Turn on, tune in, drop out – Leeds Playlist

Twenty-one is the magic number. No not my age, but yes! I do have a youthful complexion and thanks for noticing. Nope, this is the number of new playlists added to my Spotify account over the last month (at time of writing). And the reason for my sudden musical perspicacity? Like most things which have both Leeds and Twitter in common, Wendy Denman (@wandapops) can be found at the source of the mayhem. This little dynamo – tourism officer by day, queen of leopard print by night – is currently fanning the flames of LeedsPlaylisting mania, a concept inspired by the ‘NowPlaying’ hashtags often found on Twitter.

The rules are quite simple: make a playlist of ten songs based on the chosen monthly theme or freestyle if you are that way inclined, write a brief explanation of your selection and send to Wendy. Your tracks will then get uploaded to the Leeds Playlist website and tweeted all around the city in an attempt to bridge music gaps and bring all us good folks together in celebration of song.

In my case it has been a resounding success – mission accomplished Ms Denman! Many an evening is spent with me sat in futile anticipation of inspiration striking; I look forlornly at my laptop not able to make up my mind about what the hell to listen to, or fed up with my current selection I loiter on Spotify like a straight-edge gate-crasher at some (totes ironic) hipster party. But thankfully no longer!

I was asked to participate at the start of the venture and not fully able to remember the tune about the colours in the rainbow (February’s theme) – I got stuck after pink, is that actually in there? – I ended up compiling one based on songs that my dad used to sing at bedtime and that I now sing to my own daughter. It was an interesting experiment for sure; I thought I’d struggle to find 10 songs but I actually ended up with too many and chopping them down was the hardest part. I wouldn’t say my selection was cutting edge (most of the tracks originate from the early C20th) but as this is an exercise in sharing a love of music and personal tastes with others perhaps not in the know, I went ahead and pressed ‘send’.

The most rewarding thing about the Leeds Playlist phenomenon is the sense of camaraderie that it engenders: I have listened to every suggested Spotify list on there (you can submit You Tube mixes as well) and tweeted my appreciation to the compiler as a consequence. My favourites so far are: ‘Your Kiss is on my (Play) List’ by @ocelotfeet as it introduced me to the genius that is Will Powers, ‘Disco in the Pound Shop’ by @Pinkyvonne cos it’s chock full of amazing 80s pop hits, and ‘Bollywood’ by @Irnaqureshi due to the fact that I wouldn’t know where to begin with Indian film soundtracks. Nice work guys – much appreciated!

The theme for March is that of #LeedsLeedsLeeds so get your thinking (flat)caps on and start compiling…

Follow Leeds Playlist on twitter (@LeedsPlaylist) ~ Artwork by Phil Wall (@Philwallart)