The opening track for this playlist comes from a record I picked up last December at Relevant Records in Cambridge, England. (Great spot with a café upstairs that sells vegan cake—if you’re into that sort of thing. They offer plenty of other things too, but I have a one-track mind when it comes to dessert.)

Down in the basement, wandering through troves of records, I came across a small section titled Library Music. My first thought: please let this be exactly what it sounds like—music you’d play in a library. I wasn’t disappointed.

I’ve always gravitated toward calm, laid-back sounds. Music that invites reflection, deep work, or even a nap. I pulled a couple of albums that day, and they’ve been in constant rotation ever since—A Matter of Life by Penguin Cafe and Irrealis by Matthew Bourne.

This first playlist is anchored with favorites from those records, plus a few other artists I think would feel right at home in the Library Music section at Relevant Records.

So here it is: the first Elevater FM playlist—steady, spacious, and built to get you through that 1-hour time block.