crackaud.io stories

The audio version of our Issue 142 cover story, featuring Jam City.

Jam City’s 2012 debut album rerouted UK club music, but a series of stylistic heel-turns and A-list collaborations in the years since have seen the self-proclaimed postmodern baby live up to his own billing. Now, the producer is returning to his roots to celebrate the transcendent power of a messy night out on his next record, 'EFM'.

Words by Will Pritchard and narration by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

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The audio version of our Issue 140 cover story, featuring Caroline Polachek.

“I feel like culture in general is suffering from a need for everything to be literal. It’s almost like we’ve forgotten that’s never why we were interested in art in the first place”

Caroline Polachek is no stranger to drama. Guided by her breathtaking voice, the experimental pop artist has written operas, earned a Grammy nomination and even inspired a TikTok dance craze. For her next chapter, she’s surrendering to chaos.

This cover story was written by Jake Indiana and narrated by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

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The relationship between UK poetry and music is up for discussion in this podcast episode, recorded live in November 2022 at Bars of Reassurance: Poetry and Grime.

The live conversation, presented by Royal Society of Literature and the Museum of London alongside Crack Magazine, was hosted by producer and writer Tobi Kyeremateng and features poets and storytellers Yomi Ṣode and Kayo Chingonyi. The talk was inspired by the museum’s display, Grime Stories: From the corner to the mainstream, which explored the enduring impact of the genre and its footprint in youth culture today.

This episode was edited by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon. Yomi Sode's reading of 'Distant Daily Ijó' is courtesy of the T. S. Eliot Prize.

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Crack Magazine has been collaborating with BIMM Institute Bristol on a series of talks featuring some of the most influential and inventive voices in contemporary music.

In this episode, we welcome DJ, label-boss and general future-thinker Elijah. As the co-founder of Butterz, Elijah has been instrumental in uplifting the rise of artists like Flava D, Royal T and DJ Q. Beyond the label, his work with Youth Music and his iconic yellow squares insights on social media have established him as an important and imaginative voice in British independent music. Here, Elijah chats to Crack’s Audio Manager, Jasmine Kent-Smith, over Zoom about his entry into the music industry, Butterz, and supporting artists in 2023. 

This episode was moderated by Jasmine Kent-Smith and edited by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

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Crack Magazine has been collaborating with BIMM Institute Bristol on a series of live talks featuring some of the most influential and inventive voices in contemporary music.

In this podcast episode, we hear from Pau Cristòful, who works on the booking team at Primavera Sound. For the conversation series, Pau sat down with Crack co-founder and director Thomas Frost at BIMM Institute Bristol to discuss the planning, creativity, and ambition that it takes to programme Primavera Sound – one of Europe's largest music festivals – ahead of its 2022 edition. Listen until the end to hear Pau answer questions from the conversation audience.

Our podcasts are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other audio platforms. This episode was moderated by Thomas Frost and edited by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

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Last year, Crack Magazine collaborated with BIMM Institute Bristol on a series of live talks featuring some of the most influential and inventive voices in contemporary music.

Here, Eliza Rose – the east London artist and DJ behind 2022 smash hit, 'B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)' – and DJ and broadcaster Vanessa Maria connect for a conversation about the song and its success, Rose’s career thus far, her relationship with social media, performance anxiety and future plans. Stay tuned to the end to hear Eliza answer some questions from the audience.

Our podcasts are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other audio platforms. This episode was moderated by Vanessa Maria and edited by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

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“We are trying to combine Polynesian culture and electronic music, halfway between tradition and modernism.”

In Tahiti, the main island in French Polynesia, music is an integral part of the culture. As essential to everyday life as water or air. But there’s one style of music that reigns supreme: sapa’u, also known as ori deck.

For Issue 132, Tiare Tuuhia connects with some of the style's biggest players and delves into the story and culture behind the emerging genre. Written by Tiare Tuuhia and narrated by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

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“I struggled with my religious upbringing for years after I became an adult and right now, right at the tail-end of this record, I’ve realised I’ve made peace with everything.”

As Ethel Cain, Hayden Silas Anhedönia calls upon memories of her strict religious upbringing to create her own Southern epic. We catch up with the Preacher's Daughter artist for Issue 132. Written by Emma Garland and narrated by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon

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“Making music is not something I do because I want to make money. It’s something I do because it’s what I am. I don’t feel like I can detach myself from that as an identity.”

Mr. Mitch talks fatherhood, functional club music and his new working process for the Issue 132 feature. Written by Will Pritchard and narrated by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

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The audio version of our Issue 132 cover story, featuring Arooj Aftab.

"I think of a thing, and then I ask, ‘What is the history? Is there a depth behind it?’"

Composer, vocalist, Grammy-award winner, storyteller. Arooj Aftab is reimagining the music of centuries past, and making history as she goes. We meet the Pakistani artist for our June cover story. Written by Michelle Hyun Kim and narrated by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

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