Spinner

Between the Notes

Sharon Jones, Now a Soul Star With the Dap-Kings, Got There the Hard Way

Sharon Jones, who was born in James Brown's hometown, Augusta, Ga., grew up singing and dancing to the city's Soul Brother Number One. ... Read More »

Elvis Perkins Transforms Tragic Family Losses Into Songs of Uplift and Hope

Sam Erickson Elvis Perkins, who has been relatively quiet after spending a busy 2009 in support of ... Read More »

The Day John Lennon Died: A Look Back at the Tragic Events of His Murder

The murder of John Lennon took a beloved rock star and willing cultural divining rod from his devoted following. ... Read More »

Richie Hawtin Raids Plastikman's 'Arkives,' Recalls Detroit Warehouse Days

Techno icon Richie Hawtin speaks to Spinner about dirty Detroit warehouses, hallucinogenic inspirations and bringing the '90s underground experience to a new generation. ... Read More »

The Beatles' iTunes Journey: From the 45 RPM Single to the iPod

What is the significance of the most creative and influential rock group of all time -- the Beatles -- finally appearing in digital form on Tuesday in Apple's iTunes store? ... Read More »

Girl Talk, DJ Spooky and DJ/Rupture Mix Beyond the Mash-Up

Mash-up maestros Girl Talk, DJ Spooky and DJ/Rupture discuss the state of the modern remix ... Read More »

Miles Davis 43-Disc Set Aurally Confirms His Jazz, Rock and Hip-Hop Legacy

On the documentary that accompanied Sony's 50th anniversary reissue of Miles Davis's enduring classic 'Kind of Blue,' the sublime rapper Q-Tip noted the ubiquity of the best-selling jazz album of all time. "It's like the Bible," he said. "You just have one in your house." ... Read More »

Ninja Tune Records Turns 20: An Oral History of a Legendary Label

Ninja Tune's 'Beats 'n' Pieces' aesthetic, which colours virtually every artist on the 20-year-old British label, began when founders Matt Black and Jon More burst onto the international scene as Coldcut with their 1987 remix of Eric B and Rakim's 'Paid in Full.' The result was an abstract hip-hop landmark that augmented its slinky beats with movie samples, sound effects and cross-cultural flourishes, such as Israeli folk singer Ofra Haza's operatic vocals ... Read More »

George Harrison and Ravi Shankar Box Set 'Collaborations' Is a Labor of Love for Me

Amongst the treasure George left behind were three Shankar/Harrison musical ventures. Naturally, working with the music of two people so revered makes this painstaking process a privilege and formidable responsibility, and I am fortified by Ravi's trust in me. ... Read More »

Mavis Staples Helps Lead the Senior Class' Revival of the Record Industry

The great Mavis Staples still believes one of the best albums she ever made was in 1993, almost two decades after the heyday of her family group, the Staple Singers. ... Read More »

John Lennon 70th Birthday Offers Best Opportunity to Fully Appraise His Songs

Oct. 9 marks what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday – a milestone hard to grasp when the final photo of the man froze him in time at the age of 40, senselessly assassinated 30 years ago this coming December. ... Read More »

Janis Joplin Primed for a Renaissance on the 40th Anniversary of Her Death

Janis Joplin did not write 'Piece of My Heart,' the song she is most often associated with. ... Read More »

Gonzales Makes His Move With Jazz-Chess Film, 'Ivory Tower'

In the cafeteria of the Crescent School in north Toronto, on a wall of class collages, is a 20-year-old portrait of one Jason Beck, a noble-looking prefect. It seems as though he's prepared to embody the school's motto: 'Men of Character from Boys of Promise.' ... Read More »

Polaris Music Prize: Are Indie-Skewing Critics' Awards Any More Legit?

If anyone was shocked when F--ked Up frontman Damian Abraham stripped down to a thong on stage at last year's Polaris Prize gala and gave the gowned-and-necktied crowd a generous eyeful of buttflesh, they shouldn't have been. It was just what the life cycle of the four-year-old Canadian music award demanded. ... Read More »

Polaris Music Prize Preview: Ten Nominees, One Winning Album

Heading into its fifth year, the Polaris Music Prize has attracted much kvetching about its supposed "indie" bias, but this year's shortlist of ten albums vying for the $20,000 award reveals a remarkably diverse array of records ... Read More »

Jimi Hendrix: The Man Who Heard Everything

Jimi Hendrix is forever associated with the most widely heralded moment of '60s pop culture -- his astounding and powerful interpretation of 'The Star Spangled Banner' at the historic Woodstock Music Festival. ... Read More »