Music to Fuel Your Wanderlust
For those who know me, music plays a crucial role in my travels. Whenever I visit a new place, I inevitably get hooked on the local music, especially the alternative scene. That said, I’ll admit that it was in countries like Cuba where I first heard Bad Bunny—proving that my musical tastes are quite eclectic! While I generally avoid mainstream music, I do enjoy a few hits now and then.
This post will evolve over time. I’ve created a special category for it in my blog, where I’ll continue adding new playlists inspired by different cultures, music selectors, and countries that have shaped my life. Although updates might not be as frequent as I’d like due to the busy nature of my travels and other projects, I’ll still be sharing any playlists that come to mind, so be sure to save both this post and the playlists for future updates.
Afro Vibes & Music for a Cause: Helping Yemen
Let’s kick things off with an Arabic and Persian-inspired playlist—“Travel Arabic & Persian”—to transport your mind to these incredible places, or even inspire your next journey there. It’s eclectic, featuring music from Iran, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, and Turkey, to name just a few examples. Rooted in both tradition and modernity
Yemen is currently facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and for over seven years, the war has remained largely unreported by the media. I’ll be writing a post on this country soon, but in the meantime, if this situation moves you (and it certainly should), you can help through this NGO, completely independent from government aid, run by three women who are dedicated to making a real difference in Yemen: Solidarios Sin Fronteras.
Now, to shift gears a bit, I’m sharing three hybrid playlists I created a while back.
The first one, “Afro Vibes. No Limit Ideas’s selection” was inspired by one of my favorite selectors, Shaka Lion. It’s an eclectic mix that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Expect sounds like dub, hip-hop, trap, afrobeats, afrofunk, afropunk, afropop, gcom, and amapiano, all blending together in a smooth sonic journey through countries like Angola, Brazil, Portugal, Africa, and South Africa.
Rare Tracks, Timeless Gems: A Musical Journey Through the Years
Here’s a third playlist I’ve titled “Rarezas que son Joyas” (Rare Gems) To create it, I drew inspiration from one of my favorite music selectors for a long time, Dani Peñacoba from “La Captura del Sonido” (the hyperlink will lead you to his amazing music selections). You can find him on Pure Ibiza Radio. This playlist is also influenced by a mix I had on repeat back in 2010, the “Jamie XX Mix for Colette.” Even though it’s been over ten years, this mix still hits just as hard. In this selection, you’ll find a blend of the new and the timeless from a decade ago.
Exploring the Vibrant Cuban Underground: A Journey Through Alternative Sounds
The person in the photo is me a few years ago, completely immersed in the music during a wild night with a morning full of Ibuprofen. It was a Carnival party at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.
I’m also adding a fourth playlist that I started some time ago, but it’s still in its early stages because I didn’t have much time to dedicate to it when I created it. It’s called “Trip Around Alternative Cuban Music and Some Other Root Sounds.” It will grow little by little, though I might eventually take it out and give it its own section. In Cuba and other places, there are incredible artists who don’t upload their music to Spotify (or only upload a few tracks) and stick mainly to platforms like Bandcamp or social media. But I assure you, the Cuban underground and alternative scene is top-notch!
I’m talking about artists like Flor de Loto Official, for example
And that’s all for today. Don’t forget to save this post — it will keep growing over time. Also, hit the little heart on Spotify so the playlists stay in your library and are always just a play away.
More Travel Inspiration & Unique Stays
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Stay curious. Stay kind. Keep exploring.