Porto’s Primavera Sound festival releases first wave of acts for its 2019 edition

17 January 2019

Artists lined up to play in Porto’s Primavera Sound festival in June include Stereolab, Sons of Kemet XL, Nubya Garcia, Jambinai, Tirzah and more

Primavera Sound Porto has announced the first wave of names for its 2019 instalment, which takes place in the city’s stunning Parque da Cidade June 6th – 8th. The line-up so far is as follows:

Thursday 6th
Solange,  Stereolab, Jarvis Cocker, Danny Brown, Peggy Gou, Yaeji Lizzo, Tommy Cash, Let’s Eat Grandma, Mormor, Ama Lou, Christina Rosenvinge, Job Jobse, Nilüfer Yanya, Miya Folick, Allen Halloween, Photonz, Mai Kino, Roza Terenzi, Dino D’Santiago

Friday 7th
J Balvin, Interpol, James Blake, Courtney Barnett, Mura Masa, Kali Uchis, Liz Phair, SOPHIE, David August, Sons of Kemet XL, Fucked Up, JPEGMAFIA, Helena Hauff, Shellac, Aldous Harding, Lisabö, Jambinai, Courtesy, Surma, Men I Trust, Nubya Garcia, Dr. Rubinstein, ProfJam, Violet, JASSS

Saturday 8th
Erykah Badu, Rosalía, Jorge Ben Jor, Modeselektor, Nina Kraviz, Guided by Voices, Neneh Cherry, Low, Kate Tempest, Big Thief, Joy Orbison, Yves Tumor, Snail Mail, Lucy Dacus, Tirzah, Boddika, Mykki Blanco, Amyl And The Sniffers, Hop Along, Tomberlin, Viagra Boys, Mad Miran, O Terno, Lena D’Água e Primeira Dama, Jackie

Tickets are on sale now via the festival’s website.

Mdou Moctar announces new full-length album Ilana

16 January 2019

Tuareg musician Mdou Moctar, an extraordinary self-taught guitarist and singer-songwriter hailing from Niger, is ready to follow 2017’s Sousoume Tamachek. Entitled Ilana, Moctar’s new album is set for release on March 29th through Sahel Sounds. The record is described as “Mdou’s most ambitious record to date, taking tradition into into an ever louder and blistering direction”.

‘Kamane Tarhanin’ serves as the first taste from Ilana and you can listen to it below.

Martyn Heyne unveils accompanying video for ‘Brandung’

15 January 2019

Ingenious German multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Martyn Heyne has unveiled a fittingly stunning video to accompany ‘Brandung’, lifted from his 2016’s mini-album Shady & Light. Heyne explains how the video came about:

“A while back, the filmmaker Melinte Reitzema got in touch about some music of mine she wanted to use in her latest work. The film, LUCY – My Transgender Life, is a documentary about her dear friend Lucy Fizz and features some wild and enchanting footage. One batch of material in particular caught my attention: Lucy dancing alone at the famed London venue The Box, shot in super slow motion and close up. Melinte is an angel and turned it into a music video for me.”

Now watch the video for ‘Brandung’.

Listen to Elena Setién’s new single ‘She Was So Fair’ feat. Steve Gunn

14 January 2019

We’re just over a month away from the release of Elena Setién‘s gorgeous new album Another Kind Of Revolution, marking her debut on Thrill Jockey. The independent spirit the Basque singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is known for is central to the upcoming album, and we find her playing the majority of the instruments. The lyrics on the album, and as the label explains, “describe the beauty of everyday life, nature, and promote the forces of change not as a burden, but as the very source of hope to draw from”.

After sharing the title track, Elena is enticing us again with a new single, ‘She Was So Fair’ feat. Steve Gunn. Listen to both now.


Another Kind Of Revolution is out on February 25th through Thrill Jockey.

New album from Chris Child out in February

10 January 2019

Brooklyn based composer Chris Child aka Kodomo has announced the follow-up to his 2017’s Divider EP. Marking his fourth full-length release, the upcoming Pieces For Piano Vol. 1 arrives on February 1st through his own imprint FOIL. The album is a collection of solo piano works, composed “with the intention of creating something simple, intimate and quiet”, as the press release describes.

After sharing ‘Prelude 2’, Child is giving us another beautiful taste from Pieces For Piano with ‘Impetus’. Listen to both below.

Theon Cross announces debut album Fyah and shares new single ‘Activate’

07 January 2019

At the tail end of 2018, tuba player and composer Theon Cross, a big player in London’s vibrant contemporary jazz scene, teased his debut album with ‘Panda Village‘. News of the album have now been confirmed and we’ll only have to wait till February 15th for Fyah to be out through Gearbox Records. The album “encapsulates the culture and influences that have surrounded Cross growing up in the city, incorporating elements of Caribbean music, hip-hop, grime, jazz, club and electronic music”, describes the press release. “The new album perfectly exemplifies the future-facing magnetism of the current scene in London. Full of powerful tuba-driven basslines, fervent jazz soloing, raw yet precise rhythm sections and the introduction of synths, the album is all at once danceable and masterful.”

And there’s more reasons to get excited, with ‘Activate’, the explosive new track Cross has just unveiled, featuring fellow adventurous jazz musicians, saxophonist Nubya Garcia and drummer Moses Boyd. Take a listen now.