Welcome to the first mixtape of 2023!

As promised, I’m back with a sequenced selection of my favorite discoveries of the month, and this one is dripping with funk. You’ll come across ambient textures, soulful compositions and Afrobeat rhythms, but the core breathes heavy downbeats, syncopated bass lines and infectious drumming that will keep your foot tapping and head nodding.

Fun fact of the month — the word 'funk' evolved to take on different meanings but did you know that it initially referred to a strong odor? Contrary to white culture where the term can have bad connotations, in African communities, it had the positive sense that a musician's hard-working, honest effort led to sweat, and from their physical exertion came an exquisite and superlative performance.

As always, we start calmly with atmospheric contemplation and progressively ascend towards groovier sounds before ending on a light note.

Thank you for following along, sharing your thoughts since the launch of this project and sending your favorite songs of the moment. I love curating these lists and your feedback has been very supportive.