Every summer has a soundtrack. Not necessarily the songs blasting from carnival trucks or packed dancefloors, but the quieter songs that accompany boat days, sunset cocktails, beach afternoons and long evenings spent outdoors. They're the songs that become attached to memories almost without us realising it.

For Bermudian DJ and music curator Korie Minors, the sound of a slow Bermuda summer is less about energy and more about atmosphere.

“When I hear the phrase a slow Bermuda summer, I immediately think of neo soul, lovers rock reggae and music that has a groove. Nothing crazy. Just smooth and sexy.”

He believes the soundtrack of a relaxed summer day serves a very different purpose than the music people want at a fete or party.

“A relaxed summer soundtrack is less about playing hits and bangers and more about being purposeful with the pacing and building an atmosphere. The music is accompanying you, whereas at a fete or party you're accompanying the music.”

Those slower moments are reflected in the genres he returns to when Mr Minors is unwinding.

“Neo soul, lovers rock, R&B, chill hip hop, Afrobeats, groovy soca and private-school amapian. The list can go on.”

Asked to create the perfect soundtrack for a slow Bermuda summer day, he quickly names three songs: By Your Side by Sade, Night Nurse by Gregory Isaacs and When I'm In Your Arms by Cleo Sol.

“As someone who grew up in Bermuda and later lived in places like the UK, Hong Kong and Istanbul, those songs feel like the soundtrack of coming home. Not necessarily to a place, but to a pace of life.”

That connection between music and memory is what fascinates him most.

“Music is one of the few things that records how a moment felt. It paints a picture, who you were with, where you were and what you were doing. A song gets attached to a season without us realising it, and years later the first few notes can bring back things we didn't even know we still remembered.”

For Mr Minors, those memories are often simple ones: the first swim of the season, the smell of cedar and salt in the air, family visiting, friends returning home and long evenings that seem to last for ever.

“When people say, 'This song reminds me of the summer of '69,' they're usually not talking about the song. They're talking about who they were during that summer. The song is just the key that unlocks the door.

“And I think that's where the emotion comes from. It's nostalgia for the fact that, for a brief period, nothing felt urgent.”