Soundtracks for Encounters
Every wildlife encounter, landscape observation, and creative practice session deserves a soundtrack. Not background music—philosophical companions. Music that captures the feeling of waiting for lyrebirds, the texture of dawn light, testing ideas through making.
These playlists are curated from extensive vinyl collection knowledge, informed by years of thinking about how sound shapes creative work. Post-rock meets ambient field recordings, philosophical inquiry through rhythm and space.
Current Playlists (Wildlife & Creative Practice)
🎵 Music for Waiting (Lyrebird Encounter)
[Listen on Spotify →]
Theme: Patience, presence, the practice of not forcing. What it feels like to sit still in the bush for hours, waiting for something that may or may not appear.
Mood: Atmospheric, building slowly, space for thought, moments of unexpected arrival
Track count: 12 songs, ~52 minutes
Includes: Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Rós, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, field recordings from Dharawal Country
Pairs with: [Lyrebird encounter video →]
🎵 Dawn Light Soundtrack
[Listen on Spotify →] (coming soon)
Theme: Golden hour observation, the quality of early morning light, waking up before the world does
Mood: Quiet, contemplative, gradual brightening, optimism without sentimentality
Use for: Early morning photography sessions, contemplative making, creative practice before the day begins
🎵 Constraint as Filter
[Listen on Spotify →] (coming soon)
Theme: Working with limitations, building genuine skill, the four-month intensive practice period
Mood: Focused, disciplined, rhythmic, building momentum within boundaries
Use for: Deep work sessions, skill-building practice, when you need focus over inspiration
Early Project Playlists (Philosophical Episodes)
These playlists were created for earlier YouTube episodes exploring ancient philosophy through material practice. The episodes still exist, the playlists still work, and the philosophy still informs current practice—just not the primary focus anymore.
🎵 Episode 1: "Escaping Plato's Cave" - Music for Shadow & Light
[Listen on Spotify →]
Theme: Moving from illusion to reality, questioning comfortable assumptions, the discomfort of genuine seeing
Mood: Atmospheric, building tension, moments of clarity breaking through
Track count: 12 songs, ~52 minutes
Includes: Car Seat Headrest, Parquet Courts, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, field recordings from cave formation
[Watch the episode →] | [Read detailed track-by-track breakdown →]
🎵 Episode 2: Flux State - Music For When The River Rewrites Your Plans
[Listen on Spotify →]
Theme: Change as the only constant, impermanence, flowing water as philosophical teacher
Mood: Fluid, shifting, rhythms that don't resolve, beauty in instability
Track count: 10 songs, ~47 minutes
Includes: Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Rós, creek recordings from filming location
[Watch the episode →] | [Read detailed track-by-track breakdown →]
🎵 Episode 3: ASYMPTOTIC PURSUIT - Music for Infinite Approach
[Listen on Spotify →]
Theme: Motion paradoxes, mathematical impossibility vs. lived experience, the gap between theory and reality
Mood: Post-punk momentum → growing uncertainty → false recognition → unexpected arrival
Track count: 15 songs, ~65 minutes
Includes: Sparta, Shellac, Russian Circles, Deftones, Battles, June of 44
[Watch the episode →] | [Read detailed track-by-track breakdown →]
How to Use These Playlists
During creative work: Background for photography editing, writing, making things with your hands
For observation practice: Soundtrack for bush walking, location scouting, patient waiting
While watching episodes: Some people like soundtrack mode (good luck getting through a song and a half during the philosophical episodes)
Focused listening: Pay attention to how each track embodies philosophical or atmospheric concepts through sound
Sequential vs. shuffle: Playlists are ordered intentionally (like a good record), but shuffle often reveals unexpected connections
The Philosophy Behind the Music
Music does something words can't—it makes abstract concepts felt rather than just understood. Each playlist is built around:
- Sonic equivalents to philosophical or observational states (space for patience, repetition for discipline, dissonance for uncertainty)
- Emotional architecture that mirrors creative practice rhythms or philosophical journeys
- Field recordings that ground abstraction in actual place (Dharawal Country, creek sounds, cave acoustics)
- Dynamic range from quiet contemplation to overwhelming intensity
The goal isn't perfect conceptual alignment. It's creating space where philosophy becomes sensory experience, where constraint feels like something you can hear, where waiting has a soundtrack.
Spotify Curation Philosophy
These aren't algorithmic recommendations. They're curated from:
- 20+ years of vinyl collecting (post-rock, math rock, ambient, experimental)
- Understanding how music shapes creative states and philosophical inquiry
- Testing which sounds actually help vs. distract during making
- Thinking about how rhythm, space, and texture relate to observation and patience
If you're interested in the philosophy of curation itself—why certain tracks pair with certain moods, how to build playlists that support creative practice—[join the newsletter for occasional deep-dives →]
Custom Soundtracks (Suno AI)
In addition to curated Spotify playlists, most current Wildline videos feature custom-generated soundtracks using Suno AI. These are original compositions created specifically for individual wildlife encounters or landscape documentation.
Why custom generation?
- Perpetual licensing (no subscription, own the music forever)
- Tailored to specific mood/length/pacing needs
- Can generate Australian-specific atmospheric textures
- Complements Spotify curation with truly unique audio
[Suno prompt library coming soon →] (Resident tier subscribers get early access)
Want Deeper Context?
Detailed playlist breakdowns—why each track was chosen, how it connects philosophically or atmospherically, what to listen for—are available as Ghost blog posts for the philosophical episode playlists.
[Read all playlist breakdowns →]
Resident tier subscribers ($5/month) get early access to new playlist essays, plus input on future selections.
[Become a Resident →]
Suggest Music
Know a track that perfectly captures the feeling of waiting in the bush? Have artist recommendations that fit The Wildline aesthetic?
[Email suggestions →]
No promises I'll use them, but I'm always listening for connections between sound and creative practice.
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Soundtracks for observation, patience, philosophical inquiry, and making things in a place.