Surviving Airports, Pieces of a Traveler's Playlist

Airports are stressful places. To the average traveler, Airports can seem chaotic, overwhelming and confining. Experienced travelers feel the same way. One thing I do to improve the quality of my airport experience is listen to music. I have many songs on my Airport Play List. Here are 6 of my favorites.

1. On the Way Cesare Mix Kilo Kush - Ipanema Beach House 

DJ Cesare enjoyed a successful career as a soccer player before beginning his music career with the release of first EP Ipanema Beach House Remixes, released by French record label Kitsune in 2015. The album features several collaborations with well known artists from around the Globe offering a Latin touch to World Music. On the Way is the first track on the album, a collaboration with Kilo Kish of Los Angeles. Kilo Kish or Lakisha Robinson takes a cross medium approach to her career having dabbled in song writing, fashion design, conceptual art design and music production. Her first full length LP, Reflections in Real Time was released in 2016 under her own label. 

This is one of My favorite Airport Play list songs offering, mellow, methodical beats and introspective messaging. Sensual and welcoming, Kilo Kush's vocals speak of someone traveling to meet someone else. There are internal obstacles as the traveler realizes the journey itself is part of the conflict leading to a sort of indifference to the journey itself. I love this song in airports because whether I travel to a place or to meet people. I am on my way. Travel creates a sort of internal conflict between anticipation and concern forcing us to truly appreciate the 'now'. You will be in limbo until you arrive. Worrying about the destination is a waste of energy. May as well appreciate the time spent in route. 

Cesare on SoundCloud
Cesare on Spotify
Cesare on Facebook
Cesare on Twitter: @cesaremusic

Kilo Kish Website
Kilo Kish on Facebook
Kilo Kish on Twitter: @kilokish
Kilo Kish on Instagram: @kilokish

Don't You know Gramatik - SB #2

Gramatix, or Denis Jasarevic, is a Slovenian music producer now currently based in New York. His first album dropped in 2008 and remained on the top 100 chill out charts for 6 months, with 8 more albums to follow in subsequent years. Don't You Know appears on the album Street Bangerz Volume II released in 2009. This instrumental piece  is one of the best airport play list songs. The mellow funk beat somehow calms my nerves and makes me feel like I am in the flow, the jet stream of travelers experiencing the same limbo, existing between here and there. The head bopping beat is not so slow I fall asleep waiting for a flight and not too fast to allow anxiety to become overwhelming. It's just right. 

Gramatik Website
Gramatik on Facebook
Gramatik on Twitter: @gramatik
Gramatik on Instagram: @gramatik_lowtemp

Drift Away Pretty Lights 

Pretty Lights or Derek Vincent Smith is an American Electronic Music Producer who took over the music festival scene in 2004 as the opening act for STS9, The Disco Biscuits and Widespread Panic to name a few. 4 studio albums, several singles later and live albums later, Pretty Lights continues to break the mold of live electronic music. Using digital sampling, Pretty Lights combines elements of electronic music with hip hop and soul from manipulated samples and organic beats to create Electro Hip Hop Soul at its finest. Drift Away can be found on the studio album Glowing in the Darkest Night released in 2010 under the Pretty Lights Label. 

This instrumental is extremely visual to me. I can imagine the beats moving through the airport with me creating an organic connection between soul and physical circumstance. It's almost as if I have an out of body experience, floating above myself watching the comings and goings from far away. The music takes my mind out of the hustle and bustle of transportation into internal spaces where I contemplate perpetual energy, rhythmic movement and organized chaos. It's the perfect state of mind for traveling. 

Pretty Lights Website
Pretty Lights on Soundcloud

Pretty Lights on Facebook

Music Sounds Better with You Neil Frances 

Music Sounds Better with You was originally produced by Stardust, a French House Band working under the Roule Label. Released in 1998, the song samples the song Fate by American singer Chaka Khan and was listed as number 11 in the 100 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time by UK's MixMag Magazine. The original version is an incredible dance song and resides in several of my dance, workout and walking play lists, but is a little too fast to make it to the airport play list. However, in 2017 Neil Frances remixed the song with a slower, more chill beat making this song a new favorite for travel. 

Up and coming duo Neil Frances, based in Los Angeles, California began their careers as pop songwriters in early 2016 before hitting the studio to record their own LP. They have been releasing singles from the album throughout 2017. Listed as Dance, Electronic, Indie and Pop, Neil Frances converges their past experiences into a comfortable methodical beat perfect for a transient experience. The repetitive beat is perfect for navigating the airport. This song reminds me not to over think anything happening during transport. The mellow trip hop/indie beat justs keeps pumping along, consistent with everything else happening in an airport. We are all just chugging along.

Neil Frances Website
Neil Frances on Facebook
Neil Frances on Soundcloud
Neil Frances on Twitter: @Neil_Frances
Neil Frances on Instagram: @neilfrances

6 Degrees Audiofly featuring Fiora 

Audiofly, DJs Anothony Middleton and Luca Saporito began working together in 2002 in the United Kingdom and has released one studio album, several LP's and singles in the deep house genre of electronic music. They are currently based in Barcelona. Fiora Cutler is an Australian singer songwriter, composer and record producer based in Berlin. 6 Degrees was released as a single in 2011. 

This song reminds me how interconnected everything is and where I see myself in the grand scheme of things. I'm reminded every person has a place and purpose, which instills patience when things don't go according to plan. There is a reason for everything. Even delays have their purpose. The underlying ambient beat moves in sync with the flow of airport traffic, while sound bites mixed in periodically remind me of landing and taking off.

Audiofly on Facebook
Audiofly on Soundcloud
Audiofly on Instagram: @weareaudiofly

Fiora Website
Fiora on Facebook
Fiora on Twitter: @fioramusic
Fiora on Instagram: @fioramusic

Breathe Telepopmusik

Telepopmusik is French Electronic Trio, Fabrice Dumont, Stephan Haeri and Christophe Hetier.  Breathe was released as a single in 2002, peaking at #9 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Party List. It was later included on the album Genetic World. Angela McClusky, a scottish singer-songwriter  based in California performs the lyrics. 

If we could hear our brains working, this song would be what mine sounds like. The silky melody and beat timing represent the symbiotic relationship between thought and movement. The lyrics remind me today is just another day like any other day even though I am traveling. Just breathe is a fantastic reminder to sick back into the experience and enjoy it for exactly what it is... another day. 

Telepopmusik on Facebook
Telepopmusik on Soundcloud
Telepopmusik on Twitter: @telepopmusiktm
Telepopmusik on Instagram: @telepopmusiktm

Angela McCluskey Website

Angela McCluskey on Facebook

Angela McCluskey on Twitter: @angelamccluskey

It's a lot of fun to make playlists before travel. I encourage everyone to take time to explore music for any situation, not just travel. Look for more posts containing travel playlist ideas in the near future. Happy Travels!