The EMP Pop Conference is back in Seattle! On Saturday, April 20th, from 9AM to 5PM, at the Experience Music Project, a whole bunch of voices will be heard in debates, five minute talks, and excited dialogues about music, music culture, art, politics, and all the other fascinating subjects that get…
Atmosphere reigns supreme on Nostalchic, the lush debut album from UK-based electronic producer Stuart Howard, a.k.a. Lapalux. Weaving elements of deconstructed R&B, soul, hip hop, and jazz with his astral, deeply textured production, Lapalux galvanizes a gorgeously infectious mood. Lopsided be…
As major labels continue to exist behind the times, artists and labels with little capital and lesser reputations are producing some of the most innovative, interesting, and inspiring music. Whether it’s creating a new niche in digital technology or looking to once obsolete formats, Agitated Atmosp…
As major labels continue to exist behind the times, artists and labels with little capital and lesser reputations are producing some of the most innovative, interesting, and inspiring music. Whether it’s creating a new niche in digital technology or looking to once obsolete formats, Agitated Atmosp…
In only a few quick years, James Blake's name and reputation have grown exponentially. Back in 2010, he pioneered the "post-dubstep" genre (consisting of pretty much just him back then) with the much-loved CMYK EP. His mixture of jazz, soul, and bassy undertones made for a rich and unique listening…
Sunday night, rock pioneer Nick Cave returned to Seattle in support of the excellent new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds record Push The Sky Away. Unsurprisingly, Cave played an insurmountable show in grandiose fashion. Mixing the best of Push with a dozen or more classics, Cave and his band brought …
Saturday night, 12 bucks (a cheap cover at nearby clubs) bought you a night of chilled out, near-perfect indie pop bliss. Though How To Dress Well just swung through town a couple months ago, they returned with friends - namely, rising indie pop icon Sky Ferreira and Australian psych-pop band High …
As Jamie Lidell started into his Neumos set Monday night, he recalled the Multiply tour, where at his Neumos stop back in 2006, he wore a leopard print suit that was blistering hot on stage. Here, he was dressed more akin to an R&B Dr. Who, with a dark full body coat over a simple v-neck. But t…
Making a truly timeless record is really, really hard. Without the ability to look into the future and see what sounds and styles are going to fall out of fashion, artists often just have to take the gamble and see what happens. With all the knowledge and ability you have as an artist, you need to …

In 2018, KEXP celebrated the 30th anniversary of local record label Sub Pop with a four-month retrospective, "counting up" every catalog number in their vast discography of over 1,200 releases. Dig into the archives of our catalog coverage, featuring in-depth coverage on the history of their releases.