It’s been a tough year for musicians and DJs, as the pandemic continues to make traditional revenue streams for performing artists all but obsolete. For Caius Pawson, the founder of the 15-year-old London record label Young Turks (which counts FKA twigs, Sampha, and The xx among the musicians on its roster), the absence of in-person performances is affecting creativity, too: “Live music is obviously a huge part of the industry, but it’s also its soul,” he says. “It’s where performers and the audience can best express themselves, and it’s where we come together.”

However, like many of us, Pawson has found that music’s power to transport and transform is immune to the virus. He compiled a playlist of uplifting songs for us that have “amplified the best parts of my year,” he says, “and distracted me from some of the worst.” There’s solace to be found in this soundtrack, he notes, for both listeners and himself. “People turn to music to find meaning and to enrich their lives. Some things never change.”