The Playground Picks 20/12/19

Our final picks for 2019 are here! A fine selection of CHILL, EXPERIMENTAL, POP and INDIE tracks for you all to enjoy until we reconvene in the new year.

We look forward to fine-tuning our curations and sharing more great music in 2020. Keep an ear to the GRØUND!

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Fresh Selections:

Altvater – ‘This Pertains to Solitude’

‘This Pertains to Solitude’ has a very a pensive downtempo track from Altvater, the downtempo electronica music producer from Columbia, South Carolina, blending electronica, cinematic trip-hop, and hip hop. ‘This Pertains To Solitude’ is the follow up to his single, ‘Quietly, The Sea’ released December 2018.

islandman – ‘Zebra’

On ‘Zebra’ islandman’s Anatolian neo-psych roams the African savannah, conjuring tribal mystique and primordial gospels. ‘Zebra’ is the fourth single off islandman’s sophomore album, Kaybola. The group has momentum right now. Their shamanic live-sets are gaining infamous status across Europe and their last single ‘Shu!’ was picked up by Elton John on his Rocket Hour radio show on Beats 1.

Djogo – ‘Hope’

‘Hope’ is a great nostalgic and reflective reflect for the end of the year. It’s about having a good feeling about what is to come, despite the current mental state that you may find yourself in. Born in Rio de Janeiro and based in Amsterdam, Diogo Santos, AKA Djogo, is a Brazilian bass player who launched his music producer career in 2017 with an experimental electronic EP Sport Cars.

Fresh Selections:

Android Invasion – ‘Mysteries of Spring’

Taken from States of Wonder, the latest ambient music EP from Android Invasion, ‘Mysteries of Spring’ is part of an exploration of the tension between nature and technology, striking as it does so a precarious balance between organic and electronic sounds.

Kmodo – ‘Cold Fusion’ feat. Clara Hill

“Cold Fusion” is a type of nuclear reaction that occurs at room temperature. The narrative of the song is beautifully captured in Clara Hill‘s vocal and lyrics speaking of everlasting power, energy, all-encompassing human spirit and emotion. Chris Nickolls, aka Kmodo, constructed the music, sampling machine and factory noise and adding synths while Clara penned and recorded the vocals.

Alvinos Zavlis – ‘Falling’

‘Falling’ is taken from Alvino Zavlis’ latest album Time Travels. Like the album, this song fuses elements from various genres like electro, ambient, jazz, cinematic and IDM. Alvinos Zavlis is an electronic music producer from Cyprus based in the UK.

VYKS – ‘Night’

‘Night’ is the 3rd song from VYKS‘ debut Lumière, a deep, experimental concept album dealing with loss, pain, desperation, death and a transition. Entirely self-written, – performed and -produced, it is a captivating release exhibiting impressive experimental sound design.

Fresh Selections:

SIRMA x Mallow – ‘On’

Working mostly out of her home studio in Brooklyn, NY these days, singer/songwriter/producer SIRMA has interrupted her solitary creative process to collaborate with guest producer Mallow (aka Ian Barnett) on a double single titled ‘On / 24 Hours’. SIRMA is not only credited as the performer, songwriter and co-producer on both ‘On’ and ’24 Hours’, but as the sole mixing and mastering engineer as well.

Sam Padrul – ‘Something Electric’

‘Something Electric’ is a happy, but thoughtful, and poppy tune that hopefully will inspire its listeners to sing along and dance! Chicago-based Sam Padrul has always been driven to create music that’s both nostalgic and modern. Influenced by disco, yacht rock, and contemporary house music, Sam‘s tunes take influence from the likes of Stevie Wonder to Breakbot. With every song, Sam hopes to put some smiles on the faces of his listeners.

Made of Stone – ‘Tied To Me’

‘Tied To Me’ is the third song off of Made of Stone‘s debut self-titled EP released 11/11/19. Made of Stone is an Ambient Rock Band from Los Angeles formed in July of 2019 with a goal to create music they enjoy and share it with as many people around the world as possible.

Fresh Selections:

Anson Seabra – ‘Trying My Best’

‘Trying My Best’ is the anthem we all need. Life can be challenging – from work stress, to health, to maintaining relationships – it’s easy to become overwhelmed. This song serves as a reminder that at the end of the day trying our best is what really matters. This stunning ballad features Anson‘s heartfelt vocals atop a simple piano melody. Bare and stripped down to the soul, you can hear his honesty pour out from every word. 

Mlady – ‘When Do You Know’

Relationships are hard work, and that’s what Mlady‘s newest single ‘When Do You Know’ is all about. Contemplative lyrics highlight the contrasting emotions that most relationships face over time: “When do you know to pull in close or say goodbye?” Light, feathery vocals paired with dreamy guitar remind listeners of indie artists like Soccer Mommy and Phoebe Bridgers. This song is perfect listening for a chill, rainy day.

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