Everything Tim Ferriss has recommended in 5-Bullet Friday — 2,095 books, articles, quotes, films, products and more, gathered from 480 issues since 2015. Browse by category, sort by what the community values or how often Tim has returned to it, and spend your 25 votes on what matters most to you. Each item's note is quoted from Tim's own words in the newsletter.

🎲 Shuffle 5
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Getula

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2025 · Be Svendsen · youtube.com

“Getula” (YouTube, Spotify) by Be Svendsen. This is an unrushed ten minutes of caramel-smooth flow, and you can loop for extended work sessions or reading at a coffee shop. The track takes a good two minutes to get warmed up, so relaaaaax.— Tim Ferriss
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Teu Sorriso

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2025 · open.spotify.com

“Teu Sorriso” (Spotify, YouTube) by Paraíso (Jex Opolis Remix).— Tim Ferriss
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Supreme Illusion

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2025 · Thievery Corporation · youtube.com

“Supreme Illusion” (YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify) by Thievery Corporation (Nickodemus Remix).— Tim Ferriss
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Jazz Kissa Octet, Yamagata

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2025 · Craig Mod · youtu.be

Jazz Kissa Octet, Yamagata by Craig Mod. Unique to Japan, jazz kissa are cafés that focus on the appreciation of recorded jazz music. Music is played for dedicated listening rather than as background music. The video includes a binaural recording (recorded with two microphones, so headphones are recommended for an immersive experience) of listening to “Sonora” off Ryo Fukui’s A Letter from Slow Boat at Octet jazz kissa in Yamagata, Japan.— Tim Ferriss
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Loumo

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2025 · Ba Cissoko · youtu.be

“Loumo” by Ba Cissoko (YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify).— Tim Ferriss
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Marry Jane

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Abbie Callahan · youtu.be

“Marry Jane” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Abbie Callahan. I found this track while searching for new bluegrass musicians on Spotify. I was hoping for a short track I could use to time my nightly 2–2.5 minutes of rotator cuff exercises. Abbie’s vocals are what entranced me, not the marijuana references. What a voice!— Tim Ferriss
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Meu Pedaço de Pecado

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · open.spotify.com

“Meu Pedaço de Pecado” (Spotify, YouTube) by Mãeana (@maeana_).— Tim Ferriss
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Für Elise - Batiste

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Jon Batiste · youtube.com

“Für Elise - Batiste” by Jon Batiste. This is the music video for “Für Elise - Batiste” from Jon Batiste’s album Beethoven Blues, which is out now.— Tim Ferriss
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Hypernova

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Marc Romboy · music.youtube.com

“Hypernova” by Marc Romboy (Stephan Bodzin Remix) (YouTube Music, Apple Music, Spotify).— Tim Ferriss
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Clean My Wounds

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Corrosion Of Conformity · youtube.com

“Clean My Wounds” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Corrosion Of Conformity.— Tim Ferriss
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Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11 In A, K. 331 - III. Alla Turca

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · youtube.com

Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11 In A, K. 331 - III. Alla Turca. This piece will be familiar to many of you, but it takes on a special flair in this performance by concert violinist Daniel Hope and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. Mozart composed it at the ripe old age of 27.— Tim Ferriss
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Genesis

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Justice · youtube.com

“Genesis” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Justice.— Tim Ferriss
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Masala

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Jean du Voyage · youtu.be

“Masala” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Jean du Voyage (feat. Pierre Harmegnies).— Tim Ferriss
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Harder: “Happy

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Daughters of Mara · open.spotify.com

Harder: “Happy” (Spotify, YouTube) by Daughters of Mara. This was sent to me by the one and only drumming monster Dave Elitch, whose savant-level percussion you’ll hear. Shawn Zuzek, lead singer of Daughters of Mara, offers some additional context on the song: “How do you find the balance between moments of feeling fully crushed and truly letting go? … ‘Happy’ is incredibly personal to me. It’s about a very specific person and a very specific place in time, but I think a lot of us can identify with trying to fight despair with progress and resilience and even grace. Life is hard and letting go— Tim Ferriss
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Suno

