Each week, Audio Taste Test serves up an obscure and independent playlist for your evening, tantalizing your musical palate with flavors from all different soundscapes. Listen on demand here and on 88Nine from 10-11 p.m. every Thursday.
A chill is in the air, but I’ve got the sounds to keep you cozy in the early months of autumn.
A producer out of Washington D.C. called sondaeblu is known for Aboriginal soul, house and Amapiano. I’m a big Amapiano fan, but songs in the genre usually feel like peak summer, with high-energy rhythms and dance-floor friendliness. I can report, however, that sondaeblu is cozy.
He released the album u said. this time will be different. earlier this year, a project that leans instrumental with soulful mellow background vocals blending into the rhythm. If you’re a fan of Isaiah Falls and Sasha Keable, you’ll probably dig his tracks. And just in case my earlier use of the phrase “dance floor” caught your interest, I’ve got Papate’s banger “Too Drunk in Europa,” which is perfect for finding a person to shake it with in the cooler weather.
“But,” you may ask, “what about modern Italodisco?” Please see (or hear) Mind Enterprises. Their latest album Negroni Love dropped earlier this year with the feel of the 1980s coupled with modern production value. Their song “Discough” (pronounced “disco”) is a clever play on words and pretty goofy, in that it’s a disco-centric jam with the hook being a guy coughing. Remember, it’s not just autumn; it’s also the icky cold-and-flu season. But who says you can’t make music while sick?
Elsewhere in the playlist and all the way from Romania is Chernobxg, a producer whose rock and folk sound blend nicely with a sunset and good company. Atmospheric indie-pop artist Eyeclimber also earns a spot and will sweep you up in his song “Riptide.” The track from his album Bring On Your Sun is a 3-½-minute vacation that will take you through all the feels.
Welsh heavy metal band Budgie makes an appearance with their track “I Ain’t No Mountain” from 1975 album Bandolier. I first discovered the record as a teenager going through my dad’s vinyl collection and played it based on a cover that features a soldier on the battlefield with the head of a bird.
After popping it on, I instantly loved the sound as much as the visuals and admired that they maintained a riff-driven approach, resisting commercialism just to chase the charts. It’s a great album if you’re looking for a rediscovery of something older that’s off the beaten path from pioneers like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath or Deep Purple.
Happy tasting!
Episode playlist
- Sondaeblu, “pressure.”
- Finn Wolfhard, “I’ll Let You Finish”
- MAQUINA., “dança”
- Blank & Jones, “Terraza”
- PAPATE, “TOO DRUNK IN EUROPA”
- Mind Enterprises, “Discough”
- SALLIE, “LET ME KNOW”
- Dennis Pavao, “My Yellow Ginger Lei”
- Moon Razor, “Pulse”
- Chernobxg, “Rebujito”
- Budgie, “I Ain’t No Mountain”
- Nastia, “Ja i Ty”
- Viratempo, “SOLAR”
- Eyeclimber, “Riptide”
