Most of my Tune-Up offerings are usually rock music based. It’s what I was raised on and it’s what most of my music library is composed of. But there is a strong secondary favorite, electronic music…more specifically, a branch that encompasses such inconsistent and fluid genre terms such as trance, lo-fi, chill or lately, even retrowave blends. This isn’t Fatboy Slim stuff or glowsticks and MDMA parties, but instead music that helps you get lost in thought…or escape it completely, if needed. It’s music I fell in love with courtesy of C89.5 FM in Seattle, which played music that I would’ve never otherwise have been exposed to. After long days in school or strange days at the house, there was nothing better than plugging in the headphones and falling asleep while my brain rode the bassline.
A decade ago, I was in a strange place in time. I was leaving the Army, I had just wrapped up a divorce that cut me to my core, and I knew that I had to wait about half a year to make my next move, and that’s what I’m willing to put out in public. I often found myself hopping into whatever I had the keys to and driving late at night, either on a nearly 40-mile loop of Interstates and state highways that began and ended at my apartment, or if I was really adventurous, I’d roll through Seattle and as far north as I cared to go before doubling back on myself just so I could enjoy driving through the city at night, the lights aglow and reflecting off of the water while the occasional jet flew low overhead. Music like this made the most sense in that kind of light. One window down for the car’s soundtrack, and this coming from the speakers was just about everything I needed to remind myself that everything was going to be alright.
Not everybody is going to be into this scene or the song, but when it’s midnight, and it seems like you have the city to yourself late at night, that’s when this works the best.
Late at night or way too early in the morning on the endless interstate is where this music shines. Night music by the Thrillseekers, Volume one, two and three are my personal go to musical sanctuary.