Revivals, Mental Health, and Ears on Sudan: NBHAP Newsletter #01

Hey there. Welcome to NBHAP’s newsletter. We are glad you’re here. Sit down, put on your headphones, drink a glass of water, and take a moment to browse through the music and stories we encountered this month.

Currently playing: "Teru Teru" by Kodäma

Good morning, afternoon, or evening dear reader. This is Liv from NBHAP. The first edition of the NBHAP newsletter is coming to you straight from my Barcelona base. I just made myself a too-hot-to-drink cup of coffee and sat down on the living room couch. While waiting for it to cool down, I am writing these words and listening to "Teru Teru" by the duo Kodäma, my current weekend morning jam. The song is part of the 2018 EP "Black Cloud (Si apre in una nuova finestra)" by Kiala Ogawa and Thomas Hugenel and merges electronic soul with eclectic influence from the band's West African and Japanese heritage. Press play to join my frequency.

What makes a good Saturday morning song in your opinion?

Musical Conversations About Mental Health

It is April, a month of transition, change, and unreliable weather conditions. But it is also (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) a time of growth. Winter blends into spring, trees green, and first sunbeams chase away remainders of winter depression. Fittingly, we had an extended conversation (Si apre in una nuova finestra) with the duo Modha (Si apre in una nuova finestra) whose debut LP "Through the Cycle" (Si apre in una nuova finestra) is an interdisciplinary dialog about mental health. Together with artists like okcandice, Noah Slee, and Jermaine Peterson, they released a soulful, jazzy RnB collection of songs to destigmatize talking about mental health and depression.

“We hope to create an understanding of how individual and complex mental health experiences are, yet how they are tied to history, society, and structural injustice." – Modha

Author Lilly Timme's conversation (Si apre in una nuova finestra) with Portland's Jente Pironet picks up the theme. “Music needs to be like therapy”, the singer says elaborating on the band's second LP "Departures (Si apre in una nuova finestra)". Creative expression is one way of dealing with struggles. Music can be a tool to look at emotions, to voice them, and to work through them. That also applies to the way Ray Lozano (Si apre in una nuova finestra) approached her intimate debut record "Pairing Mode" (Si apre in una nuova finestra). In a personal guest feature (Si apre in una nuova finestra), the German-Filipino singer writes about finding comfort and belonging in Jill Scott's music as a teenager. For LA-based multimedia artist Annahstasia (Si apre in una nuova finestra), the release of her debut meant a reconnection with her first love: music. Titled "Revival (Si apre in una nuova finestra)", the record mends her relationship to femininity and herself while calling out discriminatory social structures. It is a confidently vulnerable return to musical expression.

"[...] I realized that I can’t put aside these vulnerable pieces of me for the future. I should be investing in them now and I should be exploring them now."

– Annahstasia

How music can be a vehicle to reach a state of catharsis was the focus of editor Andreas' conversation with Irish newcomers Perlee (Si apre in una nuova finestra), as they strolled through their old, Berlin-Moabit surroundings. "A lot of it is about moving and being in different places and feeling", co-singer Saramai Leech notes about their debut LP "Speaking From Other Rooms" (Si apre in una nuova finestra). The record explores these sentiments to a consuming degree.

Have you met...?

The up-and-coming, the hot new shit. This month we featured three amazing new acts on our introducing radar. We kicked off the month with Dutch musician Nadine Appeldoorn, aka Mazey Haze (Si apre in una nuova finestra) who released her debut EP "Back To The Start (Si apre in una nuova finestra)". Author Austin Maloney writes: "Mazey Haze's songs, whether they’re taking on the guise of spacey, kaleidoscopic psych-pop or lush, orchestral 60s-influenced rock, all sweep out of the speakers in a burst of life and colour". From there, we took it to France with the French-Algerian singer and producer Sabrina Bellaouel (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and her debut "Al Hadr (Si apre in una nuova finestra)". The Arabic title roughly translates to "the present time". Singer-songwriter meets electronic pop and techno house, "Al Hadr" is a chameleon of a record. Cellist Lucinda Chua (Si apre in una nuova finestra) concluded April with her ethereal debut LP "YIAN (Si apre in una nuova finestra)" (燕), an intimate exploration of her Chinese-British identity over carefully orchestrated warm piano melodies and lush synths.

