What’s on an artist’s studio playlist?

Want to hear how The Huxleys bonded over music or learn about Abdul Abdullah's favourite podcasts? Read on.

As we ease into the new year and return to our respective workplaces, ArtsHub has invited a group of artists to share the music (or, as it happens, podcasts) they have on their studio playlist. So what songs get the creative juices churning and which podcasts are behind masterpieces in the making?

Albeit from different cultural backgrounds, using different artistic mediums and sitting at different stages of their careers, these artists’ top picks show the broad-reaching influence of music. Their tastes show that they have more in common than you may imagine.

Hear from artists Hayley Millar Baker, Serwah Attafuah, Abdul Abdullah, Casey Chen and The Huxleys on their go-to playlist for the studio.

Hayley Millar Baker: songs on high rotation

A Hayley Millar Baker film, ‘Nyctinasty’. Image: Courtesy the artist.

With her work sitting across photography, collage and, lately, film, Gunditjmara Djabwurrung (First Nations) artist Hayley Millar Baker explores complex narratives interwoven with dynamic storytelling.

Rock from the 60s and 70s features heavily on her playlist, thrumming with energy and emotion.

‘Layla’ by Derek and the Dominos

Though not initially a hit when the album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs was released in 1970, ‘Layla’ is now considered a rock staple and one of the genre’s greatest love songs.

‘Cocaine’ by Eric Clapton

‘Cocaine’ was originally written and recorded in 1976 by singer-songwriter JJ Cale, but later popularised by Eric Clapton after his cover version was released a year later on the album Slowhand.

Clapton called the song ‘quite cleverly anti-cocaine’ on The Best of Everything Show with Dan Neer.

Read: From addiction to recovery: unpicking the challenges of the rock’n’roll lifestyle

‘I Heard it Through the Grapevine’ by Creedance Clearwater Revival

Creedance Clearwater Revival’s version of ‘I Heard it Through the Grapevine’ was released in 1970 for Cosmo’s Factory, the fifth studio album by the US rock band, which spent nine consecutive weeks in the number one position on the Billboard 200 chart.

‘Gimme Shelter’ by The Rolling Stones

While the song was partly inspired by Keith Richard’s romantic relationship with Anita Pallenberg, Mick Jagger’s co-star and love interest in the 1970 British crime movie, Performance, the band said the Vietnam War undoubtedly also influenced some of its harsher lyrics. It’s a rock anthem as much as it exemplifies an apocalypse of the world around us.

‘Fell On Black Days’ by Soundgarden

A song of a different era, ‘Fell On Black Days’ was released in 1994 as part of the album Superunknown. Leaning more heavily on grunge and psychedelia, the album led to Soundgarden’s breakthrough success while capturing their creativity and evolving style.

Millar Baker’s latest film, Nyctinasty will be shown in the Other Horizons group exhibition alongside Atong Atem’s Banksia and Jasmine Togo-Brisby’s Abyss at Fremantle Arts Centre, as part of Perth Festival from 3 February.

Serwah Attafuah: an atmosphere for creativity

Serwah Attafuah, ‘Creation of My Metaverse’. Image: Supplied, courtesy of the artist.

Sydney-based artist and musician Serwah Attafuah is catching a wave in the digital art scene with her surreal cyber dreamscapes and goddess-like avatars. Her Apple Music playlist consists of ‘lots of ambient/techno sounds with some metal sprinkled throughout’.

Included are ‘No Other’ by Moonchildren, ‘Out of Reach’ by V.I.V.E.K, ‘Sleepygirl 1’ by Yagya, ‘No Partial’ by Rhythm & Sound and more. Two songs feature from the original soundtrack of horror game Silent Hill: ‘The Day of Night’ and ‘White Noiz’ by Japanese composer and music producer Akira Yamaoka.

In the metal and rock genre there are the likes of ‘Perennial Quest’ by Death, ‘Meltdown’ by Godflesh and ‘Jezebel’ by The Drones.

If you’re looking for songs to sing (or rap) along with, the 26-year-old Chicago-based rapper LUCKI and his 2020 single ‘Faith’ will get you grooving in no time.

Other highlights include Jungle DnB, ‘Toulépleu’ by The Sentinel from 1996 – get a taste of it here – and Andy Stott’s despondent take on dance music in ‘Passed Me By’ with an album of the same name.

Casey Chen: the golden 60s

Casy Chen, ‘Glitterbomb’, 2022, porcelain, enamels and gold lustre with coloured underglaze. Image: Courtesy of the artist and N Smith Gallery.

Earlier in the year (or I should say last year) I came across Casey Chen’s exhibition Bombs Away at N Smith Gallery in Sydney, filled with hand-thrown ceramics that bring together traditional Chinese craftsmanship with cartoon characters and iconography that evoke childhood memories. It turns out the young artist‘s music leanings are just as time-honoured.

Chen tells ArtsHub: ‘I’m a big fan of The Beatles and their songs, and all the other 60s adjacent songs are big hits for me.’

He shares his favourite Spotify playlist of classic hits, including the likes of Buffalo Springfield, The Chocolate Watchband, The Zombies, Wings, Supertramp and, of course, The Beatles and David Bowie.

Some old gems include Stevie Wonder’s 1969 hit ‘My Cherie Amour’, The Zombies’ ‘Beechwood Park’ from 1968 and The Beach Boys’ equally nostalgic ‘Disney Girls (1957)’.

Abdul Abdullah: favourite podcasts

Artist Abdul Abdullah in his studio. Photo: Isabella Melody Moore.

Confessing that he is a bit of a nerd in the studio, the multidisciplinary artist Abdul Abdullah has a preference for podcasts over music when it comes to creating.

With topics ranging from art to philosophy, movies to comics and a channel dedicated to the most embarrassing stories, these will have you laugh out loud while staying productive.

The Meeting Tree

Dubbed as Australia’s number one curious podcast, this is a show that answers questions you wouldn’t dare ask. It features James Hennessy (co-host of Down Round) covering everything from ‘How to Steal from a 7-11’ to ‘How To Drive Your Man Crazy (Send Him 3600 Texts In One Hour!)’. On Apple Podcasts.

The Weekly Planet

The Weekly Planet covers all things movies, TV shows and comics. Some of the show’s 2022 highlights include a review of Jurassic World Dominion and a segment about Tom Holland’s James Bond pitch (spoiler, it failed). On Acast.

Filthy Casuals

This comedy video-game podcast is hosted by Tommy Dassalo, Ben Vernel and Adam Knox, who describes themselves as three of the kindest, most ethical games journalists (comedians) in the world. They produce podcasts on the latest games and reviews, and also have a YouTube channel with playthrough videos. On Spotify.

Read: The Best Video Games of 2022

Down Round

Join James ‘JR’ Hennessy, author of newsletter The Terminal, and Raph Dixon, semi-retired producer from The Meeting Tree and self-described ‘small business owner’, as they delve into the weird and wonderful at the intersection of technology, business and culture. The big topics include the buy-now-pay-later model, Tesla’s downfall, TikTok and more. On Apple Podcasts.

Philosophy Tube

Actress and writer Abigail Thorn is giving out a free philosophy degree on her mind-opening YouTube channel, Philosophy Tube. Perhaps save the episode on ‘Is Art Meaningless?’ for one of your non-studio days (or delve in if you need a conceptual punch). On YouTube.

Wheel of Misfortune

Alison Spittle, Kerry Katona and the listeners share their funniest, most embarrassing stories to help you feel the joy. Is it too soon to hear about ‘Holiday Horrors’ and the hosts’ most heinous holiday memories? On Apple Podcasts.

Talking with painters

Host Maria Stoljar has spoken to her fair share of Australian artists, so if you ever need some creative insight into the life and work of an artist, check out an episode from Talking with Painters. Recent guests include Paul Newton, Daniel Boyd, Sam Leach, Del Kathryn Barton and more.

Art W**k

Artists Fiona Verity and Julie Nicholson explore the art world inside out, interviewing artists, curators, gallery owners, teachers and creatives. Enjoy the banter while they navigate through all the Art W**k.

The Huxleys: Our record collection

The Huxleys, ‘Places of Worship’ at Testing Grounds for Midsumma Festival, 25 January 2023. Image: Supplied, courtesy of the artists.

The Huxleys share how the duo bonded over music, and the ways in which it continues to play a big part in their practice, and not just in the studio.

They tell ArtsHub: ‘Music is a huge thing for us. It is how we bonded when we first met, shopping for records and chatting about our mutual love of David Bowie, Grace Jones, Prince and Kate Bush. Music inspires us to make our art and we always have music playing when we create. 

‘We don’t use Spotify as we have such a huge record collection and you can’t always find what you are looking for with online music. Plus, we don’t know how great streaming services are for musicians! We much prefer to support artists by buying their albums, on vinyl if possible. 

‘An artist we have been listening to a lot over the last year is disco artist Fern Kinney. She was born in Mississippi and had a few moderate hits in the late 70s and early 80s. She wasn’t a huge star but has the most unusual and charming voice. There is so much character in the way she sings and her songs are fantastic. Some of the best are ‘Groove Me’, ‘Together We Are Beautiful’, and ‘Baby Let Me Kiss You’. They are warm pulsing disco gems.

‘But our favourite is called ‘Love Me Tonight’. It should have been a huge hit, it’s a minor key disco opus. It has significant connection for us as it holds a dear space in queer history. It was released around the time when HIV/AIDS started to devastate the gay community in the early 80s. And we’ve heard that many gay discos used to play this track. The queer community would dance and hold each other together through this emotional time and share that pure beautiful love under the mirrorball at the disco, as they had to face saying goodbye to so many loved ones. 

‘People were losing each other so fast and for some they only had that night to hold each other. The [chorus] lyrics are:

So hold me close, hold me closer
Squeeze me tight, squeeze me tighter
Love me right, love me tonight (Love me tonight)

Fern Kinney, ‘Love Me Tonight’ 1981

The Huxleys’ largest exhibition to date, Bloodlines, is currently on view at Carriageworks until 5 March.

Celina Lei is the Diversity and Inclusion Editor at ArtsHub. She acquired her M.A in Art, Law and Business in New York with a B.A. in Art History and Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She has previously worked across global art hubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York in both the commercial art sector and art criticism. She took part in drafting NAVA’s revised Code of Practice - Art Fairs and was the project manager of ArtsHub’s diverse writers initiative, Amplify Collective. Most recently, Celina was one of three Australian participants in DFAT’s the Future of Leadership program. Celina is based in Naarm/Melbourne. Instagram @lleizy_