Jules Henry

Radio Julio : A Musical Escapade

03 Sep 2025

Radio Julio : A Musical Escapade

Introduction

You ever just cruise—no destination, no passenger— as if the solution to life's dilemmas is not in action but in destination? It was the summer of 2024 in Austin, TX, immersed in that patchoulli alloy of dopeheads ensconced in spiritual not religious bric-à-brac and venture capitalist convertibles bristling over the polleny river air wherein the highway's hypnosis begat a meditation on music itself. If playlists reflect one's mood and reinforce it, why shouldn't we cloud-seed that inner weather? Just as the summer playlist is light, playful and tropical, conversely should be the winter's: gritty, wistful and cold. I set forth to create a template of tracks for each passing season. The pattern, albeit heterodoxical but personally satisfying, was as follows:

The Vibe Setter, Season's Essence, Space City Rapper, Feminine Energy, Masculine Edge, A Special Album

Summer '24 Fall '24 Winter '24/'25 Spring '25
Daddy Yankee Joe Arroyo Kendrick Lamar Stromae
Fernanda Abreu LTJ Bukem Bulin47 MC PH
Big Moe Z-Ro Lil Flip Slim Thug
Baby Monster Sade Adu Vitesse X Shakira
Don Omar Sean Paul Freddie Gibbs Too $hort
UGK : Ridin' Dirty Ozuna : Odisea Ceky Veciny : Yamayizzi 혜은이 : 새벽비/철새

Reflections on Musical Taste and the Obligation to Listen

My father used to say, "the music you listen to in your youth will always be the best." And so it was: to this day, the first records of my mid-teens to which I grooved carved indelible sweet spots in the tympani of my soul. I was a naive 8th grader seeking online the "best music of all time" not only from yesteryore but in-situ. Voraciously, I scoured the internet for critically acclaimed records of all genres both historical and contemporary. The records I discovered in this time buzz with the nostalgia of an ex lover's kiss. Surfing the soundwaves of LCD Soundsystem, Little Dragons, The Roots, Flying Lotus, and Arcade Fire, my mind unmoored from the shores of Billboard pop. As my hormones deepened my emotional capacity, so too, did my taste in music expand to meet that delving.

Technology revolutionized tastemaking in music, from the Rolling Stones to today's YouTube reaction videos. In fact, I was one of the first subscribers of Anthony Fantano as far back as 2010. As one of the last of the millenials, I rode the tech revolution from cassette tapes to CD's to iPods to airpods. How could I ever forget the cultural shockwaves of MGMT's "Electric Feel", M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" or Cudi's "Day 'n' Nite" that trembled in my chest? No doubt, one's taste in music is the product of the zeitgeist, and in the digital age music of all types is just a click away. In this sea of infinite choice, the anchors of musical taste are still based on the memories made during those formative years. I remember the ritual of burning a new CD each month, predicting the segments of the future under which each song would be appropriate. There were songs for brewing the next text to that girl, for memorizing edgy lyrics to affect upon myself a cool, for inducing melancholy to acknowledge my struggles, for driving to parties with five friends in four seats with the intention to underage drink. The man made the music made the life made the man. Which, in retrospect, was the point all along: not to soundtrack my life, but to convince myself, however briefly, that my life was worth soundtracking.

Nevertheless, as of late, the curious phenomenon of typifying my playlists re-synthesized the imprinting process of youthful impression. Each song was no longer spontaneous but force-fed, leading me to navigate the doldrums of the 7th replay of my favorite artist's B-side. In circumnavigating this year-long quest to custom-tailor my tunes, I became attuned to how my reaction to these songs was a psychological litmus test - had a new season just begun and with the optimism of opportunity, or had a become bogged down in the habitual, yearning for the passage of change?

Upon obliging myself to constrain my palette, I pinpointed which records incited the highest highs over time. I forged my own Grammy's awards, with categories inspired by the transfiguration of my listening habits. You too, should study your own musical memes, the archetypes of your auditory aesthetic. What songs do you return to in times of joy, sorrow, ennui? What songs do you play to celebrate, to commiserate, to motivate? To wit:

The Kernel of the Essence

These were the "Season's Essence" songs that smacked the hardest.

  1. >Kung Fu Fighting (Versão)</li>
  2. Rio 40 Graus
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    1. Do What You Gotta Do
    2. You're Divine
    1. Bajo Mundo
    2. FUNDÍA
    1. O Menino Tá Com Pacote
    2. Tenho Que Me Decidir
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    Mes Femmes

    These were the songs of the "Feminine Energy" artists that made me feel some type of way.