Tune into the current version of our Introducing (Si apre in una nuova finestra) playlist below, and follow it to listen to receive an update every week.

Politics of Pop

What we listen to, who we support, and who gets heard is political. Who has access to the resources to express themselves and release songs is political. This section of the newsletter is dedicated to the intersection of music and politics. Following the current escalation (Si apre in una nuova finestra) of violence between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces in Sudan and its capital Khartoum, we are highlighting musicians from the country this month. Featuring artists like Amira Kheir (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Alsarah & The Nubatones (Si apre in una nuova finestra), and Rasha (Si apre in una nuova finestra), the playlist (Si apre in una nuova finestra) establishes a dialog between locals and artists from the Sudanese diaspora like Dua Saleh, (Si apre in una nuova finestra) Nadine El Roubi (Si apre in una nuova finestra), and Gaidaa (Si apre in una nuova finestra). If you are interested in exploring the country's traditional sound, check out the web archive and Soundcloud (Si apre in una nuova finestra) of Sudan Tapes Archive (Si apre in una nuova finestra) dedicated to preserving Sudanese music culture.

To stay up to date with the situation in Sudan, follow accounts like Project Taghyir (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and Women of Sudan (Si apre in una nuova finestra), who regularly publish resources and well-researched information. If within your possibilities, consider financially supporting initiatives providing aid on the ground, for example, Sudan Aid Fund (Si apre in una nuova finestra). And if you are a London-based person of Sudanese descent there will be a community healing event (Si apre in una nuova finestra) taking place on May 2nd.

Music Industry Tea

The music industry is a twisted place, Annahstasia (Si apre in una nuova finestra) tells author Alexandra Gulzarova. Both, she and Londoner Rapper Nadia Rose (Si apre in una nuova finestra) describe the discrimination and creative policing of their art they experienced as Black women in the music industry. Fighting back and regaining control, Nadia started releasing music via her own label, QWERKY Entertainment. Annahstasia found inspiration in other ways of creative expression while struggling with ties to a label that would not allow her creative freedom until she was finally able to make her return with "Revival".

Another way of stepping out of the machinery is crowdfunding. There lies power in community. Platforms like Patreon allowed the Canadian indie veterans Stars (Si apre in una nuova finestra) to maintain an authentic creative voice in the age of streaming and digital consumerism. Loudly advocating against the Silicon Valley tech giants, co-singer Amy Millan tributes the idea of crowdfunding as one of the reasons they are still here, as she discusses the band's legacy (Si apre in una nuova finestra) with longtime admirers Andreas Peters and Norman Fleischer.

"Patreon is the most beautiful place on the internet to me. It’s this community of people. Everyone’s made friends with each other." – Amy Millan

Listen Closely

There were so many exciting records released this month. Too many to keep up with every single one. Some favorites by the NBHAP staff include Daughter (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Yaeji (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Temples (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Everything But The Girl (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Lael Neale (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Perlee (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Indigo De Souza (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and Nabihah Iqbal (Si apre in una nuova finestra). Read the reviews right here (Si apre in una nuova finestra). Do you have a favorite?

Our A Certain Regard (Si apre in una nuova finestra) column is for the music nerds among you, the ones who want to read more than a short review. Author Lilly Timme takes us on a journey (Si apre in una nuova finestra) through the debut LP by the collective boygenius. She finds that "the record" (Si apre in una nuova finestra) is a defining classic already, cementing the storytelling craft and melodic skill of Phoebe Bridgers (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Lucy Dacus (Si apre in una nuova finestra), and Julien Baker (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

"'the record' is a diary of the friendship of three women, full of conversations and the will to understand and support each other."

