Fela Kuti + Roy Ayers: 2000 Blacks Got To Be Free (Edit)

Originally released in 1980 but taken out of print in 1989, “2000 Blacks Got To Be Free” first appeared on Music of Many Colors, a collaborative record between Fela Kuti and Roy Ayers. The two toured together, and sought to put a capstone on the experience with this release. Mixing Ayers’ vocals and Kuti’s prowess as a producer, a reissue of the track surprised fans …

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Adds Yayoi Kusama Balloon

Conceived of by beloved artist Yayoi Kusama’s studio and built by Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s balloon specialists, the large-scale floating artwork “Love Flies up to the Sky” will join this year’s televised extravaganza. Measuring 30 feet long by 36 feet wide and 34 feet tall, the personified sun balloon, surrounded by red tentacles, is covered in more than 300 white polka dots, a Kusama signature. …

Rex Orange County: Face To Face

From Rex Orange County’s forthcoming album Pony (out 25 October) comes “Face to Face,” a winding combination of verses, bridges, and hooks that swell into a cheerful pop tune. The crescendo occurs slowly, but picks up as the track’s pace does. The British artist (aka Alexander O’Connor) speeds up his vocals as drums and synths kick in, along with a resonator and O’Connor’s ad-libs.