INTERVIEWS
Puscifer: Court Jesters of the Apocalypse
Feel like the COVID-19 era has been lacking a stone-cold jam to put some rhythm in your step as you nervously pace around your dwelling during self-isolation? Rejoice; after a five-year hiatus, Puscifer—the electro-rock side project of Tool singer Maynard James Keenan— is back with a new album, Existential Reckoning, and a lead single “Apocalyptical,” that’s infectious enough to make you want to dance the blight away and ponderous enough to make your mind work up a sweat while doing so. Though Existential Reckoning began to take form prior to the pandemic — Keenan notes that the band began “chipping away” at the new material in late 2018 —”Apocalyptical,” in particular, touches on the elephant in the room both coincidentally and otherwise. The track itself marries a weighty, sharp-an...
Mike Patton on Reuniting Mr. Bungle, Navigating the Pandemic, and More
Mr. Bungle (Mike Patton center), photo by Eric Larsen Prior to the pandemic, Mike Patton had countless irons in the musical fire. While his touring plans came to a standstill, the singer has soldiered on with his many creative endeavors. One of those projects is the first album in 21 years from his reunited band Mr. Bungle. Mr. Bungle reunited earlier this year for a handful of shows in February, featuring a lineup that included original members Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn, along with thrash titans Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies) and Scott Ian (Anthrax). In addition to the concerts, news came that the same lineup would re-record Mr. Bungle’s 1986 demo The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny. The re-recording, due October 30th, features the songs from original trackli...
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![UZ Opens Up About His Final Album “Trinity,” Getting Sober, and the Future of Trap Music [Interview]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/uz-opens-up-about-his-final-album-trinity-getting-sober-and-the-future-of-trap-music-interview-80x80.jpg)
UZ Opens Up About His Final Album “Trinity,” Getting Sober, and the Future of Trap Music [Interview]
Operating behind a black and gold mask while dishing out forward-thinking trap beats over the past decade, enigmatic producer UZ has undoubtedly managed to craft his own style, solidifying himself as a true electronic music trailblazer. After achieving viral success in 2012 with his “Trap Shit” series on Diplo’s Mad Decent imprint, UZ took his bass-heavy sound to stages around the world, developed his own Quality Goods Records label, and established himself as an underground legend. It was in 2017 when, alongside the release of his debut album Layers, UZ decided to take off the mask, revealing himself as the two-time DMC winning DJ Troubl, as well as enigmatic UK house producer Plezier. A massive moment for UZ, Layers was followed up by 2018’s The Rebirth, when t...
10 Questions with Kasbo on New Album: “I Just Wanted to Create This World That People Could Escape To”
After a steady stream of singles ahead of his new album, The Making of a Paracosm, beloved Swedish electronic music artist Kasbo is finally gearing up for its release next Friday, October 23rd. So far the outlook is propitious, with tracks like “Play Pretend” and “Skogsrå”—out via Foreign Family Collective and Counter Records—alluding to a project brimming with the most mature and experimental music he has released to date. Kasbo initially earned critical acclaim with his 2018 debut album, Places We Don’t Know, but it wasn’t until after its release and rave reception that he started to pursue music full time. It was during the album’s supporting tour when The Making of a Paracosm’s story began, written on tour buses and in between shows. Finally completed this March, its jo...
Ashton Irwin’s Brave New World
Not gonna lie: I’m not a fan of 5 Seconds of Summer. That said, I’m not a “non-fan”, either. There’s a distinct difference between disliking a band’s music and truly not knowing too much about it. I fall into the latter category for absolutely no other reason than lack of exposure and selective listening. Some might say I’m not and never was their target audience. Some might be right about that. Point being, when I heard Ashton Irwin’s solo debut Superbloom I was listening without any preconceived notion of what it was supposed to be, though prepared for whatever boy-band-drummer-makes-solo-album might bring. Before listening, I knew Ash’s influences included Foo Fighters, Nick Drake, Helmet, Silverchair, Stone Temple Pilots, My Bloody Valentine, Curve. How, I wondered, would the sen...
T.I. on His 11th Album, All-Nighters in the Studio With Young Thug and 21 Savage
Clifford “T.I.” Harris is one of the greatest rappers of all time, the self-proclaimed King of the South. He’s also one of the rare MCs whose speaking voice isn’t a faint hint of the voice he raps with: he’s a thoughtful and loquacious guy whose vocabulary gets even more expansive when he’s not contained by a rhyme scheme. And it sometimes seems like he’s constantly holding forth with a continuous stream of thought as he moves from the vocal booth to reality shows to his podcast to film roles, an oratory that you just temporarily participate in when interviewing him for a half-hour. The rapper, who turned 40 last month, just released his 11th album, The L.I.B.R.A., with an all-star roster of guests including Young Thug, Lil Baby, Benny the Butcher, and 21 Savage. But the father of six also...