An advocate of gentle tunes and yet aiming for big topics, Fenne Lily (Si apre in una nuova finestra) soars up to new heights in her recent "Big Picture" (Si apre in una nuova finestra). Walking us through her new record song by song, the songwriter takes us through the hurtful but liberating process of fumbling through the maze of a past relationship."By documenting the most vulnerable parts of that time, I felt like I reclaimed some kind of autonomy", says Fenne Lily.

Favorite Lyric

“Leonard Cohen once said,
‘There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in’
And I am not an old man having an existential crisis at a Buddhist monastery writing horny poetry
But I agree”

– boygenius

Where Rap and Jazz Meet: XJAZZ! Berlin

What do rap and jazz have in common? They both thrive on improvisation and freestyle. And both genres originated in Black communities in the USA resisting the hegemonic white music industry. Berlin's XJAZZ! (Si apre in una nuova finestra) festival bends definitions of jazz and curates a broad range of artists from different backgrounds. We met headlining rapper and lyricist Nadia Rose (Si apre in una nuova finestra) to discuss the connection (Si apre in una nuova finestra) between rap and jazz ahead of her show on the 12th of May.

Join us at XJAZZ! Festival to see amazing artists like Alfa Mist, Dumama, KOKOROKO, and the recent winner of Deutscher Jazzpreis Artist of the Year, Sanni Est. Check out the full lineup (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and get your tickets right here (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

For more event recommendations follow our Instagram (Si apre in una nuova finestra) where we regularly share tour announcements and interesting events to check out in Berlin and beyond.

What's Next?

May does not just take us to XJAZZ! Festival and Cologne's c/o pop (Si apre in una nuova finestra) but it is also a month of many exciting releases. Features to look forward to are Felicia Aghaye's conversation with Londoner jazz artist Alfa Mist who released his new album "Variables (Si apre in una nuova finestra)" this month, and the chat Anna Grubauer had with Berliner RnB artist Lie Ning about his long-awaited debut "Utopia (Si apre in una nuova finestra)". We also have playlist updates in the making. Follow our Spotify channel (Si apre in una nuova finestra) to not miss them.

In early May, we will bring you an extended conversation with Stella Spoon from Queer Trans Liberation Network (Si apre in una nuova finestra) who is part of the organizing team of the X-S Event (Si apre in una nuova finestra) in Berlin with the aim to make nightlife accessible for disabled and neurodiverse communities. We spoke about concepts of safer spaces and the ways in which venues and promoters need to do a better job dismantling barriers and educating themselves on the harmful effects of ableism. Stay tuned for this important interview and join the event on May 6th.

But before all that, we wish you a revolutionary May 1st/Labor Day! There will be no new content on the blog that day. If you can, take to the streets (Si apre in una nuova finestra) for workers' rights and against capitalist exploitation and discrimination.

On That Note

Before you go on with your day, here is one more song to give a spin right now. Our latest Daily Tune rings in relaxed weekend vibes with the ambient track "Stillhetens hav II" by Swedish composer Vargkvint (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Follow our Daily Tune playlist (Si apre in una nuova finestra) to receive new music daily.

Our NBHAP playlists are currently still curated only on Spotify. While we are working on changing this, and encourage you to consider alternatives like Tidal (Si apre in una nuova finestra) for a fairer compensation of artists you love, or go old school and support them by buying merch and vinyl. Remember that the best day to make your purchases is Bandcamp Friday (Si apre in una nuova finestra), where 100% of the proceeds go to the artists. The next one is on May 5th.

If you enjoy reading this newsletter and our content on NBHAP, you can make a financial contribution (Si apre in una nuova finestra) to keep the project going or become a member to support us on a regular basis.

Feel free to share this newsletter with fellow music lovers. If you are not yet subscribed, sign up right here (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Thank you for reading and listening.

Love, NBHAP Team