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 lane / after hours electricityPlaylist noteAug 3, 20262:32 AMOpen set

Bonita Applebum is the thesis, and Seven is the answer waiting on deck.

Reach for it when the pressure needs to come from the pocket and the cadence rather than from a giant arrangement swing. It leaves Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. Seven is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
Bonita Applebum
A Tribe Called Quest
Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller · 1992 · Hip Hop
Programming
Open set

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

After The Love Has Gone · full
Lineup note
Bonita Applebum into Seven

Reach for it when the pressure needs to come from the pocket and the cadence rather than from a giant arrangement swing. It leaves Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller · 1992

Hearing it against Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Bonita Applebum by A Tribe Called Quest off Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller (1992) keeps the pressure in the pocket and the phrasing, which makes it a control move as much as a crowd move. On Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller (1992), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Listen for how the cadence and the low end keep re-framing the center of the track without resorting to big obvious turns.

Listen for
What to catch in the arrangement

Listen for how the cadence and the low end keep re-framing the center of the track without resorting to big obvious turns. Notice how it hands the weight to Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999) instead of crowding the next move.

A Tribe Called QuestDavid BowieCounting CrowsHip HopArt RockAlternative Rockdusky slow burn lane / after-hours electricityafter-hoursafter-hours electricityHip Hop
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Bonita Applebum
A Tribe Called Quest
Why it fits

Reach for it when the pressure needs to come from the pocket and the cadence rather than from a giant arrangement swing. It leaves Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Bonita Applebum by A Tribe Called Quest off Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller (1992) keeps the pressure in the pocket and the phrasing, which makes it a control move as much as a crowd move. On Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller (1992), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Listen for how the cadence and the low end keep re-framing the center of the track without resorting to big obvious turns.

Listen for

Listen for how the cadence and the low end keep re-framing the center of the track without resorting to big obvious turns. Notice how it hands the weight to Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
Seven
David Bowie
Why it fits

Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999) cools the temperature after Bonita Applebum by A Tribe Called Quest off Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller (1992) 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 Time and Time Again by Counting Crows off August and Everything After (1993) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against ‘hours…’ matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999) 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 Time and Time Again by Counting Crows off August and Everything After (1993) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
Time and Time Again
Counting Crows
Why it fits

Time and Time Again by Counting Crows off August and Everything After (1993) lifts the pressure after Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999) 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.

Track context

Hearing it against August and Everything After matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Time and Time Again by Counting Crows off August and Everything After (1993) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Counting Crows, 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 Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999). Hearing it against ‘hours…’ matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Seven by David Bowie off ‘hours…’ (1999) cools the temperature after Bonita Applebum by A Tribe Called Quest off Revised Quest for the Seasoned Traveller (1992) and lets the turn breathe. 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 lane / easy momentumPlaylist noteAug 2, 20263:15 PMOpen set

So Very Hard To Go is the thesis, and You Make It Easy 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 Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. You Make It Easy is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
So Very Hard To Go
Tower Of Power
Sounds Of The Seventies - Rock 'N' Soul Seventies · 1991 · Rock
Programming
Open set

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

Carefree Country Day · fullEasy Money (Live 2019) · full
Lineup note
So Very Hard To Go into You Make It Easy

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 Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
Sounds Of The Seventies - Rock 'N' Soul Seventies · 1991

Hearing it against Sounds Of The Seventies - Rock 'N' Soul Seventies matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. So Very Hard To Go by Tower Of Power off Sounds Of The Seventies - Rock 'N' Soul Seventies (1991) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Tower Of Power, 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 Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998) instead of crowding the next move.

Tower Of PowerAirBuffalo SpringfieldRockElectronicEasy Listeningdusky slow burn lane / easy momentumlate morningeasy momentumRock
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
So Very Hard To Go
Tower Of Power
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 Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Sounds Of The Seventies - Rock 'N' Soul Seventies matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. So Very Hard To Go by Tower Of Power off Sounds Of The Seventies - Rock 'N' Soul Seventies (1991) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Tower Of Power, 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 Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
You Make It Easy
Air
Why it fits

You Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998) stays related to So Very Hard To Go by Tower Of Power off Sounds Of The Seventies - Rock 'N' Soul Seventies (1991) through electronic, but changes the pocket enough to matter. Reach for it when the hour wants momentum with architecture, not just a louder kick drum. It leaves Carefree Country Day by Buffalo Springfield off What's That Sound? Complete Albums Collection: Disc 5 - Last Time Around (2018) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context

Hearing it against Moon Safari matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. You Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998) gives the hour momentum with structure; the drive comes from the engine under the track, not empty speed. With Air, the useful clue is usually in the construction: low end, drum programming, and how the groove is released layer by layer. The record sells itself through the engine underneath it: kick, bass pressure, and the little bits of motion that keep the loop from going flat.

