Lifers: A Playlist with Kidislive

“There are songs, and then there are experiences that can only be categorized as a tour de force in energy. This rare live recording of my most influential artist, Fela Kuti, is a prime example of a song that puts the listener into a hauntingly hypnotic groove packed with all the good stuff you would expect from Fela, his charisma and charm being driven alongside the steadfast groove. If I am in a setting of music connoisseurs and the vibe is right, I am always putting this one for the collective to experience. It’s one of my fave obscure songs performed live.”

“This is a song that, when you hear it for the first time it messes with you in such a deep way. I find myself scoring scenes of a movie script in my head to this song. Every now and again, I’ll throw this one on and just sit back, look at people’s expressions when the lyrics start escalating the storyline.”

“My first time hearing this song was on LSD and ended up an intimate afters party. I was in someone’s jacuzzi, and the host put it on, and the song just warped my auditory reality into another dimension, along with the visual pleasures. If you like electronic mind-altering experimental tunes that cross genres in a very unique way, this song is a treat.”

“One of my favorite moments as a DJ was playing this party at Goiania, Brazil, where I closed out the show by dropping this as a last track, and the crowd was dialed in and loved it- it was a primary house and techno set, and I just said heck… let me drop this one, see how it goes. Such a belter of a track.”

“This song has such a special place in my heart, as the year it was released was the year I was born. My mother would always have this playing on record in my home when I was a young boy. Whether she was gardening or cleaning the home, I have vivid memories of the sun shining with my mother’s beautiful smile as she would sing the lovely lyrics of Gal Costa.”

“There are so many tracks I love by Arthur Russel it’s hard for me to pick one, but if I had to. It would be this one. Another gem in my collection that I love to share with people for the first time if they have never listened to Russel, countless memories at my home in the pool with friends enjoying the summer vibes to this magical tune.”

“There are songs that score the story of our lives better than others. This one by Miles does so in the most mystical way. I used to play poker in casinos as an amateur player in cash games and tournaments. I would always have this one on my playlist along with the Bitches Brew songs; it was the perfect song to score those moments for me.”

“Heat is by far one of my favorite movies of all time. Partly because I can watch it over and over again, and it never gets old. When the ALIENWORLDS YouTube channel took certain clips of the ambient score and just extended them on loops, they accomplished something so special for me as a great admirer of that movie. I had recently purchased the book HEAT 2 and read it from cover to cover while just having this extended ambient version on replay. It was the best reading experience of my life.”

“If you don’t know who Steve Reich is, you do now. One of the best live musical experiences of my life was seeing him in Carnegie Hall in NYC some years back. I remember just enjoying a nice glass of wine and just getting engulfed in his music. Where I first heard the piece Runner, and it was the standout moment of that evening. I often play this on Monday mornings when I need to get into a state if flow to conquer my day.”

“This piece I listen to when I am just overloaded with stress and anxiety, something about it that just puts me into a state of control, peace, and security. I can’t explain why or how, it just does. It is my go-to remedy for self-control. There are many others like Disintegration Loops by Basinski; however, this song was the first gateway into his work for me, and I’m so appreciative that I found it many years ago.”