2022 was the year when... I turned my back on streaming services and got back into digital music curation; Bandcamp was acquired by Epic Games; I discovered brick stores that still sell CDs---you know, those shiny round things you hang in your Christmas tree; bought as much soundtracks accompanying the games I liked during Bandcamp Fridays as I could; noticed other bloggers paying more attention to supporting musicians as well; and attended a classical music symphony event in London equipped with a choir that chanted Final Fantasy tunes and Skyrim's Dragonborn theme.

Navidrome has a "hidden feature" where the ListenBrainz.BaseURL property can be set to a custom URL that's not ListenBrainz but compatible with their API---for instance, Maloja. I haven't tested it yet---sorry, no cool useless stats this time---but for those eager to replicate the much discussed Spotify Wrapped reports while owning your data, it's there.

Here's a collage of albums bought and listened to in 2022:

This excludes a re-buying spree of hip-hop albums (Deltron 3030, The Roots, Jurassic 5, ...) and other classics (Pink Floyd, Genesis, Alphaville, ...), eighties compilations and other stuff that I inherited from my parents.

You could break down the image in a few different categories such as:

• Flemish hip-hop (Bosbessen Marmelade, C Mij Da, Brutaal)
• International hip-hop, Wu spin-offs (Czarface, Kendrick Lamar, Wu-Chronicles, Looptroop Rockers, ...)
• Groovy stuff (Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove!, Cory & The Wongnotes, New Orleans Funk, Shredder's Revenge)
• Classic game soundtracks (Apogee MIDI Soundtracks)

On second thought, that collage looks weird. Most albums I listened to aren't even on there since they're older and I tend to get in a flow-listen-state of repeat mode. These include: Quantic, The 5th Exotic; Castlevania, Portrait of Ruin Soundtrack; Diablo II, Soundtrack; GTA Vice City, All Radio Stations; Ancient Astronauts, Into Bass And Time; The Messenger, Soundtrack; Wu-Tang Clan, Enter The Wu-tang.

If there's work to do---real, dont-interrupt-me work---then a game soundtrack or funky album without much voices such as RJD2 or Cory & The Wongnotes will be put on. If there's more mundane cleanup-but-whatever kind of work to do, then a GTA Radio Station or one of the chattier hip-hop ones is put on.

I regret buying Zwangere Guy's CDs (I prefer the West Coast influence of deep basses like in Into Bass And Time) and Wu-Chronicles Chapter II (it turned out to be a very mediocre compilation). I still have to listen to Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly and Looptroop's Professional Dreamers a couple of times to make up my mind on those.

As for the best ofs of 2022, that's easy:

• 💖 Cory & The Wongnotes (2021)---Simply a-ma-zing! Thank you Ruben. Watch the full recording session and tell me you've been able to sit still.
• 💖 Czarface, Czarmageddon! (2022)---Inspectah Deck is one of the only Wu members still rocking it. Just listen to Walk Thru Walls.
• 💖 Bosbessen Marmelade (2015)---a supergroup of young rappers within Limburg including the more well-known Don Luca that contains many hidden gems. Don's In De Cités of C Mij Da is also great.
• 💖 Shredder's Revenge (2022)---I already talked about that one.

A honorable mention goes to RJD2's The Colossus (2010) which isn't as good as 2002's Deadringer or 2004's Since We Last Spoke, and to Greg Johnson's "refunkified" Toejam & Earl soundtrack. I didn't play the latest game but remember SEGA Mega Drive game well enough to get back into the groove with this album.