, in flow energy. They come into my days as I exercise, drive to work, and more specifically AT WORK IN THE TRENCHES. I can move to the beat and really drop in to my flow. After this we move into a place of mystery and not one that's easy to describe. My brain creates a visual experience that could very much be inspired by the North Forest Lights art exhibit at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, AR. Mentally and visually to me it feels like a space on the outside. I see myself walking around in the jungle or forest, exploring and experiencing the wildlife come alive all together and all at once. Songs like Time's Up by Tauk, Enchanter by The Polish Ambassadors, and Wildlands by Plantrae are good examples of just that. Following this, we shift into what is known as today's beat culture. Some call it lofi, some call it chill-hop, a lot know it from the youtube stream "lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to," with the anime girl studying. It's here we find ourselves be glistened over with jazzy chords, hip hop beats, and creative sampling. Some personal favorites are Otherside by Bace, Waterloo Escape by ommood, Dreamcatcher by Vanilla, Subprime Mortgages by NxxxxxS (funny sample in this song from Family Guy episode with Stewie Griffin high on Adderall), and the song After Dark by Sugi.Wa.
I really appreciate Hannah for the inspiration to put these monthly playlists together and to conceptualize thought processes around them in blog format. Check out what she has got in the shop or show some love! Thank ya'll for reading and listening. -Max
Where is A Mood Dude? Max has his own website up and running! Check out his latest post which further goes into detail about his relationship with instrumental music How Instrumental Music Became A Guide to my Healing