Summer Soirée Playlist 2026
By Novasoul
It’s summer; just relax…
-
April + VISTA Love Unspent (Live Audiotree Version)
(Self Released)Arooj Aftab Last Night
(Arooj Aftab / Verve)Biocratic Principled
(Bastard Jazz Records)Boards of Canada Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan
(Warp Records)Dirty Art Club Sidewalk Temples
(Paxico Records)DJ Shadow What Does Your Soul Look Like, Pt. 1 (Blue Sky Revisit)
(Mo’ Wax Records)El Jazzy Chavo My Starless Neighborhood
(Hip Dozer)ELIZA Zombie-Like
(Log Off Records)Eric Hilton Kali Ft. Natalia Clavier
(Montserrat House)Esthero Lounge
(Sony)james K N’Balmed
(AD 93)Karen Y Los Remedios Te pido a ti (Dan Solo Remix)
(ZZK Records)Karl Hector & The Malcouns Mellow Skyfall
(Now Again Records)Massive Attack Polaroid Girl
(Virgin Records)Moderator Forbidden Fruit
(Melting Records)Momoka Gill Test A Small Area
(Strut Records)NAALAH running
(Free Traits)Pupillo Fealhá
(Amor in Sound)RADIOHOP hard to handle, hard to hold
(Melting Pot Music)The Alchemist The Beginning & The End
(ALC Records)
About five months and 30 degree cooler temperatures ago,
San Antonio had the privilege of hosting Wax Tailor’s 20 year anniversary tour for his Tales of the Forgotten Melodies, a trip-hop laced album by the French DJ and music producer. In late May, Scottish electronic wizards Boards of Canada released their first album after a 13 year hiatus. Currently, Thievery Corporation and DJ Shadow are both on tour (separately, although it would be a dream to see them on the same ticket) for their respective 30 year anniversary releases; Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi, and Endtroducing… Add to that list Massive Attack, the Bristol group considered pioneers of the sound, who have been making headlines on their world tour using their stages for high performance political art. Looking around at the trends in fashion, and the love of everything analog, physical media, and intentionally slow, it kind of feels like the mid-to-late 1990s again!
I would be remiss as a DJ and socio-cultural clocker to ignore these patterns and music trends, especially since this very music inspired me to become a deejay in the first place, many years ago. So, let’s go back, way back…
It was for the 12-inch single In/Flux by DJ Shadow that Andy Pemberton, a music journalist for MixMag, coined the phrase “trip-hop” in 1994, to describe its slow burning “trip” of instrumental hip-hop beats and soul samples. The term was immediately panned by the artists that were labeled as such, as their ideas represent an amalgamation of sonic influences, from hip-hop sampling and dusty drum breaks, to electronica, psychedelic and kraut rock, acid jazz, and dub rhythms, just to name a few genres embedded in their unique atmospheric soundscapes.
Indeed, the term is a shortcut purely for marketing purposes, and for that I am thankful. As a passionate collector of these artists’ projects, it’s made for simpler digging times at the local record shops (pre-online shopping days). Prior to the portmanteau “trip-hop” being penned as a genre for this type of music, other terms such as “downtempo,” “abstract hip-hop,” “instrumental hip-hop,” and “chill out” were used to describe these slower tempo beats and heavy jazz samples created by artists like DJ Cam and DJ Krush, and featured on hip-hop producer beat tapes traded across the oceans.
Your typical liminal space
Why this nostalgic comeback? Here are a few ideas: First, it never ceased; these electronic grooves simply gained popularity into the mainstream. A string of movies from the mid-to-late 90s featured trip-hop in their soundtracks, including Hackers, Strange Days, Romeo + Juliet, and Abre los ojos (the Spanish original and preferred version of American remake Vanilla Sky). Its laid-back rhythms evoked both mysterious paranoia and anticipation for a sophisticated millennium soon to arrive.
Second, the diversity of trip-hop’s music sources permit newcoming artists to experiment and translate their range of emotions, from airy melancholia, or exotic dystopia, to distorted rage or sultry desires, unlike the expectations of other popular genres. This depth echoes the sentiment of why many artists prefer to not pin their releases under a narrow label like “trip-hop.” Since the mid 2000’s, new subgenres like “future beats,” “chill wave,” “lo-fi beats,” “vapor wave,” “barber beats,” and even “alt RnB” have been added to this musical compendium, each with specific differentiating textures and intentions.
Finally, the “soaring 2020s” brought us a pandemic, and when the world stopped, the official soundtrack became lo-fi beats, hosted by the 24-hour Youtube channel Lofi Girl (formerly ChilledCow). In a moment of uncertainty, the bliss of steady chill-hop became sonic syrup for stress relief.
And here we are today, infatuated by liminal aesthetics. For some of us, dreadful, desolate environments filled with uncertainty come to mind (similar to the beginning of 2020). But for others, the stillness provides shelter from toxic overstimulation of social media and current world events. In either plane of existence, these spaces are moments of transition: Should we linger here in this comfort, or venture toward — perhaps falsely — safe, but familiar-appearing passages?
Here’s the soundtrack for that.
Appropriate for after hours lounging, or getting hazy on a lazy afternoon. Perfect for headphone listening on existential walks. Or taking a summer trip to D.C. and staring into the abyss of your favorite algae-infested Reflecting Pool. Enjoy your headnodic sojourn.
Novasoul, aka Robert Gonzales, is a San Antonio based DJ and independent record label owner/artist. For booking info: djnovasoul@gmail.com
Follow on Instagram: @_novasoul for upcoming DJ events.
