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i-D

i-D

i-D is a British bi-monthly magazine founded in 1980 and dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture.

96 articles

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Juke Box Jury

Overview by Kathryn Flett, i-D, February 1986

i-D presents the story of the Jukebox in glamorous technicolour, taking a quick bop, swing and a jive through the story of the blues and ...

Savage Cool

Overview by Jon Savage, i-D, February 1986

Jon Savage is one of the arch voices of our time, a blithe spirit with a vicious tongue and a wicked pen: dedicated, deadly and ...

HEAVY: The i-Diot's Guide to Heavy Metal

Guide by Kathryn Flett, i-D, March 1986

Here in i-D land it is easy for us to glide gracefully through life with nothing more to worry our fabulously coiffured heads about than ...

Ron Hardy, JM Silk, Frankie Knuckles, Jamie Principle: Time To Jack: The House Sound Of Chicago

Report and Interview by Simon Witter, i-D, September 1986

Is House music the latest in a long line of Urban American dancefloor explosions – or the latest in a long line of record company ...

Daryl Hall: Sensitive, Solvent and Soulful: Daryl Hall

Interview by Kathryn Flett, i-D, December 1986

On the psychoanalyst's couch with Daryl Hall. The lean and leonine one gets garrulous and holds forth — Rock N' Soul, the true story, Socio-Politics, Religion, Art. ...

The Psychedelic Furs: Excess: Sex, Drugs and the Vanity of the Psychedelic Furs

Interview by Fiona Russell Powell, i-D, April 1987

Disowning the past, re-writing the course of furry rock and roll history is Richard Butler's forte. All his psychedelic back-press seems to be about the ...

Hot House: Staying Power

Profile and Interview by Kathryn Flett, i-D, April 1987

IN THE TWO weeks between i-D's attempt to organise an interview with Hot House and actually getting to do it they became – such is ...

Anthrax, Metallica, Slayer: The Sound of Speed, Thrash & Death Metal

Overview by Simon Witter, i-D, April 1987

In 1987, against all odds, HM has become an issue again. i-D dives into the Metal underground to find out about moshing, skateboards, and the ...

Sly & Robbie: Musclefunk Throwdown

Interview by Simon Witter, i-D, May 1987

i-D meets Sly and Robbie, whose communal, all-star jam sessions have produced Rhythm Killers, the year's most enjoyable, perfectly formed dance album. ...

The Proclaimers Shout It Out

Interview by Simon Witter, i-D, May 1987

"WE WERE playing a festival in Edinburgh and this guy comes up to us and says 'You were great!'. It was the guy behind the ...

Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Rattlesnake Annie, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Earle: Nashville Cats: Country Music In 1987 - Goldmine Or Shaft?

Report and Interview by Simon Witter, i-D, June 1987

Simon Witter travelled to Nashville to find out if there's any substance to the media'slatest rediscovery. ...

Paul Oakenfold: DJ Of The Month

Profile and Interview by Simon Witter, i-D, August 1987

PAUL OAKENFOLD, apart from being one of the harder working men in showbusiness, is a perfect example of the late 80s London soul phenomenon: the ...

Curtis Mayfield: Now More Than Ever: Curtis Mayfield

Profile and Interview by Simon Witter, i-D, September 1987

Curtis Mayfield is the music world’s most talented unsigned superstar. A working musician since the age of eight, Mayfield’s inimitable work with the Impressions and ...

David Sylvian: Scared of Success: David Sylvian — The Man Who Would Be Invisible

Interview by Simon Witter, i-D, November 1987

2019 NOTE: In decades of writing about music, I was only ever once asked to do a hatchet job — on Belouis Some in the ...

Robert Cray: Stax 'N' Blues

Profile and Interview by Simon Witter, i-D, December 1987

With the highest charting blues album ever under his belt, soulful Robert Cray is laughing as he brings "my parents' music" into the '80s, and ...

Sly & the Family Stone: Sly Stone: Stone Free

Profile by Simon Witter, i-D, January 1988

Sly Stone, one of the first and greatest international black superstars, has survived unimaginable amounts of sex and drugs to be with us today. As ...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Tribal Sex-Funk! Starring the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Profile and Interview by Simon Witter, i-D, March 1988

Judderfunk Giants of the Hollywood Hills, and foes of all things orderly, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have just released The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, ...

George Clinton: Taking Funk Over The Hump

Profile by Simon Witter, i-D, May 1988

EXCUSE ME if I gush here, but this is a subject very close to my heart. In these days of political defeatism, sexual paranoia and ...

