Making Playlists for Strangers on the Internet
So you find yourself at the beginning of a career sabbatical with tons of creative energy with nowhere to go.
There are a lot of options for you. Dust off Duolingo, perhaps. Maybe watch an inordinate amount of Great British Bake Off and form involved emotional connections with the contestants. Really, I did it all.
I also decided to start making loosely-themed Spotify playlists for strangers on the internet. The series, elegantly titled This Shit because I liked the repetition of letterforms, became a sandbox for both creative output and auditory expression.
On a (sort of) biweekly basis, I refreshed the theme, artwork, and track listing. This lack of permanence and singular playlist location mimics Spotify’s own Discover Weekly, driving a sense of urgency and simplifying the user experience by only necessitating a single playlist subscription.
Unlike Discover Weekly, the content is not tailored for the individual user. Rather, it’s tailored to what I just kind of happened to be feeling while creating the artwork. That’s showbiz, baby.
THIS SHIT V1: Where the Party At
The layout is simple with the exception of the colorful type, complimented by the electric nature of the playlist’s contents. This is the closest to jock jams I get.
Tracklisting
• Obsession, Animation
• Got It, Boys Noize + Snoop Dogg
• Deceiver, Chris Lake • Green Velvet
• Not In Love, Crystal Castles + Robert Smith
• Glittering Clouds, Cut Copy
• I Want I Want, Digitalism
• Ready For Your Love, Gorgon City + MNEK
• Where the Party At, Jagged Edge + Nelly
• Vô Lá, Karol Conka
• Light a Fire, Kid Prism
• Wavvy, Mykki Blanco
• Electrify, Oliver + Scott Mellis
• Money On Me, Snakehips + Anderson .Paak
• Higher Ground, TNGHT + Hudson Mohawke + Luncie
• drink i’m sipping on, Yaeji
THIS SHIT V2: Eight Miles High
Design is not always subtle. This playlist’s contents is perfect for engaging in legal cannabis use.
Tracklisting
• Coming Up For Air, Philip Selway
• Ego Slave, Donormaal + Luna God
• Float On, Danny Brown + Charli XCX
• Four Walls, Blockhead
• Girl And The Sea, The Presets
• Heaven Hammer (Air Remix), Beck + Royksopp
• High, Ingleton Falls
• Marijuana, Chrome Sparks
• Mercury, James McAlister + Sufjan Stevens
• Moon, Dawn of Midi
• Moon Fever, Air
• Poems, Nearly God
• She’s So Scandalous, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
• Soul Love, David Bowie
• When I Grow Up (D.Lissvik Remix), Fever Ray + Dan Lissvik
THIS SHIT V3: Sky Cats
Living in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve grown accustomed to grey days. In fact, I’ve learned there are varying levels of grey: dark grey, medium grey, and practically sunny (but grey). Sky Cats is a celebration of those grey days, and the moody jams that pair perfectly with them.
Tracklisting
• America, Simon & Garfunkel
• God Only Knows - David Bowie
• Godspeed - Frank Ocean
• Heaven - The Fire Theft
• High Come Down - Junior Boys
• Hills, Edward Vanzet
• Man O To - Nu
• Melody Day (Four Tet Remix), Caribou + Luke Lalonde + Adem + One Little Plane
• Move with the Season - Temples
• Nánnufláy, Tinariwen
• Sleep, The Dandy Warhols
• The Magician, Andy Shauf
• The Union Forever, The White Stripes
• Verdis Quo, Daft Punk
• Visions, Stevie Wonder
THIS SHIT V4: In the Kitchen
On those days you really need to just get to work and cook up some realness, vocals can sometimes be a well-intentioned hindrance. In the pursuit of optimal productivity, In the Kitchen’s comprised of maximum beats with minimal words.
Tracklisting
• Arrival, The Alchemist
• Butterfly Caught (RJD2 Instrumental), Massive Attack
• C.R.E.A.M., El Michels Affair
• Full Metal Jacket, Dirty Art Club
• i just float, a d i r o n d a c k
• Maria También, Khruangbin
• Mellbimbo, The Qualitons
• No Sass, Photay
• Odissi, Pt II (Yuksek Remix), Chassol
• Pfad des Windes, Wolf Müller
• Pinnacles, Four Tet
• Pompidou, Portico Quartet
• Prime Time, Sven Atterton
• Two Fish and an Elephant, Khruangbin
• Use Ya Mnd, Mndsgn
THIS SHIT V5: Old Ghosts
Oh no, did you just catch feelings for that lovely creature that came back into your life? Here’s a playlist for all of those moments. Enjoy the ride.
