After a lightweight December mixtape and a funky January one, February marks a return to more experimental sounds. Covering doom jazz, ambient, electronic and instrumental compositions, this is the soundtrack of getting caught up in a storm while hiking in nature.

"What is the imagined setting all about?" you might ask.

If you listen to a mixtape in one shot and follow its order, you will develop a personal, intrinsic sense of meaning and connect to its sonic narrative. Imagination frees us from the confines of our immediate reality, music is transportive, and the imagined setting is an attempt to come up with a suitable context that would best complement that narrative.

To think of a setting is a stimulating monthly challenge. Sometimes, the context comes to mind naturally. Other times, I feel stuck and keep listening to the selection until an idea bubbles up. Or give up.

The same can be said about sequencing, a trial and error process of re-ordering, pairing, constructing and deconstructing, until I reach a flow I’m happy with. Or give up.

Which of the two comes first? One initiates the process but both are  correlated, and they eventually work in tandem to influence and elevate one another. A clear setting will lead to a stronger narrative and refining the sequence will in turn better serve the setting.

Happy listening 🍃