#01 Captainfantastic for FLAT shop Spotify Playlist

Encapsulating a year of music into a single playlist is always a complex task, but I have endeavored to select both new favorites and some surprises from 2023, spanning across genres that are quite distinct from each other, creating a heterogeneous experience that represents my identity, multifaceted yet well-defined.

What I listen to daily is directly connected to my style, which is always different, often confused, but certainly well-curated. After all, music and fashion are two worlds that synergize with each other, one inspiring the other and vice versa, inseparable. And for me, size never matters in either domain: whether it's a mainstream act or an indie one, a global brand or a small label, what’s important are beauty, originality, and experimentation, finding a sort of aesthetic consistency among them.

That's why I start with my great love for hip hop, then the bangers by Drake (I'm a fanboy, even of his Nocta line with Nike), Bad Bunny (this is reggaeton that deserves a second look), Travis Scott (the track “MY EYES” is an absolute gem, featuring Sampha, author of one of the year's best albums), to the heavy guitars of avant-garde metal by CELESTE, Code Orange, and Full Of Hell, the shoegaze of Nothing, especially the timeless emo (sometimes hardcore, sometimes less so) of our own F4 and Liquami, concluding with some off-topic tracks, AmEN! by Bring Me The Horizon and the nostalgia of Linkin Park, two of my acknowledged obsessions. There's little in the way of electronic music and similar genres, due to lack of exploration, but I must mention at least one track from the new works by Actress and James Blake, eclectic masters, as well as "Washed Away" by Kelela, one of the best contemporary artists. Also significant is the trip-hop debut by a.s.o.

Parallel to this moves streetwear, based on the mood of the period or even the day itself, I can switch from a more modern and fresh style, tied to the current trends of urban fashion (from the tech jacket and baggy pants to trail shoes, in a great homage to techwear and the y2k subculture, of which FLAT Shop is a pioneer and reference point), to a more classic and timeless style related to skating and punk (skinny pants, low sneakers, band merch shirts) from which I will never be able to detach myself, with some shades of British ultras between football jerseys, Stone Island, and the ever-present three stripes. Having said that, Kanye West from 2016, I miss you.

By Lorenzo Mondaini aka Captainfantastic