Music Life

Eyedress, Homeshake, Na'Kel Smith and María Zardoya discuss the difficulties of re-capturing a moment, pushing everything else away when going through a creative block, and the importance of controlling your own visual identity.Eyedress is a singer, rapper and producer who grew up in the Philippines but moved to the USA with his family at the age of six. He grew up playing in punk bands, before moving back to Manila in 2005, where he formed garage pop band Bee Eyes. Meanwhile, he was pursuing his own project which would eventually become Eyedress, a name he originally came up with for his Twitter account. His music takes inspiration from everything from shoegaze to bedroom-pop, and last year he released his fifth album, FULL TIME LOVER.Canadian musician Peter Sagar, AKA Homeshake, is known for his unique brand of R&B influenced indie-pop. Originally part of Mac DeMarco’s touring set-up, he uses synthesizers and drum-machines to accompany his guitar-playing and soft vocals, creating a relaxing, ethereal sound. Na’Kel Smith is a rapper, actor and skater who was originally one of the non-musician members of alternative hip-hop group Odd Future. After debuting with a powerful, emotional verse on Earl Sweatshirt’s DNA and teaching himself how to record, engineer, and make beats, he’s evolved into an experimental, lo-fi artist who embodies the spirit of DIY music.Puerto Rican singer María Zardoya fronts American indie-pop band The Marías. They create a dreamlike fusion of jazz, psychedelia and funk music, drawing inspiration from the band’s diverse musical backgrounds and singing in both English and Spanish. Their debut album Cinema was released in 2021, and they’ve since gone on to collaborate with the likes of Bad Bunny and Cuco.

Hak Baker, Benjamin Zephaniah, Celeste and Baxter Dury talk about writing whilst living in London, their view of success in their careers so far, and the impact of family and cultural history on their writing.Hak Baker was born in Luton and raised on the Isle of Dogs, in London. At a young age he was exposed to everything from reggae and dub to classic pop, R&B and soul via friends and family. His first introduction to performing was as part of the Southwark Cathedral choir, before moving towards grime and MC-ing at his local community centre. Later he learned to play guitar, and started writing songs about his experiences and those of the people around him, digging deep into everything from toxic masculinity to social inequality, identity and unity. This year he released his debut album World’s End FM, which is presented as a pirate radio broadcast transmitting from the edge of the apocalypse.Benjamin Zephaniah is a novelist, playwright and musician, and one of the UK’s best poets of the last 50 years. Born in Birmingham, he is influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and writes about race, politics and social injustice. He’s recorded numerous reggae records and has worked with the likes of Sinead O’Connor and The Wailers.Celeste is an American-born British singer who has established herself as one of the finest soul singers in the UK right now. After winning the Brit Award Rising Star of 2020, she released her critically acclaimed debut album Not Your Muse, becoming the first female British solo artist in five years to reach number one with a debut album.Baxter Dury is a singer and musician known for his gritty vocals and witty, observant storytelling. His sound brings in influences from hip-hop to new wave, and in June of this year he released his new album I Thought I Was Better Than You, written with his teenage son Kosmo during lockdown.

British folk musicians Kathryn Tickell, Laura Cannell, Amy Thatcher and Ruth Lyon discuss their musical and personal identities, early album recordings, musical alter egos, breaking away from stereotypes, and upcoming projects in the music industry.

Busiswa, DJ Lag, Karen Nyame KG and Scratchclart talk about the impact of the pandemic on amapiano and gqom, what it was like getting back to the clubs when things opened up again, and the global rise in popularity of these genres.Busiswa is a singer and poet from South Africa. Her music career began when she featured on Sir Bubzin’s track Syaphambana in 2011, and she’s since gone on to feature on DJ Zinhle’s global hit My Name Is, as well as Beyonce’s My Power as part of The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack. She’s released three studio albums, and her most recent single Lagos came out late last year.DJ Lag is a prolific DJ and record producer who is widely recognized as the king of gqom music, a genre of electronic dance music from Durban in South Africa. His bass-heavy, minimalist sound has pushed him into the upper ranks of the global electronic music scene, and last year he released his debut full-length album, Meeting with the King. Karen Nyame KG is a producer, DJ and broadcaster who has been one of dance music’s true innovators of the last decade. She’s been dubbed the Goddess of Rhythm, and is known for her energetic, polyrhythmic sound that is lighting up the clubs of London and beyond.Scratchclart is an electronic musician, DJ and record producer who is part of the fabric of grime music and UK funky. He’s the head of the highly respected DVA Music label, and in recent years he’s been building bridges between music scenes in the UK and South Africa, in particular with his DRMTRK series and his new EP Beyond Gqom & Grime.

