Playlist: 2026.4 | Son of a New Day

This is W Department, translated into sound

Son of a New Day, this month’s playlist, reflects a feeling of emergence, grounded but expansive, introspective yet alive with energy. As always, it is international, transcends time, and is attentive to the cultural currents shaping how I experience beauty.

The playlist opens with a sense of landscape and atmosphere. Evan Fraser and Vir McCoy’s Fertile Ground and Bonobo’s Days to Come unfold with warmth and optimism. To me, they feel like early morning light stretching across an open horizon – a sonic reminder that renewal often begins subtly, long before its presence is truly felt.

From there, we establish a more consistent rhythm. Continuing a playful experimentation with Spotify’s mix feature, creating an unbroken groove, not to command attention, but to shape and electrify the energy.

We settle in with songs that were foundational in my appreciation of music. Outkast and A Tribe Called Quest remain landmarks of cultural innovation and are among the artists who expanded the possibilities of what could be. These are the songs of my youth that will forever shape the way I experience the world, the voices that celebrate beauty and creativity in the face of struggle. 

Global perspective is essential to the character of this mix. Samba Touré’s Chiri Hari moves with the hypnotic depth of desert blues, echoing the perspectives that define W Department: rooted in Santa Fe, but always in conversation with the wider world.

Moments of experimentation add dimension and remind us that creativity often flourishes in the unfamiliar, a celebration of the human spirit in motion. Art and style should remain curious and exploratory, fluid rather than fixed.

As the playlist unfolds, it gradually settles into atmosphere, something more contemplative. The energy softens without disappearing, like the final warmth of a long spring evening.

Music is an essential part of how we shape the environments around us – the gallery, the boutique, the conversations that happen within them. It sets the tone for discovery and reflection alike.

April is about stepping fully into the now-established rhythms of the year. Not rushing forward but moving with clarity and purpose.

This is Son of a New Day, my optimistic prayer for the year ahead. 
–Christopher Webster

Track List

  • Fertile Ground
  • Evan Fraser, Vir McCoy
  • Days to Come
  • Bonobo, Bajka
  • Make My Day
  • Waldeck
  • ATLiens
  • Outkast
  • Got to Be a Love- Paul Nice Remix
  • Greyboy, Paul Nice, Sharon Jones, Quanitic
  • Check the Rhime
  • A Tribe Called Quest
  • Sure Thing
  • St Germain
  • Lovely Day/Good as Hell
  • Pomplamoose
  • Wearing Out My Shoes
  • Club des Belugas, Iain MacKenzie
  • By Your Side – Cottonbelly’s Fola Extended Mix
  • Sade, Red Hot Org, Cottonbelly
  • Energy (Stay Far Away)
  • Skepta, Wizkid
  • You Wish
  • Nightmares on Wax
  • Yeanoh (Powe’hande Binga’dbe)
  • Kondi Band
  • Human Behavior
  • Bjork
  • Freedom
  • Jon Batiste
  • Anything You Want (Not That)
  • Belleruche
  • Chiri Hari
  • Samba Touré
  • Firelight
  • Hundred Waters