- A conversation with Midori Takada and Lafawndah also features in this month's podcast.
- The Hour is RA's monthly blend of documentaries, interviews and discussion.
Jamaica, which was once described as the "most homophobic place on Earth," has long been a difficult place to be visibly queer. Dancehall, one of the country's many influential musical exports, is notoriously homophobic, but activists working with the human rights and social justice organisation known as J-FLAG have refused to turn their back on the sound despite considerable risks. For our last segment, Zakia Sewell meets with members of J-FLAG to discuss their work around the country's dancehall scene and more besides [32.12].
The show opens with a conversation between Japanese minimalist Midori Takada and experimental pop artist Lafawndah, who look back on the collaborative process behind last year's Le Renard Bleu, Takada's first new composition in almost 20 years [01.54].
Next, Carlos Hawthorn reports from Düsseldorf at the closing party for the influential music venue Salon Des Amateurs, an incubator for DJs and artists like Vladimir Ivkovic, Tolouse Low Trax and Lena Willikens [11.55].
The RA Exchange is also available on Spotify.
Producer /
Martha Pazienti Caidan
Following the recording of the piece on J-FLAG, the organisation's headquarters was destroyed by fire. You can help them rebuild the space via this fundraising campaign.
Lafawndah and Midori Takada will premiere a new stage work, Ceremonial Blue, at the Barbican Centre in London on April 7th.
TracklistMidori Takada & Lafawndah - Le Renard Bleu [!K7]
Sandoz - Morning Star (Dubmix) [Dekmantel]
LAPS - Who Me? (D. Tiffany & Roza Terenzi Remix) [DFA Records]
G.A.N.G. - Kkk (Sirs Cut) [Sirsounds Records]
Jah Shaka - Smiling Dub [Jah Shaka Music]
HoodCelebrityy - Walking Trophy instrumental [KSR Group]
Alicai Harley - Killa instrumental [LAG Records]