Oyster Playlist: How To Dress Well

Tom Krell aka How To Dress Well is an experimental producer/artist and lover of pop sentimentality, who is also studying a doctorate in Philosophy and has a rad blog. The Berlin-based New Yorker's latest record Total Loss is out now on Domino — he kindly took some time out of his promo schedule to make us a playlist. This is what he had to say about it:

This selection of songs is like a snapshot of my listening habits and main influences for Total Loss. This list is also a clue into what I was trying to find when making Total Loss. I've been really stoked on super sentimental songs, on the one hand, which works on the spirit in a very obvious way, and then ambient music which moves the listener affectively without the scripting of words on the other hand. With my record, I wanted to find a sonic and spiritual place where the brute literality of Babyface or DMX could merge with the strangely moving sounds of Porn Sword Tobacco or Infinite Body, where the intensity of Scott Walker's 'Rosary' could merge with Beyonce's 'Halo.' And, crucial to all of this is the voice — I've included some of my favorite singers, some truly amazing voices: Richard Manuel, Antony, Maxwell, Janet, Perfume Genius. All of these voices fill up my heart — these people are all amazingly skilled at the most immediate kind of emotional communication.

'Hope Mountain'  — Antony & The Johnsons                                           

'Whenever Wherever Whatever' [Live] — Maxwell

'Every Time' — Janet Jackson

'When Can I See You' — Babyface 

'Avril 14th' — Aphex Twin              

'No Drums' — Tim Hecker

'd|p  2.1' — William Basinski                    

'All Waters' — Perfume Genius

'Angel (The Prelude)' — Mariah Carey

'How’s It Goin' Down' — DMX 

'Instrumental' — The Microphones

'A Fool Persists' — Infinite Body

'Fast Car' — Tracy Chapman

'Evans Sundown Corp' — Porn Sword Tobacco

'Circle Song 2 – Voice' — Bobby McFerrin

'Through The Trees Pt.2' — Mount Eerie

'Tears Of Rage' — The Band

'Table For Glasses' — Jimmy Eat World

'Rosary' — Scott Walker

'Halo ' — Beyoncé

Jerico Mandybur