Kelela is considered (as the kids would say) a “mutha” of electronic R&B. Since 2013, the 43-year-old producer and singer has galvanized an underground community of Kelelians enthralled by her sheer mastery of weaving the traditions of Black music with electronic experimentation. Her 2017 debut 'Take Me Apart' breathed soul on the dancefloor. Its follow-up, 2023’s 'Raven' brought the spirit, flaunting a more ambient, experimental edge that made the dancefloor her personal altar. With her latest album 'new avatar,' @kelelam switched gears again: adding lush rock and punk soundscapes to encapsulate both her romantic anxieties and affirmations. Released July 10, the new project sharpens her adept skill of transforming the dancefloor into an relentless source of sonic inspiration. Read the full feature—"Must Blackness Be Boxed In?"—written by @deasia_paige here: pigeonsandplanes.com/read/ra…

Q (@qmarsden) was diagnosed with schizophrenia during the making of his new album, which spanned nearly three years, but he's been living with symptoms of the disorder since 2017. "I noticed that there was a lot of noise," Q recalls. "I would always explain it to people, and then they were just like, 'Oh yeah, I have those, too.' But then I'm like, 'No, I'm home alone and I'm trying to sleep. I'm hearing different pitches of voices and they're not me.' I know it's not me because I'm telling it, 'Stop, stop.' I'm moving in my bed, waking up, jumping, 'Stop.' And I ended up talking to it." Through imaginative songs that sonically build out the intimate experience of life as it blends with mental illness, Q explores his own stability and his ability to maintain. Read our full interview with Q Marsden here: pigeonsandplanes.com/read/q-…