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · suno.com

Suno and Udio. Here’s one of many prompts from Suno: “Heavy metal song about panicked polar bears that eat too much edible cannabis on New Year’s Eve.” It produced two song variations about 90 seconds later, and the quality was unbelievable. This AI-music arms race is heating up fast, and it’s also straining under the explosive demand. When I tried to use Suno for this bullet, it was freezing and producing errors, so I tried a competitor named Udio for the first time. I was up and running in seconds. >From coverage in Tom’s Guide: “The brainchild of former Google DeepMind engineers, the [Udio]— Tim Ferriss
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Wildcat

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Ratatat · youtube.com

“Wildcat” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Ratatat.— Tim Ferriss
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El Estuche

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Aterciopelados · youtube.com

“El Estuche” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Aterciopelados. Perfect for Texas spring and calling in some Latin vibes.— Tim Ferriss
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Burn

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Ellie Goulding · youtu.be

“Burn” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Ellie Goulding. This has become one of my go-to feel-good tracks. It’s perfect for first thing in the morning or at 5 p.m. after too many video calls have chewed on your soul.— Tim Ferriss
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D’un crépuscule, l’autre

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2024 · Abderraouf Ouertani · youtu.be

“D’un crépuscule, l’autre” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Abderraouf Ouertani via Sr. Mugwort. Excellent for evening and Friday wind-downs.— Tim Ferriss
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The Fire

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · Celine Cairo · youtube.com

“The Fire” (YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify) by Celine Cairo (@celinecairo).— Tim Ferriss
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Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, “Summer

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · youtu.be

Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, “Summer” (YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify), arranged by Pavlo Fenyuk and performed by the incredible Alexandr Hrustevich.— Tim Ferriss
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Gangnam Style

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · PSY · youtube.com

“Gangnam Style” by PSY. Remember this viral hit from 2012, the first YouTube video to pass a billion views? This was one of several inflection points for Korea’s soft power in the last decade. I wanted to revisit the track after exploring the district of Gangnam in Seoul (text description, video), after which the song is named. Some fun trivia: Gangnam literally means “river [gang] - south [nam]” or “south of the river,” which refers to the Han river that runs through Seoul. Also, from the great Wikipedia entry on this song, its background, and unexpected global explosion: The song’s refrain “— Tim Ferriss
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As psychedelic-assisted therapy grows, so does interest from a new group: chaplains

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · Deena Prichep · npr.org

“As psychedelic-assisted therapy grows, so does interest from a new group: chaplains” (NPR) by Deena Prichep (@deenaprichep), a fellow of The Ferriss – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship. You can find all of the 2023 fellows on this page.— Tim Ferriss
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La Descarriá

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · Corina Lawrence · youtu.be

“La Descarriá” (YouTube, Spotify) by Corina Lawrence featuring Miss Bolivia (Uji remix).— Tim Ferriss
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Interstate Love Song

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · Stone Temple Pilots · open.spotify.com

“Interstate Love Song” (Spotify, YouTube) by Stone Temple Pilots (@STPBand).— Tim Ferriss
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Mindjer dôce mel

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · Eneida Marta · open.spotify.com

“Mindjer dôce mel” (Spotify, YouTube) by Eneida Marta (@eneida_marta).— Tim Ferriss
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still feel.

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · youtube.com

“still feel.” (Spotify, YouTube) by half•alive (@halfaliveco). This is one hell of a feel-good track, and if you need an extra booster shot of smiles, watch their video. Special thanks to Queen BS for this gem!— Tim Ferriss
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The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · Lionel Shriver · amazon.com

The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047 by Lionel Shriver (best known for We Need to Talk About Kevin) and narrated by George Newbern. From the description: “With dry wit and psychological acuity, this near-future novel explores the aftershocks of an economically devastating US sovereign debt default on four generations of a once-prosperous American family. Down-to-earth and perfectly realistic in scale, this is not an over-the-top Blade Runner tale. It is not science fiction.” Before committing too hard to a near-term dystopian future, however, it’s a good idea to read the predictions in Market Wi— Tim Ferriss
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Bora Passear

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · Curumin · youtube.com

“Bora Passear” (YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify) by Curumin (@curumineosaipins).— Tim Ferriss
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I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow - Radio Edit

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · youtu.be

“I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow - Radio Edit” (YouTube, Spotify) by the Soggy Bottom Boys. No hidden message here! Just love the music.— Tim Ferriss
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Waffle

