The Best Editorial Playlists on Qobuz

What Is Qobuz?

Qobuz is a high-res streaming platform, launched in 2007 in France. It caters to audiophiles, as it offers lossless streaming & downloads, unlike most traditional DSPs.

Qobuz's key features include:

• High-Resolution Audio: Qobuz offers studio-quality streaming and downloads.
• No Lossy Compression: Unlike MP3-based services, it provides lossless FLAC files.
• Extensive Music Catalog: 100 M+ songs in a wide range of genres, including classical, jazz, rock, soul, hip-hop, and electronic.
• Editorial Content: The Qobuz Magazine includes artist interviews, album reviews, and curated playlists.
• Purchase Options: Users can buy and download high-res albums instead of just streaming.
• No Algorithm-Driven Playlists: Unlike Spotify, Qobuz focuses on human-curated recommendations.

Qobuz is currently available in 26 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States - the latest one being Japan where they launched in October, 2024.

Qobuz's subscription plans are Studio (unlimited streaming in high resolution) & Sublime (discounts & high-res downloads). Subscription starts from $10.83 EUR/month (if billed annually), and there is a free trial available. There are also combo options like Qobuz Duo, Qobuz Family & the Qobuz Student Plan.

Qobuz Magazine

Speaking of editorial, Qobuz is the only DSP with an active blog - the Qobuz Magazine.

The online blog offers Articles (ie, This Week's Best Albums), Interviews, Hi-Fi (equipment reviews/recommendations), and Panoramas (spotlights of an artist, genre, era, or label) from a solid team of journalists from across the globe.

Qobuz Club

Another cool feature is the Qobuz Club. It's a community-driven forum where audiophiles and music lovers can connect, share their passion, and discover new music together.

The focus is once again the human taste & connection, so Qobuz Club fosters meaningful discussions, offering expert advice on hi-fi systems, music curation, and more. It is open to all Qobuz account holders and also has discussion platforms, music clubs, and exclusive spaces for collectors and beta testers (via a VIP pass).

The Qobuz Playlist Ecosystem

Just like most DSPs, the Qobuz playlists are divided into two main categories - editorial, curated by their team, & user-generated. Each Qobuz subscriber can create & share their playlists, which gives an abundance of listening options, but we'll now focus on the former.

The Qobuz editorial playlists are classified into 10 main categories:

• Hi-Res - a curated selection of the best-quality music
• New Releases - pretty self-explanatory
• Focus - highlighting certain genres, scenes, etc.
• Listening with... - playlists curated by different artists or tastemakers
• Label Stories - a selection of the best music from renowned record labels (i.e. Blue Note, Tru Thoughts, Roche Musique & many more)
• Moods - for all occasions & states of mind
• Artists - highlights from a variety of established acts, ranging from Depeche Mode through Jorja Smith, all the way to Four Tet - the list is endless
• Events & Media - be it The Oscars, St. Patrick's, or The Olympics, the Qobuz team has got you covered for every important moment
• Hi-Fi Audio Partners - brought to you thanks to the top-notch audio brands out there
• Top Playlists - the crème de la crème from all of the above

Each of the above categories can also be filtered by genres (one or more):

• Pop/Rock
• Jazz
• Classical
• Electronic
• Soul/Funk/R&B
• Metal
• Hip-Hop/Rap
• Blues/Country/Folk
• Soundtracks
• World
• Reggae
• German/French/etc Music (if applicable)
• Children
• Comedy/Other

The Best Qobuz Editorial Playlists

The Qobuz editorial playlists are curated by location-specific teams, so they might differ in your region. Below are some of our favourites from the UK & Germany, but they should be available in your country, too.

We tried to showcase playlists from the different categories above, so this is a good start to get into the Qobuz playlist ecosystem. But don't hesitate to browse through yourself.

Ones To Watch 2025

These artists are set to explode in 2025! (future Qobuzissimes are hidden in this list!). A multigenre selection of more than 165 talented newcomers to follow closely.

Kicking off with Qobuz's selection of artists you should definitely keep an eye on in 2025, from a variety of genres & styles. Featuring names like Nectar Woode, Hope Tala, Lusaint, Moses Yoofee Trio, Doechii & many more.

Summer Soul

As if the summer wasn't already hot enough, here's a 100% soul playlist to crank things up even more ! Between the high flying voices and the silky décor that surrounds them, this playlist is set to have you humming all summer long.

