About CORTX
What is CORTX?
CORTX is a new genre-less micro-playlist series by KWNTO Sounds. The goal of CORTX is to deliver a very highly curated and digestible mixtape of 10 new/recent song releases to help you discover songs/artists that may potentially become your new favourites. Let us do the initial listening, digging, and curating. All you have to do is press play.
How did CORTX get its name?
CORTX is a stylized version of the word “cortex”, a term used to describe some parts of the brain. Music has the ability to activate and stimulate parts of our brain, as well as affecting our mood and emotions.
Cortex in this context specifically refers to the auditory cortex and the dorsolateral frontal cortex, two parts of the brain that are stimulated by music.
The auditory cortex is the area of our brain that analyzes information from the music we listen to, such as frequency, volume, pitch, speed, melody, and rhythm. The dorsolateral frontal cortex, located in the cerebrum, is stimulated when hearing music to keep the song in working memory and associates certain images with sounds. (Source)
Where can I listen to CORTX?
The CORTX mixtape is currently available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.
How often is CORTX updated?
The CORTX mixtape is updated weekly every Sunday at 6pm EST. On the day the CORTX gets updated, all songs from the previous week are removed and replaced with new songs from the current week. An archive of previous editions of CORTX is maintained, and can be accessed through the KWNTO Sounds playlist blog.
How do you find new music?
Ryan Flores, the main curator of CORTX and monthly playlist series SIDETRACKS says:
“Every Friday, I go through Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist series, specifically the ones for US, Canada, UK, Australia & New Zealand and Philippines. I consolidate all songs from these playlists into one huge playlist (duplicates eliminated) and I listen through the whole thing over the span of a week. I do this every week, so I listen to about 300-350 songs per week just from these playlists. If time permits, I also go through Apple Music’s New Music Daily playlist, as well as any new releases that I’m made aware of through social media. Generally, I look for catchy choruses, great vocal technique and arrangement, memorable melodies and solid production. Or if I find I’m bopping repeatedly to a song, that also makes it a candidate to be added to the playlist. The best way to get me to listen to a song is to e-mail me directly.”