Premiere: Black Thought - "Long Liveth (Relentless)" by Joshua Woods
It's equally dreamy, radical and unflinchingly honest—like Black Thought and "Long Liveth," itself.
Watch the video, below.
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Who the Fuck is "Cancel" And Why is Everyone Asking?
Jack— I know you mostly from Instagram, all those little stories…
Cancel— Are we recording? Is this on?
I'm recording now. Yeah.
Alright, let's do it.
So I know of you from instagram where you would post these little snippets from your life. I had no idea you made music until you dropped “Gun” . I feel like your writing style is like understating the extraordinary and every sentence is just the truth, the truth, the truth…
The truth is really all I’ve got but I think it’s helpful squeezing it into tiny posts.
True, I feel like your songs kind of play well on a loop.
Yeah I wouldn’t know…
And you're from NYC right?
Yeah from the Upper East Side and lived all over until I moved to LA in 2019.
Do you ever plan on coming back?
I’m literally sitting with a bunch of boxes of my shit all packed up as we speak, moving back to NYC in about 10 minutes.
You’re gonna get a van and drive over?
That would be romantic but i’m just zapping it there with some movers.
Why are you leaving LA?
I just have a hard time sitting still, feeling static and it’s just been insane here and I knew I needed to go and I miss playing live music and I feel like live music lives in New York City. I need to have a band and make my apartment my studio.
On this album you play every instrument.
Yeah it’s just me, I made in about a week it was pretty weird and fast and intense
The Dollhouse, inspired by Pariah the doll?
Haha yeah, no. The Dollhouse was the nickname of the house I lived in LA. Where I spent a lot of time with a really special girl. The album kind of centers around her and the past year
That’s funny I just finished my poetry book this year and I was re-reading it and realized that like every poem is about my Ex.
I mean we all need our muses, and she and I muse each still probably always will. She’s a great artist.
Yeah I feel like all relationships with artists work like that. And are often harder because of it.
I don’t think it’s harder, I just think there’s more meat on the bones and the stakes mean more and at the end of the day there’s a whole body of work around you both that you can always visit and touch, you know.
I Think about that song, true love leaves no traces.
Yeah, Leonard is usually right, but I don’t know about that line...
I was gonna say, your music does kind of remind me of Leonard Cohen. And he's pretty female foucused.
I mean, what else is there to write about?
Literally.
That was the whole album for me, you know, it was just her. You think you're the good guy, and then you wake up one day and realize you're not the good guy. You realize there's no such thing as the good guy or bad girl, and it’s all fine. There’s no wrong, there’s no right—you're both just doing your best and kind of making a mess, but also sucking it up and enjoying the intensity of it. It’s all kind of just sexy and beautiful to me; it’s not that serious even when it is.
Well, it's funny, because I feel like a lot of dating advice is about power. But when I'm in love, I am powerless.
It’s a fucking surrender for sure. That’s kind of relaxing for me; it’s just good in that way.
What's the origin story for the name Cancel?
The Cancel thing was an accident. The account started as a shitposting account. I was trying to make the anti-cellectual account because it was 2021 and everybody was making these accounts. I thought it was funny to say "fuck cellectuals," so why not just "cancelcellectuals"? I was just making shitty memes, and then somehow it evolved into an entire persona, which became my real life...
And you're unsigned, right?
Yeah, I'm doing everything by myself right now...
I feel like I didn’t know what you looked like for five years, until you posted a picture of your face covered in worms or something. And I was like, who the fuck is this guy?
I don’t know where the worms came from—they weren’t real, it was AI. But I don’t know, I started doing it and then I stopped. I don’t know what to say about the worms...
And you toured in Europe for a while too, years ago, right?
I had a project called Gambles, which I started in like 2013 or '14. It also kind of happened by accident—it somehow took off, and it kept me traveling for a long time around Europe. It’s still online and out there, and some freaks still listen to it...
And then you basically just stopped making music?
Yeah, it was a while. Maybe like ten years of quiet? I just stopped doing it; things shut off. I think I was just burnt out. And then I basically made Gun in 15 minutes last year. I had just started dating an amazing girl who is also a songwriter, and I think she kind of pulled it out of me.
Yeah, I really like that. That song really gives like male bedroom pop.
Not sure if that’s an insult, but thanks. I don’t know—it’s weird, I didn’t plan any of this. The way the account has evolved and the writing and my personal life, it’s all just a big fun mess that’s been posted online.
