Kojaque curates a mellow playlist to get you through the week

Welcome back to Selections, a series of artist-curated playlists from those in the know.

Kojaque is fuelled by a desire to tell stories. Not just any old tales, but the kinds of raw and candid accounts that can only stem from lived experiences and tempestuous real-life encounters.

The Irish rapper, filmmaker and Soft Boy Records co-founder told an array of these stories on his excellent debut album Town’s Dead, which was released in 2021. Across the record, Kojaque took stock of life in Dublin and wrestled themes such as mental health, love and frustration towards his home city over slick hip-hop beats and jazz-inflected instrumentals.

His exclusive Buy Music Club playlist, shared ahead of an appearance at Otherlands Music & Arts Festival in Scotland, features plenty of visceral storytellers including Natalie Bergman, Fontaines D.C. and Orion Sun. It’s a mellow offering which veers between the soft and dreamy sounds of Cruel Sister and Célia Tiab and the ruminative rhythms of Lord Apex, Wiki and more.

“The playlist is a real mixed-bag of genres and artists. I’ve been obsessed with Natalie Bergman; I’ve played her EP a million times this week – it’s a masterpiece!” says Kojaque. “I’ve been listening to loads of new music lately, particularly from homegrown artists like Henry Earnest, Cruel Sister & Célia Tiab. There’s some really cool music being made at the minute.”