“It’s been made very clear to me that my highest purpose in this life path is to be a conduit for connection, for alignment and for, I think, ascension.” That quote comes courtesy of DJ Mag North America’s latest cover star, Sara Landry — and while those words might sound a bit grandiose coming from anyone else, Landry’s productions and DJ sets back up that claim. Her “witchy warehouse techno,” as she describes it, is a force unto itself, a superhuman sound that quite possibly could lead to a bit of realignment, given the right situation — and those situations have been coming her way with ever-increasing frequency as of late. Megan Venzin recently spoke with the Amsterdam-based DJ and producer to find out more.
On the opposite end of the four-to-the-floor spectrum, you’ll find Francis Harris and Anthony Collins, together known as Frank & Tony. Their version of the classic house sound, stripped down to groove and mood, may be subtle, but the duo’s new LP, ‘Ethos,’ packs the kind of emotional punch that is sometimes lacking in the music made by less-skilled hands. Emotion has never been lacking in the sonic output of another of this issue’s featured artists, Cakes Da Killa — the New York–based wordsmith has been making fun and frank rap for over a decade, and his latest, ‘Black Sheep,’ might be his best yet.
As usual, it’s another action-packed issue, chock full of goodies for your perusal. Hot on the heels of their fantastic ‘Side By Side’ mega-EP on Magic City, we run down 10 of GRRL’s fave club cuts, take a dive into the Afrofuturist-tinged musical world of UK turntablist NikNak, explore the modular stylings of the Delhi-born composer Arushi Jain, and sit down with the French DJ and producer Anetha, along with pages brimming with reviews, tech news and more. Let the ascending begin!
Bruce Tantum
Editor