Letter #105

Posted on By jedhallam
07.02.20
Hello! Hello! Hello!

How are you? Have you had a good few weeks? Did you enjoy the last letter? Judging by the emails that came flooding in; lots of you did, which is great. Big thank you to Caspar, for putting together one of our best guest letters ever (if you missed it, it’s here).

Now onto this week, and an update. Plans for a party are coming along very nicely (more on that soon – but it’ll likely be in March, in London), plus all that extra stuff I mentioned before Christmas (totes, t-shirts, stickers etc) are also in the pipeline too. Watch this space.

And right now? Well, I’m back, so you’re stuck with me for a while. The TL;DR Section is back this week and brimming with brilliant stuff to check out. The mixtape is a real gem this week – over the Christmas break I went back and listened to a lot of the albums I’d not given much time to last year. I also finished reading Memphis ’68 (which is great), so there’s a soulful edge to the songs I’ve chosen. Matt sent me the beautiful Norm Talley track, which sent me into a deep house tailspin, and there’s a lot of music that’s good to run to too (I’ve started running again). I think it’s a real treat, and I’m excited to hear what you think.

This week there isn’t a set of notes. I chickened out. Let me explain… I’d written something deeply personal, and while I know this isn’t supposed to be my personal diary / therapy session, there were some vague weak links into what this is supposed to be about (culture and music). I’d written about imposter syndrome, trying to find a sense of belonging, and how culture and music consistently rescue me.

The reason I’ve decided against including it this week is because I want to make sure I do the subject justice. I can’t be the only person who feels like I do, and if there’s even one person out there who empathises, then it will be worth sharing. Just not this week. Next time I’ll try to be braver.

Anyway, click play, have a read, and enjoy ❤️

PS. New here? Here’s how it works. Here’s what you’ve missed so far. And this is me.
PRESS ME TO PLAY
🌪 TL;DR Section 🌪
  1. Bruce Tantum has put together a brilliant piece on Marshall Jefferson for DJ Mag, which is an absolute must-read.
  2. There’s a new Theo Parrish interview, I repeat, there’s a new Theo Parrish interview. (And he does not hold back one bit.)
  3. Steve Jobs, John Cooper Clarke, Ghandi – if a capsule wardrobe that’s persistent for decades is good for them, it’s good for me 😂
  4. This feature on Danny Daze from Shawn Reynaldo from a few years ago has hit me pretty deep.
  5. There’s also a really good interview with Reynaldo on his own history here, from Todd Burns). Both of their newsletters are must-reads for me each week – Reynaldo’s is here, and Burns’ is here.
  6. The Cut has a series of images from Dana Lixenberg’s upcoming exhibition American Images, and they’re excellent.
  7. You might’ve read this already (it’s definitely been doing the rounds), but I’m sharing it in case you haven’t. Ellen Barry’s story, The Jungle Prince Of Delhi for NYTimes is absolutely fascinating and utterly heartbreaking all in one go. A long read, but worth it
  8. This story of big wave surfer Maya Gabeira in Huck took me back to my youth spent surfing beach breaks in Cornwall, dreaming of becoming a big wave surfer…
  9. The latest Shabaka Hutchings show on worldwide.fm is an absolute belter.
  10. This feature on how Paul Wright came to set up the brilliant British Culture Archive is great.
  11. Richard Russell (founder of XL) is releasing a history of XL / biography at the start of April.
  12. Loads of you have sent me this Guardian story, on how the vinyl revival might not be great for the environment. Worth sharing, and worth debating, too…
  13. I’ve been thrown into a world of nostalgia by this short film on Icy Lake.
  14. There’s increasing evidence that depression is linked to physical trauma in the brain, which further closes the gap of body and mind.
  15. Even more of you have sent me the Radiohead Public Library too… Get stuck in.
  16. Big thank you to Katie for pointing out this excellent Rolling Stone mini-documentary on Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy.
  17. The Vinyl Factory has got a great short documentary on Ebo Taylor’s so-called lost tapes.
  18. Ray Caviano (of TK Disco fame) is a relatively unsung hero of the rise of disco in the 70s and 80s, here’s a good primer on 5mag.
📃 The tracklist  📃
  1. Al Green – Love and Happiness
  2. Wizdom – I’m So In Love With You
  3. Mainline – Black Ivory
  4. Kapote – Delirio Italiano
  5. Herbie Hancock – You Bet Your Love
  6. Andre Solomko – Recalling You
  7. Dego – Ogawa Okasan Said Just Play
  8. Gil Scott-Heron – Where Did The Night Go (Makaya McCraven version)
  9. Steve Spacek – Rawl Aredo
  10. Reykjavik606 – Endless Summer in Peckham (feat. Ishamel Ensamble) (Tenderlonious remix)
  11. Moodymann – Hold It Down
  12. Black Jazz Consortium – Resonate
  13. Theo Parrish – This Is For You
  14. Norm Talley – Change (Mike Huckaby remix)
  15. Leon Vynehall – Beau Sovereign
  16. Prequel – Bare With Me
  17. Florist – Horn
  18. Clap! Clap! – Ar-Raqis
  19. Karenn – Raz
  20. Penya – Heyyeh (Guedra Guedra remix)
  21. Pongo – Quem Manda No Mic
  22. Detroit In Effect – Shake A Lil Faster
  23. Fatima Yamaha – Sooty Shearwater, King Of Migration
  24. Throwing Snow – Glower
  25. Brittany Howard – Goat Head
  26. Carl Stone & Bremer/McCoy – Hojder
  27. Moses Sumney – Seeds
  28. Calibre – Five Minute Flame
  29. Huerco S. – Cubist Camouflage
  30. Beverley Glenn-Copeland – Color Of Anyhow
💥 If you enjoy this letter, then please take a second to forward this email, or share this link with a recommendation on Facebook or Twitter 💥
See you on the dance floor.
Love Will Save the Day

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