In this feel-good, warm playlist, you'll find artists like Jorja Smith, Thee Sacred Souls, Michael Kiwanuka, all the way to classics from Sade, Roy Ayers, and Ella Fitzgerald

Electronic work from home

A playlist to work with music without being distracted by it. Qobuz brings you a selection of electronic music to improve your productivity: a soft mix of ambient, downtempo, electronica, trip-hop and neoclassical music to concentrate on your work at home.

Your study session is safe, thanks to Four Tet, Kiasmos, Rival Consoles, Nils Frahm, Bonobo & more.

Holidays on the Balcony

If you didn't make it to the beach this year and are spending your holiday at home, this playlist will be the perfect soundtrack to your relaxation. Sit back and enjoy this series of songs, sure to convince you to just laze around. From pop and R&B to alternative and indie, there's something here for all couch potatoes.

We're loving this blend of jazz, soul, pop, funk, r&b, indie, and the occasional hip-hop track - with artists like FKJ, Childish Gambino, Parcels, Arlo Parks, Thundercat, Anderson .Paak, etc. The perfect soundtrack for watching life passing by from your sunny fortress.

Women of Hip-Hop

For a long time, hip-hop has been dominated by its male clichés, but the genre is in constant motion. Women have been present in the scene since the beginning, and have imposed themselves by asserting their personality and proclaiming their truths loud and clear. After the pioneers Sha-Rock, Cindy Campbell and Sylvia Robin, other artists such as Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa, Roxanne Shanté, Missy Elliot, Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim have paved the way over the years to create a female-lead space in the genre that is now as celebrated as its male counterpart, thanks to uncompromising lyrics and a multitude of inspirations ranging from soul to jazz and even rock.

This playlist, part of the Focus section of Qobuz, pays tribute to all these generations of artists, with forward-thinking Female MCs like Little Simz, Rapsody, Lauryn Hill, Azealia Banks, Princess Nokia & more.

Qobuz Digs Vol. 3: Impossible to Choose!

At Qobuz, we're giving our experts a say! Now they get to share their passion for music with you! Qobuz Digs is a fortnightly series where we each take turns curating a playlist of tracks we’re dying for you to hear. With playlists that are uniquely our own, you'll discover hidden gems, our favorite underrated tracks, themed selections, or a fresh perspective on the latest releases. Every playlist is a personal take on the music we can’t wait to share! For the third volume, editorial intern Alexis Paris shares his influences and the music that has always inspired him.

This is one of the most awesome editorial playlists on Qobuz because you can actually get into the head of their curation team. Currently at Vol. 7 (and counting), these multi-genre 30-40-track selections show why the curators fell in love with music in the first place.

Relax with R&B

Chill to the relaxing vibes that many singers bring to R&B. Artists such as Jhené Aiko and Summer Walker create an environment where one can get lost in their melodies and lyrics. And, the collaboration between PARTYNEXTDOOR and Rihanna gifts the audiences with amazing vocals to listen to while you relax, wherever and whenever!

The chill side of r&b, with names like 6LACK, Ella Mai, SZA, Brianna Castro, H.E.R., etc.

Electronic mist

“It is the uncertainty that charms one. A mist makes things wonderful.” Oscar Wilde

A blend of ambient, chillout, downtempo & immersive/cinematic electronica to space out to - from Amon Tobin, Tycho, Robot Koch, Kiasmos, Ólafur Arnalds, etc.

Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes listen to…

It’s a well-known cliché: two heads are better than one. Two years after his debut album, the 24-year-old London multi-instrumentalist Tom Misch (who has a distinctly Jamiroquai-esque sound) has partnered up with 27-year-old drummer/producer Yussef Dayes (the brain behind United Vibrations and one half of the electro-jazz duo Yussef Kamaal) for the irresistible album What Kinda Music. To celebrate this release, our new Qobuzissime have made this playlist featuring some of their favourite tracks and artists.

This gem is part of the Qobuz Listening with... playlist category and thanks to it, we'll be able to get into the headphones of Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes - with music from Alfa Mist, Knxwledge, Roy Ayers, Kiefer & much more.

P.S. There are a lot of Listening with... playlists from other artists we love - Adi Oasis, Caribou, Wayne Snow, DOMi & JD Beck, Hiatus Kaiyote, to name a few. Just find your fav ones & dive in.

