Listen to the playlist on Spotify // Apple Music.
Nite Jewel‘s Real High, full of lush instrumentation and flawless percussion, is meant for late night listening–“Obsession” captivates with its sensual atmosphere.
Gabriel Garzón-Montano‘s unique take on soul made for one of the most captivating albums of the year. “Fruitflies” is an earworm of a track that tells a heartbreaking, deeply human story that needed to be heard in 2017.
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“Baybee” captures everything I love so much about Jay Som‘s 2017 debut Everybody Works–dreamy, expansive and larger-than-life.
Slowdive‘s first album back in over 2 decades is a transformative masterpiece and “Star Roving” exemplifies its beautiful vastness.
We might be a bit biased since we premiered his first track on TMN Radio earlier this year, but Still Woozy may be the artist I’m most excited for in 2017. “Cooks” displays just how much emotion and soul he pack into a quirky, playful tune.
“Floating By” was a song I simply couldn’t get out of my head in 2017. Its combination of irresistible percussion and hazy vibes make for a true smoker’s delight.
Smino and Ravyn Lenae‘s both display an unmatched level of vocal dexterity on “Glass Flows,” a track just as bouncy as it is soulful.
Considering they dropped three stellar albums in 2017, it was pretty much impossible to select just one song from Brockhampton. “Bleach,” full of twists and turns, both showcases their adventurous approach to hip-hop and their ability to translate vulnerabilities into empowerment.
The potency of Jay Z‘s “The Story of OJ” was second to none in 2017. Hearing a message like this from someone as successful and prominent as Hov underscores the remaining, blatant lack of racial equality in America.
Kendrick Lamar remained the undisputed king of rap music in 2017 but “Duckworth.” tells the true, gripping story of just how close we were to having no Kendrick Lamar at all.
Flower Boy saw Tyler, the Creator reach his potential in a beautiful and intimate way–not only is it full of flawless production but the Odd Future leader reached completely new levels of introspection. “November” is one of those songs you can listen to on repeat for hours.
If I had to pick just one, “Blue Train Lines” is probably my favorite song of the year. Between King Krule’s guttural, ominous vocals to Mount Kimbie’s slowly building production, it is an absolutely enveloping, emotional experience.
After hearing Jamie xx drop this in his Reykjavik Boiler Room set, I checked online daily for months awaiting its full release, which thankfully finally happened (unlike that “Shelter” remix I’m not sure we’ll ever get). Taking an already potent track, The xx’s mastermind producer built out an entrancing 6 minute sonic rollercoaster.
O’Flynn‘s “Tru Dancing” is a slice of disco-house perfection with a slow build that makes it even more sweet.
Soulwax x Jagwar Ma, not much else has to be said.
Bonobo crafted a unique kind of banger with “Bambro Koyo Ganda,” which is a heavy hitter on the dance floor that is perfectly assisted by Moroccan group Innov Gnawa‘s vocals and live instrumentation.
Yaeji was easily my breakout favorite artist of 2017. I love just about everything she does musically mixing in her ethereal vocals with a hip-house sound that oozes personality. “Raingurl” is a massive tune that truly broke her to the masses and its easy to hear why.