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2023 · Sevendust · open.spotify.com

“Waffle” (Tom Lord-Alge Mix) (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music) by Sevendust (@Sevendust). Sevendust is one of my favorite bands, especially for exercise, and they are one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. I only experienced the latter for the first time in fall of 2021 with Dave Elitch.— Tim Ferriss
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El Jardin

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · youtu.be

“El Jardin” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Hermanos Gutiérrez (@HermanosGMusic). Thanks to Michael C. for the great recommendation!— Tim Ferriss
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Bedia

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Rajery · open.spotify.com

“Bedia” (YouTube, Spotify) by Rajery. Watch the YouTube video. Rajery is missing the fingers on his right hand, which I didn’t realize until watching the music video. It makes the virtuoustic playing all the more impressive. The backstory: “Fighting against the odds has been part of my life ever since an old lady in a marketplace gave me poisoned meat at 11 months old. It cost me the fingers of my right hand….” (Source).— Tim Ferriss
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Layla

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Kalaban Coura · open.spotify.com

“Layla” (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music) by Kalaban Coura, feat. Quentin Dujardin (@quentindujardinofficial) “Masala” (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music) by Jean du Voyage (@jeanduvoyagemusic), feat. Pierre Harmegnies— Tim Ferriss
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Désert

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · open.spotify.com

“Désert” (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music) by Dobet Gnahoré (@Dobet_Gnahore). Perfect for writing, winding down, or winding up.— Tim Ferriss
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2001 Instrumental

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Dr. Dre · youtube.com

“2001 Instrumental” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Dr. Dre (@drdre).— Tim Ferriss
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Saved My Life

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Andy Grammer · youtube.com

“Saved My Life” (YouTube, Spotify) by Andy Grammer (@andygrammer) and R3HAB (@R3HAB).— Tim Ferriss
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Bad Horsie

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Steve Vai · youtube.com

“Bad Horsie” (YouTube, Spotify) by Steve Vai (@stevevai). Pair it with “Steve Vai - Vinnie Colaiuta’s Sight Reading,” which is hilarious. Before you watch the sight-reading video, read the following sight-reading definition from Wikipedia: “In music, sight-reading, also called a prima vista (Italian meaning ‘at first sight’), is the practice of reading and performing a piece in a music notation that the performer has not seen or learned before. Sight-singing is used to describe a singer who is sight-reading. Both activities require the musician to play or sing the notated rhythms and pitches.”— Tim Ferriss
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Playing God

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Polyphia · youtube.com

“Playing God” (YouTube, Spotify) by Polyphia (@polyphia). Exceptional talents. I am listening to this track on repeat for working, walking, wizardry, and whatever else.— Tim Ferriss
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Surfing with the Alien

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Joe Satriani · youtube.com

“Surfing with the Alien” (YouTube, Spotify) by Joe Satriani (@chickenfootjoe). I’m having so much fun revisiting the greats from Joe Satriani. Perfect Friday writing music. Some song trivia from Wikipedia: “The song refers to the comic book character, Silver Surfer. The song was considered the 30th greatest guitar solo ever by readers of Guitar World magazine, and is one of Satriani’s most prominent shred-style tracks.”— Tim Ferriss
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Zero

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · The Smashing Pumpkins · youtube.com

“Zero” (YouTube, Spotify) by The Smashing Pumpkins (@smashingpumpkins). Pair it with “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.”— Tim Ferriss
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Fata Morgana

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Their Dogs Were Astronauts · youtube.com

“Fata Morgana” (YouTube, Spotify) by Their Dogs Were Astronauts (@theirdogswereastronauts).— Tim Ferriss
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G.O.A.T.