Inspiral Carpets: Larger Than Life

Interview by Bruce Dessau, i-D, July 1990

Two years ago, Oldham's Inspiral Carpets were just about filling the Cricketers pub in South London. This spring, their album Life sold over 200,000 copies ...

Primal Scream, Andrew Weatherall: Primal Scream: Exiles on mainstreet

Report and Interview by Helen Mead, i-D, July 1991

Primal Scream — the redemption of rock'n'roll? ...

Andrew Weatherall: Rimini: Let's Take a Trip!

Report by Jack Barron, i-D, September 1991

Damned by the Pope as the "most debauched area in Italy", Rimini is fast becoming a Euro-clubber's hedonist mecca. And when hundreds of Brits touched ...

PM Dawn: P.M. Dawn: Magical Mystery Tour

Interview by Helen Mead, i-D, October 1991

A day out with P.M. Dawn is like a trip into another dimension. We thought we were going to the Radio One Roadshow. They decided ...

Tony Humphries: DJ of the month: Tony Humphries

Interview by Helen Mead, i-D, 1992

IF YOU want respect you have to give respect. This is Tony Humphries' trademark. The standard he sets his life by. Of all the talk ...

Neneh Cherry: Strictly personal

Interview by Helen Mead, i-D, January 1992

No product-pushing, no image-making, no small talk: Neneh Cherry talks personal about AIDS, life and the death of her friend. ...

Brand New Heavies: May The Funk Be With You

Profile and Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, April 1992

The Brand New Heavies have moved into the forefront of a new musical uprising: clubs, bands and vintage denim. The revolution is here – and ...

The Shamen: Open up your head

Interview by Helen Mead, i-D, June 1992

After achieving pop success and suffering the death of Will Sin last year, the Shamen are back.New singer, new songs, but an enduring interest in ...

Public Enemy Number 1

Profile and Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, August 1992

Five years on, the Black Panthers of rap are still in your face. They've lost none of their controversial power, as their recent argument with US presidential ...

The Orb: Tune in, turn on

Interview by Helen Mead, i-D, August 1992

The Orb have taken ambient house from a much-mocked concept to a commercial proposition, employing space-age weirdness and ironic humour to make dance music that's ...

Body Count, Ice-T: Ice-T: Rebel with a cause

Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, March 1993

When Ice-T was witch-hunted by the American establishment over his 'Cop Killer' song last year, he changed from LA gangster rapper to hip hop elder ...

Where now for Manchester?

Report by John Robb, i-D, April 1993

Three years ago Manchester was famous for flares, clubs and the Happy Mondays. Now it's guns, drugs and violence. How accurate is the city's media ...

Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Chia Pet, Tsunami: Who are the Riot Grrrls?

Report by Susan Corrigan, i-D, April 1993

Riot Grrrl is an American network of feminist punk bands, angry, personal fanzines and women's discussion groups dedicated to 'girl-positive' action. We visited Riot Grrrls ...

Jamiroquai: Eco-Funk Warrior

Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, May 1993

Jamiroquai's "voice of a generation" songs and ecological statements have made him the figurehead of the new funk scene. But behind the hits is a ...

Carleen Anderson: Funky Diva

Profile and Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, November 1993

Carleen Anderson was a member of James Brown's band. Then she sang with the Young Disciples. This month she releases her passionate solo debut — ...

PJ Harvey: What Makes Polly Scream?

Interview by Simon Reynolds, i-D, November 1993

PJ Harvey — the singer and the band — is the pop phenomenon of the year. Her emotional, bluesy primal screaming is the most challenging ...

The Pharcyde: From Manor to Cabin: The Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride

Profile and Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, 1994

BACK AT THE HEIGHT of hip-hop’s dyslexia, when f’s were ph’s or not at all, there arrived a group from darkest LA who called themselves ...

Puff Daddy: Sean 'Puffy' Combs

Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, 1994

"IT'S ALL GOOD."Puffy’s conversation is peppered with this little nugget of current street-talk. ...

Fun-Da-Mental: Rebels Without a Pause

Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, January 1994

Asian rappers Fun-Da-Mental burst onto the scene in a blaze of angry political rhetoric and eclectic samples. Now, even though the original band has split ...

Funkadelic, George Clinton, Parliament: George Clinton: Funky 54

Retrospective and Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, February 1994

PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC, P-Funk, The P -- Specially designed afronauts capable of funketizing entire galaxies. Their mothership long ago made its terrestrial connection and they are amongst ...

