The Other ’89
A journey through essential & forgotten funk, jazz, house, and rap in 100 Songs.
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The past few years have brought about a whirlwind of transitions. My wife and I bought our first house in 2021, our daughter was born in 2023, and our son was born earlier this year. This spring, I decided to leave the academic support teaching job I’ve held for the past 13 years. My dad just celebrated a major landmark birthday after experiencing some health challenges. It’s an exciting and overwhelming moment in my life. I’m feeling lots of emotions simultaneously.
I also turn 42 this summer. I was 33 when I started Micro-Chop. How the hell did that happen?
With so much change happening at once, I’ve found comfort in making massive playlists as a form of catharsis, self-education, and digital archiving that I can share with others.
For some reason, I had the hankering to make a 100-song playlist of music from 1989 a few days ago. I was 5 in ‘89 and I don’t really have a special attachment to that year outside of the debut from my favorite group (De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising) being released then.
Nonetheless, the music of 1989 became an obsession as I poured through well-known and ultra-obscure releases from the end of the ‘80s. The volume of quality music I’d never even heard of before taking on this assignment blew me away. I found myself addicted to the soul ballads, deep funk, obscure rap, and ambient jazz of the time.
I also found myself drawn to the amazing music people made in South Africa, France, Japan, and all over the world. Having lived most of my life in the United States, it’s very easy to overfocus on music released in America while neglecting everyone else. This playlist was a healthy reminder that I can’t do that.
The Other ’89: A Journey Through Essential & Forgotten Funk, Jazz, House, and Rap in 100 Songs was a labor of love. It has some incredible music on it. I genuinely hope you’ll sit with it for a bit. Expect a wide range of material: dusty Memphis soul, basement house cuts, synth-funk oddities, and everything in between. Listen to it by clicking here. Drop me a note in the comments and let me know if you do.
Before I leave, I need to shout out a few amazing YouTube channels that were key in putting this thing together: Paradise is a Frequency, Music for empty rooms, and Coolfunk Zézé 2. Do yourself a favor and get lost in their archives.
Also, I’m trying to take my YouTube channel and playlists to another level. It’s a gigantic help to me if you subscribe, listen, and share the playlists.
Thank you for your support. I’ll be in touch again soon.