Tortoise-Adjacent: Grooves, Pulses, and Signals
A playlist for the rhythmically curious.
There’s no clean way to describe what Tortoise sounds like, which is exactly why they still matter in 2026. Over six albums and three decades out of Chicago, the band has drawn on dub, jazz, krautrock, minimalism, and electronic music, somehow making it all sound like one thing. Their unique thing. I have seen Tortoise three times in the last year... The first was November 21, 2025, at The Bowery Ballroom in New York City, then at The Sinclair on June 30, 2026, followed by a beautiful show at Festival International de Jazz de Montréal on July 2, 2026.
After those three shows, it was time to create a playlist.
This playlist isn’t a Tortoise retrospective. It’s a map of the sort of attraction this band has had on me since 1996. Here, you will find other musicians, bands, side projects, and fellow travelers who share DNA with Tortoise. Whether through direct collaboration, shared members, or simply the same anxious instinct to build grooves that go somewhere unexpected.
I loosely organized it around three lanes: the rhythmic and dub side, the jazz-informed improv side, and the krautrock/motorik side. Most of these tracks sit in more than one lane, which I think is the point. One Tortoise track anchors the list.
The rest? Well, it’s All Around You. Us.
1. Tortoise - “Swung from the Gutters” (TNT, Thrill Jockey, 1998) The anchor. Jeff Parker joined the band in 1996, and TNT was recorded with John McEntire producing, editing, and mixing.
2. Isotope 217 - “La Jetee” (The Unstable Molecule, Thrill Jockey, 1997) Isotope 217 was composed mainly of members from Tortoise and the Chicago Underground Orchestra, formed in 1997.
3. Stereolab - “Jenny Ondioline” (Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements, Duophonic, 1993) A shoegaze-leaning track with one of their classic motorik beats, this is where the influence of krautrock on Stereolab shines. By the way, John McEntire of Tortoise assisted with production on Stereolab’s Emperor Tomato Ketchup.
4. Can - “Halleluhwah” (Tago Mago, United Artists, 1971) This 18-minute track features Jaki Liebezeit repeating his drum beat almost continuously throughout the course of this historic jam. Without this song, there’s no Tortoise. The motorik template, the trance, the commitment to repetition as a form of ecstasy — it started right here.
5. Neu! - “Hallogallo” (Neu!, Brain, 1972) Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother’s debut opener is the purest expression of the motorik beat ever committed to tape. It’s an irresistible beat over layers of drones, tones, and percussive guitar sounds.
6. Jeff Parker - “Suffolk” (Forfolks, International Anthem, 2021) Parker’s solo work takes the textural guitar exploration he brought to Tortoise and places it in more intimate, beat-driven, repetitive settings.
7. Makaya McCraven - “Dream Another” (In These Times, International Anthem/XL, 2022) Jeff Parker plays guitar on this record, and the rhythmic approach is layered, edited, improvised, and then sculpted. It owes something to the Tortoise playbook, filtered through McCraven’s impressive and explosive beat science.
8. Chicago Underground Duo - “Waiting for You Is Like Watching Stillness Grow Into Enormous Wings” (12 Degrees of Freedom, Thrill Jockey, 1998) Rob Mazurek formed the Chicago Underground Collective in 1996 with guitarist Jeff Parker and drummer Chad Taylor. A direct cousin to the Isotope 217 sessions.
9. Brokeback - “Another Routine Day Breaks” (Field Recordings from the Cook County Water Table, ThrillJockey, 1999) Douglas McCombs plays bass and guitar with Tortoise and leads the instrumental band Brokeback. This track has a southwestern flair and reverb-soaked guitar instrumentals that breathe differently than Tortoise.
10. The Sea and Cake - “Jacking the Ball” (The Sea and Cake, Thrill Jockey, 1994) Sam Prekop’s group shares two members with Tortoise (McEntire, McCombs), and the overlap shows. Tight, clean guitar tones, and a lightness that makes the complexity feel pretty effortless.
