Wanderlist 323
Traversing Time and Tone: A Sonic Expedition
Every Friday evening, as the workweek exhales its final breath, I find myself seated before a mixing console, surrounded by stacks of vinyl and digital files, ready to chart a course through musical territories both familiar and unexplored. The Wanderlist isn't just a radio show; it's a carefully crafted journey – a sonic expedition where each selection serves as a stepping stone across the vast river of recorded sound.
This week's voyage, edition number 323, meanders through the lush landscapes of spiritual jazz, ventures into the forgotten valleys of rare funk, and scales the misty peaks of contemporary hip-hop. It's a musical narrative that spans decades while somehow existing outside of time altogether.
We begin our expedition with Phil Ranelin's "What We Need," a piece that serves as our launching point – setting the tone with its message of community and spiritual awareness, hallmarks of the Detroit jazz scene Ranelin helped define through the Tribe collective. The journey continues through Clive Zanda's calypso-jazz innovations, demonstrating how regional influences shape universal expressions.
Among the standout moments awaiting your ears this week is The Soul Messengers' "Everything Must Change." This meditation on life's only constant – change itself – serves as an emotional anchor in our playlist. The arrangement breathes with a gentle tension, strings and horns embracing the vocals with a warmth that belies the melancholy message. When this track emerges from your speakers, I invite you to close your eyes and let it wash over you completely.
As we navigate further, we encounter "El Viaje de Dumpty" by Viejas Raíces – a hypnotic excursion that translates literally to "Dumpty's Journey." This track exemplifies the transportive power of instrumental music. The percussion establishes a meditative foundation while keyboards dance above like sunlight on water. There's something in this composition that feels both ancient and futuristic – a timelessness that characterizes the finest psychedelic jazz. This leads beautifully into Marcos Resende's "My Heart," creating one of those magical transitions where two separate works seem destined to meet.
Another highlight arrives in the form of Dynamic Tints' "Package of Love (Part 1)" – a funk masterpiece that remains criminally underappreciated. The rhythm section locks into a groove so profound you might find yourself involuntarily nodding along, while the horns punctuate with joyful precision. This is the kind of record that demonstrates why digging through crates of forgotten vinyl remains a worthwhile pursuit in the digital age – some treasures simply cannot be algorithmically recommended.
Recent releases also find their place in our sonic tapestry. Green Cosmos delivers the evocatively titled "Vollmondscheinsonate," a contemporary piece that draws inspiration from classical motifs while firmly planting itself in modern experimental territories. The track comes from their new album "Lunar Reflections," which explores the relationship between celestial bodies and earthly consciousness through a series of contemplative compositions. One of the early highlights of this year!
The legendary Ebo Taylor graces us with "Kusi Na Sibo," demonstrating that his musical powers remain undiminished with age. At 87 years young, Taylor continues to blend traditional Ghanaian highlife with elements of jazz and funk, creating music that feels simultaneously rooted in tradition yet utterly contemporary. This selection comes from his latest album "Elder's Wisdom," a collection that serves as both a celebration of his musical legacy and a passing of knowledge to younger generations.
As we navigate toward the latter portion of our journey, Poppeye's "Be My Baby" emerges as another highlight – a cover that reimagines the familiar Phil Spector production through a distinctly soul-funk lens. The arrangement maintains reverence for the original while establishing its own identity through tighter rhythms and warmer instrumental textures.
The hip-hop selections this week are particularly noteworthy, with MIKE's "Bear Trap" standing as a pinnacle moment. MIKE's production and delivery exemplify the continuing evolution of hip-hop's underground currents – introspective, textured, and utterly distinctive. There's a raw honesty in his approach that cuts through pretense, creating the kind of connection that makes recorded music such a powerful medium.
Among our contemporary offerings, Alabaster DePlume's "Oh My Actual Days" deserves special mention. Coming from his recent album "Wood Lilies and Power Lines," this piece demonstrates DePlume's unique approach to composition – part jazz improvisation, part spoken word incantation, wholly original. The saxophone speaks in emotional phrases that words alone could never articulate.
Damon Locks's "Holding the Dawn in Place (Beyond, Pt. 2)" represents another significant new release, showcasing his ability to weave archival voice recordings with contemporary instrumentation, creating tapestries of sound that comment on both historical struggles and present-day challenges. This selection comes from his latest album "The Power of the Spirit," which continues his exploration of collective memory and social consciousness through experimental sound collage.
The sequence matters tremendously in The Wanderlist – each transition tells its own story. Notice how the contemplative hip-hop selections gradually give way to Françoise Hardy's delicate "Le martien," creating a moment of tranquil beauty before Nyron Higor's "Estou Pensando Em Você" brings Brazilian textures into our sonic landscape.
What binds this eclectic collection together isn't merely my appreciation for these recordings, but rather the conversations they have with one another when placed in sequence. Like any worthwhile journey, The Wanderlist offers both moments of excitement and periods of reflection, spaces of familiarity and territories of discovery.
I invite you to join me this Friday from 18:00 to 20:00 on Urgent.fm (105.3) or via their online stream. Bring an open mind and attentive ears – our expedition awaits.
