Turn up the volume, press play, brew some coffee, and get down.

Interview with the curator, Kirill Savateev, Creative Director at Standart

This is the second playlist. Were the circumstances in which you arranged it different than last time? How?

While many of us were confined to our own abodes during the height of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, I was no exception. Without recourse to foreign (or even domestic) travel, one is left to travel by means of food, coffee, fragrances, and ... music. This mix represents my audial journey to warmer lands, where more vitamin D is produced than can be consumed locally, and therefore makes its way into the music.

What do you wish for the playlist to inspire in people?

I didn't include any songs in English. Firstly, to deprive most listeners of a conscious recognition and perception of the lyrics, which might hold them back from simply moving and dancing. Secondly, to put listeners in the context of far away lands.

Do you often listen to music while you work? How do you select music for different moments?

I dislike background music. In most cases, it's not so different to a jackhammer in the street—just purposeless noise. I also desperately want to avoid playing my favourite music while working, for I will come to associate it with labour and toil, instead of escape, relaxation, beauty. This would be a proper tragedy. If I were a barista choosing a playlist for café existence, I would heavily guard my favourite tracks for this reason. Your favourite music deserves better—your full attention. In the case of those who live in metropolises, where silence is a kind of myth, turn to unobtrusive, decidedly mediocre ambient music. Fortunately, to produce music in this genre requires little talent, and, like pornography, there's more of it than you could possibly need.

Is there an activity during which you would never want to listen to music?

I never listen to any music when I am in nature. Should I find myself in the company of a genius a cappella singer while looking out upon some glorious vista, I wouldn't mind a gentle accompaniment to nature's song—provided it was in the same key.

Which songs start and finish the mix, and does their placement have any significance.

Order always matters in creating a mix, but this should be experienced directly—by listening to it. You'll hear it yourself, and will understand the order implicitly—the way you should.