The pandemic and ongoing global shifts have caused us all to slow down—and not just here at The Slowdown. Our friends at Tokyobike are embracing small moments of grace amidst all the chaos, too, and recently launched a digital-playlist series called the Tokyo Slow Mixtapes: guest-curated collections of songs on Spotify to soothe you through these high-stress, anxiety-inducing times. Contributions include playlists by actor and designer Waris Ahluwalia and artist Shantell Martin (whom we interviewed on Ep. 19 and Ep. 36, respectively, of our At a Distance podcast), along with Le Sirenuse hotel co-owners Antonio and Carla Sersale, with nearly 30 to choose from to date. Our own co-founder Spencer Bailey’s mixtape, for which he turned to the 17th-century Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto for inspiration, includes tracks by the likes of Nils Frahm, Nicolas Jaar, Photay, Kelsey Lu, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, and Kamasi Washington. Tune in to these pleasingly personal playlists for an ideal soundtrack to wind down, at least momentarily, from world-weariness—and revel in the joys of exploring and immersing yourself in some fresh tracks.