time travel : september
Time travel is a monthly newsletter where we listen to one song from each decade (60s to 020s) picked by me, the Tidal trial subscription you forgot to cancel.
Hello,
Living in a world where time is an illusion and changes are inevitable does not make transitions any less weird to navigate… I’m not about to give you a motivational speech, I just found it interesting how this month’s playlist ended up fitting with this week of the year, the transition from summer to fall. It has the fun and steamy heat from summer and the mellow mystery of autumn. Tropical, dub, funk, and lounge-y tracks for you to listen to while you live and feel the ever-passing days.
60s: No Dia Que Eu Vim-Me Embora - Caetano Veloso (1967)
You can’t really talk about tropicalia sound without mentioning Caetano Veloso. One of Brazil’s most impactful and inventive musicians. This song is from the second of more than forty albums in his discography.
No dia em que eu vim-me embora
Minha mãe chorava em ai
Minha irmã chorava em ui
E eu nem olhava pra trás
70s: You’ve Got a Woman - Lion (1975)
There’s something really magical about people coming together to create a piece of music and then going their separate ways. You’ve Got a Woman is the only song released by the short lived dutch musical duo, Lion. It was reissued by Numero Group in 2017, so huge shout-out to them for digging up this rare and amazing soul-funk track.
I'm working on this dream with you, oh baby
I wanna spend my life with you, oh baby
I can see the stars all shining
You and me could be
Happy like the bees together
80s: Hawaii-Bombay - Mecano (1984)
This is a pretty popular song from Spain’s techno-pop pioneers Mecano, but it fits so perfectly with this month’s newsletter that we’ll revisit it together. Hawaii-Bombay is a single from their third studio album, a timeless synth-filled tropical pop track.
Hawaii-Bombay
Son dos paraisos
Que a veces yo
Me monto en mi piso
Hawaii-Bombay
Son de lo que no hay
90s: BEAUTIFUL RAIN - Little Tempo ft. Eddi Reader (1999)
Now this is one of my favorite hidden gems. I found Little Tempo because they made the soundtrack of my favorite movie (which, sadly, isn’t on spotify) and I was instantly enchanted by their sound. They are a Japanese band that creates dub and reggae magic, their music achieves a mix of mellow and euphoric atmosphere that I haven’t heard from a lot of bands. Long live the steelpan.
You made me happy
You gave me peace
You drove me insane
Oh but your beautiful rain
00s: Paz - Troubleman ft. Nina Miranda (2006)
English musician Mark Pritchard flows through many pseudonyms exploring different sides of electronic music. This song is from the second album of his project Troubleman in collaboration with the amazing singer Nina Miranda. A mid tempo lounge-y bossa nova track with hypnotizing vocals. The rest of the album is filled with diverse and interesting sounds so check it out if you dig this one.
Tem que subir pra olhar
Tem que andar pra encontrar
Quero viver paz
Quero viver paz e amor
10s: Lament for the Sky - Acidslop (2019)
One of six bedroom demos recorded and produced by Acidslop, a duo formed by DJ and producer a.Kid and multi-instrumentalist Alien all the way from Melbourne, Australia. Don't be fooled by “bedroom” tho, because all of them have great production, not to mention that easy listening groove that I bet can blend into a few of your playlists right now.
You look familiar
Seems like we met before
Ain't it peculiar
Do you feel the same way too?
20s: Tienaté - Nu Genea (2022)
Nu Genea is a musical duo that finds inspiration in the sounds that reach the shore of their city of Napoli. This song is from their second album Bar Mediterráneo and it sounds like it could be from 10 different countries in the world. You’d be dancing in all of them tho
Pur'aié, pur'aié, pur'aié
Pur'aié, pur'aié, pur'aié
Pur aier diciv diman
Ma diman diman è passat
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Thanks for reading and listening!