Every piece of jewellery that leaves our Lisbon Atelier has a soundtrack, and this month the mood we've set is unmistakable: low light, slow tempos, and voices that sit somewhere between a whisper and an aching heart.
There's Sade opening things at half speed, the kind of song that makes a room go quiet. Erykah Badu and D'Angelo carry that same unhurried weight, the sort of neo-soul that doesn't ask for your attention so much as assume it. Massive Attack and Portishead pull the whole thing toward something darker and more atmospheric, trip-hop built for a workbench rather than a dance floor. Then Aaliyah and Janet Jackson cut through with a bit more movement before Solange and Kali Uchis bring it back down into something warmer and more intimate.
It's an odd thing to admit, but the pace of a playlist changes the pace of our work. Nothing on this list rushes. There isn't a track here that would marry with a hurried vibe. And that tracks with what actually happens at the bench: setting a stone, polishing a curve until it catches the light the right way, or checking a clasp three times before it feels finished. Beach House's Space Song and Cleo Sol's Sunshine sit particularly well in that stretch of the afternoon when a piece is close to right but not quite there yet, the kind of tracks that have been on repeat while Ida pieces like the CΓ©u Ring and Bruma Necklace come together.
By the second half of the playlist, things get a touch more wistful. Solange's Cranes in the Sky and Lianne La Havas's Bittersweet aren't background music in the usual sense; they're the kind of songs you end up half-listening to the words of, even mid-task. Arlo Parks and Blood Orange close things out on something gentler, closer to a warm down than a finale.
None of these tracks have been chosen to match a specific collection or a specific piece. It's simply what's been on in the atelier this August, the kind of playlist that gets built slowly over a few weeks rather than assembled in one sitting. If a track that arrives while you're mid-polish still feels right an hour later, it stays. If it doesn't, it goes.
The full playlist is on Spotify, ready for you to save and play during your next creative venture or simply a Sunday stroll.
And if you're further afield this month, we've got news worth a read: we're now shipping to the US and Canada. Find out more here.
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