The ultra short version (Dutchies would say 'mand'): In mid-1991 I started listening to contemporary hit/dance music. When I was young, I mostly listened to danceable music - very light-hearted stuff until the year 2000.

Under the influence of the emerging internet my taste began to mature, although at first I was still mainly focused on dance. Since the mid-2000s it's evolved into the mixed bag it is today.

➔ There are 1990s, 2000s and 2010s 'BITD/once played' lists, featuring the - back in the days fairly recent - tracks I played the most. You can find more extensive background info at the bottom of those pages.

For some years, Spotify was the main place for these things. There's still an account; neatly updated. And most pages on this site contain subtle links to matching Spotify playlists. But it's got an increasingly dark side, a lot of songs are missing, and its future is uncertain. Sadly, alternatives like Deezer are technically worse.

Anyway: this site ended up being the main place where titles are shared, while Spotify is second. If you're on another service like Tidal, Qobuz, or Deezer, you can (using a bit of help from Soundiiz, ChatGPT, and Excel) turn them into CSV files, and import the lists into your favourite streaming service - if they spark your interest.

It can be any genre, as long as I like it enough. There has to be that certain X-factor. The songs on this site range from ambient to heavy rock, and can be either mainstream or underground - often somewhere in between.

What I do struggle with, though, is connecting with heavily auto-tuned songs that only last around 2:30; typical current CHR radio music. Even in fully electronic music, I tend to look for some kind of human element beneath the surface.

The 'decades' and 'era' pages are divided into two blocks: my biggest favorites ('top picks') and sub top/bubbling unders. Nothing more, no chart order.

I've given up on making personal charts in the mid-10s already, wasn't able to create those anymore. Even creating a third block, featuring the best of the best, feels too difficult.

The music comes before the lyrics (that hasn't changed, even after exploring many more genres), and I tend to listen 'track-based'. Both are probably remains of my dance years. Dance music was - and often still is - released as singles rather than albums.

Common sources for finding music: preferably relatively old-fashioned, human curated ones. Internet radio, Mixcloud streams, music podcasts, discussion boards, reviews, homemade playlists on streaming services, etc.

There are profiles on many sites and services. A couple of them: Bluesky and MusicMeter (the Dutch version of 'Rate Your Music'). And Spotify was already mentioned before.