MTV Rewind's Official Curatorial Network
Where tastemakers program MTV. Real people, real playlists, hand-built and aired like television was meant to be.
The founding class. Hand-built playlists from the first curators to answer the call, each one a real broadcast you can press play on right now.
“A playlist isn't a collection. It's a conversation between songs, and the listener's nervous system is the third party in that conversation. Every transition is a decision. Every sequence is an argument. Nothing is here by accident.”
The entire decade, sequenced from first note to last chord, all the way to Purple Rain. A designed emotional arc, not a shuffle.
▶ PLAY THIS ROTATION“An attempt to reconstruct the MTV I remember wanting, but rarely getting in full. This treats MTV as a curated broadcast rather than a random feed — VJ clips, news, and IDs used to recreate the feeling of a continuous signal. The kind of MTV I wish I had.”
Pop, new wave, rock, and emerging alternative, sequenced by tone and visual language, with a subtle narrative underneath.
▶ PLAY THIS ROTATION“The high-gloss, neon-tinted sanctuary of VH1 Smooth, where technical virtuosity met the New Visions aesthetic. Smooth jazz, quiet storm, acid jazz — from Branford Marsalis (the first video ever played on VH1 Smooth) to the Santana anthem that defined the era.”
Curated by Marc Fendel, the Northwest sonic professor of sound. Airs as its own live VH1 Smooth channel.
▶ PLAY THIS ROTATION“'92 baby checking in. Made by a Depeche Mode mom and an Alice in Chains dad, so by age 9 I was rolling up to swim meets with Significant Other in my walkman. I love finding old Rock Block or 120 Minutes episodes and going on a deep dive.”
97 videos, all killer, no commercials. Pure 90s / alt-era obsessive energy.
▶ PLAY THIS ROTATION“I've always been fascinated by movie soundtracks because they set the tone for the whole movie, and in some cases do even better than the movie itself.”
49 needle-drops from Last Action Hero to The Crow to The Matrix, the songs that scored the films.
▶ PLAY THIS ROTATION“The optimistic, forward-looking sound of the 2000s. The time when pop, R&B, and punk-rock anthems were giving a constant boost to our minds.”
A massive Y2K marathon, inspired by MTV's '00s Non-Stop Nostalgia, Hits On Shuffle, and We Love The 00s blocks.
▶ PLAY THIS ROTATIONEvery Wednesday at 11am PT (7pm UK/Ireland), the room's open. Drop in to talk music, swap picks, or kick around ideas for the site. No agenda, no pressure.
▶ Join the Google Meet roomThe Rotation is MTV Rewind's official curatorial network. We feature playlists from music lovers like you — with full recognition, curator statements, and your taste on display.
You're not just making a playlist. You're preserving music video culture and programming MTV like it was meant to be.
💀 The Problem: That "top music videos of all time" playlist on YouTube? Hasn't been updated in 9 years. Over 100 of the 900 videos are permanently gone. YouTube doesn't care about curation — we do.
Music videos are cultural artifacts. They're disappearing through copyright takedowns, channel deletions, and platform policy changes. Without active curation and community stewardship, we lose our visual history.
The Rotation is cultural preservation through community curation. Your playlists don't just entertain — they document why these videos mattered.
Your playlist becomes a real, playable Rotation that lives on this page for everyone to watch
Your curatorial statement shown right alongside your playlist. Tell the story of why these videos matter
Your name, your socials, and a founding Rotation curator badge. Join the network of tastemakers preserving MTV culture
Your curation becomes part of music video history. This is preservation work that matters
If your picks aren't in the archive yet, we source and add them — so your taste literally grows the platform
Occasional music-culture prizes for the curators who go above and beyond
📝 The Curatorial Statement Is Key — Don't just tell us what's in the playlist. Tell us WHY it matters. What era, feeling, or story does it capture? Why do these videos belong together?
Ready to become an official MTV Rewind curator? Submit your playlist below.
🎵 Ready to join The Rotation?
Submit Your Playlist →Opens in new tab · at least 10 videos for a valid submission