One of my favorite genres isn't as simple as 'rock' or 'dance.' It can take any form, really, as long as it's about drifting, getting away and exploring the darker side of this fine country of ours. Yes, I'm a sucker for songs about rambling, trains, making peace with God, murders, rivers and pretty much anything timeless, American, on the open road and having nothing to do with Drake. (Love you Drizzy!)
Here's a special playlist of some favorites from the obvious (Hank Williams and The Allman Brothers' very different songs called "Ramblin' Man") to dusty spiritual classics (Mississippi Fred McDowell, Blind Willie Johnson) and some that are just perfect for getting in the car and going who-knows-where (Bob Dylan, Skip James, Elvis Presley, Townes Van Zant).
Whether your trip is mental or you're really running away, this one should come in handy.
When I was growing up in a city with a tanked economy, dark basement parties were the only places to be. Sweating it out to the thundering bass of hip-hop and r&b was a right of passage, and whoever could shake, twerk and drop it the best was crowned king or queen.
Music and dance have always been forms of empowerment for disenfranchised communities around the world, and urban creativity has produced some of the most popular music genres to date through cultural cannibalism: a process that intertwines multiple marginalized identities and cultures to create the best sounds and craziest moves.
Urban queer culture, our subject here, has had a profound impact on pop music in the past fifty years. Ballroom and drag scenes reinvented house music in the '80s and birthed voguing – a dance style that mixed performance art with break dancing and inspired Madonna, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga to name a few.
Today, queer culture continues to reinvigorate genres and trends. Ideas of sexual and bodily expression mix with dancehall call-and-response to create bounce – a genre that hails from the project buildings and poor neighborhoods of New Orleans. Also called "sissy bounce," this music is usually fronted by genderqueer men (like the legendary Big Freedia) and recently got into the hands of influential artists like Diplo and Nicki Minaj.
It's actually a bit tough to know what to say on this one. Levon Helm was so much more than a drummer. He was immense – a real musician, a fighter, an actor, a rambler and a man that strove for a loose, authentic, song-first concept until his death on April 19. Best known as the drummer, sometimes vocalist and glue of The Band, Levon is an absolute legend in every way. His early work in The Hawks with Ronnie Hawkins is blistering rock 'n' roll. His contributions to The Basement Tapes and Dylan's work in the late '60s are so classic that I still obsess over them almost every Sunday. The Band is called The Band for a reason, and his work in subsequent years on storied 'rambles' in upstate New York are the stuff of legend amongst true music fans. I know I keep using words like 'true,' 'authentic' and 'real,' but there are so few that actually embody those qualities. Levon Helm was one of them. He will be greatly missed.
It's been two years since Guru (Keith Edward Elam), legendary rapper of Gang Starr and Jazzmatazz, passed away at the age of 48. An astounding MC with a gravelly, knowing tone, Guru and DJ Premier formed one of the finest duos in hip-hop history, leaving behind a trail of great tracks that demonstrate how far expert sampling, jazz and a sense of funk can take you. It's only natural to reflect and do some listening in remembrance, so here's a lil Spotify playlist of some of our favorites. (Side note: This Mr. Cee mix on Hot 97 the day Guru died is also still basically the best thing ever. Highest recommendation if you haven't heard it before.)
One of the most influential composers, songwriters and producers of the second half of the 20th century, John Cale turns (a crazy) 70-years-old today. What a good time to look back at how awesome he is, right?
Cale, of course, started in The Velvet Underground, adding an unpredictable experimental element with his droning viola and organ parts all over the storied group's first two records. Eventually, he split with Lou Reed and embarked on a fruitful solo career with classics like Paris 1919, while simultaneously racking-up production credits with big artists like Nick Drake, The Modern Lovers, Patti Smith and Nico. He continues to compose and release albums to this day with his most recent EP, Extra Playlful, dropping on Domino imprint Double Six last year.
Check out our primer to Cale's music for a lesson in his greatness or a nostalgic trip through some truly unique songs and ideas.
There was certainly something in the air during the aughts in New York City. I mean, you know the deal. It was a confusing time here – an apocalyptic threat around every corner, and many local musicians responded with a level of brutal honesty that we haven't seen since 'the laptops' took over. As the legend goes, the big three – Black Dice, Animal Collective and Gang Gang Dance – all shared a practice space, but it's actually informative to view the period through the prism of these three acts. They all eventually built on early critical accolades to become influential behemoths.
Perhaps you want to revisit the period, learn the basics or just get a little weird for an afternoon, so I threw together this Spotify primer of my favorite (and likely, the most lasting) underground New York acts of the early-mid 2000s. Yes, we love The Strokes and Grizzly Bear at RCRD LBL, but we'll save that for a different time with less sawdust on the floor.
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