Imagine waking up from a long afternoon nap to the light sounds of music from Zanzibar or Paris or Morocco playing in the distance from somewhere on the beach. The glass door is completely open and the thin linen curtain that separates you from the world outside, is slowly moving with the breeze. The sun is beginning to set. Light warm air brushes against you as you open the door outside of your villa. As you stretch, breathe in and breathe out the last of your long overdue nap, your stomach begins to growl. You have a thought that perhaps a bite to eat with a nice little coconut cocktail would hit all the right places. You grab your hotel key. Holding your flip flops and cell in one hand, you place your feet onto the warm soft golden sand and venture out to that cute little tiki cafe and bar on the beach, walking towards the sound of tunes floating by.
As you get a little closer, you notice that you’re one of the first to arrive. You breathe in and out again...tranquility. The bartender is wiping down the countertop and he greets you with a smile as you look at the water glistening with sun rays and tiny boats in the distance. “Beautiful, eh?” the bartender says. You respond, “Yes ...absolutely.” As you turn your chair facing the crystal turquoise and navy water, you sit down, put you phone on silent and bury your feet in the sand. You smile to yourself as the music carries your thoughts away.
Every season, we create a playlist, a vibe for our listeners to enjoy with or without reading our blog. Our soundtracks or playlists, include artists from around the world. From house to Indie, to reggae and electric to hip hop and chill beats our music director Kwame Viapree (an ex-pat based in Antigua, Guatemala ) has curated and spun a list of songs that you’ll definitely love.
There are two different playlists. This season our Spotify channel, you’ll find artists from Tanzania and across Africa that include Afrobeats, Soca and Hip Hop, just to name a few drawing inspiration from our Holiday in Zanzibar winter articles. If you’re more into underground mixes, Kwame has spun a separate eclectic mix of Indie, Electronic and Afrobeats with artists from France and parts of the UK, Africa and US on our Mixcloud station. For both playlists (Spotify and Mixcloud), just go to Oceans And Roads.
Our music director, Kwame Viapree is based out of Antigua, Guatemala and is known internationally as @maninaloft. He is an artist/producer/Dj that specializes in the exploration of chill, electronica, house music & eclectic remixes of hip-hop, R&B and Pop. He has worked with artists such as Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Melky Sedeck, Gordon Chambers, Vikter Duplaix, Simone Hines, Chinua Hawk and Masia One, just to name a few.
Kwame has just released part 3 of a 4 part volume series called Timeless.
Timeless is a compilation of songs, tracks, demos and ideas which were recorded from 2004 to 2016 (find his music here).