Forever Trying to Chill

My taste in music has been greatly influenced by my parents from when I was very young listening to classical music and smooth jazz daily. My father would start the day with classical to calm the mind and “keep the dogs company” when we were gone. When the day was done, we’d come home, finish up our homework, and prepare for dinner with family and/or friends depending on the night of the week. My dad would change the station from classical to Smooth Jazz 94.7 The Wave. It was our go to evening radio station that played various jazz musicians and singers like Kenny G and Sade, but, if they were feeling extra saucy, then we'd listen to the Gypsy Kings, Carlos Santana, and other similar artists. I remember the sound of corks popping, the love flowing from one glass to the next; hearing my dad’s booming laughter that felt like a warm hug against my body; the delicious smells of my mother’s cooking pulling me downstairs to hang out with the adults. This was the zen I grew up with and it has served as the basis for what brings me zen and happiness today :)

As I’ve grown and developed my own tastes and interests, I find myself attracted to fusions of jazz and hip-hop instrumentals, lo-fi, downtempo, world, and zen meditations that incorporate sounds of the natural world, binaural beats, and harmonic frequencies. Because music is constantly evolving, I actively search for different fusions of music genres or sub genres from various artists; it truly depends on how I want to feel. Much of the music in my "Forever Trying to Chill" playlist includes songs that I've collected from highs and lows in my life. They include artists and music that inspire me to move, dance, create, or zone out to. I enjoy aligning myself to music that brings up the joy and warmth inspired by my childhood memories, and the love, friendship, adventures, celebrations, and healing that has been getting me through my young adulthood.

Forever Trying to Chill

When I am looking for uplifting music either to get me out of a funk or get me through a long drive, I listen to:

#5 - Beads in the Wind by The Human Experience

#7 - The Journey by Sol Rising

#33 - Video by India.Arie

I came across Beads in the Wind when I moved to San Diego to be closer to my family after spending my college years in New York City. My sister introduced me to the Burning Man community and the music scene in San Diego, which really inspired a lot of my healing. I discovered a completely different way of relating with others and soon after I began forming closer and healthier relationships with the people around me. This song reminds me of the new found hope I experienced as I was closing a chapter of my previous life. The Journey is also on a similar vibe as the previous song because I found it around the same time and it stuck with me. It's light, bright, positive, and also steady. This song makes me feel very grounded and can be heard at any part of my day. But when I need a song to remind me of my own innate power, I listen to Video by India.Arie. I found this song after experiencing a lot of pain around my identity and self-worth. I was not holding healthy boundaries for myself and making harmful choices because I as acting in ways I thought I was supposed to, and I was struggling to establish and maintain healthy boundaries for myself. After making some serious changes to my life I started aligning myself more with the artist's music, particularly her acoustic soul album. Her music describes her journey of empowerment and becoming attuned to her higher self and the divine feminine as she navigates love, her relationships with the divine masculine. Whenever I listen to this song, it reminds me of how far I've come in reclaiming my sovereignty, and how beautiful it is to embrace who we are regardless of society's expectations of women.

These songs are for those who want to get in touch with their romantic side and are not afraid to get into their feelings...if that's your thing though! Otherwise, these songs are just vocally beautiful, angelic, and raw. Each artist's voice makes me swoon and opens up deep parts of my heart for experiences of love I had the opportunity to feel and grow with.

I discovered Jessie Ware when I lived in New York and I remember feeling a deep sense of longing when I heard her voice along with the painful tinge of hope that I held on to when I was experiencing unrequited love and love that just wasn't ready yet. #26 - Say You Love Me by Jessie Ware, just gets me every time. I'm immediately in my feelings, because the song starts out a little mellow and there's a redemptive quality towards the end as the instruments pick up a bit; there is a sense of acceptance and release as she embraces that she can't have what she wants because she may not actually get what she deserves. Ray LaMontagne is another artist I found in New York and I immediately fell in love with his voice that sounds so gentle, but has got a little grit with it. The song #27 - Let it Be Me by Ray LaMontagne in particular feels very heart centered as I feel my heart open up with my shoulders. And every time I try to write a sentence for this song, I keep deleting it because I can't describe how much this song actually inspires me to self-soothe. So I recommend listening to it so you can get a feel for it for yourself.

Time to shake off these FEELS! So I love to dance. I believe it is the best medicine, and this particular song has been one of my favorites recently because the vocalist, Earl St. Clair, is an R&B artist that a has a voice with soul, and sometimes I just can't get enough. The song is a story about his journey of becoming an artist among the millions of artists out there who are also following the same dream, and the struggles that come with fulling that dream. #35 - Ain’t Got it Like That by Earl St. Clair and PJ is the perfect song for shaking things off and getting back into your body again.

My favorite lyrics from the song:

"I've got soul and a whole lot of song, I've got love even if I'm dead wrong. And I know I got what I need even when I don't got what I want."

After sitting for so long or when I feel low, this song immediately elevates me and makes me want to dance and sing my heart out. His voice has a magnetic power to pull the funk out wherever you're at.

Heart Culture 2017 Live Set

I found this set while I was searching for new DJs on Soundcloud and I haven't come across another set that I've listened to from beginning to end other than this one by Mose ft. Suyana from Heart Culture 2017. It's a two hour set that I listen to for when I just want to be with me and my soul. Usually, I'd listen to this set after I've completed my morning ritual with stretching, meditating, and journaling. After I've filled my cup, I enjoy celebrating by being with my body and spending a little time in the mirror preparing myself for the day ahead. The whole set keeps a consistent tempo that is upbeat, but also mellow with light vocals drums putting it more along the genre of electronic world music. For me, it is the perfect set to listen to whenever I just wanna vibe out, be in my own space, create art, or even put on makeup before heading to work.

This is my zen. I've healed with this music, I have cried with this music, and I've experienced loving kindness and community with this music. Not only do these vibrations move through us, but we remember them within our bodies as we evolve with it. I believe it is so important that we attune ourselves to music that is gentle, wholesome, raw, and empowering because we're are matching our vibrations to the lyrics and instruments with the songs and in spaces we occupy. Looking back fondly on my memories as a child listening to the music my parents loved, I feel so grateful for having been exposed to their music as a child because it helped shaped my taste in musica, and it brought me closer to the styles that resonate with my core. I am also very grateful for my sister who brought me into her community and introduced me to a culture that fostered healing, connection, and self-expression. I am very much looking forward to dancing and connecting with people through music and community again.

Thank you for listening.

With Love,

Jaz

Instagram: @lunarmelodie