Caught in the net: New mixtape from a voice of the future
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.I voted for Joey Bada$$ (pictured) in last year's BBC Sound of 2013 poll. He didn't make the list but I maintain the young Brooklyn rapper is a voice to listen out for. “Word Is Bond” is his new track, released last week and trailing his upcoming mixtape Summer Knights. Find it at snd.sc/16nv7eP. Like his excellent mixtape 1999, still freely available at theproera.com/music/joey-badass-1999, the new single finds Bada$$ rhyming confidently over beats and samples, here provided by Statik Selektah, that recall the classic 1990s era hip hop of the likes of Nas' debut Illmatic – those piano loops are irresistible. As if to burnish his throwback credentials he references, among other things, George Pataki, the long-serving former Governor of New York, who first took office in 1995.
Brassy new album from Byrne and co
Fresh from last year's well received Love This Giant collaborative album, David Byrne and St Vincent have released a new five-track EP. In a nod to the brass instruments that provided much of the backdrop to last year's album, the new EP is called Brass Tactics. It features an unreleased song recorded in the Love This Giant sessions, two remixes and two songs recorded live on the pair's tour last autumn, including a version of Talking Head's “Road To Nowhere”. The EP is available at lovethisgiant.com/brasstactics – it's a free download as long as you're not miserly with your email address.
A visual score that adds more
I'm a bit behind marking 100 years since the Paris premiere of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, but it's not too late to catch up with such a remarkable piece of work. Over many years, the American musician, composer and software developer Stephen Malinowski has created interpretations/visualisations of music and musical notation. He's done this by analogue means and digitally via graphics, software and iPad apps. Among other things, he worked on the accompanying visuals to Bjork's last project Biophilia. Recently he created a gorgeous visual representation of the music of The Rite of Spring. High-tech in execution and lo-fi in look, the work is a thing of compelling beauty – of course the music itself, certainly helps. Watch it at youtu.be/02tkp6eeh40 and find an interview with Malinowski on NPR.org at ind.pn/131hxHL.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments