? Spring 2018 Playlist ?

This season, Arq’s go-to DJ and producer, Davwave, used Passover as the inspiration for his Spring-y set. Scroll down for his intricate and entertaining liner notes (remember those?).

Or, listen on Apple Music ?

by Nadav Chatinover, a.k.a. Davwave

1. “Strange Fruit” by Nina Simone – This song reflects the contempt and pain the ancient Israelites must have felt as Pharaoh enslaved them, stole their firstborn, and murdered them

2. “Flower of the Universe” by Sade – A song that evokes the bittersweet and beautiful lullaby that Miriam and Yochevet sang as they sent Moses off in a straw basket to what they hoped would be a better life

3. “Fighter” by Saba – Fast forward. Moses is an adolescent. After a confusing chance encounter with his siblings Miriam and Aaron, he gets mixed feelings and questions his heritage. He sees a slave master whipping a slave and throws him off of a cliff, killing him.

4. “We Out Here” by Villain Park – Moses clearly sees the slavery all around him and realizes that he, too, is a Hebrew, and that he is “out here” with the rest of them, struggling to survive oppression

5. “Cranes in the Sky” by Solange and “Bleach” by Brockhampton – Moses flees and heads to the desert, unsure of who he really is

6. “Over Here” – Moses meets Tziporah at the well and is macking it up

7. “Night Terrific!” by ODIE and “Aura” by SG Lewis – Moses is married and enjoying his romance with his wife

8. “Goodie Bag” by Still Woozy, “Show Me How” by Men I Trust, and “Own 2” by April + Vista – Moses doubts himself, then asks God to guide him and give him the strength he needs to complete his mission

9. “Bad Bad News” by Leon Bridges – Moses returns to Egypt to discover that things are worse than he expected and that new boss in town is bad, bad news

10. “Hangmen” by Dave – Evokes Aaron telling Moses how bad things are

11. “God’s Plan” by Drake through “Give Up” by Richie Campbell – Moses tells Aaron his plan, then they hype up the leaders of the people of Israel on God’s plan to free them

12. “Hurt You” by The Weeknd – Moses and Aaron tell Pharaoh to let their people go, or else God will hurt him and Egypt

13. “Bloody Waters” by Ab-Soul, Anderson .Paak, and James Blake through “Fallen” by Jaden Smith – The 10 plagues (NOTE: not every plague is represented in these songs, and some are represented by song title, e.g., Bloody Waters, while others are represented sonically, e.g., Madan for Hail)

14. “If Only” by Raveena – Pharoah mourns the loss of his first born and, perhaps, regrets his decisions

15. “I’m Just Snacking” by Gus Dapperton – As the Hebrews get ready to pack up and leave Egypt, they chef up a little snack. Matzah was probably way more similar to pita than modern day matzah is, but, either way, they were snacking hard

16. “Look Alive” by BlocBoy JB and “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes – A dark, heavy, energetic soundtrack of the slaves making a run for it

17. “Stay 100” by Smooky MarGielaa – God tells Moses he’s got his back and splits the sea to miraculously save the Hebrews from their evil pursuers

18. “It Runs Through Me” by Tom Mish – Evoking flowing water, this song represents the ancient Israelites walking through the split sea joyously

19. “Achshav Karov” by The Idan Raichel Project – Represents an intimate and extremely intense moment between God and Moses, and the Hebrews realize how close they are to freedom

20. “Landini” by Aurelio through “Good as Hell” by Lizzo – the songs of the sea play as the Hebrews rejoice in their newfound freedom! ESKETIIIIIT!