Way back in September 2018 a good friend watched as I shazammed a track playing in a bar. We were catching up before Nick Mason’s gig at London’s Roundhouse and our chat came round to the topic of new music discoveries. He like me is a big fan of ‘older’ music but always has an ear open for new tracks. Unlike me, he kept a monthly playlist of the music he had discovered. I promptly borrowed the idea and started my first Spotify playlist.
75 months later and the playlists keep coming. Every month I start a new Spotify playlist to which I add any new track that I discover and like. Click here for a roundup of 2024.
Defining ‘New’ Music
For the purpose of my playlists, ‘new music’ means be any song or piece of music that I have not heard before. As my musical tastes will lean towards older artists from the Sixties and Seventies this definition means I am not restricted to new releases. In fact I would suggest that there were more old songs than ‘new’ songs in my playlists.
I find it fascinating to dig back into some of those older playlists as they mark a time and a place or a period of my life and the soundtrack to those times. I’ve always believed that music is my time machine, and these individual Spotify playlists are time capsules of music.
‘New’ Music Sources
I keep my ears open for new music in my day to day life. If I am writing at my desk I may try the Spotify Discover Weekly playlist or a BBC Sounds playlist like Night Tracks. Helpfully, these BBC playlists include Spotify links so it’s a simple click to add the music to the latest list.
Shazam is my friend and you will see me regularly holding my ‘phone up to a shop speaker, or pointing it at the telly if I hear a track that sparks an interest. Foreign trips and holidays often add a different perspective to my discoveries although British bands seem to be ubiquitous around the world!
Occasionally it is a concert. This year I heard Blue Dust from Eric Clapton, a relatively new song he wrote for his late friend Jeff Beck, and a few tracks from Lauren Mayberry. As the support act for London Grammar she played a great set of all ‘new’ songs to me! I still think support acts need a big banner on the stage with their name to make it easier for the audience, but that’s a post for another day!
I’ve also started to download the playlists and use some basic GPT to analyse the songs because I think it is interesting. You will find me linking to new playlists and insights as the months proceed.
Do you keep a record of new music? How do you do it? Any new suggestions you wish to share? Let me know in the comments!