11. Gastr del Sol - “Dictionary of Handwriting” (Mirror Repair EP, Drag City, 1994) David Grubbs and Jim O’Rourke were part of the same Chicago circle that produced Tortoise.
12. Yo La Tengo - “Autumn Sweater” (I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, Matador, 1997) The organ drone, the motorik pulse, the refusal to rush. Yo La Tengo understood the same krautrock lessons as Tortoise.
13. Talk Talk - “New Grass” (Laughing Stock, Verve, 1991) Mark Hollis invented the template that post-rock bands would spend the next decade chasing. This is a spiritual ancestor.
14. Slint - “Good Morning, Captain” (Spiderland, Touch and Go, 1991) David Pajo played on TNT, and he was an original member of Slint. The quiet-loud dynamics and sense that the structure is being carefully assembled all flow into what Tortoise would become.
15. Khruangbin - “Two Fish and an Elephant” (The Universe Smiles upon You, Night Time Stories Ltd, 2015) A modern band that channels the same dub-funk-global-groove ethos Tortoise drew from, with a completely different sonic palette.
16. Sao Paulo Underground - “Pombaral” (Sauna, Um, Dois, Três, Aesthetics, 2006) Rob Mazurek’s Brazilian project constructed exotic soundscapes from the Amazonian rain forest. Afro-Brazilian psychedelia meeting Chicago free jazz.
17. Floating Points - “Silhouettes (I, II & III)” (Elaeina, Luaka Bop, 2015) Sam Shepherd’s electronic productions carry the same patience and rhythmic layering that defines the best Tortoise work.
18. Ui - “Drive Until He Sleeps” (Lifelike, Southern/Numero Group, 1998) Ui focused on angular grooves provided by a dual-bass attack, and they were post-rock’s East Coast answer to Chicago’s instrumental scene. Two basses are doing what most might need a full rhythm section to accomplish. This is one of my favorites by this band.
19. Watter - “Rustic Fog” (This World, Temporary Residence, 2014) Multi-instrumentalists Zak Riles (Grails), along with Tyler Trotter, are joined by Britt Walford (Slint, Evergreen). Contributors include Bundy K. Brown (Tortoise), Todd Cook (The For Carnation), and Rachel Grimes (Rachel’s) — so the Louisville-to-Chicago post-rock pipeline is fully operational here.
20. Labradford - “Pico” (Labradford, Kranky, 1996) Labradford was founded in 1991 in Richmond, Virginia. Ui toured with both Tortoise and Labradford in the mid 90s, and all three bands have similarities! This track features a beatless organ drone and gentle guitar, with a Tortoise-like bass line. Just a reminder that Tortoise-adjacent doesn’t always mean rhythm-forward.
21. Battles - “Atlas” (Mirrored, Warp, 2007) Drummer John Stanier and guitarist Ian Williams (formerly of Don Caballero) created Battles. “Atlas” is a motorik track in disguise. It has looped vocal samples, a locked-in thumping drum pattern, and synth textures that elevate the track.
22. The For Carnation - “Moonbeams” (The For Carnation, Touch and Go, 2000) Brian McMahan’s post-Slint project, recorded with Steve Albini and featuring Doug McCombs on bass.
23. Daniel Villarreal - “Salute (feat. Jeff Parker & Anna Butterss)” (Lados B, International Anthem, 2023) Recorded in October 2020, Lados B captures drummer Villarreal with Jeff Parker on guitar and Anna Butterss on double bass. Neal Francis adds Rhodes piano on “Salute.” Parker is the thread, but Villarreal’s consistent percussion is the engine. Latin groove meets krautrock trance, held together by players from the Chicago underground. Is it a perfect closer? 😎
Thanks for listening. If you made it through all 23 tracks, you’ve just taken an almost three-hour tour through some interconnected webs in my little corner of music galaxy. I hope you enjoyed it!
Until next time!