More laid back early party tunes with a relaxed, jovial feel, come on in!

DESPACIO VOL. 3

Now, this concept of the Despacio playlist takes some explaining. Despacio is Spanish for slowly, and this playlist series was inspired by James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem) and Soulwax, who created the Despacio Disco - epic, hours-long sessions that feature slower ‘dance’ numbers, mixed with tracks that might be previously more associated with ‘yacht rock’ or guilty pleasures.

Here’s my interpretation: The Despacio Disco is designed for that ‘pre-party’ vibe, though it just as easily becomes the party itself - just a more chilled version of the word party, where there is no dancefloor, but you might expect people not to stand still. But as you dance, you will probably keep on talking and drinking too (why interrupt the flow when you are having a good time). There’s no snobbery with Despacio, but there is a high bar of quality which in itself aims to bring a sense of exclusivity to those tracks and artists on the lists - after all what could be more exclusive than creating the right mood to enjoy quality time with friends at a party, and to have the right music to get people in the mood. So in all likelihood, this is the only playlist on the web that features both Macca and Mac Miller.

If there is a star of the show of the Despacio disco however, it has to be Madonna. Over the three volumes so far, I feature more ‘Madge’ tracks than any other artist. On Despacio III, I chose ‘Hung Up’, which deserves a revival as one of the most successful ever Abba samples. And so fittingly, a purple cover as homage to that leotard! Party on.

WAIT! DID YOU MISS VOLUMES 1 & 2? JUST GO TO ‘ALL PLAYLISTS’TO FIND THEM. ENJOY THE PARTY!