Near Death Experience's single, "Shake," arrived not so much as music, but as a sudden, urgent insistence. It’s London psych-rock-soul alright, but brewed with something fiercely immediate, demanding attention like a ringing telephone in an empty room. The core quartet – Ian Whiteling guiding the trip with vocals and guitar fuzz, Joshua Van Ness laying down a heartbeat that feels both frantic and locked-in,...

Ghana's Revolutionary Voice Danqua Transforms Afrobeat Through Spiritual Innovation. Danqua, emerging from the vibrant streets of Accra, doesn't just participate in Ghana's musical conversation—he transforms it. In his ground-breaking piece "Orison," Danqua makes both a musical and a spiritual statement. The structure of the track's percussion forms a complicated beat that pulls listeners into its gravitational field. Not only is this piece technically impressive, but there is...