Playlist from the Outlaw Ocean Project

The New York Times bestseller The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina is now available in paperback, and we can’t put it down. It is a riveting, adrenaline-fueled tour of a vast, lawless, and rampantly criminal world that few have ever seen: the high seas. NPR raves, “The Outlaw Ocean is an outstanding example of investigative journalism, illuminating some of the darkest corners of a world we often don’t think about . . . what [Urbina] found ranges from horrible to shocking and from unfair to unbelievable . . .  a magnificent read . . . proof that outstanding writing is still one of the best tools we have to get to know the world we live in.” We could not agree more!

Inspired by his investigative work, Urbina has started the Outlaw Ocean Music Project, where he merges his reporting with music. Through more than five years of research, he gathered hours upon hours of field recordings, capturing the sounds from his time on the ocean, like machine gunfire and the voices of those at sea. Now every other month, artists from more than forty countries release an album featuring music inspired by the book. Hundreds of artists have participated, creating a one-of-a-kind collaboration across mediums.

You can explore the music and learn about this project here. Meanwhile, Urbina has gathered a selection of the music in a playlist, which we’re excited to share with you all. Enjoy!

(If you can’t see the Spotify playlist, click here.)