    1. BATTERUP
    2. DREAM
    3. FOREVER
    4. LIKE THAT
    5. SHEESH
    6. Stuck in the Middle
    1. Hang Onto Your Love
    2. Jezebel
    3. Maureen
    4. Sally
    5. Smooth Operator
    6. Why Can't We Live Together
    1. Rash Devices
    2. Bliss Beat
    3. Get in Girls
    4. Us Ephemeral
    5. Realize
    6. Eternal
    1. Copa Vacía
    2. Puntería
    3. Cómo Dónde y Cúando
    4. Monotonía
    5. Nassau
    6. Última

    Malandro Music

    These were the songs of the "Masculine Edge" artists that gave me the most swagger.

    1. Dale Don Dale
    2. Dile
    3. Tu Cuerpo Me Arrebata
    1. Like Glue
    2. Get Busy
    3. I'm Still in Love
    1. Gang Signs
    2. How We Do ('93)
    3. Thuggin'
    1. Players
    2. Coke Dealers
    3. Wild West

    HTWN CROWN

    The eight best tracks from each "Space City Rapper", usually samples of their early discographies

    1. Confidential Playa
    2. I'll Do It
    3. Leanin'
    4. Parlay
    5. Can't Leave Drank Alone
    6. Dime Piece
    7. Get Lonely Too
    8. Just a Dog
    1. Everyday, Samething
    2. Happy Feelingz
    3. Hey Lil Mama
    4. I'm a Soldier
    5. Platinum
    6. Life feat. Pup
    7. Respect My Mind
    8. Thatz Who I Am
    1. Everyday (feat. T.C., Lil’ Marquice, Taz, Shasta & Cresia)
    2. Boxers (feat. Deep Threat)
    3. Tonight
    4. Sunshine feat. Lea
    5. Check (Let's Ride)
    6. I Shoulda Listened
    7. Da Roof
    8. My Block (feat. Crime, Dante of Menace Clan & Godfather)
    1. Thug
    2. My B***h
    3. Associates (feat. J Dawg & Z-Ro)
    4. I Run
    5. Welcome 2 Houston (feat. Chamillionaire, Mike Jones, Bun-B, Pimp C, Lil Keke, Z-Ro, Paull Wall)
    6. I'm Back (feat. Devin The Dude)
    7. Leanin (feat. Pimp C & Bun B)
    8. Show Me Love

    Latino Flare

    Mi gente, aquí están las canciones que menean la cadera del alma.

    • El Exitoso - El Fantasma
    • Eres Mía - Romeo Santos
    • Louco E Sonhador - MC Neguinho do Kaxeta
    • Síguelo Bailando - Ozuna

    The Romantics

    Ambience for thinkin' bout my baby.

    • Tinashe - Nasty
    • Propuesta Indecente - Romeo Santos
    • Algo Me Gusta De Ti - Wisin & Yandel
    • Charli XCX - Party 4 U

    TBT

    Throwback tracks that popped into my head.

    1. Rap do Solitario - MC Marcinho
    2. Rap de Armas - Cidinho & Doca
    1. Safezone - MC Buda
    2. Still Not a Playa - Big Pun ft. Joe
    1. Passamos Por Isso - Camisa de Venus
    2. Maracatú Atomico - Chico Science
    1. Peace or Violence - Stromae
    2. Lonely - Akon

    <3 2 H8

    These were the intrusive thought that wormed into my ear one day.

    • Like That - Metro, Kendrick, Future
    • The Thrill - Wiz Khalifa
    • Let's Go 4 - DJ GBR
    • Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden

    TURNUPPPPPP!!!!

    This was the track that had me most hype when in need of a little surge.

    • BAND4BAND - Central Cee & Lil Baby
    • U.M.C. - Common
    • Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm
    • No Scrubs - TLC

    Best Contemporary Singles

    My favorite tracks released during the season.

    • ACTIVE - Asake, Travis Scott
    • WHATCHYA KNO ABOUT ME - Megan the Stallion, Glorilla
    • Earthquake - Jisoo
    • All the Way - BigXthaPlug

    Conclusion

    In one sense, music is a vehicle, a transport vessel to the memories created under the spell of its first listens. Adolescence, teenagehood and young adulting are oft the fount of greener and simpler times, hence the power of its nostalgic ambrosia. By the summer of 2025, I realized I could no longer bear to formalize my habits, but set off on a victory lap. I loaded up a spartan desert-island playlist: my favorite hundred songs in Spanish and Portuguese along with the discography of the Black Eyed Peas. Summer was going to be great!

    At first, immersing myself in the crème de la crème was fantastic! Hit after hit of my greatest hits made every day a holiday, yet even one's favorite ice cream becomes a chore served with every meal. You see, this templated musical regime cannot satisfy. To savor the music and to live out one's life to it requires a total surrender to the process of living and listening. That summer was great, but music was not the center of its joys. While the latino éxitos and Will.i.am mix served as auditory filler, the vicissitudes and triuphs of those vernal days shall leave a greater impression on me. My taste is already saturated, as it were. Notwithstanding, such a study was instructive, and for that reason I have detailed it here to catalyze your own introspection. Listen carefully, and the good times' rolling might just grace your ears.