An atlas of the underground, featuring interviews with J Balvin, Davido, Christine and the Queens, and more.
Since 1999, The FADER has documented music’s underground: capturing the art and style of emerging sound; the stories and creators shaping the scenes of tomorrow. Last October, we partnered with the magazine to share a landmark archive: a 100-issue collection spanning the publication’s 16-year history. More than 1 million readers, from Brooklyn to Brazil, downloaded the archive. And that right there is the power of the Internet; countless different sub-cultures, connected.
How close has the Internet brought us? In The FADER Issue 102, the publication explores the new geography of music culture, in conversation with J Balvin, Davido, Christine and the Queens, and more. There’s a wide world of sound out there, beyond the edge of what we see pop up in playlist recommendations or social feeds. Consider Issue 102 your guide to the global underground, circa now.
“In Nigeria, Davido is a tabloid fixture. Across Latin America, J Balvin can’t stay in a hotel without having a dozen people congregate outside overnight, hoping to meet him. Still, their massive successes remain on the periphery of my YouTube account’s algorithm, or American awards shows—-even if plugging into their fandoms simply means following the right people on Twitter. With this issue, we were trying to see how far away these stars actually are from the center of our community, and how close the Internet has actually managed to bring us.”
Download The FADER Issue 102 for free here. You can unlock The FADER Archive, including all past issues, for $9.99 here.
The FADER 102: The Global Music Issue
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The FADER Issue 102: J Balvin Teaser (Video)
The FADER Issue 102: Behind-the-Scenes - Rawiya Kameir Interview (Video)
The FADER Issue 102 (PDF)