| Make a Scene: Shamir’s XL Debut, “Ratchet” | May 22, 2015 |
The 20-year-old North Las Vegas crooner defies easy categorization.
| XL Strikes Again with the Ibeyi | August 15, 2014 |
Brad Beatson knows the fix is in on the Little League World Series Meet Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé, the 19-year old French-Cuban twins that echo Sade and their Yòrúban roots mixed with a kick reminiscent of Adele or MIA. Their debut EP, Oya, came out last week on XL Recordings to build buzz before their upcoming debut. It […]
| Jungle Brings The Funk Like Your Grandpa’s Feet | July 17, 2014 |
Brad Beatson can give it to you but whatcha gon’ do with it? I’ve got this image of everybody standing on the beach somewhere, and there’s this festival on the beach and everyone’s having a really great time. There’s like people surfing, sharks in the ocean, police cars are like pulling up on the beach. […]
The New York rap trio Ratking (Wiki, Hak, & Sporting Life) ran up through the Cosmic Zoo shortly after their Coachella performance. We discussed their excellent new XL album, “So It Goes,” taking inspiration from grime, Big Pun, and Dipset, the Eminem comparisons, Kurt Vonnegut, and how New York factors into their aesthetic. In addition, […]
| Question in the Form of an Answer: An Interview with JUNGLE. | March 12, 2014 |
I arrived at The Mercury Lounge on Sunday while JUNGLE. was conducting their soundcheck. T and J flew in from London the day before with their 3 band mates, sound engineer and manager, after completing a tour-leg opening for HAIM. Their first U.S. show was a few hours after landing, and they brought an energy […]
| JUNGLE.’s Masterful Groove | February 20, 2014 |
Brad Beatson has his own line of shoes and you didn’t even know it. Little has changed with Jungle since we named their EP, The Heat, #40 on our best albums of 2013 list. They’ve continued to stay out of the spotlight, changed the lettering of their name to “JUNGLE.” and have released yet another undeniable […]
