Crate Junkie

The folks behind In Sheep’s Clothing wear a lot of hats. “[We] began as a listening bar back in 2018. Since then, we’ve continued our dedication to analog music culture through our listening events, online publication, label, record store, and distribution network,” says the company’s Phil Cho. Now they’re adding one more role to the list—playlist programmers. They’re taking over our playlist of vintage grooves with a few of their own picks. “These selections reflect the world of global and contemporary sounds that we’ve shared over the years on our website, events, and shop from our favorite artists and label partners,” says Cho. Read on for his comments on a couple other tracks, and if you hear something you like, add it to your library. Ryuichi Sakamoto, “Diabarem” (feat. Youssou N’Dour) “This track is from a lesser-known 1989 album by Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Ryuichi Sakamoto that we’ll soon be reissuing in collaboration with Capitol Records. I love the minimalistic production that really allows Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour’s vocal to shine. Hearing this on a detailed hi-fi really hits, and there’s a sense of sadness and longing captured within Youssou’s performance that tugs at the heart strings.” Lemon Quartet, “Crestless” “This low-key jazz record from Ohio was featured in our first ‘drop’ when we launched our online shop back in 2020. Our collective excitement around this label, combined with its lack of coverage and distribution at the time, was an early impetus to launch some of the editorial series that we continue on our site today, like Labels We Love. The Akron scene that London-based label Last Resort was tapping into at the time was unmatched, and we hope to hear more from them soon!”