Khalid graduated from the same high school as Madonna and used to live with a Jamaican Queen, but he has always and will forever worship at the church of Björk.
In honor of the 25th anniversary of his label, Plus 8, Detroit techno icon Richie Hawtin surprise-released a brand new album this weekend. From My Mind to Yours includes work from Hawtin’s various aliases — Plastikman, FUSE, Robotman, Childsplay, 80xx, and R.H.X. Many of the album’s tracks had been issued as mysterious white-label 12″…
The big story last week may have been the grand opening of the Third Man Records Cass Corridor outpost in Jack White’s hometown of Detroit, but after taking a brief moment to celebrate, the label is back on its mission of releasing unique work by one-of-a-kind artists. Today, the imprint announced that it will…
Although he originally hails from Detroit, Sufjan Stevens’ musical vision has always ranged far and wide. In 2003, the indie pop singer/songwriter announced a major undertaking — “The 50 States Project” — in which he would write an album for each US state, beginning with Michigan. Stevens has since admitted the series was a…
Tunde Olaniran’s ascent as an artist parallels bigger trends both in music and society at large. He got his start collaborating with the Berlin-based duo Chris De Luca vs. Phon.o, who discovered a track of his on MySpace in 2008. A European tour followed, with stops in the cities Olaniran lived in as a…
It wouldn’t be Halloween without a little “trick or treat,” and fans of Sufjan Stevens were treated to both at the Detroit-born singer-songwriter’s show in Jersey City last night, when he brought on alt-R&B singer Gallant for a cover of — what else — Drake’s endlessly meme’d hit “Hotline Bling.” Unlike the sincere…
First, NYC-based emcee/producer El-P and Altanta rapper Killer Mike came together to bring us Run the Jewels, which was followed a year later by a sequel — aptly named Run the Jewels 2. Then they promised and delivered Meow the Jewels, a cat-sampling remix version of their sophomore album. And now, this unlikely but…
The looming inevitability of death and destruction animates Detroit quartet Protomartyr, as befits their name. Their sound is knife-edged post-punk, as played by a local dive bar band whose low-key demeanor belies a serious set of musical chops. Protomartyr’s breakthrough, 2014’s Under Color of Official Right, built upon the framework established by their debut,…
In the world of Jeff Mills, Space Is the Place. That phrase comes from a 1974 film directed by John Coney, written by Joshua Smith and Sun Ra, and featuring the latter jazz musician. Although Mills is most readily associated with the second wave of Detroit techno, the many threads of his work and…
Steve Mackay, best known for playing saxophone with The Stooges and Violent Femmes, has died at the age of 66 after a battle with sepsis. Mackay was born in Grand Rapids and attended the University of Michigan’s art school in the 1960s, where he played in a band called Carnal Kitchen. Iggy Pop…
