Dephion Music Catalogue
There are over three thousand cultures on this beautifully diverse planet. If you think that’s a dizzying concept to grasp, at Dephion alone we may have well over twenty. How can we connect when we are so different? How can we work together without clashing? How can we understand each other and get along? Maybe it’s because there are aspects of human nature that are universal, such as a smile, love of food and family, the desire for a better future, music…
The effect of music on us is downright magical. It charms our feet and heads to follow its mystical rhythms, wraps poetic lyrics around our thoughts, hypnotizes us with its highs and lows, soothes our hearts, and inspires our souls.
Earlier this year on World Music Day we asked you to share your music and tell the story behind your choice. These were your responses:
Brooke was the first to add one of his own creations to the list, Hey Ray, an easy-to-listen song with deeply personal and emotional lyrics focused on the eternal love of a father for his child.
Kenny’s music of choice was a leap into the sounds of the future: Daft Punk - Girogio by Moroder. Perhaps the idea that we knew what we loved and what we wanted to be from an early age is not such an alien concept for a lot of us.
Para Darte Mi Vida (To give you my life), by Elvis Crespo, featuring Milly Quezada is a romantic merengue. A 90s classic with the power to energize tired legs and uplift drowsy minds. Indeed, Elyzabeth confesses that “this song never fails to get me up and dancing, no matter how tired I am.”
Of course, music from our homeland will always evoke feelings of bittersweet melancholy. Love, family, past, and longing.
Going back even further in time, we come across Marc’s Lebanese Folk music. He chose to highlight Lebanese composer Ziad Al Rahbani from the 70s. This lively music is played with traditional instruments such as the oud. “This never fails to take me back to my teenage years, having lunch with the full family, having a laugh.”
Also from Lebanon, Gaëlle dropped “a poem written by Gibran Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese writer and artist, and sung by Fairuz, a musical icon, considered the ‘Soul of Lebanon’, and a leading vocalist in the Arab world.” Fairuz’s 'Atinee-n-Naya has certainly proven to be an immortal song.
This childhood favorite was added to the list as well, “This was the first Italian band that I liked so much that I wanted to buy all their cassette tapes to listen to on my beloved Walkman. It was December 1999, I was 6 years old, I heard this song on the radio for the first time and fell in love with it.” Samuele is talking about 883’s Grazie Mille with Max Pezzali. And a thousand thanks to him for sharing this gem.
Alireza was eager to throw everything he’s got at us, from the “before we could choose what we listened to” to the “I didn’t know this existed! I love the internet”. “Being born right after the war and revolution in Iran, music was a big taboo in the country for almost 20 years. But you could still find old records from the cassettes that your parents had during their rebellious time. So these [...] songs are what my mother used to listen to when I was a kid. One of them is Lullaby [lalaee] by Viguen”.
Still, sometimes we need songs that match the rage and fierceness within.
So Igor brought in the heavy stuff. “Italy had to wait until 1990 to have a rock song. It became an anthem immediately. Hate it or love it, every Italian knows this song,” El Diablo by Litfiba. Warning: Not for the faint of heart.
Yordan chimed in with a series of Bulgarian rock songs by bands like BTR with loud, head-banging strums and unforgettable guitar solos.
Evgeny wasn’t far behind with an immediately catchy Russian tune. Leningrad’s Voyage. “The band name is the name of my hometown. Over time it became an absolute synonym of the city and a huge cultural reference.” However, if your children speak Russian, maybe listen to this one on your own.
Of course, sometimes what hits all the right emotions may not have been written in your home country or even in your mother language.
“I was 15 when this song hit me right in the chest, and it taught me that music is sharing and it's always better with others. Played this song for the first time with my friends years later and it was the song that started everything. Bounding us for years of playing together as a little local rock band. amazing days that I will never forget.” Diego was struck by Road Trippin’ by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
But, are we not Dephion? Home of the nerds and geeks? Yes, sir, we are.
Sergio shared with us some samples of what a Spanish instrument can do when properly used… for non-traditional Spanish songs. “Our Flamenco wooden guitars can make badass music for animes, games, and chill-out music.” Bleach OST 3-Clavar La Espada is definitely going on someone’s playlist right away if it hasn’t already.
Bart came up with a song most gamers are to nod at, Final Fantasy X - OST - To Zanarkand. Though it might cause his mother to suffer a PTSD flashback, it’s a beautiful melody that marked momentous moments during gameplay.
Dephion was enriched by each and every single one of these songs and by the Dephioneers who shared them. Life as we know it may not be the same that our colleagues have experienced and the world they knew shaped who they are, how they behave, and what they work for.
Have some of these songs struck a chord with you too? The almost entire selection is available in this Spotify playlist, and you keep adding to it by clicking here.