Throwback, Hype Up, Guilty Pleasure, Rebirth, Love Song, and Closing Credits.
These are the components that make up the six-song playlist. One song for each of the six categories. Curating this playlist for yourself is an exercise in contemplation. There are no rules, the song can be whatever as long as it fits the category for you.
The six-song playlist is not fixed, it can be adjusted as time progresses and circumstances change. Your love song today might not be your love song six months from now. It’s meant to provide a glimpse into a moment when these specific tracks were resonating with you.
As expected, Chicago-based producer Saint Lewis had a list indicating great taste.
Brandon Schneider, known by his stage name Saint Lewis, is good at his craft in every aspect. Browsing through his YouTube channel, you’ll find beautifully composed piano covers ranging from Japanese Denim by Daniel Caesar to Hooligan by Baby Keem. Aside from being a gifted instrumentalist, Saint Lewis specializes in production and sound engineering.
He recently produced, mixed, and mastered five out of the seven tracks on Serena Isioma’s latest EP, ‘The Leo Sun Sets’. Set up in his parent’s basement, Lewis has an unorthodox sound that fuses elements of RnB, hip-hop, electronic, and funk however, no genre seems to be out of his reach. He produced ‘King’, the opening track on Isioma’s EP, a hybrid of gritty bass sounds layered over floating harmonies and fast paced kicks & hi-hats. His sound is entirely original and the up-and-coming producer is only getting started. Stream ‘The Leo Sun Sets’ EP on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you get your music.
THROWBACK: So Into You by Tamia
Tamia’s 1998 song ‘So Into You’ is Saint Lewis’ retrograde. Despite the track inducing old sentiments, Lewis had no specific childhood memory attached to it. Most of the music played in the background of his adolescence were the works of Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and other hard rock groups that his dad turned on at their family-owned studio. The reason he picked ‘So Into You’ is because of the sound late-90s and early-2000s RnB encapsulates.
Saint Lewis is an advocate for old school RnB. For him, the sound of this era is uniquely distinct. Compared to a lot of RnB releases today, which feature mainly “trap beats with kicks and claps … [or] rap beats with vocals”, RnB from the turn of the century contains “a certain rawness and authenticity”. The sound is timeless.
Lewis has no plans to recreate an early-2000s soul bop (as of now) however 70s and 80s music is still on the table. Stay tuned.
HYPE-UP: Cheer Up London by Slaves
I don’t mind getting yelled at by someone with a British accent. Neither does Saint Lewis.
British punk-band Slaves is the artist behind ‘Cheer Up London’, a 2015 rap-punk hybrid anthem and Saint Lewis’ personal hype-up track. He’s a fan of UK rap, with artists such as Mura Masa, SL, and Slow Thai in his rotation.
When he got the chance to see Slow Thai live, he thought the atmosphere was incredible. It was one of those concert experiences that reminded him that live music is unlike anything else. He loved the vitality the Northampton rapper brought to the stage. Energy is something Saint Lewis is acutely aware of. ‘Cheer Up London’ contains anger, an emotion that stimulates him.
Energy in the form of anger is lingering and explosive. If anger were a genre, it’d sound similar to the static, loud grunge of garage rock and punk. Saint Lewis believes his music mirrors periods of his life, acting as an artistic snapshot of emotional reactions to life events. When he was releasing high-paced electronic music, he felt like his life was all over the place. As he undergoes personal change, so does his music.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Dilemma by Nelly & Kelly Rowland
… duh.
REBIRTH: Gang Activities by Baby Keem and Writer in the Dark by Lorde
When initially asked about his rebirth song, Saint Lewis stated that Gang Activities is the song that snaps him back to consciousness in the middle of a long night out. One listen to it and you’ll understand why.
The jolt of reawakening from a drunken haze is a type of rebirth, however I did have to clarify the prompt. What I had meant by a ‘rebirth’ song was a track that reminded him of a transformative period of his life, one where he hit bottom and had to figure out who he wanted to emerge as on his way back up. He immediately had an answer.
‘Writer in the Dark’ by Lorde provided solace in the producer's life when he needed comfort. The fallout of his seemingly perfect relationship left aches where the song acted as a “blanket” to sooth him. It was played on repeat during this period.
With that song playing in the background, Saint Lewis reconnected to his emotional side. This transitional period made him realize that it really is okay to cry sometimes, growing the expanse of his artistry as a result.
LOVE SONG: Bad Blood by Nao
On my first listen of ‘Bad Blood’ by Nao, it didn’t sound like a typical love song. There were no sappy confessions or gentle acoustics in the background. The lyrics described a newly-broken relationship and the sound was reminiscent of a Big Wild song. Connecting to his mixing & mastering roots, Saint Lewis praised the song for the production. It was, as he described it, “big”.
Saint Lewis believes that “love contains many layers and forms”. He described it in a way where for some, it’s communicated through sappy affection and slow dancing in living rooms. For others, it’s something “more primal”. This song reminds him of a primitive love, one full of lust and promiscuity.
When asked what type of love he leans towards, he hinted that this song may reveal the answer.
CLOSING CREDITS: La Canción by Maye
‘La Canción’ in Spanish literally translates to ‘The Song’.
This self-described track is what Saint Lewis would choose to play in the closing credits to his story. Being a Bad Bunny & J Balvin cover song, it’s an interesting choice. The song originally stood out to him due to the vocals and production.
It was elevated to ‘end credit’ status due to its ability to make him feel “drunk and in love”, which, who doesn’t want to feel on their way out?
Stream Serena Isioma's latest EP 'The Leo Sun Sets':
Check out more by Saint Lewis:
Comentários