Fluxblog 612: playlists for ya! playlists for ya!

This is my ongoing collection of high energy up tempo songs for summer ‘26. As of right now, it features music by Slayyyter, Fcukers, NIN x Boys Noize, TOMORA, Wet Leg x The Dare, Fred Again.., Olof Dreijer, Robyn, Meg Stalter, Olivia Rodrigo, Soft Tukker x J Balvin, Mouse on Mars x Lee Scratch Perry, Earthgirl, Piri, and many others.

10 hours of arty bangers by artists from the 60s up through the present. The vibe here is best summed up by a run towards the beginning that goes from Wire’s “Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W” into Brian Eno’s “St. Elmo’s Fire” into Neu’s “Hallogallo” into Television’s “Marquee Moon” into Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive” into Stereolab’s “John Cage Bubblegum.” You get the idea? [Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube]

7 hours of bops, bangers, and assorted top tier songs released between 2000 and 2009. It includes music from The Knife, Beyoncé, The New Pornographers, Girl Talk, Lil Wayne, Justice, Annie, Clipse, TV on the Radio, LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A., Goldfrapp, Belle & Sebastian, Lady Gaga, CSS, Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend, Gorillaz, Kelis, Rilo Kiley, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Outkast, J Dilla, and many other stars from the era.

4 hours of AM radio classics, including music by Elton John, Carly Simon, 10cc, The Carpenters, Wings, Electric Light Orchestra, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Doobie Brothers, Bee Gees, Chicago, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, ABBA, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Todd Rundgren, and more!

[Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube]

I made this one in collaboration with Nicole Tremaglio of Nicstalgia. It features many of the major stars of this period (Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys), regional superstars (Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Billie Piper, S Club 7, B*Witched, M2M), and adjacent emerging pop stars (Jennifer Lopez, Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, Nelly Furtado). But the heart and soul of this story are the smaller artists who never quite made it – Eden’s Crush, Mikaila, Hoku, etc.

3 hours of classics from the early days of synth pop including music by Depeche Mode, New Order, Yazoo, Erasure, OMD, Gary Numan, Berlin, Pet Shop Boys, Howard Jones, Scritti Politti, Eurythmics, Human League, Lio, Stephen Duffy, Talk Talk, and many others.

6 hours of music meant to be played on random for a relaxed and groovy pool party vibe. This one includes songs by Disclosure, L’imperatrice, Avalanches, FKJ, Kaytranada, Tame Impala, Solange, Missy Elliott, Hercules & Love Affair, Usher, Daft Punk, etc. [Spotify | Apple | YouTube]

2 hours of chill, sophisticated, sexy, summery selections from the 60s and 70s, including songs by Serge Gainsbourg, Sly and the Family Stone, Bobbie Gentry, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Funkadelic, Roy Ayers, Shuggie Otis, The Beatles, and The Meters. Have a drink...relax.

🎸 There’s been a lot of interviews with Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien recently as he’s been promoting his second solo record Blue Morpho, but I particularly enjoyed his talk with veteran music journalist Jenny Eliscu because you get to hear him speak so enthusiastically about The Smiths and The Jam, and how U2’s The Unforgettable Fire set him on the path to becoming focused on effects pedals and atmospheric guitar parts. It’s also fun to hear him share a story about Radiohead reconnecting with a beloved music teacher they had in high school.

🛞 You ever watch the episode of Wheel of Fortune with James Brown, Little Richard, Weird Al Yankovic, and Lee Greenwood? Well, here you go.