Booth notebook

Session notes from the booth.

The lineup logic, the song notes, and the things I want you to hear, saved one session at a time.

Stored notes
120
Artists
18
Genres
18
Special turns
0
4 saved turns
Lineup logic first. Song notes right behind it.
Dusky slow burn / slow brighteningLive booth noteJun 3, 20261:02 PM

Killing In The Name (Remastered) is the thesis, and You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) is the answer waiting on deck.

Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
Killing In The Name (Remastered)
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine · 1992 · Pop, Rock, Alternatif et Indé
Lineup note
Killing In The Name (Remastered) into You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show)

Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
Rage Against The Machine · 1992

Hearing it against Rage Against The Machine matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Killing In The Name (Remastered) by Rage Against The Machine off Rage Against The Machine (1992) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Rage Against The Machine, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for
What to catch in the arrangement

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) instead of crowding the next move.

Rage Against The MachineThe Allman Brothers BandThe Rolling StonesPop, Rock, Alternatif et IndéBlues RockRockdusky slow burn / slow brighteningdaybreakslow brighteningPop, Rock, Alternatif et Indé
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Killing In The Name (Remastered)
Rage Against The Machine
Why it fits

Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Rage Against The Machine matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Killing In The Name (Remastered) by Rage Against The Machine off Rage Against The Machine (1992) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Rage Against The Machine, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show)
The Allman Brothers Band
Why it fits

You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) lifts the pressure after Killing In The Name (Remastered) by Rage Against The Machine off Rage Against The Machine (1992) without snapping the thread. Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves Stop Breaking Down by The Rolling Stones off Exile on Main St. (1972) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With The Allman Brothers Band, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to Stop Breaking Down by The Rolling Stones off Exile on Main St. (1972) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
Stop Breaking Down
The Rolling Stones
Why it fits

Stop Breaking Down by The Rolling Stones off Exile on Main St. (1972) cools the temperature after You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) and lets the turn breathe. Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars.

Track context

matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. (1972) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With The Rolling Stones, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead.

Open saved booth copy

You know that moment when the room just settles into its own skin? That’s the feeling we’re leaning into now—after Talking Heads’ 'Love for Sale,' that quiet lift in the air. This next one? It’s Miles Davis, 2024’s reissue of 'Well You Needn't'—not the version you’ve heard a hundred times. It’s the way the horns trade weight with the rhythm section, how the piano doesn’t just play notes, it leans into the silence. It’s not loud, but it’s alive. This isn’t just a track—it’s a breath. And it’s exactly where we needed to go next.

Dusky slow burn / slow brighteningLive booth noteJun 3, 202611:44 AM

Untitled is the thesis, and Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995) is the answer waiting on deck.

Untitled by Aphex Twin off Melodies From Mars (1995) opens space, decay, and atmosphere without letting the air go limp. It leaves Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995) by Rage Against The Machine off Live & Rare (2022) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995) is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
Untitled
Aphex Twin
Melodies From Mars · 1995 · electronic, ambient, experimental
Lineup note
Untitled into Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995)

Untitled by Aphex Twin off Melodies From Mars (1995) opens space, decay, and atmosphere without letting the air go limp. It leaves Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995) by Rage Against The Machine off Live & Rare (2022) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
Melodies From Mars · 1995

Hearing it against Melodies From Mars matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Untitled by Aphex Twin off Melodies From Mars (1995) opens space, decay, and atmosphere without letting the air go limp. On Melodies From Mars (1995), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. The detail is in the air around the sound as much as in the notes themselves: sustain, echo, and how long each element hangs before the next one arrives.

Listen for
What to catch in the arrangement

Listen for the negative space: tails, echoes, and the way the sound keeps moving even when the surface feels still. Notice how it hands the weight to Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995) by Rage Against The Machine off Live & Rare (2022) instead of crowding the next move.

Aphex TwinRage Against The MachineMarvin Gayeelectronic, ambient, experimentalPop, RockR&Bdusky slow burn / slow brighteningdaybreakslow brighteningelectronic, ambient, experimental
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Untitled
Aphex Twin
Why it fits

Untitled by Aphex Twin off Melodies From Mars (1995) opens space, decay, and atmosphere without letting the air go limp. It leaves Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995) by Rage Against The Machine off Live & Rare (2022) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Melodies From Mars matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Untitled by Aphex Twin off Melodies From Mars (1995) opens space, decay, and atmosphere without letting the air go limp. On Melodies From Mars (1995), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. The detail is in the air around the sound as much as in the notes themselves: sustain, echo, and how long each element hangs before the next one arrives.

Listen for

Listen for the negative space: tails, echoes, and the way the sound keeps moving even when the surface feels still. Notice how it hands the weight to Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995) by Rage Against The Machine off Live & Rare (2022) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995)
Rage Against The Machine
Why it fits

Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995) by Rage Against The Machine off Live & Rare (2022) cools the temperature after Untitled by Aphex Twin off Melodies From Mars (1995) and lets the turn breathe. Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves You by Marvin Gaye off Super Hits (1970) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Live & Rare matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. - August 1995) by Rage Against The Machine off Live & Rare (2022) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Rage Against The Machine, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to You by Marvin Gaye off Super Hits (1970) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
You
Marvin Gaye
Why it fits

You by Marvin Gaye off Super Hits (1970) cools the temperature after Fuck tha Police (Live at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal, Washington, D.C. - August 1995) by Rage Against The Machine off Live & Rare (2022) and lets the turn breathe. You by Marvin Gaye off Super Hits (1970) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest.

Track context

Hearing it against Super Hits matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. You by Marvin Gaye off Super Hits (1970) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. On Super Hits (1970), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Hearing it against Super Hits matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single.

Listen for

Listen for the point where the record suddenly feels larger than the speakers and starts changing the shape of the room.

