WiscoJazz-Cast: Episode 189 [BEST OF 2022]

Here’s my favorite tracks from 2022. This will be a long(er) post, but given the importance and reflective nature of this mix, I’d like to explain what is behind this mix.

Each year I put together a ‘best of’ mix for the year. This isn’t a typical “year end round up list” that many put together. When I pick out tracks to include in these ‘best of’ mixes, I’m not always selecting tracks that I consider to be ‘the best produced’, or ‘the highest grossing’, or what ‘I listened to the most’, or ‘what the algorithm suggested’. These are special tracks that signified a meaningful moment in my life over this past year and they were the soundtrack to that moment. The moments could range from something like reminiscing with friends, to a soundtrack to a show I couldn’t get enough of, to tracks that ignited a dancefloor, to tracks that I couldn’t stop listening to no matter how hard I tried.

This is a mix of feelings. Only music can do that. We’re so lucky to be able to communicate in this way – to bottle up feelings and have them transferred to you via this thing we call music. In the hands of DJs – who can orchestrate music to take you on a journey of FEELS – that is some next level ish right there.

You now know what these ‘best of’ mixes are about. Here are my favorite tracks from 2022.

01 – SAULT – Valley of the Ocean [Forever Living Originals]

02 – Aviators – Sun Creatures [Music For Dreams]

03 – Santino Surfers – Looking At A Strange World [Music For Dreams]

04 – Shy FX & Liam Bailey – Come Around Slowly [Digital Soundboy]

05 – James Bright – Totem [NuNorthern Soul]

06 – Darius feat. Kadhja Bonet – Nothing to me [Roche Musique]

07 – VVieux Farka Touré Et Khruangbin – Diarabi [Dead Oceans]

08 – Kokoroko – Something’s Going On [Brownswood Recordings]

09 – Kutiman – A Day Off [Siyal]

10 – Magic Source – Genius Of Love [Favorite Recordings]

11 – Palm Skin Productions – The Sword Will Die [Tru Thoughts]

12 – Eagle – Sunrise [Cold Busted]

13 – Black Star – So Be It

14 – Danger Mouse & Black Thought feat. Michael Kiwanuka – Aquamarine [BMG]

15 – Kendrick Lamar – The Heart Part 5 [pgLang]

16 – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard & DJ Shadow – Black Hot Soup (DJ Shadow’s My Own Reality Re-Write) [Liquid Amber]

17 – U.S. Girls – So Typically Now [4AD Ltd]

18 – Sefi Zisling feat. Layla Moallem/Jasmin Moallem/KerenDun – The Sky Sings (Obas Nenor’s Extended Dub) [Tru Thoughts]

19 – Fotheringay – The Way I Feel (lukewarm edit)

20 – Anders Ponsaing, Kenneth Bager – Greece 2000 [Music For Dreams]

21 – CHAIRNOGOODFORBACK – Let Music Always Round Me (II) [Music For Dreams]

22 – Rhye – Holy (Frank Wiedemann Remix) [Secular Sabbath]

23 – Harry Styles – Music For a Sushi Restaurant [Columbia]

24 – LF SYSTEM – Afraid To Feel [Warner]

25 – Elado – Sun [Razor N Tape]

26 – Axel Boman – Hold On [Studio Barnhus]

27 – Tensnake feat. Fiora – Nightshift (Enduro Disco Noir Extended Mix) [Armada Music]

28 – The Soft Pink Truth – Is It Going To Get Any Deeper Than This? (Dark Room Mix) [Thrill Jockey Records]

29 – Rhye – Black Rain (Ãme Remix) [Secular Sabbath]

30 – Bonobo – Defender [Outlier]

31 – Chevals – Afterparty [Dansu Discs]

32 – Seb Wildblood – Jobi [All My Thoughts]

33 – Fort Romeau – Untitled IV [Ghostly International]

34 – George FitzGerald – Cold [Domino]

35 – Jungle – Good Times [Caiola Records]

36 – Beyoncé – Break My Soul [Parkwood Entertainment]

37 – Luxxury – Break My Love

38 – Lizzo – About Damn Time (Purple Disco Machine Extended Mix) [Atlantic]

39 – Elton John – Hold Me Closer (Purple Disco Machine Extended Mix) [EMI]

40 – Beyoncé – Summer Renaissance [Parkwood Entertainment]

41 – Oliver Heldens, Nile Rodgers, House Gospel Choir – I Was Made For Lovin’ You (Extended) [Kangarooli Tracks]

42 – SAULT – Stronger [Forever Living Originals]

43 – Aux Meadows – Locals [Shed Records]

44 – Crazy P – If Life Could Be This Way [Walk Don’t Walk Ltd]

45 – Rob Simonsen – Running Up That Hill (Lullaby Mix)

Favorite Track of 2022: Sault – Valley of the Ocean

Favorite Album of 2022: Sault – (All of their 5 albums they released this year.) I know it’s kind of a cop-out not picking a single album, but what Sault did this year by releasing 5 albums (and then giving them away for free) is unbelievable. Plus, each album has a different musical style, and they are all still quality. It’s simply unprecedented. They put a noticeable dent in the collective music world this year and cemented themselves as one of the most enigmatic and powerful groups out there. And what’s even crazier is we know very little about the band – it’s a collective led by Info with some noticeable contributors – but the other artists involved with each track remains anonymous. They’ve circumvented traditional music industry practices as well, and I feel they are the most important group to emerge in recent years. Watch out for what’s next.

Happy 2022 everyone. Thanks for accompanying me on this journey. Enjoy!

-dj lukewarm

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