Shamir, music’s accidental pop star, is finally back in the spotlight
On the release of his 5th studio album, ‘Be the Yee, Here Comes the Haw,’ the unpredictable singer-songwriter tells Document about his personal rebuilding process...
Noname speaks with Lakeith Stanfield about staying independent
Noname's new track, ‘Song 32,’ is just for her fans. In Document's Spring/Summer 2019 issue, she and Lakeith Stanfield talk dodging and chasing the spotlight.
Stella Donnelly is telling the world off, and having fun doing it
The Western Australian-based musician just released her debut album ‘Beware of the Dogs,’ which finds itself as the perfect balance between levity, hushed introspection, and...
Yasiin Bey released his newest album and all I got was a Polaroid of myself
The artist formerly known as Mos Def released Negus at Art Basel in Hong Kong—but you could only listen to it if you were there.
Artists Bryndon Cook and Rahim Fortune find stability in their Southern roots
Ahead of his new album, Bryndon Cook—a.k.a. Starchild and the New Romantic— discusses southern identity and strong women with photographer Rahim Fortune.
Premiere: Sunbeam Sound Machine’s new video is a psychedelic meditation on loneliness
Hazy melodies meet Uber Eats in the music video for ‘Seems Like You've Made Up Your Mind’ about a delivery man’s buoyant break from monotony.
Science proves banning violent music is total BS
Drill, juggalos, death metal—studies have shown that listening to violent music can actually make us happy, so why do authorities continue to censor it?
The Japanese House’s ‘Good at Falling’ ushers in a soothing wave of introspection
The Japanese House's debut album, ‘Good at Falling,’ chronicles several years of self-discovery, love, and a breakup for Amber Bain.
Ousted from his hometown, Nakhane finds salvation in music
On new album 'You Will Not Die,' the actor and singer embraces his sexuality and learns to reject universal truths.
Filmmaker Jenn Nkiru reclaims the black origins of techno
With her new film ‘Black to Techno,’ commissioned by Gucci and Frieze, the filmmaker looks to the genre's beginnings in the Motor City.
The 16 dance tracks Maya Jane Coles can’t stop listening to
Ahead of her headline set for He.She.They in New York this weekend, the UK-based producer curates an exclusive playlist of her favorite emerging artists, spanning...
Everything that went down at Dapper Dan, A$AP Rocky, and Teyana Taylor’s wild Harlem block party
A$AP Rocky, Teyana Taylor, Jerry Lorenzo, and Dapper Dan came together for a night of performances, panels, and Harlem's best soul food in celebration of...
Marina—sans the Diamonds—returns with ‘Handmade Heaven’
Watch the music video for her new single which chronicles the everyday struggle of life online and in the spotlight.
Nina Las Vegas on how lockout laws are killing Sydney’s club culture
The Australian DJ vents about how much the nightlife landscape has changed for the worse since the introduction of Sydney's lockout laws.
How a Chinese reality show made hip hop mainstream in Taiwan
With hip hop being banned on television in mainland China, Taiwan is leading the way for Chinese-language rap.
Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad on the evolution of Girlpool
The duo behind Girlpool sit down with Document to discuss their new album and their evolving relationship to each other and their music.
Cautious Clay, ex-real estate agent and R&B star on the verge
Listen to his new single, ‘Honest Enough.’
Max of Homestead’s ‘Bruteman’ is an honest exploration of masculinity
The musician hones in on isolation in his new project ‘Bruteman,’ which traverses an album and accompanying photo book.
Sita Abellan talks to electroclash legend Kittin about defying haters and making history
The self-described technoprincess talks to Caroline Hervé (Miss Kittin) about proving yourself in an image-obsessed world.
The weird history of (surprisingly good) state-sanctioned music in Russia
Vladimir Putin recently proposed the government take control of rap music—and it's hardly his first hip hop rodeo.
David Byrne’s alternative guide to 2018
In a year marked by family separations and the Tide Pod Challenge, David Byrne recaps the news stories that will make you feel good about...
JPEGMAFIA’s angry, experimental rap was the soundtrack of 2018
The rising rapper talks the hostile U.S. political climate, problematic idols, and what sort of music he’ll be putting out at 50.
They ain’t nuthing ta f’ wit: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) turns 25
Document examines the influence of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), 25 years after its debut.
Estonian Rapper Tommy Cash tells artist Slava Mogutin about the ideology of escapism
For Document's Fall/Winter 2018 issue, artist and activist Slava Mogutin and Tommy Cash bond over mafia-esque Russian security and explore their differences in political outlook.
