Electric Forest performer Vox Vidorra of Grand Rapids chimes in with the first of three Local Spins playlists geared to get folks ready for the two-weekend music festival coming up in Rothbury, Michigan.
SCROLL DOWN FOR A SPOTIFY VERSION OF THE PLAYLIST
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
EDITOR’S NOTE: With several Michigan acts performing at Electric Forest in Rothbury this year, Local Spins asked a few to submit playlists of favorite songs for a pre-festival soundtrack for attendees and Forest wannabes. This list of faves comes courtesy of Grand Rapids soul-rock band Vox Vidorra — Theo Ndawallie II, Molly Bouwsma Schultz, Scott Schultz and Ryan K. Wilson — which plays the Observatory at Electric Forest at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Come back to Local Spins Wednesday for The Accidentals’ Top 10 playlist and all weekend for Electric Forest coverage.
VOX VIDORRA: ELECTRIC FOREST PLAYLIST FOR LOCAL SPINS
THEO NDAWILLIE’S PICKS
“Yah,” Kendrick Lamar – Kendrick knows my disposition and feels my intuition as he assess his own condition.
Listen:
“My Whole Butt Bam!” MonoNeon – As one of Prince’s bassist’s, and as an artist whose individuality parallels that of Prince, Dwayne ‘Mononeon’ Thomas Jr makes music that defies categorization, from ambiguous key signatures to the funkiest of rhythms.
Listen:
RYAN K. WILSON’S PICKS
“Caught a Long Wind,” Feist – This Feist song stirs emotions with its intimate vocals accompanied by a unique and intricate arrangement.
Listen/Watch:
“Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples,” Parliament – A classic funk track from an album that is timeless. Bootsy Collins lays down a bass line in the second half of the song that absolutely prevents anything but a spontaneous dance party.
Listen:
SCOTT SCHULTZ’S PICKS
“Fool’s Errand,” Fleet Foxes – The chorus is hands down the best melody of 2017.
Listen/Watch:
“DNA,” Kendrick Lamar – A song for the times: unapologetically proud, direct, real and custom-tailored to break all our speakers this summer.
Listen/Watch:
“Biking,” Frank Ocean – He’s writing songs in ways no one ever has before. This one’s an effortlessly great pop single, even when you realize that it’s chorus-less with 6 completely different verses.
Listen:
MOLLY BOUWSMA SCHULTZ’S PICKS
“A House is a Home,” Ben and Ellen Harper – Right off the bat, the honesty of the lyrics and familiarity of this simple folk chord progression bring you to where mother and son are singing together, reminiscing and accepting what a home can be. Growing up as a biracial kid I can relate to Ben Harper’s experience as described and that’s why hearing the album he made with his mother gives you a sense of sweetness and respect.
Listen:
“Liwa Wechi (Congolese Lament),” Miriam Makeba – One of many songs that focuses on colonialism in Africa. The woman singing mourns the loss of her husband after he dies after being forced to mine for gold. It’s a passionate cry baring the true grief of what it sounds like to see and feel your world fall apart.
Listen:
“Mississippi Goddam,” Nina Simone – Always, in pure and authentic form, Nina Simone’s (Eunice Waymon’s) songs are direct, full of meaning, and emotion reflecting the times and sentiments of those who remain voiceless. “Mississippi Goddam” — a “show tune for a show that hasn’t been written yet” — expresses the outrage of what it’s like to live in a society where tragedies occur while people stand and watch.
Listen/Watch:
VOX VIDORRA’S LOCAL SPINS ELECTRIC FOREST PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY
Copyright 2017, Spins on Music LLC