Saturday, December 31, 2011

Music for the soul

As always when the year is about the end, I start to reflect on all the things I have done in the past twelve months. Besides many great adventures, 2011 has brought me music. More than ever before, my musical landscape has widened. I have always said I was into black music, because white music lacked soul. That is certainly not true, or so I found out this year. So here, I present to you my Top Ten of Most Played Songs in 2011. Thanks to all my friends for sharing their great music with me!

1. Ane Brun - One
 
2. King - Supernatural


3. Lizz Wright - Salt

This is actually a very old song from Lizz, which I had apparently missed before.

4. Mayra Andrade - Kenha ki ben ki ta bai

In September, I saw Mayra play live - definitively the best concert of 2011!

5. James Blake - Limit to your love


6. Edward Sharpe - Home

7. Avishai Cohen - Dreaming


8. James Vincent McMorrow - Higher love


9. Norah Jones - Chasing pirates

This song is actually from 2009, but I only discovered it a few months ago.

10. Fink - Trouble is what you're in


May 2012 bring you all lots of happy melodies and soulful tunes!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Settle down


More than ever before, the question is posed to me. I am 32 (ouch), have no place to call my own and no job, at least not one that provides me with a sense of security - since I just started my own consultancy. The question usually comes after a moment of hesitation and with a prelude like "No offense, but" or "I hope you won't be insulted, but". And then, there it is: "Don't you want to settle down?".

Some people refer to having a pied a terre somewhere or some savings in the bank, but most people talk about living in one place (preferably Amsterdam) and starting a family. Given my age that may be the obvious thing to do. In fact, when I was 25 I already bought an apartment in Amsterdam and was on the way to settling down. It was great in many ways. However, the scary thing about the settled life for me is that is has a tendency to suck you in. Before you know it, you ride the same train to work everyday and flip channels from America's Next Top Model to Boer zoekt Vrouw (a dating show for Dutch farners). At work, you then discuss these things (train was late, farmer was handsome). This was not my cup of tea. There had to be more to life than this, right? The great wide world kept on pulling my arm. So, for me it meant I needed to get off the couch.