Andrew
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the Dark Forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top, they would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
As a psychology graduate I studied how sound affects human performance.
As a musician I compose instrumental music that stimulates your brain but doesn't mess with your language centers, leaving you free to write creatively without distraction.
As a curator I research how music can improve your life and create flow - I can tell you what music to listen to when studying for a test and why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
As a creator / contributor at musicto I believe that music can make the world better.
What I'm doing nowPlaylists
Leavin’ – Shelby Lynne
10 October 2017
I remember hearing this song for the first time – I was in the midst of post break-up depression and oh man did it hit the sweet spot! You know it’s going to be kind of “Torchy” from the opening beat but then Shelby’s incredibly sexy spoken word delivery comes in and it floors you.
Build – music2work2
5 October 2017
There’s something about metronomic repetition that just conveys the idea of “Come on – let’s go…” The opening of the track sounds as though it’s written in 2/4 time – the classic marching beat – and that was intentional – the entire first minute is designed to have you thinking about getting started – getting moving – getting to flow.
Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
3 October 2017
Oh god – where to start with this one. It’s been a shitty week in America – a shitty week in many places on the planet. Aside from the insanity of the Las Vegas mass shooting, Tom Petty died. The minute I heard, I knew what this week’s track would be.
March into the Sea – Pelican
27 September 2017
If you’re looking for a sad song this week I’m sorry but you’re shit out of luck. If however you’re looking to get to grips with your grief, maybe take it out and show it what you think of it – this might be the perfect track.
Fastlane – Rozza Slow Motion Remix – Jorn Van Deynhoven
27 September 2017
So I’m hungover as fuck and my brain is working at – like – 2 miles an hour and yet I have soooooo much to do! I could berate myself and slump into self hatred procrastination but screw that – today I’m subscribing to the 7 second rule and moving on. So what do you do when you’ve got to get your shit together – you have words to write – a to do list to polish off and no desire to do anything?
You put this fucking track on – that’s what you do!
Wheels Within Wheels – Penguin Café
20 September 2017
One of the cool things about being a Music to curator is that you get to hear the tracks that other curators have selected – and they’re always bloody amazing. There’s just so much music “out there” it would be impossible to know it all, so to have a group of amazing music lovers hand selecting a track a week just means that we get exposed to the really good stuff!
Too Far Down – Hüsker Dü
20 September 2017
And so another musician dies and we look to their music for comfort. I had read about Grant Hart dying of cancer at 56 and while I knew of Hüsker Dü, I’d never really listened to their music. It took Chris from the Burn A Million Miles playlist to hip me to this track.
Custom – Yellow6
5 September 2017
I suspect that some of you are not going to dig this track – which is fine – you can’t please all of the people all of the time and a playlist like this is set up so you can skip ahead if something doesn’t match your mood. Me however – I love this stuff! ;-p
Weathered – James Walker
5 September 2017
Break Ups – perhaps the “safest” form of grief there is – no-one actually dies or is maimed but yet – when you’re going through them – safe isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind.
What I like about this track is how we’ve all been there – how when you think you’re out the other side you start to speak to your ex again and – in many cases get back together, but here – James deftly steers us away and puts an additional melancholy spin on the whole process.
A Tune For Jack – Lemon Jelly
30 August 2017
It’s the cool thing about being in a community of music lovers – you get exposed to all kinds of tracks you’d never normally come across. This Lemon Jelly track actually first appears on the Music To Blow Smoke Rings Across the Floor Playlist – curated by my English Teacher – crazy how the world works huh!?
What About Me – John the Asian, E10
29 August 2017
Depression is still one of those things society doesn’t really like to talk about – hell – the people dealing with it don’t exactly like to broadcast it. And yet, all the data that we’ve accumulated from studies along the way say the best approach is through socializing, through contact, through talking about it and working it through.
Eulogy – Simeon Walker
22 August 2017
Sometimes all you need is a bit of a space and a melancholy piano – hell – sometimes you don’t even need the space – a pair of decent headphones can be world building – especially if the soundtrack comes from Simeon Walker.