Galaxie 500 - Today
Something that happens a lot when you play vinyl in your cafe is that your customers start bringing in their favorite records to add to the cafe collection. It's amazing. Some records become cafe staples (Tunnel of Love) and others get lost in the shuffle (Wrecking Ball). Today fast became one of the staples - at one point getting 2 or 3 plays per day. The simplicity of the chord progressions woven into the bounteousness of the sound make it a perfect record for sort of scene we are trying to set. While those chord progressions show healthy restraint, it should indubitably be noted that Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth once called Today "the guitar record of 1988" and Daydream Nation came out the same year. Now that's saying something.
Gitwe - Kayanza, Burundi
Oh boy, are we pumped to have Burundis back. We’re starting off the season with a real gem, a stellar lot from Gitwe Hill. Although Gitwe translates to “Place of Skulls”, fortunately the coffee is more uplifting than its name. The 641 farming families that live on Gitwe Hill process their coffee at the Heza Washing Station, which is run by the Long Miles Coffee Project. Long Miles has a pretty unique story— the organization and washing station are run by an American family who, after spending some time sourcing coffee in Burundi, realized that to truly make a difference for farmers the best thing for them to do would be to build a washing station and relocate their family to East Africa. This way, they could control the coffee’s quality and the price that farmers received directly. Gitwe is an excellent example of the outcome of this collaboration. The cup is incredibly creamy and complex, with warming spices, juicy plum, vivid citrus and a hint of jasmine.
