Beirut’s 72-Hour Online Nightlife Fundraiser, Electronic Labor Day

A citizen-led virtual party organized to raise funds for hospitality workers

Before the pandemic arrived in Lebanon, Beirut’s nightlife pulsed with global renown. Then came the government-mandated lockdowns. Like in other cities, Lebanon’s hospitality industry took a major hit as non-essential businesses were shuttered. But the absence of state-sponsored assistance for those left jobless would be more glaring, further straining an already dire economic situation prior to the pandemic. It is estimated that 25,000 workers in …

Interview: Art-Pop Recording Artist Austra

Exploring the new genre-defying fourth album, "HiRUDiN," with the producer, songwriter and vocalist

Expressive, experimental and energized by the impressively elastic vocals of Austra (aka Katie Austra Stelmanis), the album HiRUDiN released to the world today, 1 May. Theatrical in nature—sometimes operatic, soaring on Stelamanis’ mighty voice; other times collaborative, drawing additional meaning from the dialogue between sound collisions—it’s the fourth LP in the catalog from the singer-songwriter and recording engineer. The album draws its name from an anticoagulant produced …

SG Lewis: Chemicals

Carried by a buoyant bass line, “Chemicals” by SG Lewis (aka singer/songwriter Samuel Lewis) provides a dreamy, poolside disco soundtrack for a Friday morning. From the upcoming album (also called Chemicals), the song was written by Lewis, along with Steph Jones, Julian Bunetta, and Chad Hugo (The Neptunes and N*E*R*D) on the synth. “‘Chemicals’ is about being convinced to try something new by someone you …