The Beastie Boys: Cult of the Beasties

Interview by Simon Reynolds, i-D, March 1994

The Beastie Boys have gone from pop stardom to obscurity to being the biggest cult band in the world. Their last LP sold a million ...

A Guy Called Gerald, Goldie: Jungle!: The Last Dance Underground

Report by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, May 1994

Jungle is a fierce and frenzied soundtrack to inner city Britain in '94. Based around raw, ragga-influenced white labels, raves and pirate radio stations, it's ...

How Technology Will Kill The Music Biz

Special Feature by Frank Broughton, i-D, June 1994

In the future, there will be no record companies or record shops. In fact there will be no records. Instead, sound will be transmitted straight ...

Grateful Dead: March of the Deadheads

Report by Frank Broughton, i-D, August 1994

The Grateful Dead are the focus for the surviving remnants of America's counterculture: the Deadheads, a colourful bunch of travelling hippies who have created a ...

Laurie Anderson Media Manipulator

Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, August 1994

SHE’S A MULTI-MEDIA story-teller, spinning yarns around the flickering campfire of technology. Her songs are swathes of hypnotic synthesised tones, with eerie voice filters focussing ...

Björk's Big Night Out

Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, September 1994

A new remix album and video? The perfect excuse for a celebratory night of rock'n'roll excess with Queen B. ...

Public Enemy: White Light, Black Noise

Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, September 1994

PUBLIC ENEMY USED TO BE THE BIGGEST, FIERCEST RAP ACT IN THE WORLD. THEN GANGSTA SILENCED THEIR RIGHTEOUS RANTS. NOW THEY'RE BACK WITH A STARTLING NEW ...

Russell Simmons: Hip Hop's Top Dog

Profile and Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, September 1994

With faith in the power of undiluted black culture, Russell Simmons harnessed the sound of the underground and turned hip hop into a billion dollar ...

Luscious Jackson: Homecoming Queens

Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, October 1994

Luscious Jackson embody New York's old school cool. They're more than just a female version of The Beastie Boys — and they're going to be even bigger. ...

Richie Hawtin: Weird Science

Report and Interview by Calvin Bush, i-D, November 1994

Driving and driven. A DJ, record label boss, club promoter and artist, at just 23 Richie Hawtin is pushing his body and music to the ...

Blur: Have a Go if You're Hard Enough

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, December 1994

London lads on the pull or just taking the piss? Blur are this year's Brit pop sensations, defining a bold New Englishness out of smart ...

M People: People in the House

Profile and Interview by Calvin Bush, i-D, December 1994

i-D's BEST OF British pop special starts with M People. Winners of this year's prestigious Mercury Music Prize, like fellow Britpop protagonists Blur and the ...

Garbage

Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, 1995

WILD LUCK, cynical suspicion, deep fraternal love and dodgy Scottish accents: in the true life story of a musical group called Garbage all these things ...

Todd Terry: Time For Todd Terry

Report and Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, 1995

"BATTLING PEOPLE: that’s what keeps me going." The man in the bomber jacket lays it down straight. "I got to beat everybody. It’s me against ...

Portishead

Profile and Interview by Calvin Bush, i-D, February 1995

BEING UNIQUE means both having no equals and standing alone. Celebrating freedom, lamenting solitude. The infinite vastness of the air you breathe and the pressured ...

Aaliyah: Little Miss Thing

Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, March 1995

She's 15, she's pregnant, she's married to the scandalous R Kelly. Or so the rumours go. But really, the only thing you need to know ...

LTJ Bukem: Looking Good

Profile and Interview by Bethan Cole, i-D, March 1995

HE'S THE INVENTOR OF INTELLIGENT JUNGLE. HE'S HELD IN AWE BY ANDREW WEATHERALL. HE'S A PIONEER AND PRE-EMPTOR, A PRODUCER AND LABEL BOSS. HE'S LTJ ...

Sleeper: Done Lying Down

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, March 1995

Sexy, sassy and certainly not afraid of shocking, Sleeper's Louise Wener is a guitar goddess with no need to compromise on her way to the ...

Carl Craig: Listen To The Future

Profile and Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, April 1995

One of Detroit's legendary first generation, Carl Craig has left behind the legacy he's outgrown. Ripping up techno's rule-book, this 25-year-old is making records for ...

Ron Hardy, Frankie Knuckles: My Kind Of Town: The History of Chicago House

Retrospective and Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, April 1995

IT’S 1981. Frankie Knuckles, a New York DJ relocated for the last four years in Chicago, is driving south through the outskirts of his adopted ...

Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Craig Mack, The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy: Puff Daddy: Born To Be Bad

Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, May 1995

A multi-platinum music mogul at just twenty four, Sean "Puffy" Combs is the face of future hip hop. meet a Bad Boy made good. ...

H Jungle With T: Jungle Hits Japan

Report and Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, September 1995

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese dance producer who's just made the world's first ever million selling jungle hit. Like the rest of his records, we'll ...

PJ Harvey: Caught in the Act

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, September 1995

POLLY JEAN HARVEY IS AN ICONOCLAST WHOSE MUSIC INSPIRES ADULATION WHILE HER IMAGE INSPIRES SPECULATION. LESSER SINGERS HAVE CRUMBLED UNDER SUCH SCRUTINY. BUT IS PJ ...

Happy Mondays, Oasis, The Smiths, The Stone Roses: Madchester: My Baggy Hell!

Memoir by Susan Corrigan, i-D, October 1995

Five years ago an explosion of music, drugs and flares hit a certain Northern city. Now with Oasis, the Stone Roses and Black Grape in ...

Junior Vasquez: The Sound Factory

Report and Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, October 1995

As the legendary club closes, the mainstream begins to encroach on New York's nightlife heritage. ...

Juno Reactor: Goa: Trance tripping

Report by Bethan Cole, i-D, November 1995

Goa's legendary party scene has turned a global network of travellers on to its unique sound. Spiritual, psychedelic and blowing up across the world: is ...

Heroin Sells Even As It Kills

Report by Susan Corrigan, i-D, November 1995

JUNK CULTURE IS NOT MERELY FASHIONABLE ANYMORE, IT'S GONE MAINSTREAM Heroin kills two people every week in Glasgow. It's the most common street drug in Manchester. ...

Charlatans, The (UK): The Charlatans: Up For It

Interview by Dave Simpson, i-D, December 1995

Dismissed as Madchester's also-rans, the Charlatans gave out but never gave up. While their peers crashed and burned, Burgess and his boys simply survived. A ...

Daft Punk: What's Up? Daft Punk

Profile and Interview by Bethan Cole, i-D, December 1995

TWO THINGS you should know about Daft Punk. Firstly, they're not in the slightest bit stupid. Secondly, ostensibly, they've got nothing to do with 1977. ...

Coolio: Paradise Lost And Found

Profile and Interview by Bethan Cole, i-D, January 1996

Once the grim fictions of gangsta rap were Coolio's reality: gangs, guns, crack addiction, jail. Now he's swapped sin for salvation and notoriety for celebrity. ...

Green Day, Operation Ivy, Rancid: Green Day and Rancid: Maximum Rock'n'Roll!

Report by Susan Corrigan, i-D, January 1996

With their technicolour mohicans and tattoos, Green Day and Rancid are bringing teen spirit to a generation of Americans who weren't even born when the ...

The Stone Roses: Still Storming Heaven

Interview by Dave Simpson, i-D, January 1996

Stoned and dethroned? This was a strange year for the Roses. Resurrection, personal dilemma, professional discontent... and finally, with their first British tour in five ...

Faith Evans: Bad Girl

Profile and Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, February 1996

SHE'S A REAL brat: acting like a child, making demands on everyone around her, whining and squealing when she doesn't get her way. It's enough ...

LL Cool J: Hello Again Ladies

Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, February 1996

HE WAS RAP'S FIRST KNICKER-WETTING SENSATION, A PROWLING PANTHER WHO BROUGHT THE SWEAT OF TEEN SEXUALITY INTO THE HIP HOP ARENA. TEN YEARS LATER, HE'S ...

Lou Reed: The Lion in Winter

Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, February 1996

He's been a junkie, a beatnik, a Rock & Roll Animal. But these days, Lou Reed is taking a walk on the mild side. ...

The Bluetones: Story of the Blues

Obituary by Susan Corrigan, i-D, March 1996

BRITPOP? NOT THIS YEAR, THANKS. THE NEXT BIG NOISE COMES FROM FOUR UNASSUMING HOUNSLOW LADS WITH NO BANDWAGON TO CATCH. THEY ARE THE BLUETONES AND ...

Ash: Going for Gold

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, April 1996

ASH MADE THEIR NAME PLAYING THE SPACEPOP GAME, ROCKETING UP THE CHARTS WITH 'GIRL FROM MARS'. NOW THESE BOYS JUST WANNA MAKE NOISE. MEET THE ...

