Who. What. Where? No. 116

It’s world music day soon (on 21 June to be precise). To celebrate, Monkey Shoulder Whisky is teaming up with audio system makers KEF to create the ‘Monkey Shoulder Records’ pop-up. Taking place at KEF Music Gallery London on 17 June, the collaboration brings together grime legend DJ Target, dubstep royalty Katy B and rising star DJ Arthi to curate exclusive vinyl collections for your listening pleasure within one of KEF’s swanky listening rooms. They’ve also got seven iconic UK record stores involved to handpick crates spanning everything from hip-hop to electronic beats for even more listening pleasure. Where does Monkey Shoulder Whisky come in? A line-up of cocktails made to pair with said records. Hourly listening sessions run from 12:30pm to 5:30pm, plus there’s an evening set from DJ Target and Arthi in the evening. The DJ set is first come first served, but you can book a guaranteed day-time listening sesh here.

Over in art, UK-based artist Jessica Illsley is bringing her divine-feminine-coded canvases to the Zari Gallery. “Humbled by the Void — a solo exhibition that’s equal parts spiritual awakening and female rebellion — will feature sixteen large-scale oil paintings that cover themes of liberation, transcendence and female autonomy, all filtered through Illsley’s decidedly unique perspective as both an artist and psychic medium. What does that look like? Switching traditional male-gazey representations of women’s bodies for ones based on the female spirit. It’s a compelling follow-up to her sold-out “Blue Nudes” exhibition and sets the stage for her upcoming New York shows — plus there are whispers of a potential Guggenheim residency in the works. If you fancy trying your luck at getting on the private view’s guest list, you can register your interest here.

Remember when we interviewed Jords on his track, “The Real Survive”? Well, it was all leading up to this moment. The Croydon-based rapper has finally dropped his album Mixtape J — a ten-track blend of drill, grime, dancehall and afrobeats tackling themes of love, resilience and authenticity. If there’s one thing we gathered from talking to him in March, it’s that Jords has got nothing left to prove but everything left to say, and that’s something Mixtape J makes clear. The album also features a whole slew of talent like Kojey Radical, Bashy and Marger to name a few, making for a nice and varied listen. Overall, the album comes from what Jords calls the “fire in my soul” and, having listened to Mixtape J, we’re definitely not contesting that. Listen here.

We’re definitely not wishing the summer away, but The Underground Bristol has just announced the first half of its AW25 programme and, of course, we have to share it. Running from September through to November, it’s going to be the subterranean rave spot’s most jampacked season yet, spanning everything from grime royalty Ghetts to boundary-pushing selector Sherelle. If you haven’t heard of the venue, it’s a pretty unique one — it operates as a shopping centre loading bay during the week before transforming into a world-class club on weekends. It feels like being in a bunker and it’s got that old-school, no-nonsense approach to raving, which is why everyone is obsessed with it. Find out more here.

Elsewhere in music, queer pop powerhouse FLETCHER has announced her third studio album, Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? It’s dropping on 18 July on Capitol Records and, if the only single from the album so far, “Boy”, is anything to go by, it’s going to be a bit of a hard hitter. The title alone gives you a sense of the emotional vulnerability the New-Jersey-born artist is serving up on the album. She also refers to it as “Both an open wound and act of liberation”, marking the start of new chapters in her artistic and dating journeys alike. And given the artist’s history, the upcoming record is going to be quite the success — her last album, In Search of the Antidote, debuted at number three on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, her 2020 EP, THE S(EX) TAPES, got to number one on iTunes across all genres (didn’t even know that was possible) and her music has amassed over two-and-a-half billion streams worldwide. Keep your eyes peeled for Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me?, and listen to “Boy” here.