2016 was not the year we thought it’d be. The honeymoon days, overflowing with hopes and aspirations that accompanied the New Year fizzled fast as we lost musical icons in Prince, David Bowie, Sharon Jones and Leonard Cohen, we watched Kanye and Kid Cudi struggle with their mental health and cancel tours, and after a successful first year, saw Colorado’s inaugural Vertex Festival bit the dust, and that’s only in the music world. Outside the music realm, things were considerably worse. Tragedy unfolded at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, hundreds of Native Americans were victimized at the Dakota Pipeline, we as a country became staunchly divided as the political race reached a fever pitch, and we stood helpless as Aleppo crumbled. Saying 2016 was not the year we thought it’d be is an understatement. 2016 was watching a train crash from the inside, but surviving to see the aftermath.
But, we survived, and with that there’s a reason to celebrate.
Rather than mourning how terrible 2016 was, 2017 beams ahead as a fresh slate and a new beginning. This is a playlist to soundtrack the night, so when the party dies and you wake up on the other side, you’ll have hopefully had the time of your life. Featuring that slink and slide from the likes of Anderson .Paak, Jean Tonique, David Bowie and many others, this playlist is not for the timid. With blaring horns and grooving beats, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself caught up in a dance floor delirium right into the New Year.
Enjoy, and please listen responsibly.