Fly Anakin, along with the Mutant Academy collective, have been putting Richmond, Virginia on the map hip-hop-wise for quite a while now, so it’s crazy to think that FRANK is considered to be Fly Anakin’s debut despite years of excellent output. Panama Plus with Koncept Jack$on and Tuamie was one of my favourite releases of…

There’s a unique energy to CLBRKS & Kiina’s music that captures the darker and moodier side to London life. This is my first proper introduction to CLBRKS’ music, and I’m immediately hooked to his almost nasally, high-pitched delivery that is direct and frantic. This complements and contrasts Kiina’s soulful and melodic production, who is able,…

Whenever I mention Joe Armon-Jones to someone, I keep reiterating that he’s one of the best keyboardists I’ve ever seen live, and I think I’ll be standing by that statement for quite a while still. Not only this, but as a producer and multi-instrumentalist, his music is dense and intricate, combining incredible keys, lavish synths…

Alchemist’s name commands respect. One of the most consistent producers of this generation, the legendary beatmaker has been involved in some of the best hip-hop music over the last few years, and he doesn’t seem to want to slow down either. He has teamed up with veteran New Orleans emcee Curren$y on their third collaborative…

Chicago’s electronic music scene has a rich history of trailblazers and legends. DJ Hank is slowly getting there. Through punchy, vibrant footwork, the talented musician is able to create these jittery, engaging and intricately composed beats and compositions that are just so good. His new project, City Stars EP, is exemplary of this. Thoughout the…

Prolific LA producer Knxwledge goes house with his new project 家​.​V1, and it is even better than I anticipated it would be. Known mostly for his short and snappy hip-hop production, this is quite different to how I know him as an artist. All 8 tracks (with the exception of the interlude “krossing”) are 4…

Burial’s slow emergence this year has been exciting. Earlier this year, he released the incredibly atmospheric and stunningly beautiful Antidawn EP, a project that captured the eerie dystopian tone of big-city hustle and poverty through melancholic production that is immersive and beautiful. Four Tet’s output, on the other hand, has also been exceptional over the…

Try Googling ‘best new British bands”. I guarantee you that at least 80% of the articles you find will mention London-based septet Black Country, New Road. I discovered them last year through a friend of mine who pretty much said the same thing. Last year, they released one of my favourite albums of the year…

When two of the great production wizards of this generation come together on a collaborative project, you listen. I’ve been a fan of both Oli and Max for about 6-7 years now probably, and I’ve seen them evolve their sound and artistry so much over that period of time. Oliver Palfreyman’s hard-hitting, often industrial and…

Some of the most innovative and groundbreaking electronic music has usually originated from the UK. The relentless, unapologetic and gritty energy Iceboy Violet is able to produce on their short but punchy new mixtape The Vanity Project is exactly that, and so much more. A few years in the making, the Manchester-based artist has channeled…

Striking, strange, and mysterious, Medici Daughter’s self-titled EP is quite a bold statement. Not much is known about the enigmatic musician(s) other than the fact that they’re London-based. And it makes sense. London, and the UK, in general, has produced some of the most groundbreaking electronic music ever, with artists such as Burial, Squarepusher and…

Intimacy is powerful and beautiful. FKA twigs has, throughout the years, embraced a delicacy through ethereal, soft vocals over mesmeric electronic soundscapes and experimental rhythms that beat to the sound of twigs’ own vulnerabilities. Albums like LP1 and Magdalene are considered art-pop / electronic classics, defying categorization, incredible poignant bodies of work that embrace a free-spirited,…

Since the release of his debut album Doris in 2013, Earl Sweatshirt has being saying more with less words, creating short but lyrically dense albums that capture fragments of his state of mind into capsules of incredibly vulnerable and revealing songs. His 2015 album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside was the first…

The crispy, icy air around the desolate landscape emits a sense of ambiance and loneliness. The gentle, winter breeze blows softly in between the high-rise flats of South London, making the trees sway from side to side, whistling in a somber tone, capturing a sense of solitude amongst the madness surrounding us. Burial’s Antidawn EP…

Is it too late to wish you a Happy New Year? I hope 2022 is kind nice to everyone. 2021 was quite a strange year. Time seemed to lack any kind of linear flow, I still can’t believe it’s a new year. But we move. With so much music released last year, there would naturally…

Mach-Hommy’s rise to greatness over the past few years has been nothing short of inspiring and fascinating. The enigmatic Newark via Haiti lyricist has, through his incredible penmanship and ear for beats, created some of the most era-defining projects in quite a long time. 2017’s Fete Des Morts AKA Dia De Los Muertos was my…

A new one from one of the underground’s most eclectic innovators. R.A.P Ferreira, formerly milo, aka scallops hotel is someone I’m always interested in listening to. His fantastic collab as milo with Elucid, Nostrum Grocers, feels like an old classic, an unearthed work of art. R.A.P Ferreira’s Purple Moonlight Pages was among my favourite albums…

Energy. Unfiltered, uncensored, unapologetic energy. “Open the gates, we arrive, energy time” exclaims Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother), to the frantic, pulsating sound of tribal drums, intense percussion and basslines that intertwine to create this hypnotic groove that is complemented by incredible horn melodies throughout. It’s a fiery start to what is an incredibly dense,…

Melanie Charles has been a favourite of mine since the release of her independently-released project The Girl with the Green Shoes. There was something truly hypnotic about her vocal tone and her ability to paint picturesque soundscapes with her voice and surrounding instrumentation. Since the release of that project she has worked with the likes…

Meandering through the quiet and ominous streets of South London, shivering from the frosty temperature outside, I place my headphones on and press play on Goya Gumbani and Subculture’s KRYSTIN. I already feel a warmth soothing through my ears and throughout my body. Goya Gumbani’s music has always had this welcoming, warm tone to it,…

Where were you when you immersed yourself in Radiohead’s music for the first time? For me, this journey started back in 2011 – A 16-year-old kid, lonely at school, picked on by the ‘cool kids’, completely disillusioned with life and feeling like every single problem I faced was potentially life-ending. The drama, eh? I don’t…

Like a curious researcher and explorer, Ego Ella May seeks sounds and sonic tones that help her better process personal thoughts and feelings during a ‘weird and confusing time.’ Whether this time is in reference to her personal life or the last 18 months as a whole with the pandemic, her music is not only…

On a late summer evening in London, with the sun slowly setting in the distance, I place my headphones on, and press play on Theon Cross’ Intra-I. The unsettling tuba-led soundscape murmurs throughout this project, echoing the dynamic, overwhelming, and often aggressive vibe of the big city, but within it all, there is life and…

JPEGMAFIA does not fuck around. “I live and die by the quality of my work, not the hype. And the minute anyone does anything to impede on that. You are dead to me”, he proclaims on his Bandcamp page. It’s a strong statement, and one that mirrors his seemingly contrarian, punk persona he has cultivated…

Family has always played a major role in Maxo Kream’s music. His 2019 masterpiece Brandon Banks is named after his father, while his new album’s release date coincides with his niece Jalae’s birthday as well as the anniversary of his cousin Andrew’s death. WEIGHT OF THE WORLD captures the weight of his trauma and experiences…