Eclectic Soul

Eclectic Soul 77

Mix Artwork

Probably the most chill episode so far.
Nature’s invitation to slow down in winter.
Getting older and needing more calm.
The need to balance too much stimulation so far.

Artwork by Itsu, mostly known as Hokusai (in 1820-1834)

Tracklist & Timestamps

  1. [00.00] Air - Alone In Kyoto
  2. [03.26] Alice Phoebe Lou - Only When I
  3. [07.15] Alex Andreas Duncan - Heavy Rains
  4. [10.43] Little Dragon - Water
  5. [14.25] Skúli Sverrisson - Instants
  6. [16.50] Air - Universal Traveler
  7. [21.10] Natureboy Flako - Thousand Year Old Oak
  8. [24.07] Lucy Rose - Question It All
  9. [28.06] Hiatus Kaiyote - Red Room
  10. [31.58] Mathieu Boogaerts - Mélancolie
  11. [34.52] Nils Frahm - Lagrimagua
  12. [39.27] Dirg Gerner - Didn't You Know (feat. Theo Croker)
  13. [43.07] Men I Trust - Serenade of Water
  14. [46.11] Tokyo Tea Room - If You Love Her
  15. [48.54] Bonnie Banane - Cha-cha-cha
  16. [51.53] Oklou - Obvious
  17. [55.01] The Zenmenn And John Moods - Into The Heart Of The Matter
  18. [59.57] Men I Trust - Days Go By
  19. [63.07] Richard Houghten - 4AM Pokodot

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Thoughts

I couldn’t end a year without releasing a single Eclectic Soul mix. I wanted to take at least one audiography of my year. I imagine my future self, very old, hardly moving any more, happy to spend a quiet day in my sanctuary, listening to these mixes and remembering forgotten bits of the past. Smiling while I relive beautiful memories in my mind.

The opening track was my first discovery of the year, on January 10th while I was watching Lost in Translation. (I didn’t even do it in purpose!) If you haven’t, go watch that film before listening to my mix. I want you to experience that music with the feelings from the story and what happens on screen in that moment. That piece was actually written specifically for that scene.

My ex-girlfriend—now a platonic best friend—contributed four songs. The Bonnie Banane track recalls a concert in Annecy last January, where we took her 84-year-old grandma—her first live gig.

2025 is the year I officially became a student of Ayurveda. I’m taught by Alex Duncan, a British wonderman living in the Cévennes and teaching in French. He’s a great musician too, and PhD. Electronics with Music. And I’m happy to feature a song from his Wind Over Valley folk-blues album. My ex listened to it while on mushrooms and said : « I want to live with him. » I’d be glad too!

I’m ending this year with the intention of becoming an absolute listener.
I won’t renew my Spotify subscription. I’ll curate my music collection—physical and digital—100% offline, 100% owned.

Here’s why:

  1. I’m building a tech independent life, with as few subscriptions as possible—none with big companies. I’ve never had Netflix, only used Amazon Prime through free trials, and lived most of my life without a mobile plan.

  2. I first liked Spotify for discovering new music, but I quickly felt overwhelmed by endless options. That overload created a negative association with listening, and may have led me to explore new music less.

  3. Fewer options mean more focus, more presence, more life, more calm.

  4. I now support artists directly, with a real material impact: on Bandcamp, they receive most of what I pay. Streaming platforms had virtually no impact.

  5. The way I can search, filter, organize, and use smart playlists in the macOS Music app (formerly iTunes) is extremely powerful. I can also sync my library to an external drive and use it on any Mac or PC.

  6. I disliked the fact that enjoying music required a screen, with constant risk of distraction from endless tasks on my phone or laptop. Listening to music shouldn’t depend on screens or the internet.