Everything But the Girl: The Rebirth of Cool

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, May 1996

Dismissed, despondent, near death... last year Everything But The Girl were missing in action. Then along came 'Missing'. Now they're back with a brilliant album ...

Leftfield: Quiet Storm

Interview by Bethan Cole, i-D, May 1996

Leftfield are dance provocateurs who turned from the quick thrill of the clubland twelve-inch to take their place in the ranks of the unit-shifting, award-winning, ...

Sleeper: i-Q: Louise Wener

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, June 1996

Sleeper's leading lady has more to offer than big boots and a big mouth. Susan Corrigan examines the true colours of a lass with sass ...

Ultra Sonic: Raveheart

Report and Interview by Bethan Cole, i-D, June 1996

You reckoned the rave dream died years ago? Think again! They may have hung up their whistles and white gloves, but Scotland's musical youth are ...

Shampoo: Hard Candy

Interview by Dave Simpson, i-D, July 1996

It's been two years since Shampoo ram-raided the pop charts with their spunky cartoon-style naughtiness. Now the wash and go-go girls are back, but they're ...

Basement Jaxx, Idjut Boys: High In The Basement

Report and Interview by Bethan Cole, i-D, August 1996

As the tired ritual of corporate house culture burns itself out, something low key is rising from the ashes. It's eclectic, it's experimental and it's ...

Suede: He Stoops To Conquer

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, September 1996

You've heard the rumours. Now it's time to face the facts. After an absence of two years, Suede are rising from the ashes to return ...

Therapy?: Monsters Of Rock?

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, September 1996

You know Therapy? Northern Irish moshers with a headline spot at Castle Donnington one minute, Mercury Music Prize nomination the next. Rock from a hard ...

DJ Shadow

Profile and Interview by Bethan Cole, i-D, October 1996

What happens when you remove all the boundaries? DJ Shadow's debut album, Entroducing, is a record without frontiers. ...

Kula Shaker: Heaven's Promise

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, October 1996

A case of right band, wrong planet? ...

Tupac Shakur: This Thugs Life

Comment by Frank Broughton, i-D, November 1996

Tupac Shakur was murdered last month in a drive-by shooting. Was rap's rising star a menace to society or just to himself? ...

No Doubt: Who's That Girl?

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, March 1997

"GETTING POPULAR IS STRANGE. THERE'S NO WAY OF EXPLAINING HOW IT FEELS... UNTIL IT HAPPENS TO YOU!" ...

Goldie, Menswear, Tricky: Pre Millennium Tension

Report by Bethan Cole, i-D, March 1997

Adolescent angst and twentysomething trauma used to be something of a cliché. But no longer. With admissions of young people to hospital at an all-time ...

Supergrass: Super Fly Guys

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, May 1997

TWO YEARS AFTER RIDING THEIR CHOPPERS TO NUMBER ONE, BRITPOP'S BOY WONDERS ARE BACK WITH A 'DIFFICULT' SECOND ALBUM ABOUT POWER, CORRUPTION AND POST-ADOLESCENT ANXIETY. ...

Acid Brass, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, The KLF, Manic Street Preachers, Georgina Starr: Pop Art

Report and Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, August 1997

Blur and Damien Hirst? Pet Shop Boys and Sam Taylor-Wood? No doubt about it, pop stars dabbling in art is a bad idea. But what ...

UK Garage: Tuff Jam

Report and Interview by Bethan Cole, i-D, August 1997

IT HAPPENS like this: just when you're sitting comfortably, just when you least expect it, just from where you least expect it, along comes a ...

Kylie Minogue: Deep Dish

Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, September 1997

Burn the negatives, bury the tapes, banish the rumours. After ten years in the spotlight, Miss Minogue seeks a fresh start ...

Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim: Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown: Nasty Girls

Essay by Bethan Cole, i-D, September 1997

Sisters with voices? Or Ladies with an attitude? Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown are just as nasty as they wanna be ...

Missy Elliott

Profile and Interview by Bethan Cole, i-D, January 1998

AT THIS moment she's so far out, floating in her own self-programmed audiogalactic, that no one else in hip hop or R&B can touch her. ...

Disco Inferno

Report and Interview by Susan Corrigan, i-D, August 1998

Glitz and glamour, sex and celebs, drugs and death: Studio 54 was the ultimate New York nightlife hit. So is it any wonder they're trying ...

Spiritualized: Stars In His Eyes

Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, August 1998

Spiritualized are aiming higher than the sun. Ladies and gentlemen, they'll soon be floating in space as one of Britain's biggest bands ...

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