Nitin Sawhney, Tim Burgess, Nainita Desai and Ayanna Witter-Johnson discuss how their family and cultural history impacts their creativity, being conscious of who they’re representing when creating, and how their output is a reflection of their changing identities.Producer, composer, and DJ Nitin Sawhney grew up studying the piano, guitar, sitar and tabla, and released his debut album Spirit Dance in 1993. Since then he has scored music for theatre, dance, video games and cinema, including the BBC TV series Human Planet. He’s also produced albums for the likes of Helene Grimaud and Anoushka Shankar, conducted and composed for the London Symphony Orchestra, and had his own BBC classical Prom. He’s also DJed at world-renowned London nightclub Fabric and has worked with Paul McCartney, Nelson Mandela, Joss Stone, Annie Lennox, Sting and Mira Nair. His new album Identity will be coming out this year on October 13th. Tim Burgess is a singer, musician, and record label owner, best known as the frontman of influential English rock band the Charlatans. He’s enjoyed an incredibly successful career in music, from releasing hit singles throughout the 90s to exploring the fabric of pop and rock in his books, as well as his ever-popular Tim’s Twitter Listening Party events on social media.Nainita Desai is an award-winning composer of film, television and video game music with a background in sound design. She creates powerful, emotive scores, and moves seamlessly from working with orchestras to using her collection of custom-made instruments. Some of her recent projects include The Reason I Jump, an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity, and the Oscar-nominated documentary For Sama. Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a composer, singer and cellist whose music crosses the boundaries of classical, jazz, reggae, soul and R&B. She’s toured with the likes of Anoushka Shankar and Courtney Pine, recorded with Akala, and composed for the London Symphony Orchestra, effortlessly straddling different musical worlds.

Sampa the Great, Thandiswa Mazwai, Emmanuel Jagari Chanda and Mag44 discuss music standing the test of time, African music, and the new generation of musicians.Sampa the Great was born in Ndola in Zambia and became interested in music from a young age, writing poems and singing from the age of 9, spending time in both Zambia and Botswana. She released her first mixtape in 2015 whilst at university in Australia, and created a sound influenced by everything from classic hip-hop to Zamrock. Her latest album, As Above So Below, was released last September and came about after returning home to Zambia during the early days of the pandemic. Thandiswa Mazwai is one of the most influential South African musicians around today. She has been at the forefront of change in South African music since the late 90s with her politically-conscious lyrics and stunning vocals, both as a solo artist and lead singer of ground-breaking trio Bongo Maffin. Emmanuel Jagari Chanda is a founding member of the Zambian rock genre known as Zamrock, which blends rock with funk and African rhythms. He was the leader of the band Witch (We Intend to Cause Havoc) who were the first band to record a commercial record in Zambia in the 1970s. Magnus Mando, AKA Mag44, is a rapper and music producer who has expanded Zambia’s musical horizons. He started singing and rapping in church, before writing his own lyrics which gave birth to his career. He also co-produced Sampa the Great’s latest LP.

Indonesian musicians Rara Sekar, Sandrayati, Ugoran Prasad and Rully Shabara discuss music and social change, trying to thrive as musicians in the age of social media, and whether or not all musicians have an equal opportunity to succeed. Rara Sekar's career in music began as the vocalist for folk group Banda Neira, as well as a member of Daramuda. In 2020 she began her solo project hara, in which she creates a musical fusion inspired by folk, ambient and post-rock music. She is also an anthropologist, having completed a master’s degree in cultural anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington. Sandrayati is a Filipino-American singer who grew up in Java and Bali, whose music explores the pain and beauty of uprooting and planting yourself somewhere else. She possess a light, dream-like singing voice and has recently released Safe Ground, an album created in Iceland alongside Olafur Arnalds.Ugoran Prasad is a renowned Indonesian fictionist, dramaturg and musician who is perhaps best known for fronting modern rock band Majelis Lidah Berduri. Their restless, exciting sound has made them one of Indonesia’s most important indie bands over the last few decades, and they are currently working on their fourth studio album. Rully Shabara is an Indonesian artist and vocalist whose main musical interest lies in exploring the human voice as a medium of creation. He’s a genre-bending musician whose duo Senyawa are pushing the boundaries of experimental music in Indonesia.

