Search

It’s an exciting time to be both a new and old fan of African music, but how does it feel for African artists raised and working in the diaspora? As producers and consumers, these artists have a unique vantage point on this cultural shift. Jessica Kariisa speaks to Nazar, Hagan, Juba and Chief Boima and asks: what does music from “back home” mean today?

After the tragic events of Astroworld Festival last year, Will Pritchard examines the science, politics and history of crowd crushes at mass gatherings, and asks experts how organisers can make future large music events safer

Timedance label boss, innovative producer and a boundary-pushing DJ, Batu was on an upward trajectory — but the pandemic made him question his motivations and examine his history. With his debut album ‘Opal’ marking a bold new chapter in his sound, he talks to Chal Ravens about burnout, reinvention, heritage and contributing to the Bristol scene that nurtured him

Spanish DJ, producer and ARTCORE label founder Indira Paganotto’s irresistible hybrid of techno and psytrance has made her a huge star on festival stages and in superclubs, but her rise to the top has been beset with challenges. Niamh O’Connor speaks with her about sticking to her principles, her love of psytrance, the importance of the underground, and the balancing influence of family

Soaring ascents, the kind that can take an artist from obscurity to stardom in what seems to be the blink of an eye, don’t occur often, in dance music or elsewhere – those who are lucky enough to have that experience often disappear just as quickly. But there’s little chance of a quick fade for South Africa’s Palesa Desiree Shilabje, the DJ and producer known to the world as DESIREE, who in just a few short years has proved to be one of the international festival circuit’s most exciting new stars. Here, Bruce Tantum hears her story, and about how her evolution through music has been as organic as they come