Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here: Review

It’s been a long, hard road to redemption for Gil Scott-Heron, the influential musician, poet and author, whose last full-length album, Spirits, was released 16 years ago. In the interim, he’s been in and out of jail on various drug-related offences, his taste for narcotics sapping the creative impulses that once burned so brightly. Scott-Heron’s saviour came in the unlikely shape of XL Records boss Richard Russell – the man responsible for rave classic The Bouncer by Kicks Like a Mule – who offered to produce an album by the singer during his stint in Rikers.

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Blakroc - Blakroc: Review

Rap and rock don’t always make easy bedfellows, and the combination of the two genres has mostly produced a case of ever-diminishing returns over the years. It all started so well, with Run DMC and the Beastie Boys successfully melding giant riffs with ingenious rhymes. But in 2009, the most talked-about rap/rock alliance is Lil Wayne’s Rebirth, which has been delayed and rescheduled by a record company who appear to have got cold feet over the whole idea.

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The Fiery Furnaces: BBC Collective Interview/Session

“We’ve got democracy fever!” It’s election year in America, and Matthew Friedberger, multi-instrumentalist and creative mastermind behind The Fiery Furnaces, is bringing his fans to the ballot box. He’s mapping out plans for the band’s next album in his sister Eleanor’s apartment, which doubles as their practice space on the outskirts of Greenpoint in Brooklyn.

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Black Dice: BBC Collective Interview/Session

The shoebox-sized practice space that houses Brooklyn’s Black Dice is located in the basement of a dilapidated industrial building on the outskirts of still-fashionable Williamsburg. As Aaron Warren, who comprises one-third of the band along with brothers Bjorn and Eric Copeland, greets Collective, he warns of the oppressive heat and cramped quarters inside. Given the intense nature of the band’s music, the setting could hardly be more appropriate.

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