And people can scroll down through your account and piece together a narrative of your life. And you’re now the cover model for John Doe’s book.
John Doe is a close friend. But yeah, people scroll, they read, they paint a picture in their head, and they listen to the songs. I have no idea, really—I’m just posting.
Shout out John Doe.
He’s a good one. He introduced me to Delicious Tacos, and it’s this stupid kind of cliché layer of boys sitting around talking about their writing projects.
And exchange war stories?
Pretty much.
He’s completely anon, right?
Yeah. My thing was anonymous for a while too because it was the easiest way to write as myself without feeling fear or anything. And then I realized at some point that I was kind of hiding from myself. And I was like, well, I gotta own this, right? Especially with music. It just felt like the right thing to do.
So you’re moving to NYC? A lot of people critique the literary scene in New York, but it is very much alive—troubled, but there’s a beating heart.
The NYC vs. LA thing is pretty tired, but Peter Vack took me to Confessions reading, and I really liked it. And I generally hate reading.
People in New York really need each other.
Yeah, I think that’s what it is. Maybe it’s a proximity thing—you know, bodies on bodies. Everyone is just mashed up together differently compared to LA.
I feel like a lot of people get successful in New York, and then they move to LA and fall off immediately, like it makes them stupid or...?
LA is a beautiful fantasy, and for a while, I needed that. Not saying my relationships were, but it’s more like you’re in this beautiful bubble, and it’s so easy to float. I miss my city, I miss my family—I wanna be cold again; I don’t even remember what that’s like.
It’ll be good to have you back in the city.
I feel like it’s a healthy place for Cancel to play around. I think it’s like it’s where I’m supposed to be. It just feels right. I can always fly my muse across the country.
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Head-To-Head with Rat Section
Julia Silverberg— What caused you to reunite after more than a decade-long hiatus?
Rat Section— Out of necessity, we arranged to meet in a New York Jazz Lounge a few years back to talk business. We actually bumped into each other by chance in Bucharest and kept in contact from there.
Why did you choose Rat Section as a name for the duo?
RS— It’s funny, it actually came from lengthy discussions about our dream house; we would have a sauna, heavy bag, dishwasher and a whole section dedicated for rats. Maybe another one for raccoons too.
Another dream-like story, I heard you two met at a karaoke bar in Warsaw during the 80s?
RS— Yes.
Tell me the backstory about those first years working together. And the decision to split up?
RS— It was a wild time, a different era. We are more controlled and precise with how we move about nowadays. Back then it was loose. We’re not saying we would do any performance, but at the same time we wouldn’t turn much down either. It took a toll, and maybe became a bit too much for us. Johnny disappeared and no one heard from them until the Bucharest chance meeting.
Is there any way for fans to access the original albums from that period?
RS— Unfortunately our whole back catalogue, archived by a dedicated portion of our fanbase, Club Rodentia, was burned in a boat fire in Venice some time ago. If anyone has access to it we’d appreciate it if they let us know!
What are the differences between that project and what you’re making now?
RS— Nothing has changed, we’re still on the same path.
Your sound has been experimental from the start. How would you describe it?
RS— We don’t feel good about genres although we are happy to join one if there is a good compilation CD that wants to include us.
If you ever do, let me know, I’d like a copy. What influences do you hope fans pick up on when they hear your music?
RS— Timbaland, Tricky, M.I.A, O Yuki Conjugate, and Muslimgauze, because we listen to them a lot. Films, choreographic ideas, or specific places in time also help to inform what we write.
I know you often play with other groups, I recently saw you play in London with New York. Is there a group you would love to perform with?
RS— Outkast, Gangsta Boo, Tupac, The Bee Gees, 50 Cent.
You tailor each performance to the venue you are playing. How do you begin in that process?
RS— We like to think about where we will be positioned and what set design to use depending on what we can make of the space from pictures and technical capacity.
Do you have a favourite show you’ve played?
RS— Mostly everyone that has invited us to perform has really looked after us; we have felt very welcome and made some nice friends along the way which we are grateful for. For me (Soopy) Museion in Bolzano was a lot of fun. (Slay John) Sparring at Loki was great - the line up was a family affair and people danced a lot.
It was so much fun to be a part of the audience at Loki, I hope you come back to London. Is there anything else for listeners to look forward to in the upcoming year?
