As many of us set off on journeys to see loved ones this winter, editor and creator of moody house tracks John Roberts reflects on the relationship between music and wunderlust, creating an exclusive NOWNESS mix that features Arthur Russell, Shintaro Sakamoto and The Smiths, and curating a selection of images from the first four issues of The Travel Almanac. Co-founded in 2011 by Roberts and his Dial Records label-mate Paul Kominek, aka Pawel, the publication focuses on the intimacies of the journey—the planes, trains, hotels and sites—seen through the eyes of such cultural icons as Will Oldham, David Lynch and Rinko Kawauchi. “Physical destinations, and the trips we take to get to them, often find their natural extension in a soundtrack,” says Roberts. “Certain songs seem to almost brand the mind with the distinctions of previously visited locations. The beauty of this is that after becoming conscious of song and place associations, it becomes possible to mentally travel to a desired destination. This can be as rewarding as a physical visit, due to the mind's tendency to bolster its contents with minor works of fiction, plastering over the holes of forgotten or unnoticed specificities. Some pieces of music are so evocative in their aural complexity that they may even allow temporary transportation to places untraversed in the physical world. It should come as no surprise then that these records are usually the ones worth holding on to.” Click here for Roberts' sonic itinerary.

The fourth issue of The Travel Almanac is out now. John Roberts’ second full-length album, “Fences Editions”, will come out on Dial Records in April, 2013.