Culture journalist writing about music, film, TV, fashion, photography, LGBTQ culture, nightlife, travel and the internet.
And raving is reborn: why Kelela’s new album is the future of club music
The artist’s comeback record Raven is long overdue – both for her fans and for club culture
Rewind: 30 years of jungle
Founding DJs Fabio and Grooverider recall the beginnings of the scene while new star Sherelle celebrates its resurgence
Eliza Rose: “I’m a raver before anything else”
Eliza Rose was making music long before she was famous. In 2015, she released ‘The Moonshine’ EP, five tracks including a T-Pain cover alongside some beautiful R&B sounding just a bit like Amy Winehouse. “If I’m generally anything, I’m generally miserable”she sings on ‘Straight & Narrow’, the second track on the EP. Marilyn Monroe said the same thing in 1960.
In Peckham with 454, Looney Tune of 2020s hip-hop
Frank Ocean, Denzel Curry, Zack Fox and Huerco S are among the fans of 454’s cartoonish raps and boomerang beats. On the first leg of his first-ever tour, the Floridian comes to south London
Different Class: the decline of British blue collar stories on screen
25 years since Nil By Mouth first hit screens, Gary Oldman’s film has become a relic of a time when working-class stories were major cinematic events. What happened?
Geezers need excitement: a history of drugs in football grounds
Violence, racism and verbal abuse are on the rise in Britain’s football grounds. Many blame cocaine. But a number of illegal drugs have been popular among fans at one time or another, with each having an impact on the atmosphere around the sport and the country. Sam Davies takes a deep dive into footy’s druggy underbelly.
Album of the month: Shygirl 'Nymph' review
EVERYONE'S DOING CLUB MUSIC NOW: Shygirl's debut album in the time of Beyoncé, Drake, and the post-pandemic return to nightclubs
Purist & Sonnyjim on shrooms, UK hip hop & MF DOOM
Sonnyjim and The Purist were at Outlook Festival when they decided to record an album together. Fuelled by a natural chemistry and mutual love for hip hop, they returned from the Croatian rave haven of Fort Punta Christo in a daze of creativity, heading straight for the studio, where Sonnyjim laid down a verse. One take. They called the song ‘Barz Simpson’...
Danny Elfman: ‘Somewhere ahead of me is the Grim Reaper’
On the release of a new remix album – Bigger. Messier – composer Danny Elfman talks about cheating death, Iggy Pop, and the sheer terror of playing Coachella. “Well of course I’m afraid of death,” says Danny Elfman, grinning affably. “But I’ve also been obsessed with death ever since I was in my twenties.”
The Films That Made Us: DJ Krust On ‘Predator’ & Its Impact On Jungle
In our series ‘The Films That Made Us’, we take a look back at the films that have shaped British music over the last three decades. In today’s edition, we talk to pioneering jungle DJ and producer Krust about the ‘Predator’ films and their insidious influence on jungle.
Album of the Month: 700 Bliss ‘Nothing To Declare’
It’s a regrettable truism of the times that a great number of the albums reviewed on these pages begin with ambient intros. This one does not.
FAUZIA is Poised to Conquer the World
An hour into a recent mix in her monthly slot on NTS Radio, FAUZIA revealed she was doing a “water fast” and hadn’t eaten anything for eight days. “Once you get to know me, you’ll realize I do these really impulsive, intense things,” she said. “It’s just kind of part of my…um, brand.”