Ask any random person to recall 1995 in music and Britpop will come up right away. If you were to commission a talking heads nostalgia programme or a Q magazine special, you’d be searching for […]

Ask any random person to recall 1995 in music and Britpop will come up right away. If you were to commission a talking heads nostalgia programme or a Q magazine special, you’d be searching for […]
This town ain’t big enough for the both of them, and sparks will fly when Andrew Weatherall and Ivan Smagghe get set for another soundclash. Armed with “a disco bag over one shoulder and a […]
Mixmaster Morris is the OG of the UK chillout room, an ambient pioneer who reworked the acid house experience to include soft landings alongside the all-night raving. You can loosely file him alongside The KLF […]
Not renowned for their modesty, most commercial hip-hop artists assign some ethereal majesty to their MTV-bankrolled ‘vocation’. For Rodney Smith Aka Roots Manuva, it’s a base instinct, a subconscious tic “I find it hard to […]
For nearly 50 years Sparks have been one of pop music’s biggest conundrums. If you’re way out of the loop the LA duo are a one-hit wonder, but they’ve had over 20 albums since their […]
Robert Hood is an artist who’s always flipping things. He’s a pioneer of austere, minimal techno who releases gospel house as Floorplan; The ‘Minister of Information’ in revolutionary techno act Underground Resistance who now preaches […]
For a movement that’s in constant flux there’s still an obsession with marking out hip-hop’s greatest year, and 1994 is a popular choice. The year had some mythical albums – Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready To Die […]
For 40-odd years, Don Letts has been the UK’s chief authority on reggae, and with a lifetime of bass culture echoing round his head he’s trying to squeeze it into a new series of podcasts, […]
Steve Van Zandt may be one of the most popular side men in pop culture — with an essential spot in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and as Tony Soprano’s chief adviser Silvio, but he’s […]
25 years is a long time in techno, especially if you’ve been in the game for two thirds of your life. As a member of both Modeselektor and Moderat, Berliner Gernot Bronsert is at the […]
Within one minute of chatting to Glasgow comedian Limmy he’s already told me he never visited Ireland before because it’s not a proper holiday spot, and comes out with the line: “I’m not that interested […]
In a time when bands are squealing out to be heard above the din, Pine ¶he Pilcrow grab your attention with the gentlest of whispers. Dublin-based trio Kevin Murray, Hannah Ryan and Rob Campbell create delicate […]
If you were walking past Tower Records last Friday you would’ve seen a bigger obstruction on the path than the Luas works, as dozens of people crowded outside the storefront to see Interskalactic launch their […]
Mihalis Safras must be the only DJ who’s been playing for years to recently win a ‘Best Newcomer’ award — a prize that seems even more bewildering when you consider his own productions and releases […]
When you hear a band has an ‘80s influence’ your brain can’t help join the dots between breezy synthpop, power ballads and the cliched garish outfits. Columbia Mills have a distinctive 80s sound — but […]