I started publishing basic mixes of my playlists to Substack at the behest (and following in the footsteps) of Madeline, friend of the blog and mind behind Curtains Radio.

Radio was a personal fascination and the primary way I was exposed to music and chatter as a kid. Growing up remotely in the Appalachias I experienced radio preachers and rural classifieds (which more than once resulted in the acquisition of some exotic pet), and my parents always had NPR affiliate WNCW 88.7 on at home. It's the dial-up era, and my gooey young mind absorbs wireless communication across mountain hollers in real time.

As a teenager, I became attached to The Signal with Laurie Brown on CBC Radio 2 and our local community radio station, CFCR 90.5FM in Saskatoon. More than once did a perfectly timed track on The Signal come to me in a quiet moment on the road after 10pm, signs that changed my life. A short stint on CFCR filling in Saturday nights with Spencer (who went on to host FMeral for another 6 years!) quickly became my favourite way of sharing and talking about music.

I miss having a functional community radio outlet, and I no longer use streaming services that position playlists as a social asset. In returning to MP3 collecting I still find myself making a lot of playlists: to sift through the volume of music I encounter, to identify patterns in sound or structure, as a way of processing or leaning into experiences and emotions, and to play with humour, narrative, and juxtaposition. And I still want to share - so I leave them here, for you, a window into careful sounds.

It may not be real-time, but it's still real world content.