In this exclusive interview deep dive, I’ve investigated the harrowing reality of the LGBTQIA+ community in Tunisia, and how those involved with Flagranti, the Arab World’s first queer protest play, look to fight back and shatter this unjust social taboo through theatre and music. Same sex relations are illegal in Tunisia Tunisia’s socio-political history is a hotbed of injustice and violence. In the wake of the country’s independence in 1956, a banquet of corruption and human rights violations became thematic for the decades that followed. Many of these atrocities were inflicted under Ben Ali ..read more

The Institute of Contemporary Arts continues to boast one of the most sought-after calendars in London’s music scene. A double-billed string of evenings with Danish musicians ML Buch and Astrid Sonne is testament to the venue’s flag-flying roster: the two artists are fresh off the back of heralded full-length albums that have carved a new set of parameters for what it means to be a singer-songwriter in 2024. Astrid Sonne opened proceedings, emerging on stage as part of a string trio that included classical experimentalist Vanessa Bedoret and sound designer-cum-double bassist Emma Barnaby. Ast ..read more

In our four years of writing these lists, 2023 has been far and away the best year for new music. That same time period has seen a seismic shift in the consumption habits of listeners, with TikTok quickly carving a position as a free-to-access, algorithmic faux-record label for the next generation. The platform’s rise has meant that music is first heard as a single, often sped up. A world where a record is bought, the sleeve is removed, the needle drops and the album plays is almost completely unrecognisable to the transient epoch of today. Below, we look at albums, in celebration of the conti ..read more

Sports Banger is the defiant creative collective of protest artist Jonny Banger. The project began a decade ago as an underground bootlegging operation, and has since grown to become a fully fledged fashion house, record label and satirist creative company. It all began with a ‘FREE TULISA’ t-shirt, which Banger printed for UK dubstep mainstay Skream, to grant him guest list to Wireless Festival. Skream wearing Sports Banger’s ‘Free Tulisa’ shirt This birthed a series of bootleg prints, including Nike swooshes on NHS logos and Sports Direct rip offs, as well as a series of protest art that fou ..read more

Rating: 5 out of 5. The Institute of Contemporary Arts is tucked modestly amidst the regal backdrop of The Mall. It’s a visionary space, home to club nights, film screenings, art exhibitions and talks, acting as a creative beacon that platforms promising artists and collectives. The ICA is situated in The Mall, London Last Thursday, we went down to see the debut UK show from Eternal Dragonz (EDZ), a record label and artist collective founded in LA in 2015. On display were EDZ co-founder Tzekin, ethereal guitar-loop extraordinaire Organ Tapes, ambient experimentalist Flora Yin-Wong and multid ..read more

There are rare moments in music, maybe once every few years, where the listener hears something that resonates instantly. A track or album that sounds truly novel. Like stumbling across a world that you didn’t know existed. It’s happened to us here, with the discovery of Heck. The producer-cum-composer-cum-singer, raised in Aberdeen and now residing in London, is creating a thunderous experimental electronic genre-hopping sound that oozes menace, distortion, delicacy, rage and beauty all in one sonic cauldron. Heck is fresh off the release of his debut EP. Real name Jonny Woodley, Heck is fres ..read more

Kenyan ambient experimentalist KMRU leans across the African continent to join forces with Ethiopian/Somalian creator Hibotep for a genre-jumping double-sided split. KMRU / Hibotep is out now via Byrd Out Records KMRU, who now resides in Berlin, is fresh off the back of a slew of wide-reaching experimental releases. Field recordings, fragments of memories and celestial instrumentation are but some of the facets of his expansive sonic artillery. Read our interview with KMRU here. KMRU was born in Kenya & now makes music in Berlin Hibotep, now an incumbent of Uganda, is a walking, breathing ..read more

Jai Paul’s recent return has felt like a dream. The mysterious pop phenomenon’s surprise listing on this year’s Coachella billing had fans the world over itching to see how this incognito introvert would fare on stage at the world’s biggest music festival. His performance was lauded as incredible by most, critiqued as slightly lacking energy by some. For those across the pond who were lucky enough to be there, though, it will always be remembered as Jai Paul’s first ever gig. Those on UK shores could only rely on snippets strewn across Twitter and Reddit to see the spectacle — that was, until ..read more

UK underground rap duo Cartney & Rooz first landed on the scene in 2019 with their mixtape The PU.LP Project, a selection of refreshing home-produced hip-hop and grime cuts. In the succeeding years, the London-based pair have dropped a series of singles, including ‘Junctions’, which samples KOKOROKO’s ‘Abusey Junction.’ Together, Cartney & Rooz have an envious relationship with the music that lies underneath them. They dance, swing and tease in and around the beats, birthing a sense of unpredictability and zest that pays homage to the likes of Lord Apex, Kofi Stone & Manik MC. Thei ..read more

Future Bubblers is an expansion of the Gilles Peterson and Brownswood Music project. It’s a talent discovery and development idea built in collaboration with Arts Council England, with a focus on making in-roads into new areas, geographically and musically across England. This instalment of their Basement Session comes from ROMY NOVA. The multidisciplinary artist’s sonic landscape switches between light and shade. Influenced by jazz, hip-hop, world music and various dance scenes. She has previously performed with Boy Blue Entertainment and Zoonation at the renowned Barbican and the Royal Festi ..read more