seek out the new celebrate the innovators It’s a pretty crisp mission statement. It’s not about playing obscure tracks one after another, for the sake of ‘appearing cool’. It’s not about analogue versus digital. It’s not your typical Williamsburg night. No – this is where Sheffield’s own ABC will be played next to The Breeders. [...]

Last week, there was an article in The Guardian which made reference to Williamsburg as being ‘The World’s Hippest Neighbourhood’. It was fortuitous timing, for on Friday night the claim on this title could not have been any clearer. The substantiation of the claim wasn’t based on the creatively hirsute twenty-somethings, or the skate-boarding dads. [...]

One of the more surprising bits of feedback I’ve received regarding the freethinking movement came from a colleague of mine a couple of years ago. She attended one of the early freethinking nyc nights, and ended up becoming a regular ‘freethinker’. She came straight out with the feedback: ‘I now know the real James’. The [...]

Let’s be honest – the best night to get out, grab a beer, and kick back with some good music is Friday. Always has been, always will be. Forget the notion of anything being the new Friday. There’s only one night with a claim on the title. Are you ready for some freethinking to kick [...]

Now this is a tough one. The spirit of the freethinking movement is to encourage conversation about music, to encourage opening your mind to new sounds. To encourage an opinion. The problem is, sometimes the opinion seems so totally at odds with ‘what’s right’ that I have to hold my hand up. Here goes… Over [...]

Welcome back, Dave. In a year with some pretty great releases in the first quarter alone, it’s perhaps to be expected that the lead singer out of Tin Machine would more than hold his own. Let’s strip back, past the hullaballoo (I’ve never used that word before, but it feels completely justified), past the column [...]

Picture the scene: I’ve only recently moved to a new neighbourhood. There’s been a huge change in my family life – all for the better. My knowledge of the area is really only that of an infrequent interloper, ‘trekking’ from Manhattan to a Brooklyn ‘hood. Discovering new places requires legwork – and I’m not shy [...]

How did this pass me by? It’s 2013, and here I am, about to write about a tune which was released in 1995. But, thanks to you lot, I never even knew about this until last year. Thanks a bunch. As I sat down in January to compile my list of top albums for 2012, [...]

It wasn’t entirely clear when the news started to filter through last week, but now mainstream news sites are confirming the sad news that Donald Byrd is no longer with us. The eulogies will be long, glowing, and full of praise for this jazz trumpeter who, through a long career, helped to shape music as [...]

Ron Carter is high up there. His contribution to the world of music is indisputable. Some of Herbie Hancock’s finest recordings – including Maiden Voyage and Empyryan Isles – were graced by the genius of his bass work. He was there when it mattered, alongside Miles, as a new age in jazz was dawning. I [...]

This week I heard someone refer to the freethinking movement as being about ‘Northern music’. While I’d plead guilty to music from The Old Country getting more than its fair share on these pages, I don’t think that a few articles in praise of the sounds of Manchester really qualify (or condemn, depending on your [...]

Let’s get this out of the way: the best music from 2012 came not from new blood, but from established artists. Fine, there are some exceptions, but as a general rule, last year some comparatively old dogs absolutely nailed it. *braces self for onslaught of not-so-constructive feedback* As ever, picking ten albums is really tough. [...]