DJ Jim Q's Playlist: Ripple

When I think of this month’s theme Ripple, I think of reverberation. It’s called the ripple effect where one thing happens and it’s impact causes a chain reaction emanating out from that nucleus like waves in a pond from the splash of a pebble. Art and music in particular are often influenced this way. One innovator does something that fundamentally shifts the paradigm and the influence echoes out to affect everything that comes after. I think of Run DMC’s first album, this 1984 masterpiece was by no means the first hip hop record, but it’s influence on everything that came after can’t be overstated. Often the initial splash is overlooked and it’s the ripples that reach the masses. A great example of this is the Velvet Underground, a band now widely acknowledged as one of the most influential of all time. The first album did not sell. However it’s influence amplified as the years went on, as Brian Eno put it “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.” History is peppered with these progenitors from Robert Johnson to Moondog to Sister Rosetta Tharpe to Edgard Varèse or Lee Scratch Perry and so many others. Often unsung and uncredited, these vanguards are responsible for artistic foundations of so many of music’s biggest icons. One of my favorite things to do as a listener is to follow the reverberations of influence from a well known artist back to the original source and influences. I’m always up for a little armchair musicology. I’ve discovered so many amazing artists this way. Follow those ripples back to the splash.

The theme this month was selected by our fine friends from the Tel Aviv chapter. I had such a delightful time exploring some of the music of the Mediterranean metropolis. The musical styles are as diverse and eclectic as you might expect from a city so rich in culture and history. Spanning the decades and genres from the 1960’s psych rock of The Churchills, to the jazzy grooves of Hoodna Orchestra to the atmospheric dreamy soundscapes of Zoe Polanski, there are so many twists and turns to explore. I have included only a cursory cross section of all the wonderful music from the city. I recommend a deeper dive.

Steady yourself there may be turbulence ahead—The theme of the playlist this month is ripple. Submerge in the sensuality of Katy Perry’s “Tsunami”, stomp along with The Gossip’s “Don’t Make Waves”, float away on a “Wave of Mutilation” with the Pixies or like the Breeders, make a splash like a “Cannonball”. I hope this playlist resonates and reverberates.

Thanks for listening. If you enjoy these playlists, please follow me on Spotify and give me a shout on Twitter, I would love to hear from you.