March 23, 2026

“When the record company heard it, they said, ’This is a number one smash record. Let’s not put it on a B-side and lose it’”: The low-budget recording story of one of Madonna’s most iconic hits

It might seem an obvious winner now, but Madonna’s Vogue was at first the speedily and cheaply-built flip side to an entirely different single RECORDING …

“When the record company heard it, they said, ’This is a number one smash record. Let’s not put it on a B-side and lose it’”: The low-budget recording story of one of Madonna’s most iconic hits Read More

“That song wanted to be written! You don’t plan something like that”: Nena speaks to us about the making of her era-defining classic 99 Red Balloons

We catch up with Nena on a song that reflected both the 1980s’ geopolitical tensions and the era’s underlying optimism – and took some inspiration …

“That song wanted to be written! You don’t plan something like that”: Nena speaks to us about the making of her era-defining classic 99 Red Balloons Read More

“It was just like ‘Oh my God, this is everything I want an album to be,’ and it was unlike anything I’d ever heard before”: When Rick Rubin and Eric Clapton got to hear D’Angelo’s Voodoo album before it was released, they were completely blown away

A lot has been written about the genius of D’Angelo’s Voodoo album since the star’s death earlier this week, but just in case you were …

“It was just like ‘Oh my God, this is everything I want an album to be,’ and it was unlike anything I’d ever heard before”: When Rick Rubin and Eric Clapton got to hear D’Angelo’s Voodoo album before it was released, they were completely blown away Read More

“All I did was crank it up to 10 and start to rock and roll. When you stand in front of a Marshall stack and crank it, nothing sounds better!”: The 10 greatest Ace Frehley songs from his glory days with Kiss

Of all the famous musicians who paid their respects following the death of legendary Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley on 16 October, nobody said their piece …

“All I did was crank it up to 10 and start to rock and roll. When you stand in front of a Marshall stack and crank it, nothing sounds better!”: The 10 greatest Ace Frehley songs from his glory days with Kiss Read More

“Each of our albums had a synth that really excited us. The first was a Prophet ‘08, the second was the MS-20, and this time the Moog Matriarch is on every track”: Maribou State on Hallucinating Love

On their third LP, Hallucinating Love, Maribou State return with a revitalized sound after battling mental health issues Six years after Kingdoms in Colour cemented …

“Each of our albums had a synth that really excited us. The first was a Prophet ‘08, the second was the MS-20, and this time the Moog Matriarch is on every track”: Maribou State on Hallucinating Love Read More