As we inch closer to SSFB 2018, we get up close and personal with Maryama, Romain and Dauwd, the trio responsible for the infamous African Acid Is The Future parties in Berlin. Enjoy this interview and a special mix they put together for the 17th entry of our mix series.

In the lead up to our festival in June, we will be presenting a selection of four video portraits, each from a different artist on our line-up. First in line is the extraordinary DJ Marcelle / Another Nice Mess. Come and see her perform at Strange Sounds From Beyond 2018 on Sunday, June 24th at NDSM!

Hot on the heels of their highly sought-after and sold-out eponymous EP on Nyege Nyege Tapes, Kampala’s afro-techno fusion act Nihiloxica premiere their music video for “Kadodi”.

It’s early in the morning. I find myself playing out the ultimate fangirl fantasy of calling Letta Mbulu, Grand Dame of South-African jazz and pop music. She picks up the phone – a calm, strong voice at the other end. Nervously, I ask her how she’s doing, three times in a row.

Since 1978 Steven Stapleton has explored the dark corners of avant-garde, industrial music with his project Nurse With Wound. In doing so he has drawn heavily from avant-garde movements in the visual arts, both as musical and aesthetic inspiration. The past four decades have left us with over 100 NWW releases, and all have been accompanied by brilliant artwork. We’ve picked some of our favorites to share.

Shiva Feshareki is an experimental composer and turntablist who hosts NEW FORMS on NTS Radio. She repurposes the turntable as an instrument — using live manipulations to take existing records and create completely reimagined works. SSFB talks to her about her practice.

Leroy Burgess’ career has a chameleonlike habit of undergoing revisions and reinventions. Because of this, his consistencies often go overlooked. Strange Sounds From Beyond takes a long-read look at one of these: his unfailing humanism.

By dint of a prolific output and impeccable selection of all things eccentric, sinister and opaque, Aleksa Alaska has shot up through the Romanian circuit and is starting to turn a sizable set of heads. We invited her to put together the 16th entry of our mix series and received a mind-bending RSVP.

Laïkó music – or “song of the people” – emerged in 1930s Greece steeped in a folk tradition stretching back centuries. Characterized by coupling Mediterranean influences with Greek vocals, it quickly became the engine room of Greece’s musical culture drove it to some unexpected places.

Of the countless tracks that make it to the airwaves each week at Red Light Radio, some leave a more lasting impression than others. From month to month, enjoy a sampling of favorite tracks heard on air, courtesy of the team at RLR. December’s picks include music by Ennanga Vision, Muslimgauze and Joe Mubare.