Ebbs and flows: the Oxford underground music scene
The story of electronic music in the UK is like a long river, with a hundred junctures of genre, and a thousand tributaries of subculture and style. There’s little to prove that the water running through 1988 Acid House is anything like the water running through 1993 Jungle, or 1995 Garage.
Berlin, open city
In military terms, an open city is a city that has abandoned all fortifying efforts. Once a city has declared itself open, the opposing military will be obliged to peacefully occupy the city, rather than destroy it, under international law. As it happens Berlin is an open city,
when Rumi came to the Oxford Union
a report in ten Onegin stanzas In Konya’s streets, with great fanfare, A letter came to pomp and show Its waxy seal a bold affair, Dispatched to the Rumi château. But oh, its trip—a tragic jest— Attar’s proud bird, who failed the test, Dropped cargo o’er a random dune, Then off it
Icon of the week: Becks Morgan
Many prolific artists are more multifaceted than we might first think. Joni Mitchell thinks of herself as a painter first; Andy Warhol thought he’d be remembered for his cinema. All the most interesting people split their time between many different pursuits. I was reminded of this erstwhil
Prodigies for sale
Sports fans are obsessed with child prodigies. It’s not enough for us to witness feats of athletic greatness; we want our heroes baby-faced. Unsurprisingly, fans see a talented young player and imagine that it portends future success for their team. They think of titles won, records