12 of the best Spotify playlists to listen to right now

12 of the best Spotify playlists to listen to right now

12 of the best Spotify playlists to listen to right now Of course, live concerts, gigs, and festivals must be revisited — the desire to be transported to a more lovely place via songs, lyrics, and rhythms has never been stronger following a trying 20-odd months.

That said, whether you’re looking for music to help you sleep, music to entertain your children at home, or a collection of inspiring albums made in solitude.

Going to your local record store is typically one of our top recommendations, but maybe you got a positive Covid test, or maybe you’re just wary of social interaction right now. Streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, and Apple Music can help with this. These provide a socially distant lifeline at the push of a button – a chance to try out new tunes before purchasing.

12 of the best Spotify playlists to listen to right now our clear winner in terms of value, variety, and audio quality, but its popularity and ease of use are indisputable. And the platform is constantly attempting to provide something new, whether it’s artist-led algorithms to further personalize your music suggestions, ‘Only You’ and ‘Blend’ features, or offering Spotify account-holders a chance to listen to Spotify Premium.

If you’ve ever used Spotify, you’ll know that typing ‘new music’ into the search bar will bring up a selection of curated mainstream newness from the likes of Lady Gaga, Ella Eyre, Jake Bugg, and Stormzy (and New Music Friday UK(opens in new tab) is always a good playlist shout here), but what if you’re looking for something a little different? This is where we step in. Why not give a few of these somewhat more specialist crafted playlists a listen? It’ll sound different from the hi-res files on your laptop, whatever’s on the Astell & Kern, the playlist someone provided with you at the start of the first lockdown, or the CDs you grabbed from your car glove box…

The Pop Stream: Fresh! 50

What if you desire current and 12 of the best Spotify playlists to listen to right now, such as R&B, rock, indie, and folk, but you want something different? As the name implies, this is a 50-strong collection of newness that’s certainly worth a listen – especially if 2022 finds itself in a musical rut. It’s simply a shortened version of The POP Stream’s (opens in new tab) product, which has been running strong since 2019.

Want to hear the greatest current underground indie, folk, rock, disco, R&B, soul, and pop tracks as picked by DJs from across the world? Have at it.

Crate Diggers Anonymous

Consider a record shop in Las Vegas. Consider one in east London. Consider going to one in Bilbao for a crate rummage. What new and vintage LPs may you come across? It all depends on whether you’re spinning John Mayall, Led Zeppelin, Kool and the Gang, Barry White, or Weather Report. There is no discernible genre here. Play the video. Let’s see what happens.

Anti Pop

Think beat-driven spitting segued with melodious, softly-sung but frequently aggressive vocals — ignore commercial pop music, there’s a message here if we just listen. Expect new music from Curtis Waters (above), ballads from Joji, harsh rap from Kenny Mason, and everything in between. Give this a play if OutKast, Wu Tang Clan, Dave, Dungeon Family, or Bel Biv DeVoe have ever been in your heavy rotation. Almost sure, you will learn something.

Defected Records (Deep House)

House music has a time and a place, and that moment is now, in your home. Defected Records is a British independent record company located in London that specializes in deep house music and recordings. This playlist has almost 25 hours of head-nodding tunes from artists such as FISHER, Gorgon City, Ferreck Dawn, and Jack Back.

Phonica Recommends (Home)

Phonica, an independent UK record store, launched in London’s Soho in 2003 and rapidly became one of the capital’s most-loved vinyl experts. Essentially, if Phonica endorses it, that’s more than enough for us.

“There’s so much fantastic music out there that we’ve decided to break up our suggested playlists into two: one for the club and one for home listening,” Phonica’s 12 of the best Spotify playlists to listen to right now says.

So you now have two new playlists to add to your collection, ranging from dub, reggae, nu jazz, soul and funk to broken beat and techno. Click the link below to access Phonica’s recommended ‘home’ playlist, or use the Phonica Recommends (Club)(opens in new tab) pick to transform your house into a highly elite club for the night.

Late Night Lofi

Consider chilled-hop, juicy lo-fi rhythms, layered synthy voices, classical and jazz-infused piano chords with sharp textures; ice clinking in a glass, rain on a window, crunchy leaves, and even tooth brushing. It’s ideal for relaxing, fading out, getting ready to sleep, or getting you through a spell of sleeplessness till morning.

When (if?) Birdland calls time at the bar at 4 a.m. in New York, you’ll finish your drink and debate the cost of a subway ticket against a yellow cab home to this music one day…

R&S – Office Favourites

R&S Records is a Belgian independent record label formed in 1984 in Ghent. Renaat Vandepapeliere and Sabine Maes, the pair behind the label, are represented by the initials R&S.

Expect harder electronica, house, and trance from Richard Fearless or V, as well as sweeping soundscapes from Darkstar, Nautic, or Axel Boman, and the rare grime tune from Novelist. If you’re pressed for time, it can easily function as a jogging playlist.