03:00 – 05:00
Time to Play is the emno Spotify playlist from the whole collection: 6,638 tracks from 444 albums, from 1944 to now. A new two-hour block every two hours that moves along with the time of day, with one record from the week's Dutch Top 40 during the day, put in order by sound. Artists that come by often: Armin van Buuren, Queen, Muse, Prince and Madonna.
Block 03:00-05:00: 33 tracks, 138 minutes, from Zocalo (Armin van Buuren, Gabriel & Dresden) to I Will Overcome. (RAYE). 27 of them charted in the Dutch Top 40. The Winner Takes It All by ABBA was number 1 for six weeks in 1980. With Armin van Buuren, Matt Darey, Whitney Houston and Phil Collins.
- 33 tracks
- 138 min
- compiled at 03:00
Save the playlist to your own Spotify and you always have it with you: the same list, refilling itself every two hours.
How the playlist is put together
Time to Play came about because Spotify's shuffle is not truly random: in a large playlist the same song kept coming back and others never did. Hence a playlist of our own. Every two hours a new block, picked truly at random from all tracks on the albums in the collection (what just played sits out for a while, and an artist comes by at most once per block, as a member of a group too), during the day with one record from the past week's Dutch Top 40 added (each record at most once a week). The order follows the sound analysis (tempo, energy, mood): the tracks flow into each other, the block fits the time of day and the Dutch Top 40 record takes the spot where it fits best between its neighbours.
Tracks
03:00Zocalo
Armin van Buuren, Gabriel & Dresden2005year8:29length03:08Liberation (Fly Like An Angel)
Matt Darey, Marcella Woods, Ferry Corsten2019year3:07lengthWhen You BelieveDutch Top 40: peak position 5 in week 2 of 1999, 15 weeks in the chart1998year4:33length
03:16Two HeartsDutch Top 40: peak position 5 in week 2 of 1989, 10 weeks in the chart1988year3:24length
03:19Love MachineDutch Top 40: peak position 30 in week 18 of 1976, 3 weeks in the chart1975year3:01length
03:22Next To MeDutch Top 40: peak position 9 in week 33 of 2010, 13 weeks in the chart2010year3:55length
03:26Sleeping In My CarDutch Top 40: peak position 15 in week 16 of 1994, 6 weeks in the chart1993year3:46length
03:30New Year's DayDutch Top 40: peak position 11 in week 10 of 1983, 7 weeks in the chart1983year4:17length
03:34IronicDutch Top 40: peak position 6 in week 28 of 1996, 13 weeks in the chart1995year3:50length
03:38Seven Cities1999year3:31length
03:41Voodoo PeopleDutch Top 40: peak position 14 in week 44 of 1994, 7 weeks in the chart1994year5:08length
03:47Waiting for the End2010year3:52length
03:50Don't Give UpDutch Top 40: peak position 14 in week 41 of 1983, 8 weeks in the chartNL1983year4:21length
03:55Every Rose Has Its ThornDutch Top 40: peak position 18 in week 9 of 1989, 6 weeks in the chart1988year4:20length
03:59The Winner Takes It AllDutch Top 40: peak position 1 in week 34 of 1980, 14 weeks in the chart1980year4:55length
04:04A Salty DogDutch Top 40: peak position 3 in week 28 of 1969, 9 weeks in the chart1969year4:39length
04:09God Only KnowsDutch Top 40: peak position 11 in week 38 of 1966, 8 weeks in the chart1966year2:55length
04:12Turning TablesDutch Top 40: peak position 15 in week 8 of 2012, 13 weeks in the chart2011year4:10length
04:16NightshiftDutch Top 40: peak position 1 in week 13 of 1985, 15 weeks in the chart1985year5:07length
04:21Stand By MeDutch Top 40: peak position 7 in week 15 of 1987, 7 weeks in the chart1962year2:55length
04:24What's Love Got to Do with ItDutch Top 40: peak position 15 in week 40 of 1984, 7 weeks in the chart1984year3:50length
04:28All Time HighDutch Top 40: peak position 6 in week 34 of 1983, 7 weeks in the chart1983year3:02length
04:31Wuthering HeightsDutch Top 40: peak position 4 in week 14 of 1978, 11 weeks in the chart1978year4:29length
