music
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Stage is set for Brit awards to finally prove it is not 'so white'Organisers faced criticism in 2016 when no black artists were nominated but after a shakeup this year promises to be different -
Ohio Players and P-Funk legend Walter 'Junie' Morrison dies aged 62The multi-talented musician was the driving force behind some of the biggest hits of 70s funk – and an inspiration to scores of hip-hop artists
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Mick Jagger wrote a 'masterpiece' memoir that has never been publishedRolling Stones manager has denied publisher John Blake permission to put out manuscript that includes tales of the singer buying a mansion while high on LSD -
Scottish Ensemble – Alina Ibragimova spars deeply, fiercelyThe nimble ensemble delivered pithy Mendelssohn and Pärt, while the commanding Ibragimova added ferocious Hartmann and exuberant Bach
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The first painter of musicLong before Brian Eno and others realised it was possible, Basil Kirchin was manipulating sounds to create a new and pioneering form of music
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Share your songs about recoveryMake your nomination in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 20 February
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Midnight Oil announce full details of world tour and 14 hours of unreleased materialFifteen years after they disbanded, Australian band announce sweeping tour that will begin in April, as well as three archival box sets
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Emails reveal Dr Luke said Kesha not given good songs 'because of her weight'Singer releases messages from producer in her continuing fight to be released from her contract with him
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Michigan Republicans consider Kid Rock as candidate for US senateSongwriter’s name came up during discussions at party convention, according to newspaper of Capitol Hill
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Rag'n'Bone Man – retro-soul spirituals with lounge rap interludesThe industry’s latest white soul offering smacks as much of Michael Bolton as Ben E King, but rescues an ordinary set with some billowing acoustic numbers
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Le Vin Herbé review – a stark, brilliant new Tristan and Iseult stagingLife, love and death unfold monumentally in Welsh National Opera’s spellbinding version of Frank Martin’s little-known oratorio
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Syd: Fin – subtly tearing up the R&B playbookWith spellbinding complexity, the former Odd Future star inverts the genre’s norms in a debut that is sensual, soulful and astonishingly accomplished
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Human review – all sorts of rootsy goodnessThe Brits critics’ choice award-winner’s debut is a triumph of gritty, blues-inflected pop
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Musicians remember the soundtracks to their teenage crushesA shaggy Texan, a firebreathing dancer, Liz Taylor … stars relive their first loves – and the tunes that bring them back
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The indie stars banding together for refugeesCharli XCX, Pixie Geldof, Olly from Years & Years plus assorted indie musicians are raising money by performing Gimme Shelter at the NME awards on Wednesday. Can they pull it off?
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video
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Inside Jamaica's most chilled-out reggae studio – videoThe Inna De Yard project invites legends of the Jamaican reggae scene to record outdoors, high up in the hills surrounding Kingston
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Watch a clip from The Depraved Appetite of Tarrare the Freak – videoPuppets and opera aren’t such strange bedfellows, as this exclusive video of Wattle and Daub’s new show proves
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Bruce Springsteen: 'We are part of the new resistance' in the age of Trump – videoThe rock star, who is on tour in Australia, says ‘our hearts and our spirits are with all the millions of people’ who marched against the new US president
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David Bowie remembered by two of his biggest fans – videoMusician Gary Kemp, a lifelong fan, and Nicholas Pegg, author of The Complete David Bowie, reflect on life without the Starman as they take a tour of some of Bowie’s London haunts
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Singer, songwriter, pop superstar: George Michael dies aged 53 – video obituaryGeorge Michael, one of Britain’s biggest pop star of the 1980s, has ‘passed away peacefully’ at his Oxfordshire home
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Donald Trump and Kanye West meet at Trump Tower – videoKanye West and Donald Trump meet at Trump Tower on Tuesday. Trump says the rapper is a good man
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The enigma of Kanye West – and how the world's biggest pop star ended up being its most reviled, too
The enigma of Kanye West – and how the world's biggest pop star ended up being its most reviled, too
Everything Kanye West does is an event, from the smallest interview to the biggest show. As he prepares to headline Glastonbury, one writer considers how West became the divisive figure he is
interviews
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The woman making Björk, Aphex Twin and Eno sound so goodHow did sound mixer Mandy Parnell make it to the top in such a blokey industry? The former homeless runaway reveals all
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‘The new album says yes to love’The band’s latest record is a journey through heartbreak, from anger and grief to despair and liberation, says David Longstreth
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‘I was like: “Mum! Drake wants my beat!” And she was like: “Who?”’He was tipped to be the next big thing – until family tragedy stalled his career. But Kanye West and Frank Ocean got him back on track
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Why the Iranian Bob Dylan wants to be music's BanksyA revolutionary artist, in exile from his oppressive hometown, all Namjoo wants is to be anonymous so he can make music without having to pose for selfies
quizzes
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How well do you know the life of Freddie Mercury?It’s the 25th anniversary of the death of the Queen frontman on 24 November – test your knowledge of his life and times
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Were you paying attention? Classical music in 2016 – quizHow many of the classical world’s comings and goings, openings and closings, bouquets and brickbats do you remember from the past 12 months? Try our quiz
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How well do you know the Triple J Hottest 100? Try our infinite quizThis quiz features randomised questions dynamically generated from Hottest 100 data between 1993 and 2014
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From Jessie J to Jerry Lee, how well do you know this week in music history – quizIt’s our weekly test of your knowledge of pop arcania – come and have a go if you think you know enough
in pictures
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Guns, gore and ice cream: rap mixtape artworkA new book collects the Photoshopped fantasies of rap mixtape covers – from riffs on Top Gun and Game of Thrones to sadistic violence and political commentary
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Grammys 2017: Golden Gnarly Davidson, Prince tributes, Adele's awards and more – in picturesHighlights from this year’s award show, from Blue Ivy Carter’s pink Prince homage to Metallica and Lady Gaga’s fiery collaboration
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The strongest 2017 Grammys red carpet looks – in picturesAdele, Solange and Rihanna were among the most fierce and fashionable at the 59th annual music awards show
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Aretha Franklin – Queen of Soul's career in picturesSinger Aretha Franklin has announced she will retire – after recording one final album with Stevie Wonder – 61 years on from the release of her first record. The Queen of Soul revealed her plans on a Detroit TV channel, saying: ‘I must tell you, I am retiring this year’
you may have missed
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The enigmatic Godfather of GrimeThe Long Read: After more than a decade of being fetishised and then written off, grime now dominates British pop culture. To understand why, you need to understand the man who created it
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‘Being the voice of a generation is not a pretty place to be’Their seventh album made them superstars. But the fame cost REM a band member and, nearly, their friendships. In a rare interview, five years after splitting, they discuss legacy, Trump and why they’re still sorry for Shiny Happy People
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The rising music stars to look out forFrom squat rock to laptop futurism, 2016’s most creative music is being made away from focus groups, major labels and publicists. Meet the most exciting independent minds in music
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‘Drugs were a crutch for me’Abel Tesfaye’s tortured, genre-bending R&B has brought him millions of fans, a triple platinum album and collaborations with Daft Punk and Beyoncé. Will mainstream success make him happy?
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‘You can change a life in three minutes with the right song’The global superstar talks about the masculine facade of Donald Trump, the strength he inherited from his mother, the philosophy he shares with fans, and the joy he delivers on stage
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‘I sat in a room for 20 years, taking crack and watching the Alien films’In the 80s, the bitchy, ‘bloody gorgeous’ singer was groomed to be the next Boy George. Stardom beckoned – until drugs and a very lengthy breakdown got in the way
Duets from beyond the grave Is this pop’s creepiest trend?