Music

Culture doesn’t arrive fully formed. It leaks, mutates, and travels hand to hand long before it’s visible. An essay on remix, lineage, and how the underground shapes the mainstream.

Last night, I saw PRESIDENT live in Amsterdam. Not just a band. Not just a show. It felt more like walking into a temporary state. A rally. A ritual. A reminder that creation, when done with intent, still bends reality in small but meaningful ways. The room was packed. Sold out show, max capacity 350 people. Flags waved. Symbols everywhere. A masked figure at the centre of it all, pulling the crowd into something that felt larger than music. Less “concert,” more collective agreement that we were all here for the same reason, even if none of us could quite articulate it yet. “You’re about to witness history” over the speakers. Tonight, everything lined up. And when you’ve been doing creative work long enough, you learn to pay attention when that happens. Twenty-two years isn’t an accident The venue was celebrating its 22-year anniversary. 2026 is also the 22nd year that AltSounds still breathes life into its unique form. Stronger, more creative than ever. AltSounds, for context, is the original creative outlet of RIOT’s founder and creative directorThe visionary leader—creative directors shape the concept, guide the team, and ensure every idea meets the brand’s highest potential., MUG5. It’s where I first […]

The sticker was never a warning. It was a promise. How the PMRC’s crusade against explicit music accidentally gave a generation its loudest, truest voices.

Robert Del Naja — aka 3D — is more than the visual architect of Massive Attack. From Bristol graffiti to Blue Lines, Mezzanine, Heligoland and beyond, his work fuses sound, politics, and visual insurgency. This deep dive traces his evolution: graffiti pioneer, trip hop originator, activist, technologist, and cultural saboteur.

Meet President—the mysterious band blending Fightstar energy with Sleep Token aesthetics. Here's why they’re the future of masked rock.

Marchin’ Already by Ocean Colour Scene remains a defining Britpop album, famously knocking Oasis from the top of the charts. With its re-release, we revisit its impact, sound, and lasting influence.

Limp Bizkit’s 2013 comeback was a full-force stampede. In this exclusive Fred Durst interview, we explore the band’s rebirth, their lost album "Stampede of the Disco Elephants," and why their legacy still thrives.

The robots have clocked out. "404 Work Not Found" is the soundtrack to their break—a playlist of 110 robotic bangers paired with a whimsical illustration of dancing droids. Celebrate the mechanical groove with us.

Damon Albarn's creative legacy transcends generations. From Blur’s Britpop anthems to Gorillaz’s genre-defying innovation, his relentless experimentation and refusal to conform have made him a true visionary in modern music. Dive into the story of an artist who continually pushes boundaries and redefines what’s possible.

1993’s Come On Feel The Lemonheads isn’t just an album—it’s a time capsule of nostalgia, collaboration, and raw emotion. From Evan Dando’s golden touch to Juliana Hatfield’s harmonies and Rick James’ surprise funk groove, the record resonates across decades. Dive into its creation and cultural impact, as celebrated by RIOT.

The Beastie Boys’ Ill Communication broke boundaries, blending punk, hip-hop, and funk while pushing creative limits. This piece captures their rebellious, boundary-pushing energy that inspired generations.

Some tracks shaped the world as we know it, becoming anthems that defined generations and movements. Others, buried in the dust of forgotten vinyl, remain hidden treasures waiting to be rediscovered. Together, they form a mosaic of sound—each note and lyric a piece of the puzzle that unlocks the story of music’s past. And within these echoes lie the keys to shaping its future, inspiring the next wave of creators and listeners alike. Sampling came from necessity. In New York City’s South Bronx of the 1970s, where money was tight and instruments were few, DJs and artists turned to the records they had. They found gold in the grooves—drum breaks, basslines, melodies that spoke louder than their surroundings. A culture was born not from stealing but from survival. And with it, a new art form: hip-hop. One of the earliest pioneers, DJ Grandmaster Flash, would mark his records with crayons to identify the perfect “breaks”—those magical seconds of rhythm that could keep a crowd moving. This technique gave birth to breakbeat DJing, a cornerstone of hip-hop’s rise. Around the same time, producers like Rick Rubin championed the drumbeat as the heartbeat of rap. He often referenced foundational tracks like Run-D.M.C.’s […]