ListenUp
Pusha T’s “Lunch Money,” the music from “Transparent,” Japan’s love for Soul Train and more in the music we tweeted this week
Son Lux: Tundra Visitation Rentals
A music festival with a dedicated couch-surfing program may seemingly be pointed at young indie hipsters, but the Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht—a quaint town about an hour south of Amsterdam—is a serious music fan’s affair. Founded in 2007, the annual four-day event has seen the likes of Caribou, Swans, Wild Beasts, Deer Tick, Bill Callahan, Ty Segall and more grace its stages. This year the trained pianist, award-wining composer and post-rock artist Son Lux is joining in, and in celebration, Under the Radar Magazine asked Lux (aka Ryan Lott) to create a mixtape. Check out his mix, “Tundra Visitation Rentals,” for a peek at what he’s been listening to.
Pusha T: Lunch Money
This week Funk Master Flex premiered a new original track from Virginia’s Pusha T, his first solo drop since 2013’s My Name is My Name. “Lunch Money” sees King Push spitting as aggressively as ever—albeit over a more abstract than usual beat from none other than frequent collaborator Kanye West. Drawing from a wide array of sonic samples that are far from your average hip hop track, the mid-track beat switch up is trademark West production. Expect a new full-length from Pusha in the coming months.
Tinashe (feat. SchoolBoy Q): 2 On
After listening to LA-based singer-songwriter Henry Wolfe‘s recently released EP Encino, which features two original tracks and two covers (Arthur Russell and Harry Nilsson), you might be surprised to hear his current guilty pleasure song is the club grinder “2 On” by alternative R&B artist Tinashe. “It was like a Top 40 jam this summer. I’m a little behind the times, so this has been my fall jam,” Wolfe explains, with a laugh. “I listen to it when I run.” With a slinky chorus like “I love to get 2 on,” this PrivateJam definitely doesn’t keep your feet standing still.
Music from “Transparent”
November 20th marked Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which honors those who have lost their lives because of anti-transgender prejudice. (Reportedly, a person is killed somewhere in the world every two days for expressing gender nonconformity.) It’s difficult to understand the irrational hatred people harbor, and hopefully (among other ever-evolving cultural signposts) shows like Amazon’s “Transparent” help to destigmatize and educate about the trans community. Starring the brilliant Jeffrey Tambor, who plays Maura Pfefferman (née Mort Pfefferman), “Transparent” is at once a comedic and heartbreaking story about a somewhat dysfunctional family, but overall a completely captivating storyline that anyone can appreciate. Helmed by Bruce Gilbert, the soundtrack almost serves as another character, underlining key emotional moments. Give it a listen via Spotify.
The Three Degrees: 天使の囁き (When Will I See You Again)
This week Japanese hip-hop scholar Dexter Thomas penned a second installment of his look into Japan’s connection to Soul Train, highlighting the band Yellow Magic Orchestra—the only Japanese band to ever perform on the show, and an Afrika Bambaataa favorite. As insightful as Thomas’ look at the gentlemen is, we had a look at his first installment, which focused on Soul Train theme song singers The Three Degrees, and were gobsmacked by the trio’s keen ability to sing in Japanese. They translated their 1974 hit “When Will I See You Again” in full (to 天使の囁き or “Tenshi no Sasayaki”), which became a hit both stateside and in Japan. They went on to translate several more songs and even cut a Japan-only release.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that takes a deeper look at the music we tweeted throughout the week. Often we’ll include a musician or notable fan’s personal favorite in a song or album dubbed #PrivateJam. Hear them all in our ListenUp playlist on Spotify.
