Moor Mother
The work of Philadelphian artist Moor Mother (aka Camae Ayewa) blends rap and spoken-word poetry with an experimental musical aesthetic that takes in elements of electronica, free jazz, punk, and sound collage. An activist and urgently socially-conscious artist, whether she's turning the spotlight on race riots, domestic violence, slavery, or the myth of a 'post-racial' America, she does it with a vocal and musical intensity that is visceral, immersive, and uniquely her own. Ayewa is also a member of the free jazz quintet Irreversible Entanglements, and has performed with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Pitchfork has called her 'the poet laureate of the apocalypse,' her latest album, The Great Bailout - whose focus is the tragic legacy of European colonialism – has been widely acclaimed as one of her finest.
'Moor Mother is one of the best and most interesting artists around today.'
Guardian
billy woods
America's most acclaimed underground MC and long a leading voice in alternative rap, billy woods has always been a fiercely independent artist. With an idiosyncratic rhyming style, and lyrics that reference Kafka, Vonnegut, and Conrad, it's perhaps unsurprising that he remained below the mainstream radar for so long. But with the release of his last album Maps, produced by Kenny Segal, woods is getting the recognition his fiercely intelligent music deserves. Maps featured high on critics' best-of lists for 2023, building on the widespread acclaim he received for its predecessor, Aethiopes.
'Humour and dread, technique and style – billy woods is in full command of it all.'
Pitchfork
And it's not hard to see why, with woods' masterful lyrics and delivery weaved into soundscapes that feature robust, shifting drum patterns and echoes of jazz and blues - sax lines and twinkling pianos, guitar and flute samples. woods is frequently labelled an enigma or a maverick, cultivating an air of mystery by often obscuring his face in media photos – but his live performances take us right to the heart of the man.
Line-up
Moor Mother – voice
billy woods – voice
