DANIEL’S SPECIAL GUEST PLAYLIST FOR EDINBURGH MUSIC LOVERS

MUSIC THAT BRINGS ME ‘PRESENCE’

 

Some people stick on an album for background noise, as a means of escape or distraction. Others play music to bring themselves into the present. I’m definitely in the second camp.

This playlist showcases some of the artists who have brought me ‘presence’ during lockdown and pays homage to the friends – new and old – who share and consume music as fanatically as I do. I feel quite fortunate to have those types of people in my life.

I’ve known Jamie Wightman (aka Infinite Sound) for a while through the spirits industry, but since he joined Sweetdram we’ve really bonded, partly due to our mutual love of vinyl. I’ve opened him up to Gang Starr while he has slowly introduced me to spiritual jazz through his extensive record collection. It’s been quite a mind-blowing experience – one that’s underlined just how many phenomenal albums I’ve somehow managed to miss out on over the past 25 years.

 

I still don’t know how Alice Coltrane’s 1971 “Journey in Satchidananda” slipped by unnoticed, but it’s never too late to get into a record, especially with music that timeless.

Another of Jamie’s contributions was to introduce me to his friend, the DJ and producer Rebecca Vasmant, who I’ve become very close with through lockdown. She’s someone (like Jamie) who opened my ears up to the vast spectrum of jazz, especially the softer, ambient end through artists like Amanda Whiting, Alabaster dePlume, Greg Foat and Warren Hampshire. And while I might be a bit biased – after all, music is personal, and it’s different when you care for the person who created it – her first album “With Love, From Glasgow” has brought me a huge amount of comfort in the six months since its release.

 

 

For the playlist, I’ve selected the opener, “Start of Time”, which isn’t actually my favourite song off the album, but it’s absolutely critical to the listening experience. Like gently being awakened from a deep sleep, it brings you lucidly into the present and grounds you for what follows: a free-moving, sonically-expressive 11-track collaboration featuring a plethora of talented Scottish artists.

 

So, whether you’re looking for ‘presence’, or simply need some background noise while you wash the dishes, check out the playlist I created for EML on our Spotify account. Happy listening.

 

Presence Playlist - Edinburgh Music Lovers