My creature comfort throughout Melbourne’s latest lockdown has been cooking shows, food documentaries and poring over recipe books. One thing they remind of (other than how hungry I am), is how excited I am about the sheer variety of food in existence. My favourite moments are cooks excitedly sharing a recipe, its history and meaning to them. Passion is key.

Belle ChenPianist and composer Belle Chen

Playlisting is a similar experience for me, uncovering exciting new discoveries and recalling old favourites to share with the wider world. I want you, dear reader, to think of this playlist as a buffet, an exciting street food market, or an overly generous tasting platter – you may not like everything here but I hope you’ll find some new gems to add to your own collections, your own cookbooks as it were.

This month’s playlist celebrates the sheer variety of music making in Australia. We embrace artists from all over; Melbourne’s Zela Margossian, Adelaide’s Belinda Gehlert and Zephyr Quartet, Canberra’s Chris Sainsbury and Kim Cunio, as well as Australians abroad, Kate Moore, Wally Gunn, Brett Dean and Belle Chen. Stylistic chasms are crossed: Sandy Evan’s collaboration with Shubha...