The Playlist: Designer Gregory Han of Apartment Therapy Unplggd
It’s the perfect post just before the holiday weekend: our latest Playlist, compliments of Gregory Han, managing editor of Apartment Therapy Unplggd, is jam-packed with goodies—podcasts, tech recommendations (naturally), cool music picks, and even some downloadable desktop images. Happy almost end of the summer!
What do you listen to while you work? What I’m working on usually determines what I’ll listen to. Since most of the time I’m either writing or editing, the majority of my daytime music is composed of instrumental tracks. Ambient, classical, shoegaze, chillwave, jazz, hip hop beats…anything that won’t interject unintended lyrical influence. If I’m in Photoshop, then the whole library of 20,000 tracks is usually on shuffle and can bring up anything from Iron Maiden to Charlie Parker.
How do you listen? Since both my girlfriend and I work at home, I’ll regularly don my noise-canceling Audio-Technica QuietPoint headphones if I want to listen to anything beyond the lower end of the volume dial. They do a great job of drowning out the sound of traffic in the background and the cries of our cats for snacks in the foreground. When I’m just listening while browsing online, then a pair of Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 speakers do a fantastic job of filling in the small closet-size home office space I work within. They’re superb desktop speakers, though the low end probably would do well with the addition of a separate sub.
And for just relaxing or while cleaning the house, then I’ll turn on the vintage Bang & Olufsen system and put on a record to listen to. Our collection is a mix of my girlfriend’s Northern Soul/girl bands and my 80′s-90’s hip-hop albums, so you never know when they’ll be an impromptu dance party in our living room.
Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? The Quiet Sounds. These podcast mixes are made for late nights with the lights out, except for the glow of the monitor illuminating your room. If you’re into Brian Eno and Angelo Badalamenti with a splash of Washed Out, I’d highly recommend a listen to a few of these hour long mixes. Gorilla vs. Bear is another favorite music blog alongside the Kitsune Noir Mixcasts, while Cocaine Blunts is where I check in for new and old hip-hop tracks, and The Funky 16 Corners for yesterday’s diddys.
Does music influence your work? I don’t know if music evidently influences my work for Apartment Therapy and Unplggd, but a recent extended headphone-listening session on a slow evening led to me creating a couple desktops or my personal blog.
Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? I usually discover music in the same way I research topics for work and leisure, meandering between Tumblrs, music blogs, friend’s tweets, Facebook mentions. I’m sort of all over the place when it comes to musical interests, but I would admit the cinema heavily influences what I’ll actively investigate. Lately I’ve been falling back in love with Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound production, thanks to a recent screening of the documentary “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector.” Last night I watched a surfing film, Sipping Jetstreams, and now I’ve got the combination of music and imagery floating in my head, egging me to call it a week and enjoy some summer sunshine. Surf and skate films are definitely a goldmine of good music.
GREGORY’S PLAYLIST
Mysterious Skin soundtrack, Robin Gurthrie & Harold Budd
Wouldn’t It Be Nice, The Beach Boys
Honey, You Know Where to Find Me, Morrissey
The Black House, The Blue Sky (Stars vs. Montag Mix), Stars
Wet Hair (Japandroids Cover), Teen Daze
He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss), Grizzly Bear
Trap Door (Ft. MF DOOM), Jake One
As It Is When It Was, New Order
Michael, the Lone Archer of the North Shore, Deastro
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor (Ode To Joy), Ludwig van Beethoven
The Want And The Waiting, The Six Parts Seven
All of the Signature Sounds, Volume 1, DJ Premier
Images: Gregory Han