Morning Safe Playlist

by Subtrack (AKA Darryl Wright)

That vibe of waking up just a little earlier than everyone else, sitting with a cup of coffee and staring at the sunrise with some easy tunes playing in the background -- maybe even dancing around the kitchen a little.

Click here or on the cover art to open the playlist in a browser window

Darryl Wright was Sparkplug’s very first out-of-province customer who wasn’t family. I was so excited when some random guy called me from Halifax to ask if we shipped to Nova Scotia!

It turns out that it was not completely random. Darryl heard about Sparkplug through a mutual scooter friend. He started buying before Sparkplug was really launched, even before our website went live, when I was sending emails asking for payment by PayPal.

He is a true coffee lover so it means a lot to me that he has continued to drink Sparkplug - and share it with friends, family and workmates.

I’ve gotten to know a bit about Darryl and that one of his many interests is music and DJ’ing. I was very happy that he agreed to make a playlist for us. I’m really enjoying listening to it and hope you love it, too!

Q&A with Darryl Wright

What was your inspiration for this playlist?

Every now and then you get asked to get up before dawn and before everyone else. Maybe, pre-covid, it was to catch a plane or to get downtown for an early meeting. Maybe it's just to sneak in an hour of productivity before the world catches up to you. What I discovered was that there's a strange combination of being half-asleep drinking a cup of coffee and stealing time for yourself that turns that experience into a calming, comforting limbo. It's best enjoyed with a cup of coffee and some *easy* music to groove to. I wanted to capture that feeling in playlist form.

How would you describe your coffee style?

Ritualistic, accessible and pure, dark and aromatic, acidic and smooth. I don't want it tainted by a crass dollop of dairy or the hedonistic excesses of a spoon-full of sugar.

What do you love about coffee?

The ease of preparation, and the disparity between aroma and flavour. The way it crosses cultures world-wide -- it's a binding bean.

How does coffee fit into a typical day for you?

The word 'ritual' comes to mind for me. On a weekday it has to be the same time every morning, the first thing to happen after hygiene and dress. Nothing starts until the coffee is finished. On a weekend, it's the same -- just later.

What’s the most memorable coffee you’ve ever had?

I began taking my daughter to toddler soccer classes. She was showing little interest in sports but we needed to start exposing her to some interests. I sweetened the deal one day by promising her that after class we'd stop by a new premium Cafe/Donut Shop called "49th Parallel" in Vancouver. It became a weekly ritual (there's that word again) and I remember one day asking her how she was enjoying soccer. She told me her favourite part of soccer was our coffee and donut time. That was the best cup I ever tasted.

How do you make coffee at home?

I've tried'em all -- but the best cup so far is a manual pour-over, for me.

Do you have a coffee tip or secret to share?

Maybe this is obvious but the critical components are grind and water temperature for me. You don't need a thermometer but take a beat after the boil, just let it calm down a bit and then pour it over some perfect fresh-grind.

How did you first hear about Sparkplug Coffee?

I am a member of a scooter club here in Halifax, NS and during a camping trip with the club one weekend, I won a prize bag which contained some fantastic coffee from Sparkplug. A mutual friend of Kara's had included packets for the riders. I asked the member who organized it where it had come from and heard about Kara's subscription service. My small business and myself became early subscribers!

What do you love most about Sparkplug Coffee?

Aside from the flavour and consistency in the quality, my favourite thing is the reliability of the subscription model. It just shows up and it's always there for me.

We know you’re a scooterist. Tell us about your ride!

I ride a custom Ruckus GY6, chopped, dropped and stretched. In English, that's a Honda Ruckus scooter which has been modded to ride low, with a ridiculously fat tire stretched out into the rear, straight handle bars, front-mounted pegs, leather seat and a 150 CC ATV motor to power the tiny minimal frame. It looks like a shrunken Batman motorcycle.

We love your playlist - how can we get more of you?

People can follow me on Twitter @realpunkscience and I also write about under-appreciated music at Off Your Radar.

If you're into Drum and Bass, I made a great listening tool for thousands of full length mixes going back over a decade at Robot Drum.

Opportunities in Video Gaming!

I am a full-time Technical Director at Ubisoft Halifax. I love the video game business because it's a nexus of creativity and engineering and it's knows no bounds in terms of diversity. It's open to everyone. I am a huge advocate for introducing people to the many roles our industry has to offer. I am always looking for opportunities to reach out to kids, schools, entrepreneurs and future developers, designers, artists and producers. Hit me on Twitter if you want to inspire some!