Weekend Listening • New Mixes from Evie The Cool, Pat The Manager, Sahar & Maceo Haymes of The O'My's
Photo by Rene Marban
While each streaming service continues to develop aglorithms for music curation and discovery, nothing has ever worked for me as well as being put on to music firsthand by friends whose taste I trust. This week, four Chicagoans who fit that criteria released mixes that tackle very different directions of dependable, desired listening. While Evie The Cool and Pat The Manager filter through the flood of music each week to showcase the sounds of the cutting edge, Sahar and Maceo Haymes dig through recordings of decades past to remind listeners of the value in looking back from time to time. Don't confuse this any "Tastemakers" talk. These are people who truly love music and have spent years refining their musical palette attempting to share the joy they experience through these songs with others. Apple Music's 'For You' section is for anyone. Put Pandora on pause and listen to hours of music hand picked by those who know it best and care about it enough to find creative ways to share it in their very limited free time...
Evie The Cool • 'Trap Queen'
We've really missed Evie The Cool since she's moved to LA. Luckily she's made it back several times since to DJ a handful of shows and events. This week Evie sends a postcard home with her new mix 'trap queen'. Her first official trap mix, the 47 minutes see plenty of Metro Boomin' production and plenty of appearances from Thug, Madeintyo, Lil Uzi and Kodak Black, amongst others. Showing that her connection to these tracks goes beyond their buzz, Evie provides a personal touch by telling me a bit about the meaning behind of a couple of her selections. Read that below, and throw this on before you get into your Saturday night movements - trust me.
“In the beginning of my first song young thug says “i appreciate the love at all times, i promise”. i chose the song special as my first track because thugger is one of my favs and that quote is how i truly feel. my last song “i want it” by madeintyo ends with “i want it so ima go get it” another quote with truth behind it.”
Pat The Manager • 'ihopeeverytimeyouhearthis: u try and see the good in the world'
My man Pat Corcoran, known to many as Pat The Manager, started a playlist series entitled ihopeevertyimeyouhearthis... back in 2014. The title of each new playlist finishes the series' namesake sentence in a differently compassionate way. With an affinity for hits, Pat puts together a combination of tracks to move you across all levels of the emotional spectrum, juxtaposing genres along the way. While it had been a quite some time since we last heard an installment, The Manager resurrects the collection with a new playlist and a new website. Just a little forewarning before pressing play: if you have a heart, Daniel Caesar is really about to fuck with it on the the first song. Other than that enjoy the latest edition here, and catch up on some of the previous at ihopeeverytimeyouhearthis.com.
Sahar • 'Flashback Vol. 1'
Of the four people featured, I'm least familiar with Sahar. With that said, very few people have impressed me more at recent events than the 22-year-old "music selectress" & Soulection affilliate. A week or two ago, Sahar spun an assortment of songs in a DJ set prior to Stix Jam Night at Soho House that had people turning their heads constantly to see who was snapping so hard. This week, she debuts a new throwback mix series featuring ten songs from our youth that had us singing along about things we wouldn't fully understand for years to come. Take a listen to volume one below, and for more of Sahar's selections check out her 'Vibes' playlist series on SoundCloud.
Maceo Haymes of The O'My's • Soul Mix #1
Newly my neighbor, I've been a witness to the rapid growth of Maceo Haymes' vinyl collection in recent months. While the band's weekly vinyl only DJ sets have provided some use for all great songs packed into these newly purchased old records, The O'My's lead singer took to SoundCloud for another outlet. As the name 'Soul Mix #1' suggests, this is the first of what we can expect to be many mixes of soul music carefully chosen by the person who knows it better than anyone else I know. Read below how Haymes casually described the mix when sending it my way, and do yourself a favor by starting one of your mornings with this one.
“Most days I listen to records during my morning routine. This morning I figured I’d share some of the tunes I have in rotation.”