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 / amber patienceLive booth noteJun 3, 202611:37 PM

Low is the thesis, and Cranes in the Sky is the answer waiting on deck.

off Green (2013) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. It leaves Cranes in the Sky by Solange off A Seat At The Table (2016) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. Cranes in the Sky is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
Low
R.E.M.
Green · 2013
Lineup note
Low into Cranes in the Sky

off Green (2013) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. It leaves Cranes in the Sky by Solange off A Seat At The Table (2016) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
Green · 2013

Hearing it against Green matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. off Green (2013) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. On Green (2013), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Hearing it against Green matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single.

Listen for
What to catch in the arrangement

Listen for the point where the record suddenly feels larger than the speakers and starts changing the shape of the room. Notice how it hands the weight to Cranes in the Sky by Solange off A Seat At The Table (2016) instead of crowding the next move.

R.E.M.SolangeThe BeatlesSoul, Funk, R&BRockdusky slow burn / amber patiencesunsetamber patience2010s pull
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Low
R.E.M.
Why it fits

off Green (2013) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. It leaves Cranes in the Sky by Solange off A Seat At The Table (2016) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Green matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. off Green (2013) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. On Green (2013), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Hearing it against Green 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. Notice how it hands the weight to Cranes in the Sky by Solange off A Seat At The Table (2016) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
Cranes in the Sky
Solange
Why it fits

Cranes in the Sky by Solange off A Seat At The Table (2016) cools the temperature after Low by R.E.M. off Green (2013) and lets the turn breathe. Reach for it when the stack needs body, patience, and a groove that persuades instead of shouts. It leaves Honey Pie by The Beatles off The Beatles (1968) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against A Seat At The Table matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Cranes in the Sky by Solange off A Seat At The Table (2016) brings body, timing, and human feel first, so the persuasion happens in the rhythm section rather than in big gestures. With Solange, the draw is usually in the pocket and the human touch inside it, not just a surface-level style label. The argument is in the pocket: bass, snare, guitar or keys locking together and nudging the song forward without overplaying it.

Listen for

Listen to what the rhythm section is doing behind the lead, especially the bass turns, ghost notes, and little pushes that make the groove lean forward. Notice how it hands the weight to Honey Pie by The Beatles off The Beatles (1968) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
Honey Pie
The Beatles
Why it fits

Honey Pie by The Beatles off The Beatles (1968) stays related to Cranes in the Sky by Solange off A Seat At The Table (2016) 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.

Track context

Hearing it against The Beatles matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Honey Pie by The Beatles off The Beatles (1968) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With The Beatles, 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

War by The Cardigans — a dusky slow burn with warm low end, turning the color from 2000s into 2020s. The request line is already leaning this way. It keeps the emotional pressure steady after Don't Worry About The Government by Talking Heads and reads like a real hand, not a random match.

Dusky slow burn / smoke and focusPlaylist noteJun 3, 20262:23 AMOpen set

Shape of You is the thesis, and Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab 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 Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
Shape of You
Ed Sheeran
÷ · 2017 · Pop, Rock
Programming
Open set

Mr Rassy is shaping the next turn from the records already on the deck.

Show And Tell · full
Lineup note
Shape of You into Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab

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 Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
÷ · 2017

Hearing it against ÷ matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Shape of You by Ed Sheeran off ÷ (2017) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Ed Sheeran, 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 Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959) instead of crowding the next move.

Ed SheeranMiles Davis & Gil EvansSly And The Family StonePop, RockJazzRockdusky slow burn / smoke and focusafter-hourssmoke and focusPop, Rock
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Shape of You
Ed Sheeran
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 Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against ÷ matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Shape of You by Ed Sheeran off ÷ (2017) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Ed Sheeran, 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 Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab
Miles Davis & Gil Evans
Why it fits

Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959) stays related to Shape of You by Ed Sheeran off ÷ (2017) through jazz, but changes the pocket enough to matter. Reach for it when the set needs lift, conversation between parts, and something that can move without turning blunt. It leaves Family Affair by Sly And The Family Stone off Sounds Of The Seventies - 1971 (1989) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959) works when the set needs collective motion and color instead of blunt force. Miles Davis & Gil Evans makes the most sense here as an ensemble proposition: the interest is in how the parts talk to each other, not just one lead line. This one earns its space through moving parts: sections shifting roles, rhythm pushing from underneath, and an arrangement that keeps relocating the center.

Listen for

Listen for how the lead line, horns or keys, and the rhythm section keep trading weight instead of sitting in fixed roles. Notice how it hands the weight to Family Affair by Sly And The Family Stone off Sounds Of The Seventies - 1971 (1989) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
Family Affair
Sly And The Family Stone
Why it fits

Family Affair by Sly And The Family Stone off Sounds Of The Seventies - 1971 (1989) stays related to Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959) 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.

Track context

Hearing it against Sounds Of The Seventies - 1971 matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Family Affair by Sly And The Family Stone off Sounds Of The Seventies - 1971 (1989) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Sly And The Family Stone, 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

Mr Rassy is lining up Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959). Hearing it against The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab by Miles Davis & Gil Evans off The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - Porgy & Bess [Disc 2] (1959) stays related to Shape of You by Ed Sheeran off ÷ (2017) through jazz, but changes the pocket enough to matter. The transition is earning its place instead of skating by on vibe. The request line is whispering "I need a dusky slow-burn lane with warm low end tonight.".

