Some sessions are for sitting. This one is for moving — or at the very least, for feeling like you could. Vol. 6 has forward motion built into its architecture. Everything here has a pulse, even when it's quiet. Everything here is going somewhere, even when it takes its time.
The Diasonics open with Balance, which despite its name is one of the more propulsive things on any of these eight lists. They're a Bay Area soul-funk band with a particular gift for arrangements that feel both deeply researched and completely spontaneous. Surprise Chef follow immediately and the transition is seamless — Melbourne to San Francisco, same pocket, same intention.
Karate Boogaloo's Love, Need and Want You is one of their most straightforwardly joyful tracks — the title isn't ironic, it's just true. The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble bring an Oxnard groove that sits right between classic soul and something more contemporary. Kamaal Williams' Big Rick is the session's signature track: a piece that builds patiently and rewards patience equally.
Okvsho are French and largely unknown outside their home market, which is the playlist's best-kept secret. Jusqu'ici tout va bien — "so far so good" — is the most French thing here and also one of the most beautiful. Yussef Dayes, Charlie Stacey, and Rocco Palladino return with Odyssey, which earns its epic title. Air's La femme d'argent is the late-night classic that belongs on every playlist built for long drives — sixteen minutes of Parisian cool that never arrives anywhere because it was never trying to get there.
Polyrhythmics' Cactus Blossom and Josiah Steinbrick's Full Bloom keep the momentum through the session's final third before Kiefer lands Superhero as a closer — which, at that point in the evening, is exactly the right word for how the music makes you feel.
There's a version of smooth that moves. Vol. 6 is that version.
Twelve tracks is a long drive. Which is the point. This session was designed for the window seat, the passenger who puts the aux in and stops talking because the music is saying everything better than they could.
The Air track alone — sixteen minutes that feel like six — is worth pulling over for. If you're actually driving, don't. If you're in a session with a smoothmix herbal blend and a window open somewhere, La femme d'argent in the middle of this list might be the best seventeen minutes you spend this week.
Herbal Rolling Blends. Tobacco-free. Nicotine-free.
smoothmix makes herbal rolling blends with herbs and flowers sourced from farmers across India. 4 unique blends, each with a distinct flavour profile.
