We start with a 10-minute track by Mary Lattimore, a harpist who augments her graceful harp improvisations with electronic effects. With Slowdive’s Neil Halstead in the producer chair, her latest album is entrancing and sweeps you in. The mixtape opener features a reverb-soaked guitar dancing around a steady harp melody, creating a gentle ambiance that sets the mood for what’s to come.

We continue with 'Ungena Za Ulimwengu' by The Undisputed Truth. Slow psychedelic soul tackling the more-than-ever critical subject of world peace, released 45 years ago by this great Motown recording act.

Cooly funk-scented ambient jazz on 'Orange Peel' by Sopwith Camel, a band associated with the San Francisco psychedelic rock scene of the late 1960s. In 1973, they recorded The Miraculous Hump Returns From The Moon, a terrific album that never got the recognition it deserved.

Next is a song taken from Dirtwire's latest album, Crux, released a couple of weeks ago. On this track, the band weaves their harmonica with a dobro, a kalimba, a banjo, and tops it off with a great bass line.

Jiro Inagaki and Soul Media’s Funky Stuff was easily the best discovery of the month. Two tracks from the album are featured on this mixtape and a big shout out to the YouTube algorithm for shining a light on forgotten Japanese masterpieces.

Prominent bass, delicate acoustics, elegant bongos and a persistent flute blend seamlessly with Sola’s soaring voice on 'Tabu, Tabu'.

We continue our journey with 'Kinsiona' by Franco and Le T.P OK Jazz, a Congolese rumba band that was established in the 50s, remained active for 40 years and became the most popular and significant African band of its time. This song was released in 1972 when the band was consolidating its position as the giant of Congolese popular music.

I was really looking forward to the latest Late Night Tales by Khruangbin. This song by George Yagani and Nadja Band stood out from what turned out to be a disappointing compilation.

Next is another song from Funky Stuff, smooth funky stuff indeed that kept me going during long work sessions.

Refreshing contemporary jazz on 'Time' by Leifur James. The experimental London-based musician creates layers and build-ups in a subtle way, reflecting a vast range of influences and feelings.

'Doll Play I' by saxophonist Yasuaki Shimizu (with Ryuichi Sakamoto on the drums) sounds like the perfect soundtrack for a David Lynch movie.

Four Tet just dropped two albums. 'Parallel 5' is an interlude taken from one of them, and it marks a shift in this mixtape to more electronic sounds.

Following the recent release of a recording from a 2014 concert, DARKSIDE (Nov 2020 mixtape) dropped a new down-tempo track earlier this month featuring atmospheric electronic, tinges of psychedelia, and Jaar’s mellow vocals. After 7 years, they’re back, and their second album Spiral  is set to be released in 2021. This song was on repeat last week, accompanying my sunset walks on the Beirut corniche.

Cranking it up a notch, 'Renegade Breakdown' is the title track of Marie Davidson’s latest album. A bold and darkly funny pop song. On this album, the French Canadian (one half of the synth-pop duo Essaie Pas) teams up with two collaborators from the Montreal’s DIY scene. According to her Bandcamp page, this track is a “reaction to years in which she spent most of her life on the road, navigating the club and festival lifestyle: the airports, the late nights, the lost or damaged gear - often alone, always with her case of instruments and cables in tow.”

We continue with a remix of Kraftwerk’s 'Radioactivity' by Francois Kervorkian, probably the best remix out there of this iconic track.

Next is 'Cajun Moon', composed by J.J. Cale, featuring Cissy Houston on the vocals and released on jazz flautist Herbie Mann’s 1976 album Surprises.

To wrap things up, we end with a deep, poignant and haunting song from Another Flower, a 2020 album by Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie and ambient composer Harold Budd (Jan 2023 mixtape). Budd passed away a couple of weeks ago, four days after the album was released. This is a celebration of his life and stunning musical pieces.