
We’ve lost The 45 King, and we couldn’t let his passing go without paying tribute. Real name Mark James, The 45 King is a supremely influential producer and mover and shaker in hip hop and club music, even if he wasn’t a household name broadly. Influence and fame aren’t the same thing. James has produced

Whether you like it or not, Britney Spears is about to drop the biggest pop-cultural moment of 2023, and it’s not even new music. The fervour around her new memoir is bigger than, say, a new album from Rihanna or the imminent Beatles release. And why is that? Well, largely, it’s because Britney is still

It isn’t generally a good sign when a company takes over another company and promptly sacks half the staff, is it? Seen the absolute shambles at Twitter? Exactly. And so to Bandcamp, depressingly. Music licensing company Songtradr bought the platform – widely regarded to be the saviour of independent musicians getting any kind of income

You’d think 1984 would be a vintage year for Michael Jackson. His album ‘Thriller’ has basically conquered the world and, for many, redefined what it meant to be a popstar and the subsequent tour only cemented his place in the annals of pop, fully breaking free from the shadow of his pop past. However, post-Thriller,

Mr Bongo put good records out, and the latest we’ve spotted is a gem from Daniel Ögren, who you might know from our newest favourite band Dina Ögon. Available on special magenta vinyl (and standard obvs), Ögren’s ‘Fastingen-92′ was initially put out on a limited pressing in 2020, and now Mr Bongo have reissued the

Wanna watch something cool? You’re in luck. Amplified have shared a documentary on YouTube about the start of the New York City punk scene. All the faces you want to see are there – Iggy, Debbie, The Ramones, and talking heads from Jayne County, Alice Cooper, Lenny Kaye, Alan Vega and loads more. From non

Hey! Do you like new music and, not just new music, but slightly difficult music that’s fun? Well, you should check outy Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra newbie, ‘Future Shaman’. Apply here if you like wonky jazz and post-rock. It’s discordant, good stuff. Mazurek is a composer/trumpeter and the Exploding Star Orchestra features Damon Locks…

We like a popstar making bold choices, and Sam Smith has been doing exactly that lately. It doesn’t matter whether you like the tunes or not, we should absolutely support a commercial artist when they lean into the experimental and off-kilter. Did you see them on SNL, with Sharon Stone draping themselves all over the…

It feels kinda shitty referring to a new artist as ‘Bjork’s daughter’, but needs must. Isadora Bjarkardottir Barney is her name, and she’s released her debut solo work as part of a comp showcasing Icelandic music. The comp is called ‘DRULLUMALL 4’ and Isadora’s track – ‘bergmál’ – is really good, you’ll be glad to…

The mighty Pet Shop Boys are all set to share some previously unreleased songs in April. It’s all part of a new thing they’re doing and that new thing is a book called ‘Annually’. The 2023 edition of the yearly release (hence the name) will be a 64-page hardback affair, containing journals, photos from their…
THERE’S NO MONEY IN THIS GAME ANYMORE, BUT IF YOU WANT TO WRITE SOMETHING FOR THE POP CORPS, YOU ARE WELCOME TO GET IN TOUCH. HAPPY HUNTING.
POP CULTURE IS WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
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