In Our Headphones

Stepan i Meduza - "О​с​е​н​ьs," a 2018 self-released single

UkrainianduoStepan i Meduza evoke the spirit of early Depeche Mode on thiscaptivating synthwave track.Kiev-based musicians Burkov Aleksandr (vocals, guitar, synth, programming, mixing) and Mashkin Dmitry (bass guitar, vocals, synth, programming) have been releasing music together for over a decade, starting with their 2012 debut LPBludnitsa.

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Dharmacide - "Horses/Divorces" a 2023 self-released single

Hailing from Madrid, Spain, shoegaze quintetDharmacide thrilled with their dreamy debut LP,Cult Band Member, in 2021.

With today's Song of the Day, they achieve one of the ultimate shoegaze honors of working withMark Gardener of genre-icons Ride, who mixed, mastered, and produced the track from hisOX4 Studios.

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Bien et Toi - "Haiku" from the 2023 Voici EP on Temple Records

L.A.-based producer Gianluca Buccellati has been racking up accolades, especially for his work on the 2021 Arlo Parks album Collapsed in Sunbeams. He crafts just as much beauty on his own music, which he records under the nameBien et Toi.

With its warm, sunny vibes, his latest EP— the six-song releaseVoici— is the perfect antidote to grey winter weather. "This collection of songs was created when I was in a completely carefree state of flow,” Buccellati said in a press statement. “After my last EP [2022's London Safari], I wanted to create a body of work that had less features and felt more personal. This EP is for people to let loose to, a soundtrack for pool parties or warmer nights."

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Bella Cuts - “Until Everybody Is Free” from the 2023 album Rise Up: BDS Mixtape Vol. 2 on Amplify Palestine

“The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free”
— Dr. Maya Angelou

Berlin-based artistBella Cuts originally wrote today's Song of the Day as an anthem for the Internationalist Queer Pride Berlin. It has since gone on to become the theme song for The Solidarity Index, a podcast "exploring cultural power for collective liberation." The track was builtaround a vocal sample taken from an interview with Dr. Maya Angelou, and as such, Bella Cuts is donating all proceeds from the track to theDr. Maya Angelou Foundation.

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Bosq & Kaleta - “No Walls" from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records

Long-time collaboratorsBosq & Kaleta team up again for an Afrobeat-inspired disco funk groove.

BornBenjamin Woods inCape Cod, Massachusetts,Bosq is now based in Colombia where he has dominated dance floors with his blends ofAfro-Latin music withDisco, Funk, Reggae, House, and Hip Hop.

Singer/songwriter/producer/musicianLeon “Kaleta” Ligan-Majekodunmi was born inPorto Novo, Benin, and was active in theLagos, Nigeria music scene in the '70s.

On today's Song of the Day, they convey the message, "TEAR DOWN THE WALLS." As Bosq writes on Instagram, "In Gaza & the West Bank but also all over the world. The vocals in the beginning are spoken in Zulu, a South African language. The South African people also long suffered under a racist apartheid regime that was supported until the very end by Israel and the US. She says 'open the gates here comes the elephant, open the road here comes the elephant.' Palestine will be free."

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Baraari - "Habal (feat. Jurum) (prod. Julmud),” a 2023 self-released single

Based in Ramallah, Palestine, MC/singerBaraari blendsArabic melodies with hip-hop in today's Song of the Day.

When not recording her own music, she's also active inpre-production of different audio/visual projects with artistsBasel Abbas & Ruanne Abu Rahme, and organizes events and private parties in Palestine.

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Bint il Sham - "Ishtar” from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records

A relatively new singer/songwriter,Bint il Sham says her music is "driven by translating the journey of being a Palestinian refugee between Amman and Damascus." Her songs mix minimal electronica with poetry and sociopolitical messages related to her own experiences.

Today's Song of the Day is the title track from her 2023 EP, inspired by the bookLugz Ashtar (orThe Mystery of Ishtar) by authorFiras Al-Sawwah.

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El Waili - “TGLY” from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records

Egyptian artistEl Waili— a project of rapper/producerKareem Gaber— takes his name from a neighborhood where he once lived in Cairo.

"I started to produce music that translates my sonic experience while living in the El Waili neighbourhood," he told Egypt Today. "I wanted to deconstruct the urban noises and present a perspective and a feeling with a distinctive music style and drops."

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Hak Baker - "DOOLALLY" from the 2023 album Worlds End FM on Hak Attack Records / AWAL

Hak Baker has penned a party anthem with today's Song of the Day. (It even garnered him a collaboration with spiced rum brand Sailor Jerry, who released a limited edition "DOOLALLY" bottle back in the summer.) TheEast London-based artist was born to a Grenadan father and a Jamaican mother, and combines his love of reggae and punk into his lauded debut LPWorlds End FM.

“We thought we was big, big boys, going to MC at these little clubs in Romford. Don’t forget that Moet cost 30 quid back then so we were having it large,” Baker says in a press release. “Everybody loves a house party. You’re talking to the house party king here. These are all the shenanigans rolled into 3.5 minutes, or all the ones I can talk about anyway — DOOLALLY!!”

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Aphex Twin - "Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" from the 2023 EP Blackbox Life Recorder 21f on Warp

Today’s Song of the Day marks the first new music from electronic music icon Aphex Twin (aka Richard D. James) in five years. (And it's been nearly ten years since his last album, 2014'sSyro.)

His latest EP— titled Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760— is a percussive-heavy delight. with a surprising synth-laden sensitivity. His signature glitchiness is ever-present, but the song also reflects his evolution towards more mellow moments.

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