Dusky slow burn / bright pressureLive booth noteJun 2, 20265:04 PM

High Hopes is the thesis, and Nocturne 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 Nocturne by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. Nocturne is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
High Hopes
Pink Floyd
The Division Bell (Hi-Res 24/96 Version) · 2014 · Pop, Rock
Lineup note
High Hopes into Nocturne

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 Nocturne by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
The Division Bell (Hi-Res 24/96 Version) · 2014

Hearing it against The Division Bell (Hi-Res 24/96 Version) matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. High Hopes by Pink Floyd off The Division Bell (Hi-Res 24/96 Version) (2014) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Pink Floyd, 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 Nocturne by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) instead of crowding the next move.

Pink FloydDaft PunkTalking HeadsPop, RockElectronicLeftfielddusky slow burn / bright pressuremiddaybright pressurePop, Rock
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
High Hopes
Pink Floyd
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 Nocturne by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against The Division Bell (Hi-Res 24/96 Version) matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. High Hopes by Pink Floyd off The Division Bell (Hi-Res 24/96 Version) (2014) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Pink Floyd, 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 Nocturne by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
Nocturne
Daft Punk
Why it fits

Nocturne by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) cools the temperature after High Hopes by Pink Floyd off The Division Bell (Hi-Res 24/96 Version) (2014) and lets the turn breathe. Nocturne by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) opens space, decay, and atmosphere without letting the air go limp. It leaves Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) by Talking Heads off Radio Waves 1978-1983: Psycho Killers, Vol. 2 (Live) (2016) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. 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. On Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate.

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 Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) by Talking Heads off Radio Waves 1978-1983: Psycho Killers, Vol. 2 (Live) (2016) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium)
Talking Heads
Why it fits

Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) by Talking Heads off Radio Waves 1978-1983: Psycho Killers, Vol. 2 (Live) (2016) stays related to Nocturne by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) through pop / 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 Radio Waves 1978-1983: Psycho Killers, Vol. Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) by Talking Heads off Radio Waves 1978-1983: Psycho Killers, Vol. With Talking Heads, 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 high from Pink Floyd, but let's take a moment to breathe and let the room settle. This is the kind of slow-burn lane that wants to be felt, not rushed through. That's why I'm reaching for Miles Davis - because he's a real hand in the booth, and his arrangements open up space and tension in a way that's always been part of this station's DNA. We're not just playing music, we're setting a feeling, and Miles gives us that.

Dusky slow burn / high noon shimmerPlaylist noteJun 2, 20264:43 PMOpen set

tonite is the thesis, and People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) is the answer waiting on deck.

tonite by LCD Soundsystem off american dream (2017) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. It leaves People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
tonite
LCD Soundsystem
american dream · 2017 · Électronique
Programming
Open set

Mr Rassy is shaping the next turn from the records already on the deck.

People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) · fullFlying High Again · full
Lineup note
tonite into People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999)

tonite by LCD Soundsystem off american dream (2017) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. It leaves People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
american dream · 2017

Hearing it against american dream matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. tonite by LCD Soundsystem off american dream (2017) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. On american dream (2017), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Hearing it against american dream matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single.

Listen for
What to catch in the arrangement

Listen for the point where the record suddenly feels larger than the speakers and starts changing the shape of the room. Notice how it hands the weight to People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020) instead of crowding the next move.

LCD SoundsystemRage Against The MachineJack WhiteÉlectroniquePop, RockPop, Rock, Alternatif et Indédusky slow burn / high-noon shimmermiddayhigh-noon shimmerÉlectronique
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
tonite
LCD Soundsystem
Why it fits

tonite by LCD Soundsystem off american dream (2017) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. It leaves People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against american dream matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. tonite by LCD Soundsystem off american dream (2017) earns its place when the turn needs shape, contrast, and enough detail to keep the next move honest. On american dream (2017), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Hearing it against american dream 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. Notice how it hands the weight to People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999)
Rage Against The Machine
Full play
Why it fits

People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020) lifts the pressure after tonite by LCD Soundsystem off american dream (2017) 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 High Ball Stepper by Jack White off Lazaretto (2014) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against The Battle Of Mexico City matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020) 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 High Ball Stepper by Jack White off Lazaretto (2014) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
High Ball Stepper
Jack White
Why it fits

High Ball Stepper by Jack White off Lazaretto (2014) stays related to People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020) through pop, rock, alternatif et indé, 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 Lazaretto matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. High Ball Stepper by Jack White off Lazaretto (2014) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Jack White, 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

Mr Rassy is lining up People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020). Hearing it against The Battle Of Mexico City matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. People of the Sun (Live, Mexico City, Mexico, October 28, 1999) by Rage Against The Machine off The Battle Of Mexico City (2020) lifts the pressure after tonite by LCD Soundsystem off american dream (2017) without snapping the thread. The transition is earning its place instead of skating by on vibe. The request line is whispering "I need a dusky slow-burn lane with warm low end tonight.".