Notes on Music by Boele Loonstra

Appreciating a Winter Night

By Boele Loonstra

Christmas is coming up, and this calls for a new playlist. I am not yet feeling actual Christmas music, though. I need some songs that take me out of the harsh reality of walking home in the dark at 5:30 pm with -1° outside, songs that elevate me into the dark skies.

In my opinion, the key here is the instrumental. I started looking through my Spotify for almost heavenly instrumentals. I am unsure of what to call this genre, but here it is: my take on music that makes you fly into the darkness. Let’s start with an artist with a heavenly voice to accompany the instrumental: Sampha. His´most well-known work might be in features on rap songs, which he always makes ten times better, but songs like Spirit 2.0 and Suspended isolate you with his music for a few minutes. Say Sampha, say James Blake on hip hop records. Especially his work with Dave on Selfish (from Dave’s new album) and Both Sides Of A Smile is special. If we stay within the hip hop genre, an obvious artist is A$AP Rocky. My personal favourites of his are LVL and Palace. In the same realm, you can find Joey Bada$$’s DARK AURA,

whose name speaks for itself. Black Kray –Iced Out Castles provides a dreamier production working perfectly with his slow flow.

As a big fan of Dutch hip hop, I can’t keep withholding some local songs. First, Mars by sor. I’ve had this classically inspired record on repeat these past months. Another recom- mendation is OUT OF PLACE by Brokezart. The sample from I'm God by Clams Casino gives it, you guessed it, a godly feeling.

For the last hip hop entry, I have chosen Aquamarine by Danger Mouse, Black Thought & Michael Kiwanuka. The production is unmatched, which goes for this whole album (Cheat Codes). Michael Kiwanuka, in my opinion, the best contemporary soul artist in the world, adds an extra layer to the record. If you end up in Kiwanuka’s catalogue, make sure to listen to Falling, or the whole album Love & Hate.

To make a smooth switch from rap to psychedelic rock, listen to Lil Yachty’s The BLACK seminole. From here, it’s a smaller step to the legendary Maggot Brain by Funkadelic, followed by Jimi Hendrix’ Machine Gun.

If you’re more into smoother rock, Mark Knop-fler (Dire Straits) always delivers on guitarsolos, especially live, like in Tunnel Of Love andExpresso Love. Philip Sayce’s Alchemy deliversthe perfect instrumental transition to the blues.Electric blues is a great option, with songs likeSame Old Blues by Popa Chubby and DeadMans Blues by Roy Williams. My last recommendations are After The Magicand Parade by Korean shoegaze-artist Parannoul.These are some songs and artists that make me feel comfortable instead of cold and miserable on a tenebrous winter night. They make the darkness quietly atmospheric, which I have come to appreciate, and I hope you can too.