Coffee Shop Essentials

Coffee Shop Essentials

The concept of coffeeshop music took off during the folk revival of the 1950s and early ’60s as a way of creating informal public art spaces that skewed younger, more progressive, and generally more middle-class than what you found in bars. And while the sound has changed over the years, the spirit is more or less the same. Mellow but clever and quietly cutting edge, here’s a playlist mixing the absolute best of low-key indie, left-of-center R&B, and vintage ’60s music—a set for bright mornings, rainy afternoons, intimate conversation, and quiet focus.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada