About this playlist
RAISE YOUR HANDS IN JOY AND GIVE THANKS is a small part (for me) of a much larger overall narrative. It is a multilayered offering.
There is the obvious, that it is a playlist, meticulously curated with a lot of love and thought put into each and every selection.
It also serves as a communiqué, a manifesto, a conversation, an open letter, and a celebration.
The title comes from my childhood, as I was raised in the Caribbean, amid a backdrop of mandatory Sunday School and church services as a child.
I am no fan of the restrictive nature of organized religion. The hypocrisy and thinly disguised materialism from those clamouring for and in positions of authority always left a bitter taste in my mouth. The thing that I did take away from the experience that stays with me to this day is the spiritual intimacy and communal sense of optimism, that no matter how adverse the conditions, that there is always something better to strive for.
It is that message of the universal hope of a better day that resonates strongly with me.
Meeting Maria (my collaborative partner for this playlist) was truly a blessing. We share many of the same core values, so when it came to the curation process, it evolved organically and quickly. We played off of each other effortlessly as the playlist developed. The songs took on a complimentary, as well as a complementary tone almost instantly.
This playlist is what I would call ‘cosmic gospel.’ There are elements of gospel blended with a heavy dose of psychedelic soul and funk from the 60’s and 70’s. It is a celebration of life, the ugly and the beautiful, the yin and yang, the ebb and flow.
The main message here is to keep on keeping on…no matter what.
About the Curators
Otis Galloway
My name is Otis Galloway, and I am a beautiful mess.
- I believe in music as a powerful agent of healing.
- I believe a cassette mixtape can carry powerful emotional gravity that tells stories that span generations, worlds and universes.
- I believe in travel, love, cooking, street food, cold beer and gelato.
- I believe in conversations that go until the sun comes up.
- I believe love comes in a multitude of forms.
- I believe in large kitchens and cooking huge dinners for friends.
- I believe we have so much to learn from one another.
- I believe in growing more hemp, cannabis and bamboo.
- I believe we should say, ‘I Love You’ more often.
- I believe we need more justice for the people.
- I believe we can do better, and should do better.
- I believe in a diverse, colourful world full of happy, realized, loving people.
- I believe gyoza is love.
- I believe in musicto.
Find me here:
