Angus Batey looks back into his archive of interviews with Raekwon in order to better understand this high water mark in mid-90s hip hop

Right from the day it came out – indeed, perhaps even for a while before that – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was special. Although Method Man and Ol’ Dirty Bastard had released their first solo LPs beforehand, it was Raekwon’s debut that finally convinced those perhaps a little reluctant to accept the fact that the Wu-Tang Clan were revolutionising rap. It included appearances from all the group’s emcees and was masterfully choreographed by b(r)and mastermind RZA. The decision to recast the group members as Staten Island crack-era mafia dons, each with a new nickname and a…

The post 30 Years On: Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Revisited appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/anniversary/30-years-on-raekwons-only-built-4-cuban-linx-revisited/

tQ’s staffers return with another guide to the very best the last month had to offer, from experimental hip hop to the new wave of shoegaze, and everything inbetween

Sometimes when compiling these round-ups of new music, I’m struck by how far the selection stretches across the musical spectrum. At others, it’s easy to find a common thread. July’s best-of is in the latter camp. There’s a certain chaos, an overstimulation and a fraying at the edges that seems to unite a host of the records you’ll find below and that – given the the world in which they’re released to – feels hard to ignore.

Everything you’ll find below, as well as all the other excellent music we’ve covered at tQ…

The post Music of the Month: The Best Albums and Tracks of July 2025 appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/tq-charts/music-of-the-month/best-new-music-albums-tracks-july-2025/

As Warp reissue the first two albums from The Sabres Of Paradise, Lee Brackstone reflects on how Andrew Weatherall led bandmates Gary Burns and Jagz Kooner on a determined excursion through the twinkling, psychedelic sonic margins

“The Caucasians wrote love-poems to their daggers, as to a mistress, and went to battle, as to a rendezvous. Fighting was life itself to these beautiful people – the most beautiful people in the world, it was said. They lived and died by the dagger. Battle-thrusts were the pulse of the race. Vengeance was their creed, violence their climate.”  The Sabres of Paradise, Lesley Blanch 

On 14 May 1994, in a crumbling Wembley Stadium, a resurgent Manchester United triumphed 4-0 over arrivistes Chelsea to secure the…

The post A Photocopy of a Polaroid of an X-ray of a Ghost: The Sabres Of Paradise Reissues appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/reissue-of-the-week/a-photocopy-of-a-polaroid-of-an-x-ray-of-a-ghost-the-sabres-of-paradise-reissues/

Catch up with the sweet, saucy and stern sounds of tQ’s summer 2025

In his review of REST IN BASS, the excellent new album by young Atlanta rapper Che, Eden Tizard described how on one track the “beat is cut up with what sounds like gravel blowing its nose” – can you validate this excellent wordplay by listening to the record via this month’s subscriber exclusive playlist? In well over four hours of music, you can not just get snotty aggregate rap but also tracks by Wevie Stunder, DJ Haram, Pharaoh Overlord, $ilk Money, Siavash Amini, Gwenno, Laibach, The Lijadu Sisters, Yves Tumor with Nina, Blood Orange, Daphni, Nilüfer Yanya, The Armed, Marissa Nadler, Gina Birch, Kae Tempest, Jessica Winter, Animal Collective, Factory Floor,…

The post Subscriber Playlist: What we Wrote About in July appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/subscriber-area/monthly-playlists/subscriber-playlist-what-we-wrote-about-in-july/

Manslaughter 777

God’s World

Manslaughter 777’s second LP is a full-on bacchanalia of breaks and plundered vocal hooks, says Bernie Brooks

God's World by MANSLAUGHTER 777

Listening to God’s World, Manslaughter 777’s second LP, you might think of:

A weathered, hand-painted sign, however long ago, advertising a dance, cold beer and a soundsystem. Popular acapellas dropped on new rhythms – one-of-a-kind, exclusive plates – fill the warm air. Temporarily carefree, the dancers move in time.

Straightaway, or maybe not quite straightaway. After a thump and a shout and bit of intense, insectoid buzz, it soon becomes clear that the drumming duo of Lee Buford and Zac Jones – aided and abetted by Seth Manchester’s studio wizardry – have cooked up something a little different for their…

The post Manslaughter 777 – God’s World appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/manslaughter-777-gods-world-review/

These New Puritans, Los Thuthanaka and more will play the Guimarães-based event later this year

Mucho Flow has shared the bulk of the lineup for its 2025 edition, taking place this October into November.

The Portuguese festival will take in sets from previously announced acts such as These New Puritans, Maria Somerville, YHWH Nailguyn and Body Meat, while the organisers have also newly revealed that the event will also host sets from Los Thuthanaka (the project of siblings Chuquimamani-Condori and Joshua Chuquimia Crampton), Nick León, LUXE and Colombian Drone Mafia + Gibrana Cervantes, among others.

As ever, the festival will take place across multiple venues in the centre of Guimarães.

Mucho Flow will take place from October 30 to November 1, 2025. Find more…

The post Portugal’s Mucho Flow Announces First Acts for 2025 Edition appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/news/portugals-mucho-flow-announces-first-acts-for-2025-edition/

The two-track record is out now on Hyperdub

Burial has released a new EP through longtime label home Hyperdub.

Out now digitally, Comafields / Imaginary Festival is comprised of the two titular tracks. A limited edition clear vinyl release is set to follow on September 19, and can be pre-order exclusively via Hyperdub here.

Listen to the two new songs below.

The new EP follows last summer’s split single with Kode9 on Hyperdub, Phoneglow / Eyes Go Blank. The elusive producer also put out a two-track EP, Dreamfear, through XL Recordings at the start of 2024.

Comafields / Imaginary Festival is out now on Hyperdub.

Comafields / Imaginary Festival by Burial
…

The post Burial Releases New EP, ‘Comafields / Imaginary Festival’ appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/news/burial-releases-new-ep-comafields-imaginary-festival/

Elton features on a new version of ‘Stonehenge’, the song which soundtracked one of the original movie’s best-loved scenes

Spinal Tap have teamed up with Elton John to release a new version of the band’s song ‘Stonehenge’.

The original track appeared in one of the best-loved scenes from 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, which saw the band, having made a mistake when commissioning an 18ft Stonehenge stage prop, have to make do with an 18in version being lowered from above while they performed instead.

The new version with John, on which he performs lead vocals, has been made for the film’s long-awaited sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. In a video for the track, released today along with the song…

The post Spinal Tap Link with Elton John for Song from ‘Spinal Tap II’ Movie appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/news/spinal-tap-link-with-elton-john-for-song-from-spinal-tap-ii-movie/

Described as “a night of music, reflection and hope”, the event will feature a lineup that is yet to be announced

Brian Eno is executive producing a benefit concert for Palestinians affected by Israel’s ongoing military assault in Gaza.

 It will take place at London’s Wembley Arena on Wednesday, September 17, with a lineup that is yet to be announced. Eno has described it as “a night of music, reflection and hope”. Tickets will be made available from 10am BST on August 4. Khaled Ziada, Khalid Abdalla, and Tracey Seaward have organised the event alongside Eno.

Announcing the event, the UK musician said: “I’ve had the good fortune to work with some of the world’s most remarkable artists for over 50 years. But…

The post Brian Eno Unveils Palestine Benefit Concert at London’s Wembley Arena appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/news/brian-eno-unveils-palestine-benefit-concert-at-londons-wembley-arena/

Tony F Wilson – a lifer’s lifer. His Quietus subscribers’ mix comprises a depth charge exploration into an underground catalogue that dates back to the mid 90s. Chopped, screwed and spat back up with added venom. Harry Sword gets the (sub) low down. 

Oslo based, London born Tony F Wilson has been steeped in bass pressure since early childhood. Born to Jamaican parents in Croydon, his dad was a member of reggae band Black Volts and his earliest musical memories involve studio sessions. His new mix, exclusively for tQ subscribers under the moniker Spykidelic, involves a dense plethora of his own myriad collaborations – revisited and (sometimes) remixed – a chopped and screwed journey through the depths of projects including Echo…

The post tQ Subscriber Release: Spykidelic’s Nyabinghindustrial II Mix appeared first on The Quietus.

source https://thequietus.com/subscriber-area/music-downloads/tq-subscriber-release-spykidelics-nyabinghindustrial-ii-mix/