Just a few weeks back, ambient folk artist Will Samson released "Active Imagination", a beacon of calming and meditative bliss. Reflecting on the surrounding themes of the record, the musician opens up on the matter of national identity, belonging and the feeling of being in between in this very personal guest article.
Just before the End of the World, loosely translates the title of Ami Warning’s new record 'Kurz vorm Ende der Welt'. It is the fourth record of the young Munich-based artist and the first one that she entirely self-produced. Over the course of the pandemic, she crafted songs that are uniquely hers and fuses the various genres that influence her style topped with the coolness of the German lyrics.
"JAZZ IS DEAD". The title of Grammy-nominated musician Theo Croker is written in all caps and comes with a message. Ahead of the release of his new record "Love Quantum", Elana Shapiro sat down with the artist to talk about what the title of of the single means, acknowledging musical ancestry, and why we should stop calling it "Jazz".
The Greek-Sudanese artist Marina Satti is driven to explore cultures and ways of exchange through her language: music. On her debut record "YENNA", she merges traditional Greek polyphony with influences from Turkey, the Balkans, and many more. We spoke to the artist to understand the deep tradition behind her songs and she curated our playlist with her favorite songs from her home country.
Ibeyi, the twins. Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, the sister duo that moves in between worlds physically and spiritually. Raised between Cuba and France, they draw from their Afro-Cuban roots and Yoruba traditions as well as from contemporary Afro-beat scene and Latin jazz. They just released their third LP "Spell 31", which pays tribute to the ancestry and the traditions present in the musicians' upbringing and bridges earthly explorations with celestial connectivity.
The Australian troubadour Xavier Rudd has been in the business for decades releasing his tenth studio album this year. Known for his lyrics advocating peace and a spiritual connectedness with nature, the artist is closely in touch with the Aboriginal communities of the country. Between admiration for the culture, questioning of the own roots, and uplifting the culture, the artist formed is own musical style using the Didgeridoo alongside his other instruments.
Juanita Euka is not a Latin-American singer, she is not a Congolese singer, she is not a Londoner - she is all of those things at the same time and unapologetically herself. On her debut she explores themes of identity, cultural trauma, and pains of colonialism, while also empowering and celebrating Black female identity. Between Congo, Cuba, London, Peru, and Argentina, Juanita Euka walked us through her creative process.
Genesis is the act of creation in religious writing. Berlin-based artist K.ZIA used her recently released debut record for the creation of her own universe. Embracing Congolese and Martinique-an roots, she moves between groovy Afro-Beat and smooth RnB through the voice of two different personas on the album. NBHAP author Liv Toerkell caught up with the artist to find out more about her artistic expression.
