Q&A
Filmmaker Nabil Ayouch on hip hop’s unique poltical power
In partnership with Curzon — The director discusses new film Casablanca Beats, which centres on a real-life arts centre where young Moroccans use music as a tool for self-expression.
Written by: Ella Williams
Lord Apex is always evolving
In partnership with Element — To mark his appearance at Element x Hotel Radio Paris, the London MC explains why he’s never been one to follow the crowd.
Written by: Charlotte Rawlings
London artist Nayana IZ is writing her own story
Ignite the feeling — The 20-year-old musician and NiNE8 collective affiliate talks history, heritage and how her family have influenced her output.
Written by: Charlotte Rawlings
Easy Life are chronicling the uncertainty of youth
In partnership with New Era — To mark their involvement in New Era’s The Music Generations campaign, we catch up with the Leicester quintet to talk inspiration and innovation.
Written by: Vuyokazi Mtukela
Director Phillippe Lâcote has no time for the same old stories
Night of the Kings — With his latest feature, the French-Ivorian filmmaker has crafted an empathetic blend of myth and reality, set inside a prison run by its inmates.
Written by: Vuyokazi Mtukela
Coded Bias: how AI threatens our civil rights
Dystopian reality — Director Shalini Kantayya discusses her new film shedding light on the urgent threats machine learning poses to individual freedoms and democracy, and what society must do to combat these sinister technologies.
Written by: Daisy Schofield
Steelpan pioneer Fimber Bravo is a musical revolutionary
Still fighting — The Trinidadian artist, who has been living in Britain since the ’70s, has long used his instrument as a tool to fight oppression. His new album is the latest instalment in a life defined by resistance.
Written by: Jeremy Allen
Black Country, New Road make music for a warped world
New sounds — BC,NR aren’t just anxious young people making music for other anxious young people: they’re a raw reflection of the society that surrounds them. Here, they explain why it’s important to find laughter in the darkness.
Written by: Charlie McQuaid
Filmmaker Rose Glass on making this year’s best horror
Saint Maud — After a lengthy delay, the British writer-director’s unforgettable debut feature is finally in UK cinemas. To mark its release, she explains how she constructed empathetic genre movie concerning mental illness and body horror.
Written by: Josh Slater-Williams
Mavi is on a far-reaching quest for greatness
Rising like the sun — The Charlotte native is a budding neuroscientist wise beyond his years, who also happens to be one of hip hop’s brightest hopes. Regardless of the subject, he’s driven by a desire to seek out answers – no matter how uncomfortable the truth might be.
Written by: Thomas Hobbs
A meandering email exchange with Bill Callahan
‘Every day is a river’ — The inimitable singer-songwriter talks protest, parenthood and how, when it came to releasing new music, he was inspired by American rapper Tierra Whack.
Written by: Jeremy Allen
Charting the rise of radical, independent unions
United Voices — A documentary follows United Voices of the World as they fight for key workers’ rights, demonstrating how new, grassroots unions are reimagining collectivism and solidarity in the modern world.
Written by: Katie Goh