The 32 coolest artists of 2026 (so far)

The 32 coolest artists of 2026 (so far)

Meet the singers, rappers, and bands defining 2026. Natanya by Alex Radota for The FADER. 2026 has already been a stacked year for music. We’ve had everything from unexpected alt-pop breakouts from long-rising stars like Kim Petras and Slayyyter, to the continuation of the post-rage rap renaissance via artists like Bleood and Lucy Bedroque. Ahead,…

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Spitfire Audio’s cinematic sounds are coming to the MPC

Spitfire Audio’s cinematic sounds are coming to the MPC

The new libraries bring Spitfire’s Intimate Strings and Cinematic Pads into the Akai MPC workflow. Spitfire Audio and Akai Professional have released two new sound libraries for MPC: Originals Intimate Strings MPC Edition and Originals Cinematic Pads MPC Edition. The release marks the next step in the companies’ partnership, which was first announced at NAMM…

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The Opener: gum.mp3’s club heaters build on the history of Black electronic music

The Opener: gum.mp3’s club heaters build on the history of Black electronic music

The Baltimore-based producer and DJ’s freewheeling releases draw on garage, house, techno, and more. gum.mp3.   all photos via the artist. The Opener is The FADER’s short-form profile series of casual conversations with exciting new artists. gum.mp3 makes lush electronic music with rhythms drawing from house and garage music, but there’s a surprising depth of…

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