Sun songs

Like our planet Earth, music revolves around the sun… The star of the day has inspired many musicians and generated dozens of hits in English, French or other languages. Take out your straw hats and your filtering glasses, and follow us in this walk under the sun!

Covering a dozen genres & a few languages, too, the Sun songs Qobuz editorial is part of their Mood section and is one of our personal favorites. You'll be able to enjoy bright & warm tunes from Stevie Wonder, through Bob Marley & The Avalanches, all the way to The Beatles & Pink Floyd. And of course, it has Khruangbin's "Texas Sun" in it.

Label Stories: Roche Musique

Since its launch in 2013, Roche Musique has established itself as the new French touch banner around a shared solar aesthetic, blending house, soul and funk. Spurred on by founder Jean Janin aka Cezaire and his meetings in Tours with FKJ, Darius, Dabeull and Kartell, the label now welcomes artists from all horizons, both artistically and geographically. Influenced by hip-hop, early house music and funk, Cezaire and his band of friends quickly developed a sound that would become their own, a danceable, laid-back filtered house that, when downtempo, sometimes flirts with R&B and neo soul. Over the years, Roche has undergone a transformation, breaking down the boundaries between genres in a no-holds-barred way, guided by new signings (Wayne Snow, DIDI HAN…) and a core group of long-standing artists who have set themselves apart and extended their worlds outside the clubs, with recent albums richer in emotion and experimentation. Examples include V I N C E N T by FKJ (2022), OASIS by Darius (2022), and Hundred Fifty Roses by Duñe x Crayon (2020).

The Label Stories category showcases the roster & catalogue of some of the most prominent & significant indie and major labels out there. For the sake of the example, I've picked the French Roche Musique (and we love their music, of course) but make sure to check the playlists for Tru Thoughts, Erased Tapes, Domino, Bastard Jazz, Stones Throw, Blue Note & more.

The Hip-Hop/Rap Essential Discography

The music experts at Qobuz have carefully curated a collection of must-have masterpieces for every genre. The albums in the Qobuz Essential Discography were chosen for being faultless, for their groundbreaking impact, or the way they elevated their genre to new heights—each one marking a pivotal moment in music history. This playlist brings together the greatest hip-hop albums from our Essential Discography, helping you rediscover legendary recordings by some of the biggest rappers, beatmakers and MCs!

For the true hip-hop heads, this finely selected panorama features the must-hear releases from icons like Dr. Dre, 2 Pac, Lauryn Hill, Outcast & Cypress Hill, and modern-day legends like Kendrick Lamar.

Brick Lane Jazz Festival 2025

Listen to all the upcoming artists who you can catch live at Brick Lane Jazz Festival 2025, featuring Flock, Jelani Blackman, August Charles, Adi Oasis, Jasmine Myra, Afriquoi, Shabaka, oreglo, Bruno Berle, Allysha Joy, Madison McFerrin, Laraaji, Quinn Oulton, Steven Bamidele, Marysia Osu, Elijah Fox, Ashley Henry, Tara Lily and more! 25th-27th April

In the light of one of London's most prominent festivals being around the corner, the Brick Lane Jazz Festival 2025 playlist was the logical choice in our article. The 80+ track selection is your go-to place to get warmed up for the numerous live shows that await you there.

On Qobuz's Events & Media category, you'll also find playlists for the Grammys, Tour de France, Pride, jazzahead!, Primavera Sound & much more.

Bonobo

With a career spanning over 20 years and having made Coltcut's label shine with his downtempo nu jazz albums, Bonobo is a major artist on the UK and international electronic scene. Equally at ease performing as a dj or live with musicians, Simon Green has played on the world's finest stages and festivals.

The Artists playlists on Qobuz offer panoramas of the discography of notable artists across all genres. We've been following Bonobo's craft for ages, and he is certainly an artist to dive into, but there are also playlists, showcasing MF DOOM, Mount Kimbie, Arlo Parks, Kamasi Washington, Portishead, Al Green, Daft Punk & so many more.

New in Soul / Funk / R&B

Listen to the latest Soul/Funk/R&B releases, updated frequently.

This playlist is part of Qobuz's New Releases category, with playlists in a range of genres - including our favourite Jazz, Electronic, Soul / Funk / R&B, Hip-Hop, plus special selections like Hi-Res New Releases, Coming Soon..., Jazz Newcomers, Qobuz Top Albums, Trending Singles, etc.