About SIDETRACKS
What is SIDETRACKS?
SIDETRACKS is a monthly playlist series featuring music specifically hand-picked and curated by Ryan Flores. The goal of SIDETRACKS is to highlight music by new, up-and-coming, smaller independent artists. SIDETRACKS focuses on music in the pop and R&B genre, recommending music that makes you feel something, whether that be bopping your head, pulling a stank face or wallowing in your feels. SIDETRACKS is your best source for great new pop and R&B music.
How did SIDETRACKS get its name?
The idea for the name SIDETRACKS initially came from how vinyls had an A-side and B-side, where the A-side often featured the hits that artists, record producers and/or record companies wanted the radio stations to play, while the B-side featured songs that either didn’t make the album, were not radio-friendly, were instrumental versions of the A-side tracks or were just inferior overall. Although these terms aren’t used today, the idea for SIDETRACKS specifically stemmed from the B-side. The goal is to put the spotlight on music that is not as widely known or popular, because there is so much more music out there outside of the Top 40 and the radio hits that are constantly played today.
Where can I listen to SIDETRACKS?
The SIDETRACKS playlist is currently available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.
How often is SIDETRACKS updated?
The SIDETRACKS playlist is updated once a month on the last Tuesday of every month. On the day the SIDETRACKS gets updated, all songs from the previous month are removed and replaced with new songs from the current month. An archive of previous editions of SIDETRACKS is maintained, and can be accessed through the KWNTO Sounds playlist blog.
How do you find new music?
Ryan Flores, the curator of 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.”
Who is Ryan Flores?
Ryan Flores is an independent singer-songwriter, audio engineer and music curator based in Toronto. In addition to making his own music, Ryan is very passionate about discovering and sharing great music by smaller, independent or undiscovered artists. He established SIDETRACKS as a platform for music lovers to find their new favourite pop and R&B tracks, and as a platform to shine the spotlight on artists and music that listeners may have not known. SIDETRACKS has served as the inspiration and basis for the creation of the themed playlists produced by KWNTO Sounds.