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Polyphia · youtube.com

“G.O.A.T.” (YouTube, Spotify) by Polyphia (@polyphia). If you want to see another video of how such craziness comes together, check this out. I first heard Polyphia over the sound system at a climbing gym, and I literally jumped off the wall to figure out who was playing. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I dig ’em for writing.— Tim Ferriss
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Eres para Mí

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Julieta Venegas · youtube.com

“Eres para Mí” (YouTube, Spotify) by Julieta Venegas (@julietav). Feeling sapped by an ever-increasing creep of nihilism in the world (dramatic, I know)? This is the type of track that helps me find an optimistic foothold. Good medicine for challenging times and good medicine for seeing the silver linings all around us. Things are generally better than we think.— Tim Ferriss
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I Choose Noise

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Hybrid · youtube.com

I Choose Noise (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music), studio album by Hybrid (@HybridBandUK). If you want to whet your appetite, “Last Man Standing” and “I Choose Noise” are two good tracks to start with.— Tim Ferriss
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Soft: “Ave Cruz

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Sevendust · youtube.com

Soft: “Ave Cruz” (YouTube, Spotify) by Céu (@ceumusic). Caramel and velvet for winding down. Hard: “Blood from a Stone” (YouTube, Spotify) by Sevendust (@Sevendust). Sonic hammer for winding up.— Tim Ferriss
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Body Yako (Instrumental)

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Captain Planet · youtube.com

“Body Yako (Instrumental)” (YouTube, Spotify) by Captain Planet (@ChuckWild).— Tim Ferriss
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Far from Home

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Aubrie Sellers · youtube.com

“Far from Home” (YouTube, Spotify) by Aubrie Sellers (@aubriesellers).— Tim Ferriss
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Black Out the Sun

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2022 · Sevendust · youtube.com

“Black Out the Sun” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Sevendust (@Sevendust). Sevendust has been one of my favorite bands forever, and they are one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. I only experienced the latter for the first time a few months ago with Dave “The Snapping Turtle of Metal” Elitch. Here are a few pics from the aftermath: Dave Elitch and Clint Lowery.— Tim Ferriss
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Cappuccino Lovely: No. 2. Milk

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · Chin Cheng Lin · youtube.com

“Cappuccino Lovely: No. 2. Milk” (YouTube, Spotify) by Chin Cheng Lin (@JimLin51438481).— Tim Ferriss
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Just Jammin’

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · Gramatik · youtube.com

“Just Jammin’” (YouTube, Spotify) by Gramatik (@Gramatik).— Tim Ferriss
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Stick With It

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · Ray Bryant · youtube.com

“Stick With It” (YouTube, Spotify) by Ray Bryant.— Tim Ferriss
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Wakobi

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · Kalaban Coura · open.spotify.com

“Wakobi” (YouTube, Spotify) by Kalaban Coura (feat. Quentin Dujardin). This is really just an arbitrary sample, and some of you will prefer tracks like Kalaban Coura or Layla. The truth is that the entire album, Aigabani, is outstanding.— Tim Ferriss
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Me Miras Pero No Me Ves

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · youtube.com

“Me Miras Pero No Me Ves” (YouTube, Spotify) by María José Llergo (@mjllergo). For more context: “Spanish Singer María José Llergo on Flamenco’s Radical Roots.” (Rolling Stone)— Tim Ferriss
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Un Urlo

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · youtube.com

“Un Urlo” by Articolo 31 (YouTube, Spotify; link to lyrics). I often use music and comic books (e.g., One Piece has been translated into many languages) to resurrect languages. This is an example of the former. I studied Italian briefly 100 years ago, and this very old hip-hop track contains plenty of vocab and grammar to jump-start the brain engines. For much more detail on accelerated language learning, I suggest exploring the following articles, even with some cringeworthy and clickbaity headlines. The following three articles are complementary and not totally overlapping, despite similar w— Tim Ferriss
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Sketches of the Mediterranean

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · Jon Hassell · youtube.com

“Sketches of the Mediterranean” by Jon Hassell with Paolo Fresu.— Tim Ferriss
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Deeper Underground

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · Jamiroquai · youtu.be

“Deeper Underground” (Spotify, YouTube) by Jamiroquai (@JamiroquaiHQ).— Tim Ferriss
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Unfold

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · Alina Baraz · youtube.com

“Unfold” (YouTube, Spotify) by Alina Baraz (@alinabaraz) and Galimatias (@Galimatias).— Tim Ferriss
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Relaxing Bird Songs and Nature

MusicTim featured this 1× · 2021 · youtube.com

Relaxing Bird Songs and Nature. The location is Ōtaki Village, Kiso District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. I can’t wait to get back to good ol’ Nihon. Natsukashii! iOS trick I find helpful if any apps require location services— Tim Ferriss