Wanderlist 343

From Ambient Dreams to Soul Medicine

There's something honest about vinyl that digital can't replicate. The ritual of placing needle to groove. The gentle crackle that reminds you music is a physical thing. The way it demands patience and presence.

This Friday, I'm sharing two hours of carefully chosen sounds that tell a story worth your attention. This isn't about showcasing rare finds or impressing anyone with obscure knowledge—it's about the quiet pleasure of discovering how different sounds speak to each other across decades and continents, creating moments of unexpected beauty.

First Hour: The Art of Contemplative Listening

We begin in stillness with Roberto Musci's "Embryonic"—a piece that asks nothing of you except presence. It's the perfect entry point for what's to come. Dictaphone and Susumu Yokota continue building this foundation, each track chosen not for cleverness but for honesty.

Yokota's "Kodomotachi" holds particular significance for me. It's one of those tracks that reveals something new each time you truly listen rather than simply hear. There's a childlike wonder in the title that matches the music's innocent complexity—pure presence over intellectual posturing.

The transition into Japanese jazz territory happens organically, the way good conversations develop. The Sinsuke Fujieda Group's "Nobody Knows" represents everything I cherish about contemporary jazz: technically accomplished yet emotionally direct, innovative without being showy. It's what happens when musicians focus on serving the music rather than themselves. This album has been on heavy rotation since its release—easily one of the best jazz records of 2025.

As we move through selections from Flock, Robohands, and the legendary Gábor Szabó, I'm reminded why I fell in love with curation. Szabó's "Song of Injured Love" still moves me deeply—proof that some emotions are universal and timeless. This is why I curate: creating space for music to breathe and for listeners to make their own discoveries.

The Sacred Midpoint: Where Magic Lives

There are moments in radio when disparate elements align in ways you never planned but somehow always hoped for. This happens around the hour mark when Rosie Lowe's intimate "Mood To Make Love" flows into Jaubi's meditative "A Sound Heart," followed by Amanda Whiting's ethereal harp work on "What Is It We Need?"

These aren't just three songs playing in sequence—they become a meditation on different forms of beauty, each artist approaching vulnerability with their own grace. It's the kind of sequence that reminds me why I prefer human curation over algorithms. A computer can match tempos and keys, but it takes a person to understand how hearts speak to each other across musical boundaries.

Second Hour: Soul Medicine and Weekend Preparation

Cleveland Eaton tries his best to keep us suspended in summer's lazy memory with "Day Dreaming," but Maxine Weldon has other plans, gently nudging us toward weekend energy with "Right On." This is where the show's arc becomes most intentional—honoring the week that was while preparing for whatever comes next.

O.V. Wright's "Let's Straighten It Out" stands as this episode's emotional centerpiece. There's something about his delivery—direct, honest, uncompromising—that cuts through decades of musical fashion to reach something essential. Rob Galbraith's "Damn It All" provides the perfect complement; it's a track I should have discovered years ago, the kind of hidden gem that makes all those hours of digging worthwhile.

We close with contemporary jazz that honors tradition without being imprisoned by it, before The Rolling Stones offer us their version of "Heaven." An unexpected choice perhaps, but sometimes the most familiar voices carry the most surprising wisdom.

In our age of instant everything and algorithm-driven discovery, there's something quietly radical about dedicating two hours to the simple act of listening. Not background music for productivity. Not something to soundtrack your workflow. Just music, vinyl, and the space between notes where meaning lives.

I'm not trying to change your world with these selections. I'm simply offering two hours of my attention to sounds that have earned my respect, in hopes they might speak to you as they've spoken to me. Sometimes that's enough.

Your ears deserve this consideration.

Listen via Mixcloud