Music moves us. For most of us, it is an integral component of our lives that accompanies us daily. It is pleasurable, plays a role in our well-being and strengthens our social bonds. It is also a way of expressing ourselves when words fail to do so. As a matter of fact, music works a lot like languages - except instead of words and ideas, feelings and intent are communicated. When we share a song that touches us with someone, we're not only communicating what music we relate to, but we're also inviting that person to go through a subjective emotional experience, thinking it might move them the same way it moved us — a subtle act of care and intimacy.
Back in 2015, I started sharing songs with a few friends on Spotify. In 2017, Spotify discontinued its Inbox feature, so I resorted to sending links on WhatsApp and did that for 3 years until I felt it was time to try something different. Something less intrusive, more structured and richer in content. That’s when the idea of compiling mixtapes of my favorite monthly discoveries came to mind. By switching to a monthly cadence, I'd also be creating musical snapshots that would transport me back to a particular time of my life at the play of a sound — a sort of unconventional diary providing an intimate look at my past. The relationship between music and memory is quite compelling, and I find a lot of pleasure in basking in the nostalgia that old music provides, but we'll keep this for another time.
So in July 2020, I created the first mixtape and shared it on Instagram. I experimented with this approach for a few months, but the more this went on, the more I felt that social media was not the right place for this type of content, mainly due to layout limitations. In May 2021, I stopped sharing the mixtapes but kept compiling them. Around that time, I was also working on launching my website and started tinkering with the idea of not restricting it to photography only. Although photography remains my primary focus for now, I wanted the website to be a personal space for anything I’d like to share with the world. A platform that would kick off with Sonic Wombs but grow and potentially extend to other topics in the future.
And with that in mind, in November 2022, I launched a new section on this website dedicated to music.
There are no particular genres I focus on; you'll find a bit of everything here. Anything that generates a strong emotional response is considered. The best makes the cut.
On the 1st, I start with an empty playlist and no preconceived idea of how the mixtape will sound like. Randomness and spontaneity will guide the process. As I listen to new music, songs that stand out land in the playlist. Towards the end of the month, I edit down and reorder the selection to create a sequenced flow (hence the name 'mixtape', although it's technically a playlist of unmixed songs).
The selection comes with a tracklist description and an imagined listening setting. It is shared on the last day of the month and is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Thank you for reading that far, and enjoy the June 2020 selection.
