In previous posts, we explained our struggles with the modern world. Like how we try to avoid enriching bankers, or our decision not to spend any money on Meta ads.
And we really do try to stay away from questionable multi-nationals, but it’s just damn near impossible. Just when we started to attract more people to Bandcamp for example, the platform is sold to a company that’s not free from controversy, to put it mildly.
Now, every time we post about these struggles, people suggest dozens of other platforms to us. Mastodon, Bluesky, Diaspora, Reddit, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, Qobuz, Freakscene and many more.
We said it before, Left of the Dial is organised by a very small team and in all honesty, we really don’t know where to find the time to explore all these platforms. At the end of the day, the most important thing for us is to reach as many people as possible to share as much new music as possible. But since everyone seems to have split up across different platforms, we really don’t know what to do anymore.
So we kind of gave up and we went back to Spotify and Bandcamp to create new playlists for you.
It’s really hard to divide the Left of the Dial lineup into neat little categories. Sometimes it’s pretty straightforward, but more often it’s kind of in the ear of the beholder. What one person considers really loud, is another person’s song to relax. And most artists simply deserve a category of their own.
But we know we make the huge number of artists on the lineup a lot easier to digest if we split them into different playlists, so we gave it our best shot. We made 5 playlists each named after a song title:
It’s Oh So Quiet
It’s not completely quiet of course, but this playlist contains the songs that won’t make your ears bleed. It ranges from soothing sunny tunes to introspective ballads and everything in between.
Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Lyrically this Nirvana song doesn’t fit this playlist at all, but these songs could all be added to any radio station catering to a broad music loving audience. (And they should!)
I Am a Rock
A playlist that covers a wide spectrum of rock, but staying clear of the heaviest of the heaviest genre. (And we know that it’s always a thin line, but in this case it’s drawn at some tuneful punk rock.)
Firestarter
A bit (or a lot) heavier, but in most cases very danceable. Pulsing drumbeats take you on a trip through a world of industrial, darkwave, goth pop, klezmer and more.
I’m Not Like Everybody Else
If you don’t feel at home in a world where everything is cut up into bite-size chunks, this is your playlist. All great songs, but each one just a bit edgier than most cookie-cutter folks could probably handle.
On our website, you can find a page dedicated to these different playlists. When you scroll down that page you might notice that we also have room for YOUR Left of the Dial playlist. Or link to any other social media platform you might be using.
Feel free to email us a link to any Left of the Dial related playlist, or thread, or whatever and we’ll be happy to put it up there. Hopefully, it helps us decide which platform to focus on in the future, because we’re feeling a tad lost as you might have noticed.
Big love,
The wandering souls of Left of the Dial
