Local duo THEESatisfaction share a truly triptacular video for the title track off their most recent release, EarthEE, out now via Sub Pop. The clip, directed by Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes, also features label-mates and collaborators Porter Ray and Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces. Alley-Barns describ…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song comes from Seattle produ…
Shabazz Palaces sound like no one else. Whether you call it "sci-fi", "way-out", "weirdo" or even "planetarium" rap, the Seattle duo's music might as well be in outer space considering how far off they sound from their contemporaries. But it's not like they don't want anyone else to follow. In its …
Local duo Shabazz Palaces have announced a new album on the way, Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star out July 14th via Sub Pop. Check out the first single "Shine a Light (feat. Thaddillac)" below, via a lyric video directed by Cristina T. Bercovitz and Jonathan Snipes of clipping. In addition to Thad…
While space may be the final frontier, the cosmos also appear to be the creative studio of electronic producer Scot Porter, a.k.a. Vox Mod. On the debut full-length, SYN-ÆSTHETIC, Vox Mod’s galactic production and otherworldly synths hover over beats launched from sci-fi sequencers transporting lis…
Second on today's broadcast live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves music festival was the incomparable Digable Planets. Formed in Brooklyn in 1992, the poet-rappers, comprised of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving, continue to push the limits …
Producer and musician Erik Blood is a Seattle icon, working releases for a broad roster of local artists, including Shabazz Palaces, THEESatisfaction, The Moondoggies, and TacocaT. Released earlier this year, the influence of his diverse collaborations is apparent in his new record Lost in Slow Mot…
Tomorrow, Thursday, April 12, KEXP will host a special evening with the L.A. podcast The Trap Set. Get to know our panelists: Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, Ruby Dunphy of Thunderpussy, Tendai Maraire of Shabazz Palaces and Chimurenga Renaissance, and Jason McGerr of Death Cab For Cutie.
Imagine if one of the world’s coolest record labels threw a free, all-ages party for you and a few thousand of your friends. Imagine if it included bands like Father John Misty, Shabazz Palaces , Built to Spill and Mudhoney. Imagine there was tons of food, beer. activities and artwork! Now imagine …
Digable Planets is officially back. After announcing their reunion tour at a NYE show in Seattle, the group followed through with the announcement as they took the main stage of Sasquatch! Music Festival by storm Saturday night. Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Craig "Doodlebug" Irving and Mary Ann "Lad…
Join Midday Show host Cheryl Waters on a musical Ævintýr (Icelandic for adventure) featuring tons of great new songs including many that have yet to be released. Dig in and enjoy! 1. Winnebago - Blinders 2. Other Lives - Reconfiguration 3. Sóley - Ævintýr 4. Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Be…
The Zimbabwean, Tendai Maraire, who also plays in the well-known Shabazz Palaces, recently released a new album with Hussein Kalonji under the band name Chimurenga Renaissance. Their 2014 project is a boom-bap-centric, thoughtful album that experiments with sounds and genres. The record is a journe…
Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole lays down a mix of some of his current faves spanning genres and the globe. Including tracks from The Mynabirds, Wimps, Pinkshinyultrablast and Destroyer! 1. Strange Wilds - Pronoia 2. Wimps - Take It As It Comes 3. Veruca Salt - Laughing In The Sugar Bowl 4. Long …
Seattle-based musician and producer Scot Porter makes beautifully layered electronic music under the name Vox Mod. Recently, he stopped by to perform live in the KEXP studio for Audioasis -- and it's good the cameras were on him because Porter also creates wonderfully strange animations, which are…
There's probably no other festival as intimate, communal and sustainable in the Northwest like Pickathon. This weekend at the Pendarvis Farm just outside Portland, Oregon, a diverse gathering of bands like Feist, Andrew Bird, The Devil Makes Three, Divine Fits and Shabazz Palaces will perform as pa…
Following yesterday's hypnotic in-studio session on The Midday Show on KEXP, local ladies THEESatisfaction release their sophomore album EarthEE today via Sub Pop. KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes it as an "entrancing blend of Afro-futurist hip hop, cosmic R&B, psychedelic funk and astra…
Last Friday saw the release of not one, but two albums from local duo Shabazz Palaces. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star "an impressive set of adventurous hip hop combining an ominous, shape-shifting sound with often heavily processed and reverbed vocals and dysto…
Niña Mendoza is a Vancouver, BC-based DJ renowned for her exquisite taste and deep knowledge of soul, R&B, hip-hop, boogie, and funk that spans everything from the deep cuts of past decades to breaking the latest jams from new underground artists. A trusted staple in the nightlife scene of her …
If you caught the Father John Misty video for "The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apartment," you might've marveled at the technology that allowed Josh Tillman to pick himself up at a bar and take himself home for a romantic evening. Today, Sub Pop reveals a behind-the-scenes look at how they made…