Gina Birch, Kathleen Hanna, Mark Moore, and Stephen McRobbie how their teenage years influenced their path into music, how it felt to be doing something creative and combative for a living, and being at peace with themselves later in life.Gina Birch was inspired to form post punk band the Raincoats after seeing the Slits in 1977. They recorded their self-titled debut album that same year, and went on to record three further albums, the last of which was released in 1996. She is also a film-maker and painter, and staged her first solo show last year. After around 45 years in the business, she recently released her debut solo album I Play My Bass Loud.Kathleen Hanna is an American singer, musician and pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement. She co-formed punk band Bikini Kill in 1990, and went on to form Le Tigre in 1998, and The Julie Ruin in 2010. She’s currently on tour with Le Tigre.Mark Moore is a British dance music record producer and DJ. In 1998 he topped the UK chart with his pioneering dance act S’Express and their legendary track Theme From S’Express. He is engrained in the history of UK club culture and is hugely influential to both UK dance and pop music. Stephen McRobbie is the frontman and founder member of the cult Glasgow indie rock band The Pastels. They formed in 1981, have released 5 studio albums, and are cited as influences on everyone from The Jesus and Mary Chain to Primal Scream, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and Nirvana.

Perera Elsewhere, Fever Ray, Paula Temple and Maral discuss how the space you’re in affects the music you write, the importance of mistakes or ‘curating errors’, and the significance of technology, particularly when music production software reaches new countries.Producer, songwriter, and DJ Perera Elsewhere was born in London and is now based in Berlin. She’s played shows at iconic venues including Berghain, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Hamburg Philharmonic. She performs in extraordinary stage outfits, and her music has been described as "doom-folk".Swedish singer-songwriter and record producer Karin Dreijer, aka Fever Ray, was one half of the electronic music duo The Knife, and released their debut solo album in 2009. They love to use masks, body paint and intricate costumes when they perform live. The UK’s Paula Temple is one of Europe's most in-demand techno artists. She’s a self-proclaimed “noisician” known for making awe-inducing techno, and co-runs the label Noise Manifesto. She’s a regular on the festival circuit, having recently performed at Time Warp, DGTL, Awakenings, and Extrema Outdoor.Maral is an Iranian-American DJ and producer. She takes snippets of Iranian folk music and poetry, and repurposes them as glitchy sound experiments to bring the Persian classical repertoire to the dancefloor, something she describes as "jamming with my ancestors". Her musical creations are driven by artful experimentalism, and last year she released her third album, Ground Groove.

José González, Vashti Bunyan and Erlend Øye discuss what draws them to create quiet music, how they approach playing it live, and its universal and trans-genre appeal.José González was born in Gothenburg in Sweden to Argentinian parents, and grew up listening to Latin folk and pop music. In 2003 he released his debut solo album ‘Veneer’. It featured a downtempo cover of The Knife’s ‘Heartbeats’ which became an international success after being featured on a TV ad campaign. He’s celebrating the album’s 20th anniversary with a run of shows this year.Vashti Bunyan is an English singer songwriter who began her music career in the 1960s. She left London for the Outer Hebrides, travelling in a wagon drawn by a black horse called Bess, and wrote an album about the trip called Just Another Diamond Day. It was released in 1970, but had little commercial success. Vashti withdrew from music for 30 years, but by 2000, the album had acquired a cult following, and the second phase of her musical career began. Erlend Øye is a Norwegian best known for being one half of the indie-folk duo Kings of Convenience. He’s also front-man for the band The Whitest Boy Alive, is the co-founder of the independent label Bubbles Records, and plays extensively with trio La Comitiva.