Full Album YouTube Curators
In celebration of three unsung heroes of music preservation.
If you want to support Micro-Chop you can follow me on Spotify and subscribe to the newsletter and YouTube channel. You can also contribute to Micro-Chop through Buy Me A Coffee, Cash App, PayPal, and Venmo.
There’s much to be debated about the cost/benefit and pros/cons of music streaming platforms. I have very mixed and complicated feelings that exceed this article. For today, I’m going to focus on some of the positives I’ve found over my many years using YouTube for music discovery.
YouTube is unlike any other streaming service. The intersection of live/in-studio performances, tutorials, music documentaries, and the music found on every other streaming service is dizzying and sometimes overwhelming. And that’s not even touching on YouTube curator uploads of demos and long out-of-print albums that aren’t available on streaming.
YouTube curators are a powerful driving force for discovery. Some of the most popular channels have hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and their carefully selected uploads can generate millions of views. There’s some debate over whether the term curator applies to someone who rips and uploads music to YouTube. I think it does. The best channels are clearly a labor of love and a lot of thought and time go into album and song selection and presentation. These accounts help some albums avoid the neglected dustbins of history while finding them a sizable new audience.
A fair share of beloved YouTube curators focus on single-song uploads. SouldjahFromTheNorth, an account that boasts over 50,000 subscribers, has long been one of my go-to sources for out-of-print Memphis rap tapes from the ‘90s. Several of the most popular songs on the channel have over 1,000,000 views.
Single song channels definitely do important work and I spend a lot of time digging through their archives. With time, I’ve discovered that full album upload channels are also a gift that keeps on giving. These channels also challenge the narrative that modern listeners are incapable of sitting with entire records. Technology has changed the way we experience music, for sure, but I find the popularity of so many album-focused channels one of several hopeful signs that there’s still a place in the world for whole record appreciation.
If you’re looking for some new albums to appreciate, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of three full-album YouTube curators I love along with some nice selections sprinkled in throughout.
Terminal Passage - Terminal Passage boasts 382,000 subscribers. It’s a unique page with a vast selection of 2,100-plus albums - by far the most of any account discussed in this article. The person who runs the channel also releases original music under the name Terminal Passage. A significant number of uploads are jazz, fusion, and adjacent records, but that doesn’t even begin to cover the incredible variety presented on the channel. There’s funk, soul, and all sorts of other treats, some of which aren’t easily definable. This is a can’t-miss page. You’ll fall in love with so many records you never realized you needed.
2666 - The Art Of Listening - This account has 283,000 subscribers and 704 uploaded albums. While Terminal Passage features a relatively high percentage of records from the ‘70s, 2666 - The Art Of Listening often pulls much more recent recommendations, and a number of their recommended projects are from the past decade or so. That isn’t to say the account doesn’t go further back into the archives from time to time. Dorothy Ashby’s beautiful 1984 release Concierto De Aranjuez is one of my favorite selections on the channel. Like Terminal Passage, this channel is highly recommended. You’ll get lost in their impeccably constructed collection.
Big Archive - Big Archive (formerly Stvait) is dedicated to rap from Tennessee with a heavy focus on Memphis. I might be breaking the rules by including this one because it features full albums and single song uploads. At 5,380 subscribers and 210 uploads, the account is a bit smaller than the aforementioned ones. It features plenty of the underground rap tapes from Memphis legends like Children of the Corn, DJ Spanish Fly, Three 6 Mafia (you’ll find various early solo and joint efforts from group members and affiliates), DJ Sound, DJ Squeeky, and DJ Zirk. It’s indispensable for that reason alone. But what takes it to another level is the incredible selection of ultra-obscure rap songs and albums that are likely known to very few people outside of Tennessee. I’ve noticed in recent months that the focus seems to be more and more outside of the established Memphis underground canon. It’s a treasure trove for curious listeners who are willing to give some ultra-deep cut selections a chance. (Note: Playback on a lot of the album uploads is disabled, so I’m including a single here.)
If you decide to check out any of these channels, I’d love to know what you think. Drop something in the comments.