A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 22 May 2022 to 28 May 2022.

WILT_2022-21

1. The Heart Part 5 – Kendrick Lamar
2. The Heart Part 4 – Kendrick Lamar
3. Spaceships & Woodgrain – Stalley
4. Never Catch Me – Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar
5. So Slow (feat. Anderson .Paak, King Chip) – Blended Babies, King Chip, Anderson .Paak
6. Grift – M|O|O|N
7. Carin’s Locked Groove – M|O|O|N
8. To Have Trust In You – M|O|O|N
9. I Want You – Marvin Gaye
10. I Need Your Lovin’ – Teena Marie

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-21

Notes

I was curious about the recently dropped Kendrick Lamar music video for The Heart Part 5. After watching it, I agree that the hype was justified and I got closer to understanding the artistry of this amazing rapper of his generation. The moment of silence for Nipsey Hussle is particularly impactful.

Lamar’s lyrics are introspective, explosive, and also empathic. It did make me wonder, when along my path to be a more responsible adult, did I stopped communing with my emotions and spirit? Facts and method are great and all, but emotion is also an effective tool to drive action.

I started getting curious about the series for The Heart, and found Part 4 to also add to the playlist.

From there, more hip-hop music entered my orbit and I selected those that stood out for their musical arrangements and performances.

Phenomenal arrangement on Flying Lotus’s Never Catch Me. Thundercat’s bass arrangements and performance are also prominently featured on this track, and it evokes a lot of Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke’s work as Return to Forever.

The grooves on Spaceships & Woodgrains and So Slow are light and tight. Perfect for lazy afternoons or if you need to get some focus going.

Found out that there’s a new M|O|O|N album. Grift reminds me of why I love this producer and Cairn’s Locked Groove is a dark atmosphere piece with some toned-down big beats.

I Want You by Marvin Gaye, featuring Wilton Felder on bass, is the original song that The Heart Part 5 is based on. I got curious about the original when I read that The Heart Part 5 was an interpolation.

Ending this playlist off on Teena Marie’s I Need Your Lovin’. The lead track of her 1979 album Irons In The Fire features a fierce bass riff intro by Allen McGrier that leads into a very tasty and measured slap groove for the chorus. Measured it may be, it is bursting with flavour that helps season the dish, but does not necessarily define it.

I would also like to note that this is the first post been typed out on my new Keychron K2 mechanical keyboard. I selected it for it’s Mac and PC compatibility, wireless connectivity via bluetooth, as well as its ability to pair across up to three devices. All this while being a great entry-level mechanical keyboard. I selected brown (tactile) switches in case I ever needed to bring this into the office, or enter a shared workspace where blue (click) switches might bother others in the space with the noise generated. Typing on a mechanical keyboard is one of life’s little joys for me. I feel slightly more connected to the words that I type, because the tactile feedback connects me more the to text appearing on the display.