RS— We hope to be able to travel and scale up the performances and set design. A new single is also coming out at the beginning of the year, with a music video.
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Art x Machine: Alexander Wessely Blurs Reality at The Sphere
As the show goes on I want the audience to experience this existential terror and think ‘What the fuck is going on right now? Is this reality? Is this real or not?’
What kind of experience do you want the audience to have while attending the show and how do you envision the show affecting people emotionally?
I'm obsessed with this idea of the audience forgetting the boundaries of reality and merging the physical and the digital. The longer they're inside the experience, I want the audience to experience this existential terror and think, ‘What the fuck is going on right now? Is this reality? Is it real or not?’
How did you incorporate futuristic elements in the production, while also making sure it felt grounded for the audience and emotionally resonant for them?
One way or another, whether it's a sculpture, a stage, or a screen, I want to create something that speaks to the human experience.
The luxury of working with musicians is that music is such a strong medium. I can have an idea that initially might feel kind of flat and then you add this music to it and it becomes something else entirely. It comes to life, in a way. And I guess that's what keeps drawing me back to working with musicians. That type of collaboration speaks a lot to me. I can sense that I give them a lot and they give me a lot back to me in return.
In this case, Anyma was a very close collaborator. Working with him was a new experience in some ways because he's so well-known for his visuals so collaborating with a musical artist who is also very focused on visuals is quite special.
One way or another, whether it's a sculpture, a stage, or a screen, I want to create something that speaks to the human experience.
Throughout the show there was a focus on the human body in a lot of the visuals. How did that come to be and was that something you had a lot of influence on?
When I joined this project in April 2024, Anyma and Alessio de Vecchi (the art director and lead visual artist on the project) had already been developing this concept called Genesys which is the first and third act of the Sphere show. Coming from working quite heavily with humans, the very first piece I made was with Grimes. The piece is called Tarata and it felt very natural to create a juxtaposition to this very digital and robotic world. That's why the act is called Humana. It’s more about human skin and human emotion.
I really enjoyed the parts with Grimes and FKA twigs. What kind of technology did you use to create that section of the show?
It's all shot footage. But it's supposed to make the viewer question how it’s made. Is it digital? Is it actual shot footage? I wanted to create an offset in the rhythm through speed ramping so they both move in an odd way. We also worked with this fantastic team of VFX artists in post production. That was all led by Alessio De Vecchi who Anyma has been working with since the very beginning.
Are there any techniques or technology that you explored for this that you haven't used in the past?
The most obvious one is the 180 projection for the Sphere. I had never dipped into that before and it was very complex and made the workflow quite insane in a lot of ways. That's why I felt so at home in the Humana part, because it was not that different from previous stuff I've done. It was up to the VFX team to adapt it and really make it work.
It's an unprecedented venue in a lot of ways.
Yes, it's so beautiful but it's also so fucking messy. It's almost insane. The most beautiful thing about it is also the worst thing about it. It's way more complex than I thought it would be.
I was also wondering what drew Grimes and FKA twigs towards this project?
Both of them are such interesting visionaries in their own ways. They’re true artists. And the Sphere is potentially the biggest and most interesting stage in the world right now if you're interested in pushing technology. Also I think, like me, they are intrigued by the unknown. On New Year's, we premiered another piece with Grimes in collaboration with Studio Drift. The piece was focused on quantum computing and in it Grimes is basically seducing a computer.
Oh my god !!
Yes (smiles), and creating nature from it. In some ways, it's almost like cheating working with these kinds of artists because they're so fantastic. I also want to mention that the piece I creatively directed with FKA twigs was directed by Jordan Hemingway. It was fantastic.
What was the process for including the robotic cellists?
I have a long-standing collaboration with my very close friend and composer Jacob Mühlrad and we started talking about these robotic cellists about a year ago. When Anyma approached me about this project in April he told me that he wanted to create a cybernetic opera which I thought was very interesting. I told him we should include these robotic cellists and create a stage design that literally puts them on a pedestal almost as a centerpiece of the performance.
Is there one moment from the show that you're particularly proud of?
The FKA twigs piece. I love it. I'm very proud of it and it really hit the spot of what I wanted to achieve with this kind of performance in terms of this integration we’ve been talking about. She really feels holographic in that space. Her performance was insane and I am very thankful for how that piece has been received. Especially because it wasn’t the most commercial or affect-seeking piece. It gives me a lot of hope.
