Ever heard of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon? You know what it is even if you didn't know what it was called - it's the thing where someone mentions a type of car and suddenly you see that type of car everywhere. It's the frequency illusion and it's really cool - you can read a better summary of it here.
For me this week I've been hearing a lot of funk - the music to curators have been sending in a lot of tracks that just - groove - and sure, while the bass lines are impressive - this week it's been all about the rhythm guitar. And yes - guitars can be funky - particularly if the tone is just right and especially if it's going through a wah-wah pedal and positioned just so imperceptibly behind the beat that you can't help but be drawn to how it fucks with time!
None of the submissions coming through the site were terribly switched on this week - I think it's hysterical how you make a whole playlist around "Instrumental Music" and then someone submits a rap track 'cos - you know - it's the best and they deserve to be heard. ;-p
So this week - I went into Spotify - and used their tool to auto create a whole new playlist based on the current 40 tracks and went looking for some funk. There wasn't a lot of funk. So I doubled down - I created another playlist based on that second iteration and continued the search.
Finally - there's what could pass as a funky guitar stab sitting on top of the strings to Gershwin's Summertime - one of my favorite tracks ever - and I'm in. The track was perfect for what I'm looking for. Instrumental , interesting, solid development - looping back on themes - switching energy levels up and down - and all the way through - a funky little beat - all high hat driven and flat snares that make it easy to sit down and write this.
DJ Food is clearly a dude - you should check him out below - well - after you finishing writing!
You can learn more about DJ Food here:
About the Curator: Andrew McCluskey
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.
Although I've always played, I haven't always been a musician. Most of my twenties were spent working with people, buying and selling and learning how the world works. It was in my thirties that I came to America and focused on music and began to develop music2work2.
Latest Posts
Lonely Dream – Drunken Kong Remix – The Archer, Drunken Kong
24 November 2021
But as I’ve moved from ideation to manifestation, the energy of the playlist needed to change – solo piano is good for thinking – but 8 minutes of 130 bpm edm is great for getting things down
Out Of Reach – Cristoph, Yotto, Sansa
8 November 2021
So if you’ve been listening to the playlist recently you know what’s coming. Last week’s track was all about setting the intent for change – away from the more relaxing ideation space of solo instrumentation to this week’s electronic track from Cristoph, Yotto and Sansa.
Mr. Clay – Johnny Klimek, Tom Tykwer
31 October 2021
I’ve known for a while that the feel of the list was going to change – while piano instrumentals are perfect for reflection and ideation – at some point you need some energetic input to get your fingers moving.
Andrew McCluskey
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 be creative and brilliant 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’m part of a global creator community that collaborates through music. You can learn more about our community here.