New month, new staff playlist. Whilst we can’t quite believe that April went by that quickly, we didn’t stop tuning in to some of our favourite sounds. Some of the team discovered new artists, and some revisited forgotten bops. Others were influenced by Coachella, or had no idea that it was going on.

This month, we have top tunes from the likes of King Push, along with a heavy hitter from Little Simz. The Spotify track-list features an array of modern and older, lo-fi and high-energy, and ranges from Beyoncé to Knucks. Scroll to tune in.

PAVEL

BLACK RADIO – ROBERT GLASPER & YASIIN BEY
This track by two legends Robert Glasper and Yasiin Bey is one of my favourite tracks of all time – just good beats, vocals and vibes. Robert Andre Glasper is an icon with an extensive music career as a pianist, record producer, songwriter and many other roles he has undertaken. His career bridges different musical and artistic genres, mostly centred around jazz. This track is from his fifth studio album ‘Robert Glasper Experiment – Black Radio’ which was released in 2012. It hits all the right notes as it fuses Jazz, Hip Hop, Soul and R&B all in one sound track so seamlessly with great lyrics vocalised by Yasiin Bey. We need more music like this. 

LAURA

M3LO – TIAKOLA
Ahead of his Melo Tour on May 27th, French rapper Tiakola dropped his single M3lo and proves why he is better than just laying choruses on other artists’ tracks, although he excels in this domain. The member of group 4Keus spent much of his time in the studio to work on his album release – leaving fans with a feeling he is devoted to something much bigger. Tiakola’s first album aims at allowing him to become what he should rightly be recognised as: an artist who counts, one who is well decided to create coherent, neat and sufficiently ambitious work to make this flow essential.

SAM G

FEEL GOOD INC – GORILLAZ
When I thought Billie Eilish’s recent set at Coachella couldn’t get any better, she brought out Damon Albarn to perform one of their most hyped tracks – Feel Good Inc. Truly a timeless classic, it takes me back to summer ‘16, sitting in some random field at golden hour with my friends. Since the set, I’ve had it playing non-stop, reminiscing on a great summer (making me all the more ready for this one).

STELLA

USED TO LIVE IN DETROIT – SANSIBAR
I recently rediscovered this gem and was instantly transported back to the days of uni house parties. This is a great one to break up a set – one for the girlies without changing the vibe too much. Anaconda, but make it ghettotech? Sign me up.

WILL

NEVADA – YOUNGBOY NEVER BROKE AGAIN
Even if you’re not a cult YoungBoy fan this song just gives off immaculate summer vibes. After going viral on Instagram and TikTok when NBA team the Phoenix Suns were dancing to Nevada instead of warming up, and then went on to thrash their opposition by 30 points – maybe the song does have some sort of superpower. Even though some of the lyrics are actually quite deep, and might hit a bit too close to home, it’s impossible to listen to this song and not feel good.

SAM GUNN

INTROVERT – LITTLE SIMZ
I have always been familiar with Little Simz but I never really dipped my ears into her music until early 2022. ‘Introvert’, the opening track to her award winning album – ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ showcases a narrative of the world’s chaos with utterances of hope and positivity that is to come. Standing tall in times of need, Little Simz flies the flag for London and more importantly, women in music.

MARCUS

PRETEND – SLIM DINERO, TRAPSSTRRR
Pretend has been a staple in my party playlist since its release in 2018 and for good reason. It encapsulates Toronto’s sound very well through the head-bobbing beat, unorthodox structure and shrill vocals from Slim. If you want to be introduced to Toronto’s underground rap scene, this isn’t a bad start.

GIDEON

NIGHT SKY – CODY CURRIE, ELIZA ROSE
Cody Currie’s brand of jazzy, mesmeric, dont-wake-the-baby dance music possesses an addictive quality which has me completely hooked. His most recent release ‘Night Sky’, is no different. A characterful, richly textured instrumental sits beneath Eliza Rose’s dreamlike, meandering vocals. This song feels like those warm, aimless, summer nights that are on the horizon.

JACK

JUST SO YOU REMEMBER – PUSHA T

After a lifetime of waiting, Pusha T finally dropped his latest album, ‘It’s Almost Dry’. Although filled with hits, as you’d imagine, my favourite track on the album is ‘Just So You Remember’. Perhaps it was the nostalgia hit thanks to a sample I remember from Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (both tracks sample Colonel Bagshot’s Six Day War) or Pusha T’s incredible wordplay. All I know is I’ve  had ‘Just So You Remember’ on repeat since the album dropped.