What I Listened To This Week 2025-01-17
O.K. Let's start a weekly Brownouts tradition 'round here
Every Friday, I shall recap songs that I listened to, played on the airwaves, discovered for the first time, revisited, thought deeply about, or kept on repeat since last Friday.
What a week. Let’s dive in.
Khingz/KA.lil - Midnight In The Garden
Fun fact: Khingz’ The Yotty Button was the song I played the most times on air at KEXP in 2023. I was in a mood, looking inward, and so was he. Kinda still am. Grown man rap from around my way that I can relate to. Today is the release date of his latest, Midnight In The Garden (album artwork by Lacan, design by Gabriel Teodros), that continues the theme of his latest records.
Brother Ali - Handwriting
More introspective grown man rap. Brother Ali and I have crossed paths many times, and it’s been years since the last crossing, but something about his music in recent years makes me feel like we just talked yesterday. This song, one of five he’s dropped in advance of his forthcoming album, Satisfied Soul (produced entirely by Ant), was hipped to me by Gabriel Teodros a few Fridays ago over coffee. It’s stayed in rotation since. Speaking of GT, he and Ali had a great convo awhile back that I highly recommend.
I played Berlin and Ramallah-based Palestinian artist Muqata’a’s “Zyadet Naqs” while filling in on KEXP’s Afternoon Show on Wednesday, and read immediately after the next air break that news of a ceasefire deal had been reached to end Israel’s 15-month war in Gaza. I want to be optimistic, as Israeli airstrikes have continued. The whole record, La Lisana Lah - لا لِسَانَ لَه, is excellent, as is Muqata’a Bandcamp discography, and his previous pioneering work with Ramallah Underground.
Eraserheads - With a Smile
Nine Inch Nails - Came Back Haunted
Like many of you, I was saddened by David Lynch’s passing yesterday. But seeing the outpouring of tributes reminded me of his massive influence beyond cinema—especially amongst musicians and music lovers. Even my son, who’s in middle school, asked if I had heard the news. I revisited a handful of music videos he’s directed, including the very Lynchian Nine Inch Nails “Came Back Haunted” video. I also thought about the Philippine band Eraserheads, who was in heavy rotation throughout my middle school years. Lead vocalist Ely Buendia recently reflected in an interview with Rolling Stone on the band’s name “I wouldn’t have named the band Eraserheads if I didn’t respond to the movie or Lynch somehow. I enjoy surrealism and dreamy stuff — that kind of atmosphere where you don’t really know what you’re looking at or what you’re listening to.”
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam - Lost In Emotion
I played this song, my favorite Lisa Lisa song ever, on the radio and several listeners tapped in to show appreciation. Several people slid into my DMs to link me to this trailer for Can You Feel The Beat - The Lisa Lisa Story, premiering on Lifetime on February 1, 2025 9pm PST for those who, somehow, still haven’t cut the cable cord. These low-budget made-for-cable-TV biopics have gone from guilty pleasure to just straight up pleasure over the years, and I actually prefer them to self-serious big bag Hollywood productions.
DJDAPS1 - Sade.
About a year ago, my mans DJ Daps1 dropped a mix of all things Sade called Sade. that aren’t easily accessible on mainstream streaming platforms—remixes, instrumentals, deep cuts—and blended them all together in a seamless 63-minute listen. Since yesterday was her birthday (and Aaliyah and FKA Twigs’s) I threw this mix back on while I showered and folded laundry and it was a glorious domestic morning. I also still got “Young Lion,” a solo offering (as Sade Adu) from the Red Hot Organization’s TRAИƧA compilation in rotation.
Madlib - Shades of Blue
Among the many impacted by the greater Los Angeles wildfires last week, a handful of musicians lost their homes, including jazz legend Bobby Bradford, saxophonist and composer Steven Lehman, and rapper/producer Madlib. Played some cuts off this one on the air this week, and let it run front-to-back at home, as I’ve done many times over many years. It’s tragic to hear these stories, and so many more who have been displaced are in need. For those with the means to help monetarily and materially, please donate to or help circulate this running list of GoFundMe pages for Displaced Black Families, which includes links to Latine and Filipino families, Disabled folks, and many others affected.
From South African artist Moonchild Sanelly off her new album Full Moon. This is just unapologetically joyful and dope, which is some energy I need to end this week on before I go rap onstage tomorrow night and DJ on Sunday afternoon .
Also in rotation:
Domestic responsibilities was one of the things I imagined folks would be doing while listening to that mix, so you nailed it. I'm thankful.