Listen for

Listen for the engine underneath the track: kick, bass, and the tiny percussion or synth shifts that keep the motion alive. Notice how it hands the weight to Carefree Country Day by Buffalo Springfield off What's That Sound? Complete Albums Collection: Disc 5 - Last Time Around (2018) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
Carefree Country Day
Buffalo Springfield
Full play
Why it fits

Carefree Country Day by Buffalo Springfield off What's That Sound? Complete Albums Collection: Disc 5 - Last Time Around (2018) stays related to You Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998) 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

Complete Albums Collection: Disc 5 - Last Time Around matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Complete Albums Collection: Disc 5 - Last Time Around (2018) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Buffalo Springfield, 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 You Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998). Hearing it against Moon Safari matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. You Make It Easy by Air off Moon Safari (1998) stays related to So Very Hard To Go by Tower Of Power off Sounds Of The Seventies - Rock 'N' Soul Seventies (1991) through electronic, 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 lane / forward motionPlaylist noteAug 1, 20263:31 PMOpen set

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

Record in focus
Emenius Sleepus
Green Day
Dookie · 1994 · Punk Rock
Programming
Open set

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

All Day And All Of The Night · full
Lineup note
Emenius Sleepus into Tron Legacy (End Titles)

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

Track context
Dookie · 1994

Hearing it against Dookie matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Emenius Sleepus by Green Day off Dookie (1994) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Green Day, 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 Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) instead of crowding the next move.

Green DayDaft PunkKinksPunk RockElectronicLeftfielddusky slow burn lane / forward motionlate morningforward motionPunk Rock
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Emenius Sleepus
Green Day
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 Tron Legacy (End Titles) 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 Dookie matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Emenius Sleepus by Green Day off Dookie (1994) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Green Day, 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 Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
Tron Legacy (End Titles)
Daft Punk
Why it fits

Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) stays related to Emenius Sleepus by Green Day off Dookie (1994) through electronic / leftfield, but changes the pocket enough to matter. Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) opens space, decay, and atmosphere without letting the air go limp. It leaves All Day And All Of The Night by Kinks off Kinks At The BBC Disc 1 (2012) 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 All Day And All Of The Night by Kinks off Kinks At The BBC Disc 1 (2012) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
All Day And All Of The Night
Kinks
Full play
Why it fits

All Day And All Of The Night by Kinks off Kinks At The BBC Disc 1 (2012) stays related to Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) 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 Kinks At The BBC Disc 1 matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. All Day And All Of The Night by Kinks off Kinks At The BBC Disc 1 (2012) carries the feel of a band in a room rather than a mood-board tag, and that physicality matters in a sequence. With Kinks, 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 Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18). Hearing it against Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) stays related to Emenius Sleepus by Green Day off Dookie (1994) through electronic / leftfield, 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 lane / morning motionPlaylist noteAug 1, 20261:18 PM

Class Room (Intro) is the thesis, and Tron Legacy (End Titles) is the answer waiting on deck.

Reach for it when the pressure needs to come from the pocket and the cadence rather than from a giant arrangement swing. It leaves Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in. Tron Legacy (End Titles) is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
Class Room (Intro)
Snoop Dogg
Doggystyle · 1993 · Hip Hop
Lineup note
Class Room (Intro) into Tron Legacy (End Titles)

Reach for it when the pressure needs to come from the pocket and the cadence rather than from a giant arrangement swing. It leaves Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) a clean lane instead of boxing the handoff in.

Track context
Doggystyle · 1993

Hearing it against Doggystyle matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Class Room (Intro) by Snoop Dogg off Doggystyle (1993) keeps the pressure in the pocket and the phrasing, which makes it a control move as much as a crowd move. On Doggystyle (1993), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Listen for how the cadence and the low end keep re-framing the center of the track without resorting to big obvious turns.

Listen for
What to catch in the arrangement

Listen for how the cadence and the low end keep re-framing the center of the track without resorting to big obvious turns. Notice how it hands the weight to Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) instead of crowding the next move.

Snoop DoggDaft PunkThelonious MonkHip HopElectronicLeftfielddusky slow burn lane / morning motiondaybreakmorning motionHip Hop
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Class Room (Intro)
Snoop Dogg
Why it fits

Reach for it when the pressure needs to come from the pocket and the cadence rather than from a giant arrangement swing. It leaves Tron Legacy (End Titles) 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 Doggystyle matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Class Room (Intro) by Snoop Dogg off Doggystyle (1993) keeps the pressure in the pocket and the phrasing, which makes it a control move as much as a crowd move. On Doggystyle (1993), it reads as part of a larger album world instead of a stray file in the crate. Listen for how the cadence and the low end keep re-framing the center of the track without resorting to big obvious turns.

Listen for

Listen for how the cadence and the low end keep re-framing the center of the track without resorting to big obvious turns. Notice how it hands the weight to Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) instead of crowding the next move.

02next
Tron Legacy (End Titles)
Daft Punk
Why it fits

Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) stays related to Class Room (Intro) by Snoop Dogg off Doggystyle (1993) through electronic / leftfield, but changes the pocket enough to matter. Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) opens space, decay, and atmosphere without letting the air go limp. It leaves Straight, No Chaser by Thelonious Monk off The Complete Thelonious Monk At The It Club (1964) 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 Straight, No Chaser by Thelonious Monk off The Complete Thelonious Monk At The It Club (1964) instead of crowding the next move.

03later
Straight, No Chaser
Thelonious Monk
Why it fits

Straight, No Chaser by Thelonious Monk off The Complete Thelonious Monk At The It Club (1964) stays related to Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) 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.

Track context

Hearing it against The Complete Thelonious Monk At The It Club matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Straight, No Chaser by Thelonious Monk off The Complete Thelonious Monk At The It Club (1964) works when the set needs collective motion and color instead of blunt force. Thelonious Monk 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.

Open saved booth copy

Mr Rassy is lining up Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18). Hearing it against Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) matters because it reads like part of an album world, not a detached single. Tron Legacy (End Titles) by Daft Punk off Tron: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (18) stays related to Class Room (Intro) by Snoop Dogg off Doggystyle (1993) through electronic / leftfield, 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.".