Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, Black Fathers, and White Women
EIC Zoe Patterson weaves together an analysis of Kendrick Lamar's new album with grief over her relationship with an absent parent
Two Auditions
In this memoir piece, Ernestine Whitman looks back on her journey as a young girl to becoming a professional flutist
La Espera
La Espera is an original piano composition accompanied with an original collage artwork by Spanish artist Bea Montero
Sitting Down with Dubai Rapper KAFV
An interview with Dubai-based rapper KAFV, talking about the UAE's hip-hop scene, sampling, foreign cinema, and more
If Young Metro Don't Trust You, It’s Not Nice: Producer Tags, Ego, & Excellence
Multimedia editor Garreth Chan explores the phenomenon of producer tags in music
Primordial Soup
Two improvised audio pieces by Paris-based artist Godefroy Dronsart that explores noise as an aesthetic
Downward Facing
Enter the studio: a yoga class devolves from tranquil to disturbing for the socially anxious
Desert
Audio artist LOVTRE's work has us floating through space, imagining the noise of planets mingled with the noise of humanity
You Give Me That Contact High
The UAE, like many countries, has grown increasingly entranced with hip-hop culture, streetwear, and their history. This cross-cultural interest manifests in the arrival of the "Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop" exhibition at Manarat al Saadiyat, reviewed here by EIC Vamika Sinha
Psychedelic Rhapsody
Weaving from Jay-Z to Khruangbin, Aravind Kumar takes us through a "psychedelic" listening practice
Music from My Good Eye
Combining photographic languages, this body of work addresses the history of musicality and activism in Thero Makepe's family lineage between Botswana and apartheid South Africa
Fuck This Noise: A Defense of Noise Music
What are the boundaries between music and mere noise? Garreth Chan makes a case for noise music and how it is less alien than we think
Okuribito: A Dignified Portrayal of the Beautiful Dead
How do we care for the dead? Garreth Chan explores the intersections of beauty, mundanity, death, and family through his exploration of the film Okuribito and its soundtrack
UTDOT(Terms)COM
How many times have you mindlessly scrolled past the Terms of Service? Our Multimedia Editor explores the concept of trivializing this tedious document in an age rife with conversations on data privacy and censorship
Rinse at 30: An Interview with Yaz León
An exclusive interview and premiere of London-based soul artist Yaz León’s new single “Rinse at 30”
Sorry I Have to Reschedule, I’m Preparing My Son’s Funeral
“Sorry I Have to Reschedule” explores a foggy soundscape of remembrance as the artist muses upon the premature death of childhood
bed bugs: a curated playlist
We're kicking off our new music column "pink noise" with a selection of lo-fi/chill songs for lazing in bed and staring out the window during quarantine.
When I Get Home: Solange's Cartography
In When I Get Home, a title itself implying a road and destination tied to self, Solange sketches a journey, maps out the paths that have led her to this exact moment as both artist and woman and black being.
Going Black: The Commodification of Hip-Hop Culture
“The commodification of hip-hop leads to a watering down of its content. As corporations try to capture as much of the market as possible, they ‘tone down’ hip-hop’s radical aspects to make it as palatable for consumers as possible.”
Thank u, next
“Pop music is not always a site for frivolity. The breathy, celestial flutterings of Grande's music are also a safe space, not only for herself, but for all her fans and listeners” – a feminist op-ed by Vamika Sinha.