Music

When Raving Was Radical

When Raving Was Radical When Raving Was Radical

Rainald Goetz’s 1998 novel captures both the complicated politics of the German electronic music scene and the chaotic experience of a night lost to dancing.

Nov 5, 2020 / Rachel Hahn

A Soundscape of Pure Empathy

A Soundscape of Pure Empathy A Soundscape of Pure Empathy

Kelly Lee Owens’s quietly complex electronic music is defined by its spirit of care.

Oct 27, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Julyssa Lopez

Synthesizing Sound and Self

Synthesizing Sound and Self Synthesizing Sound and Self

The vexed legacy of electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos.

Oct 15, 2020 / Sasha Geffen

Stanley Crouch, 1945–2020

Stanley Crouch, 1945–2020 Stanley Crouch, 1945–2020

Even many of those who at times wanted to throttle Crouch will miss him now that he’s gone.

Oct 12, 2020 / Gene Seymour

Kendrick Lamar’s Poetic Awakening

Kendrick Lamar’s Poetic Awakening Kendrick Lamar’s Poetic Awakening

How an encounter with a creative writing teacher changed the LA rapper’s life.

Oct 8, 2020 / Marcus J. Moore

John Luther Adams’s Songs for a Vanished World

John Luther Adams’s Songs for a Vanished World John Luther Adams’s Songs for a Vanished World

A conversation, conducted via satellite phone, with the legendary composer about his new memoir, Silences So Deep, and the music of his life.

Oct 7, 2020 / Rumaan Alam

Sufjan Stevens’s Lullabies for the Apocalypse

Sufjan Stevens’s Lullabies for the Apocalypse Sufjan Stevens’s Lullabies for the Apocalypse

His new album’s gentle pessimism about our state of affairs makes for a weirdly soothing musical experience.

Oct 1, 2020 / Bijan Stephen

How Kendrick Lamar Became the Voice of a Generation

How Kendrick Lamar Became the Voice of a Generation How Kendrick Lamar Became the Voice of a Generation

A conversation with Marcus J. Moore about his cultural biography of Lamar and the L.A. rapper’s impact on Black America.

Sep 30, 2020 / Q&A / Ann-Derrick Gaillot

The Culture Is Still Catching Up With Georgia Anne Muldrow

The Culture Is Still Catching Up With Georgia Anne Muldrow The Culture Is Still Catching Up With Georgia Anne Muldrow

Whether in jazz, rap, or R&B, she has made music out of liberation.

Aug 31, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Marcus J. Moore

The Two Maria Schneiders

The Two Maria Schneiders The Two Maria Schneiders

The auteurist and activist impulses of her expansive jazz comes together on Data Lords.

Aug 17, 2020 / David Hajdu

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