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How EDM “Revitalized a Sense of Urgency and Passion” in Shaquille O’Neal [Interview]
Music and sports are connected in their ability to bring people together. At the crux of the two—and likely the outright center of attention—is now-retired basketball icon and current mainstage festival DJ, Shaquille O’Neal. While a casual fan may only be familiar with his Hall of Fame NBA career, diehards of the legend know he’s anything but one-dimensional. His passion drove him to carry out one of the greatest careers in NBA history, but when the lights at the arena went out, O’Neal often sought out his second love: music. DJ Diesel first began to learn how to mix music back in 1988 while attending and playing basketball at Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas. DJing excited people and brought in an audience, so he gravitated towards what he does best: entertain. This hobb...
Colin Miller, Unfiltered: Meet the “Candy 2” Director Amplifying Louis the Child’s Colorful Brand
Growing up in Batavia, Illinois, a Chicago suburb with a population of just over 26,000, photographer and videographer Colin Miller never imagined the adventures his camera would take him on. Now one of the many renowned artists for Louis the Child, one of electronic music’s fastest rising acts, Miller has been on stage and behind the scenes at the world’s biggest festivals and venues, traveling in the fast lane alongside the duo’s members, Robby Hauldren and Freddy Kennett, who became some of his closest friends. Just this month, Miller added another notch to his portfolio’s already supersized belt— directing the visual companion for Candy 2, the long-anticipated 36-minute beat tape released by Louis the Child on October 2nd, 2020. Composed of sweeping landscapes, psychedelic color i...
Beabadoobee on Making Fake It Flowers for Her 15-Year-Old Self
Fake It Flowers, Bea Kristi’s debut LP as Beabadoobee, is the series of honest conversations she’s always wanted to have — drawing on childhood memories, new and old relationships and finding confidence in her 20-year-old self. The singer-songwriter emigrated with her parents from Iloilo City, Philippines to Camden in North London at age three. While she settled into her U.K. home, Kristi admits to SPIN that she was “embarrassed of how I looked and embarrassed about the lunch my dad used to pack me — rice and adobo or sinigang,” two popular Filipino dishes. And the desire to connect to her identity flowed into her first encounters with music. “I remember just being like, ‘Why is there no one who looks like me onstage?’” she says. “I had no one to kind of look up to, and it was strange.” Sh...
How Tate McRae Became a Pop Star During the Pandemic
Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae has spent years fine-tuning her artistic vision — a collection of moody alt-pop tracks blurring genre lines and videos showcasing her world-class dance skills — and she’ll be damned if she’s not on every Zoom meeting, discussing visual treatments and sending back pages of notes. One tiny issue: She’s only a senior in high school. “I forget sometimes I have school work, too,” the 17-year-old laughs, explaining her hectic schedule. “I have to juggle school, dance training every night, work-outs and all the writing sessions,” she tells SPIN. “It’s pretty jam-packed.” Such is life for the latest pop newcomer to ascend during quarantine. The Calgary teen’s music has been everywhere over the last few months; her pulsing single “You Broke Me First,” released ...
“One Day at a Time”: NERVO on Persevering the Challenges of Breast Cancer
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a time when we set aside our own issues and work together to foster the conversation around one of the deadliest types of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately one in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetime—a heartbreaking figure that NERVO is all too familiar with. Back in March 2014, the mother of the barnstorming sister DJ duo was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. Considering the fact that their family did not have a history of the disease, the diagnosis was a metaphorical punch in the gut. Olivia and Miriam Nervo’s mom’s cancer was detected through a routine mammogram, a fortuitous happenstance that underscores the importance of early detection screeni...
Pallbearer’s Joseph Rowland Talks Forgotten Days and the Importance of Releasing Music During the Pandemic
Pallbearer are a true heavy metal success story. Arising from the humble Arkansas metal scene, the band sharpened its craft in the underground and forged its own artistic path, rising up the food chain to become one of the most respected American doom bands. This would eventually lead Pallbearer to heavyweight label Nuclear Blast, who signed the group last year. Symbolically, it signaled that Pallbearer had officially arrived, and that the years of work had paid off. Like the great doom bands of yore — Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Cathedral — Pallbearer infuse their doom with a palpable emotional weight that verges on spiritual. Good riffs are only part of the equation. It’s the human energy and expression that drives the band’s music and spine-chilling live performances. That energy hit...