Open saved booth copy

This is the space after silence—where the air still hums with what came before. Miles Davis, 'Well You Needn't,' a moment of cool precision, a breath held between notes. The low end warms, the groove settles in like a memory you’ve always known.

Dusky slow burn / fresh currentLive booth noteJun 2, 20261:33 PM

(-) Ions is the thesis, and Fistful of Steel is the answer waiting on deck.

Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves Fistful of Steel by Rage Against the Machine off Rage Against the Machine (1992) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. Fistful of Steel is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
(-) Ions
TOOL
Ænima · 1996 · Rock
Lineup note
(-) Ions into Fistful of Steel

Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves Fistful of Steel by Rage Against the Machine off Rage Against the Machine (1992) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
Ænima · 1996

Hearing it against Ænima matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. (-) Ions by TOOL off Ænima (1996) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With TOOL, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for
What to catch in the arrangement

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to Fistful of Steel by Rage Against the Machine off Rage Against the Machine (1992) instead of crowding the next move.

TOOLRage Against the MachineDaniel BarenboimRockAlternative MetalClassicaldusky slow burn / fresh currentdaybreakfresh currentRock
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
(-) Ions
TOOL
Why it fits

Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves Fistful of Steel by Rage Against the Machine off Rage Against the Machine (1992) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Ænima matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. (-) Ions by TOOL off Ænima (1996) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With TOOL, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to Fistful of Steel by Rage Against the Machine off Rage Against the Machine (1992) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
Fistful of Steel
Rage Against the Machine
Why it fits

Fistful of Steel by Rage Against the Machine off Rage Against the Machine (1992) stays related to (-) Ions by TOOL off Ænima (1996) through alternative metal, but changes the pocket enough to matter. Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves Symphony No.3 in E flat, Op.55 -"Eroica": 3. Scherzo (Allegro vivace) by Daniel Barenboim off Beethoven For All - Symphonies 1- 9 (2012) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Rage Against the Machine matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Fistful of Steel by Rage Against the Machine off Rage Against the Machine (1992) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Rage Against the Machine, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to Symphony No.3 in E flat, Op.55 -"Eroica": 3. Scherzo (Allegro vivace) by Daniel Barenboim off Beethoven For All - Symphonies 1- 9 (2012) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
Symphony No.3 in E flat, Op.55 -"Eroica": 3. Scherzo (Allegro vivace)
Daniel Barenboim
Why it fits

Symphony No.3 in E flat, Op.55 -"Eroica": 3. Scherzo (Allegro vivace) by Daniel Barenboim off Beethoven For All - Symphonies 1- 9 (2012) stays related to Fistful of Steel by Rage Against the Machine off Rage Against the Machine (1992) through classical / symphony, but changes the pocket enough to matter. Reach for it when the sequence needs a record that can keep moving and still leave detail behind.

Track context

Hearing it against Beethoven For All - Symphonies 1- 9 matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Scherzo (Allegro vivace) by Daniel Barenboim off Beethoven For All - Symphonies 1- 9 (2012) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. On Beethoven For All - Symphonies 1- 9 (2012), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Hearing it against Beethoven For All - Symphonies 1- 9 matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single.

Listen for

Listen for the point where the record suddenly feels larger than the speakers and starts changing the shape of the room.

Open saved booth copy

We're building on that dusky slow burn, and this next one hits like a conversation between parts—Miles Davis, the way he talks to the room.

Dusky slow burn / fresh currentLive booth noteJun 2, 202611:26 AM

Tonight is the thesis, and Low is the answer waiting on deck.

Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves Low by R.E.M. off Out Of Time (1991) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. Low is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
Tonight
David Bowie
The Next Day · 2013 · Art Rock
Lineup note
Tonight into Low

Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves Low by R.E.M. off Out Of Time (1991) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
The Next Day · 2013

Hearing it against The Next Day matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Tonight by David Bowie off The Next Day (2013) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With David Bowie, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for
What to catch in the arrangement

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to Low by R.E.M. off Out Of Time (1991) instead of crowding the next move.

David BowieR.E.M.The Allman Brothers BandArt RockRockBlues Rockdusky slow burn / fresh currentdaybreakfresh currentArt Rock
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Tonight
David Bowie
Why it fits

Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves Low by R.E.M. off Out Of Time (1991) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against The Next Day matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Tonight by David Bowie off The Next Day (2013) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With David Bowie, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to Low by R.E.M. off Out Of Time (1991) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
Low
R.E.M.
Why it fits

Low by R.E.M. off Out Of Time (1991) stays related to Tonight by David Bowie off The Next Day (2013) through rock, but changes the pocket enough to matter. Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars. It leaves You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Out Of Time matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. off Out Of Time (1991) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With R.E.M., the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead. Notice how it hands the weight to You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show)
The Allman Brothers Band
Why it fits

You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) stays related to Low by R.E.M. off Out Of Time (1991) through blues rock, but changes the pocket enough to matter. Reach for it when the turn needs shape, attack, and a record that can define the next move in just a few bars.

Track context

Hearing it against The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. You Don't Love Me (Live At The Fillmore East, 1971 - First Show) by The Allman Brothers Band off The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings (2014) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With The Allman Brothers Band, the attraction is often attack and arrangement economy: what the band can say quickly and physically. The record earns its place through how the arrangement opens and tightens rather than through sheer mass.

Listen for

Listen for where the arrangement opens wider than the first impression suggests, especially when the rhythm section changes the floor under the lead.

Open saved booth copy

We're building on that energy from Rage Against The Machine, but shifting into something with a little more space to breathe. This next one's got that kind of low-end warmth you asked for, and it's got Miles Davis in the mix — which is a real hand from Ian’s shelf. Let's see how it moves the room.