Congress to vote on the Music Modernization Act
If the bill passes, it will attempt to correct the discrepancies in compensation that came about as digital music platforms emerged.
Frankie Knuckles and Honey Dijon bring down the house
The late Frankie Knuckles and Honey Dijon both brought Chicago house music to New York, albeit in different decades. Here, the DJs reminisce about a...
Empress Of carves out a kingdom
Empress Of singer Lorely Rodriguez talks about her insistence on living through empathy and her DIY origins in Los Angeles.
Frédéric Sanchez and Laurie Anderson discuss the relationship between image and sound
Sound designer Frédéric Sanchez and multimedia artist Laurie Anderson discuss the influence of memories, the relationship between image and sound, and Anderson’s new film, “Heart...
Gucci and Frieze collaborate on an Italo Disco fantasy
“Distant Planet: The Six Chapters of Simona," directed by Josh Blaaberg, is a call-back to a not-so-distant time.
Here’s one reason why you stop getting your musical kicks at age 30
A new survey of music listeners attempts to make sense of aging and musical discovery.
The Document Agenda: Recognizing power in the spotlight
Every week Document has an agenda: digging up dispatches from the creases of global culture. With this information, go forth.
Genesis P-Orridge on a life spent transgressing one’s self
The performer and Throbbing Gristle co-founder discusses love, violence, and making life a work of art with gallerist Lia Gangitano for Document's Spring/Summer 2017 issue.
serpentwithfeet sows the seeds of love in ‘soil’
Josiah Wise's latest release as serpentwithfeet is a sensuous plea to indulge the fantasies of unbroken human intimacy.
The Document Agenda: Lost in translation
Every week Document has an agenda: digging up dispatches from the creases of global culture. With this information, go forth.
Britain’s war on drill music is a grand effort to ignore the failures of austerity
The Metropolitan Gang Unit has banned over 30 drill videos from Youtube in recent weeks after deciding the popular genre is the lone root of...
Your favorite pop song might be depressed
After analyzing more than 500,000 pop songs, researchers have found that the most popular music has become a total bummer in the last 30 years.
Tbilisi’s clubgoers protest for open culture despite strict drug laws and white nationalists
Thousands of Georgian techno fans gathered in downtown Tbilisi this week to protest armed crackdowns on two of city’s most vibrant nightclubs.
Why has South Korea suddenly paused the K-Pop blaring across the DMZ?
South Korea's decades-long aural assault on North Korea has suddenly gone quiet.
Amen Dunes makes peace with freedom
On ‘Freedom’, his fifth record as Amen Dunes, Damon McMahon makes post-modern soul music that stares down the borderless terrain of the self.
Composers Steve Reich and Nico Muhly on the music’s ecstatic expressions
The experimental composers discuss the musical ideas that, for them, burn more brightly than the rest.
Designer Kris Van Assche and musician Yoann Lemoine reflect on the last decade in fashion and look to the future
The former artistic director of Dior Homme speaks with the Grammy-nominated musician Woodkid on creativity in the age of Instagram and what it means to...
Listening to the ‘music of the future’ in the future
Irv Teibel’s ‘Environments’ created a whole new category of escapist listening in the ’60s and ’70s. Now reissued as an app by the Numero Group,...
Taking back New York City’s nightlife
NYC is finally free to dance without fear of crackdown again with the repeal of New York’s 91-year-old Cabaret Law.
Porches make a record for and by New York City
Identity, club music, boredom and distraction all collide on Aaron Maine's latest album.
Musician Sevdaliza Escapes Expectations with Curator Beatrix Ruf
Both foreigners in the Netherlands, Musician Sevdaliza and curator Beatrix Ruf connect about migration and the role of identity in art
Casey Spooner and Michael Stipe penetrate queerdom
The longtime friends and collaborators dish on projects in the pipeline
Alice Glass and Lydia Lunch on Why Pleasure is the Ultimate Feminist Rebellion
Singer’s Alice Glass and Lydia Lunch connect on the topic of fleeing home as teenagers in Document's SS 2017 issue.
The Geometry of Sound
Architect and Document contributor David Adjaye designs a soundwave speaker.
Composers Paola Prestini and Philip Glass Talk Collaboration, Opera, and Kickstarter
Composers Paola Prestini and Philip Glass meet to discuss the struggles of being a rising musician, collaboration and finding new talent in Issue No. 8.
