In Focus: Grateful Dead 6th October 2023

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Blackest Ever Black

Blackest Ever Black doing what they do best – connecting the dots between early industrial, doom, drone and the contemporary dance scene, pounding out the dreary sound of 21st century malaise.

If you ever need some creative inspiration, take a look at some videos of Timbaland in the studio in his prime, around the early to mid-2000s. You'll see Timbo smiling knowingly as he plays new material to some of the biggest rap & R&B stars of all time, all of whom appear to display a similar range of emotions – confusion, astonishment, befuddled laughter. This is testament to the Virginia producer's utterly genre shifting approach to the rhythm and texture of beat-making. No one sounded like him before, and the many who have imitated rarely reach his level. This In Focus is selected by Antonine Scali.

Psychedelic Rock Classic Rock

For a band whose identity in pop culture is often subject to oversimplified definitions and reductive jokes, The Grateful Dead's music frequently evades concise pigeonholing. Formed in California during the high watermark of post-war US counterculture, the Dead weave a psychedelic tapestry of folk, jazz, bluegrass, country, gospel, reggae, rock and blues, where the beginnings and ends of each influence disappear.

Their trademark marathon live performances, loose improvisational style and famously loyal fans make The Grateful Dead arguably a one of a kind phenomenon in popular music.

Selected and mixed by Jennifer Walton.