Mid-Week Listen: Four Tet's Spotify Playlist of music from Muslim countries Donald Trump has banned from the US

So unless you've been living under a rock for the past few days, you've probably heard Four Tet's name being passed around, along with a playlist he made from countries where people have been banned from entering the US by good ol' President Trump (hurl hurl hurl). 

Four Tet, (Kieran Hebden) is a London based producer with such dreamy electronic beats that are just captivating. He's collaborated with everyone under the sun, including a recent project with Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Burial which was fantastic.

If you're unfamiliar with Four Tet's work, maybe the below will jog your memory. Locked is an absolutely brilliant track, and although 8 minutes long, it's utterly mesmerizing and you don't even realize how much time has passed. This sort of downtempo music is the kind you can bust out with anyone, and will have them grooving along.

Anyway, back to the playlist. Four Tet said he was inspired to listen to the material after remembering his experience recording with Syrian musician Omar Souleyman in Brooklyn. What he realized at the time, was that under the new executive order, Souleyman's nationality would have made that recording impossible today.

While this playlist has been around on Spotify for a while already (September 2016), it now has music added from Syria, Libya, Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, Iran, and Sudan. As I'm sure you know, Trump's order prevents people from these countries from entering the US for the next three months, claiming that it is "necessary to safeguard the country from terrorism. "

This absolutely horrifying ban was one that struck a chord with me, and I loved the symbolic sort of demonstration Four Tet is making, signifying the absolute ignorance going on next door with our US neighbours.

Seems kind of bizarre to think as so many years have passed, it looks like the US is moving backwards in civilization instead of forwards, huh? 

I took the chance to listen to this playlist while making dinner last night and honestly, found myself saving some songs! Kind of a bizarre comparison to make, but a bunch of them sounded so rad, like they came straight out of Tarantino films. So perfectly badass, it's nuts. 

Highlights for me were Leila by Kourosh Yaghmae and Seeb by Simin Ghanem. 

Take a gander for yourself, and in case you were wondering, the most recent songs (including my picks) are right near the top. It's really nice music and some of it is perfect for background tracks while you're off putzing away on something else.

Happy listening everyone!