04:35Until It SleepsDutch Top 40: peak position 9 in week 23 of 1996, 5 weeks in the chart1996year4:30length
04:40Send Me An AngelDutch Top 40: peak position 4 in week 34 of 1991, 10 weeks in the chart1990year4:33length
04:44PaparazziDutch Top 40: peak position 4 in week 35 of 2009, 14 weeks in the chart2008year3:28length
04:48You Haven't Done Nothin'Dutch Top 40: peak position 28 in week 43 of 1974, 3 weeks in the chart1974year3:23length
04:51BLISS2023year2:49length
04:54Homeward BoundDutch Top 40: peak position 4 in week 18 of 1966, 13 weeks in the chart1966year2:30length
04:56I Took A Pill In IbizaDutch Top 40: peak position 1 in week 7 of 2016, 30 weeks in the chart2015year3:18length
05:00Let's DanceDutch Top 40: peak position 1 in week 17 of 1983, 11 weeks in the chart1983year7:38length
05:07Strawberry Letter 23Dutch Top 40: peak position 29 in week 46 of 1977, 4 weeks in the chart1977year4:59length
05:12I Will Overcome.2026year4:55length
By decade
The same approach, by decade: the tracks from those years on the shelves, topped up with the biggest hits of the time from the Dutch Top 40 (the decade's top 50 and each year's top 10). A new block every six hours, ordered by sound.
Keep exploring
If you have landed here, you probably want to keep going: an album, an artist, a week in the Dutch Top 40 or a concert.
Frequently asked questions
What is Time to Play?
Time to Play is a continuous playlist that changes every two hours and moves along with the time of day: calm at night, energetic in the morning, livelier at the weekend. Every two-hour block is a fresh selection of tracks, with their Dutch Top 40 entries and release year alongside.
How is the playlist put together?
Every two hours a new block, picked at random from the whole collection within fixed rules (nobody twice in a block, put in order by sound), during the day with one record from the week's Dutch Top 40. How exactly that works is explained above under How the playlist is put together.
What music is in Time to Play?
Time to Play is the emno Spotify playlist from the whole collection: 6,638 tracks from 444 albums, from 1944 to now. A new two-hour block every two hours that moves along with the time of day, with one record from the week's Dutch Top 40 during the day, put in order by sound. Artists that come by often: Armin van Buuren, Queen, Muse, Prince and Madonna.
How often does the playlist change?
A new block starts every two hours; a block lasts about two hours, the last track sometimes runs on a few minutes until the next one begins. The top shows the current block and the moment it was compiled, and "Now" and "Up next" move along with the time, also while the page stays open. That is the block's schedule, not what your own player does: whoever presses play later starts at the first track. When a new block starts, the page refreshes itself. The new tracks appear by themselves and the music keeps playing.
Can you save Time to Play to your own Spotify?
Yes. The Open in Spotify button at the top lets you save the playlist to your own library. It is the same list, which refills itself every two hours.
What does the time next to a track mean?
The moment that track starts within the block. The playing track shows moving bars, played tracks are dimmed, and "Now" and "Up next" at the top follow along.
What do the badges next to a track mean?
A Dutch Top 40 badge shows the peak position of that record in the Dutch Top 40; point at it for the year and the number of weeks. NL marks a Dutch-language track. On the right are the year (first release, Dutch Top 40 or album, whichever fits best) and the length.
How do you play the playlist?
With the Play here button at the top; the playlist then plays in the player at the bottom and keeps going while you browse on. Open in Spotify opens the same list in Spotify itself.