Finally!
| For everyone who has ever asked me for a mix or a song title. These lists are the basic templates of what I play in class, although I may mix and match depending on the mood of the day. |
| Some songs aren't available on iTunes, and some songs come off untitled mixes from friends so I don't have the song info to include. But as much as possible, here they are. |
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Enjoy!
The CDs listed here are, in my opinion, good all the way through.
Some of these you'll also hear in my classes; some of them I don't tend to play for class.
If there's a CD you're obsessing about right now, let me know.
yoga / chill-out / electronica
Any of the Buddha Bar CDs –
Fabulous mixes complied by French DJ Claude Challe. These are imported
and can be pricey, but are worth it. I suggest buying the actual disc instead of downloading
so that all tracks blend together the way they were mixed, without a break between tracks.
Bliss: Various Artists from Real World Records –
In general you can't go wrong with this label. This ultra-chill mix is the perfect accompaniment to yoga or wine…or both. It features cuts from some of Real World's recording artists, all blended together in one seamless track. Buy this one on CD (not digital) if you can – it's worth it not to have the breaks between tracks.
Craig Pruess: Sacred Chants of Buddha / Sacred Chants of Shiva /
Sacred Chants of Devi –
These are probably the CDs I get asked about the most after class.
Hauntingly beautiful chants that I play in savasana.
Available at www.spiritvoyage.com
Mum: Yesterday was Dramatic; Today is OK –
I admit it: I just love the title of this CD. How could you not?
On top of the great album title, this electronica band from Iceland has a mix
of styles and sounds that I love.
I haven't heard their more recent CD, but I'd guess it's equally wonderful.
The Album Leaf: The Album Leaf –
Their self-titled album is a beautiful, moody flow. I could have done without
the band mixing in some of their conversation after a few of the pieces,
but otherwise this is a nice one to have on in the background.
world
Baaba Maal: Baayo –
Beautiful singing from the Senegalese singer. This is my favorite of his CDs.
One Giant Leap: One Giant Leap
The soundtrack to the movie (which is probably fantastic, but I haven't actually ever seen it,
even though I own it). The music brings together artists from around the world,
digitally mixed to form an amalgam of sounds.
If you take my classes, you've heard a lot of this CD.
singer/songwriter
Alexi Murdoch: Time Without Consequence –
Yum. Smooth, smart songs.
This is his first full-length CD, and the whole thing is wonderful.
For those of you familiar with my playlists,
Alexi Murdoch sings Orange Sky, Home, and All Of My Days.
Brett Dennen –
My first listen-through made me almost gag with sweetness. But for some reason
I found myself craving this the next day…and the next….
While it may be too much sugar all at one sitting,
if you break it down, some of these tracks will make you feel pretty darn good.
John Hiatt –
I love this guy. A little too country to play in class most of the time,
but if you like smart (and smart-ass) singer-songwriter stuff, he's your guy.
If you don't know him, you actually probably do —
his songs have been recorded by all kinds of other artists and made famous by them,
while he still stays pretty unknown.
funkier stuff
Skeewiff -
This UK band sounds like a pumped-up Austin Powers movie.
Super-fun groovy instrumentals, with the occasional lyric thrown in.
Not usually great for yoga unless you're feeling funky,
but oh-so-swell for your next spy party.
Meshell N'Degeocello —
For some reason I haven't bought most of her recent ones, but her older albums
Peace Beyond Passion and Plantation Lullabies are the best possible combination
of hip-hop, R&B, and rap.
Check back later after the website is older.
KCRW.com — If you listen to only one
radio station for the rest of your life, make it this one. KCRW is
an LA–based NPR station housed in the basement of Santa Monica
Community College. They offer, bar none, the best mix of music I've
found anywhere. You can either stream them live or go to KCRW.com —, which is their music-only
stream.My personal favorite show is Morning Becomes Eclectic, weekday mornings from 9 am until noon. I also love Chocolate City and Metropolis. Oh — and Café LA. Really, all the music shows are fantastic.
If you're listening with the thought of buying some of the music, be sure to click on the "Now Playing" tab. This will give you the artist name and the song title for the current song as well as the previous one played, and will also link you to iTunes or Amazon. And one last thing: if you become addicted to KCRW, consider joining. Like all independent and NPR stations, they are subscriber-supported. Plus they have really cool premiums.
Pandora.com — In January of
2000, a bunch of geeky music-scientist types (my favorite!) got
together to start the Music Genome project, wanting to do for music
what genetics has done for understanding relationships between and
within people. One of the happy results of this project is Pandora.com. You type in the music you
like and, based on the musical genome of the song or artist, they
play other things they think you might like as well. For each song
you can give a thumbs-up or thumbs down, and this helps determine
their other selections for you. Also, you can check to see why a
particular song or artist was chosen, and Pandora will tell you
what genome it has in common with the original song/artist you
like. It's pretty phenomenal.You can create multiple personal radio stations. I have one for mellow yoga music, and one for funkier stuff. I find a lot of new music this way. And, by the way, don't feel obligated to vote on each song. The music keeps coming regardless.