May 28th, 2020

Playlist by Amanda Kraley · Artwork by Raquel Moreno

The pandemic has revealed that my well-being is derived solely from walking to nonessential businesses, touching my face, and making a fool of myself dancing in public settings. Who knew? For the latter, my sonic tastes run to the maximalist synths of disco, the hypnotic melodies of psychedelia, and the driving rhythms of funk — my aesthetic ones to cold drinks in flimsy plastic cups, floors that stick to the soles of your shoes, and the sweaty crush of people swaying, jumping, pushing toward a tower of speakers in a darkened room. In an attempt to recreate the freewheeling energy of a night out, I curated a playlist to turn your bathroom (or wherever you’re trying to eke out a modicum of personal space) into a one-person disco, sampling from a range of South African pop, Nigerian funk, and Northern soul staples. When all of this is over, I’ll meet you on the dance floor.

Amanda Kraley is a writer and researcher based in Washington, D.C. You can find her @amandakraley on Twitter

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Raquel Moreno is a 20-year-old feminist from Bogota, as well as a visual arts student fascinated by the reproduction of images through recording and screen printing, and an interest in drawing portraits of the mundane