Stumbled Upon Some Sounds?
I'm known for my unsettling and apparently uncool musical tastes. At least, I was back at my old workplace. Regardless, I've created this page to share my musical adventures via my Last.fm profile and Spotify playlists. I enjoyed making all of this, even the code-ish parts. You might notice the little trinket in the sidebar that shows my most recent song, for example, and I encourage you to visit the page that shares the code for that if you're curious.
Oh, uh, no awkwardness but, uh, I want to firmly say that I do not support Russia's aggression in Ukraine, and am in the region right now myself. I do, however, enjoy many varieties of Russian music, and I see no issue with that. I don't speak Russian, though. I decided to learn Javascript instead.
What's Playing...?
The small widget in the sidebar shows the most recent song I've been listening to via Spotify. I use Last.fm's API to do this. It works with music providers other than Spotify, too, if they're hooked into Last.fm. If you'd like to see the ten most recent songs I've listened to, those appear below using a similar mechanism...
Curated Playlists
Not every part of this site focuses on web development or nostalgia. I wanted to share some of my (rather vast and quite thick) collection of homemade Spotify playlists, as well! These are not nostalgic, and do not feature (for example) NSYNC or a ton of 2000s-era music.
Rather, they’re very contemporary and often niche to an extreme degree. I still think some people might enjoy clicking through them just due to their sheer size and the ridiculous specificity of the subject matter. My Spotify End-of-Year Sound Town was in Moldova, so I’m not exactly cool, but it’s interesting, maybe?
Pixelated Flow
This playlist was developed to have something that resembles my usual lofi beats, but with more energy. Makes this playlist ideal for mornings, waking up, and long stretches of work.
Semesters
This was inspired by the concept of Dark Academia (and, to a degree, other “Academic” aesthetics). It features light classical music appropriate for study, creativity and relaxation.
Synthetic
The best synthwave I was able to find in Spotify’s hallowed halls. Excellent for reminding yourself that you do, indeed, live in a gritty cyberpunk dystopia of sorts, and might be a protagonist.
Russian Rap + Hip Hop
I don’t speak Russian. I don’t approve of what Russia is doing right now. That said, here’s some fifty hours of Russian rap and related genres for those who would like to experience them.
Runes
Ever feel like you’re supposed to go on some kind of quest? This playlist is the perfect soundtrack for that. It’s designed to provide an epic fantasy score, great for gaming.
Airlock
Do you prefer science fiction to fantasy? I’ve collected songs that remind me of that genre, and the cold but narrative-rich atmosphere of spaceships and lasers, the far future.
Charged
Feel like a burst of energy? That was the initial point of this playlist, which was once my alarm. It features a lot of exciting anime themes, as well as some other music with similar vibes.
Cozy
Sometimes you feel like you need to physically feel the Pacific Northwest rainforest, with the gentle droplets falling around you and slow, glowing sounds playing in the mist.
Cute Waves
Cuteness is a genre in and of itself at this point, in almost everything. This playlist is centered around that simple concept as best as I was able, featuring the most kawaii of sounds.
Sweet Coffee
Based on an older, generated playlist, this is my vast selection of chill, light, soft lofi designed to keep me cheerful while coding, relaxing, or doing housework. Light and fluffy.
Slavic Songbook
While I don’t speak the languages, this playlist features a broad selection of music from Slavic countries, spanning different genres and eras. It mostly has quite a tempo.
Unreal
Do you know of vaporwave? This playlist captures it! It includes my personal favorite tracks within that and related microgenres from the same era, with classics as well as obscure titles.
Web Jewels
Dedicated to 1990s web designer “Moyra” of the now-defunct “Moyra.com,” this playlist doesn’t feature any 1990s music, but seems to encapsulate the vibe of being lost in 1990s cyberspace.
Weebs on the Web
Surely you, too, have either been a weeb on the web, or known many friendly online weebs. Why not celebrate and enjoy that vibe with a playlist featuring music from the internet itself?
Ultra Glow
A shimmery array of dreampop classics, with an emphasis on ambiance and a neo-psychedelic feel. Also includes some of the more glittery sort of shoegaze, etc, all those little micorgenres in orbit.