You may have caught Blackhaine on the cover of Crack Magazine, or modelling for Vogue Italia. He’s a multidisciplinary artist – a dancer, choreographer and MC – recently involved in the choreography of Kanye’s West’s DONDA performance in Chicago. I first came across him performing in Manchester Collective’s Dark Days, Luminous Nights film. Blackhaine, real…
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A vintage, four-legged stereo system stands on a small stage in Central Library’s performance space. The audience gathered around it are invited to tune into late-night talk radio show Dream FM, whose presenter asks a deceptively simple question: “Where do you drift behind closed eyes?” Since August, residents from across Greater Manchester have been leaving…
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“It was too personal, too deep – too dark.” This is one of the reactions that Mancunian-raised, Kenyan-born sisters Millie and Hope Katana received from industry heads on their 2019 EP Life Under Siege. With thick Lancashire accents and bold humour, the twins, who perform as The KTNA, represent a wave of artists from the…
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LayFullstop opens STiR with a prayer spoken over a muted jazztronica beat, giving thanks to God for her family, friends and the opportunities she’s been given in life. It sets an unapologetically religious tone for the rest of the mixtape and announces her new musical style, blending gospel, jazz and grime, which she broadly labels…
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A grey, hazy veil has been placed over my vision. I sit hidden within the armour of my car, parked at the roadside, gazing at passers-by. I know this street and yet it looks so unfamiliar. I know that bend in the road, yet it looks like a stranger. As I stare, the road changes…
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“Spanish cities are the kings of public space to me,” Hayley Flynn says. “They’re the kind of cities where you get your lunch, or an ice cream and you’ll quickly find a bench to sit down. It doesn’t cross your mind that you would have to wander around looking for one.” Being able to comfortably…
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Published by Verso in August, Investigative Aesthetics is a book about the theory and practices of investigation, art and politics. The book’s authors, Matthew Fuller and Eyal Weizman, argue for forms of investigating and presenting information aimed not just at reading but working the conjunction. This idea of a ‘conjunction’ is something that comes out…
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Keep up to date with the latest releases from artists and musicians across Greater Manchester, collected in our Salt Shaker playlist. You can download the playlist on Spotify and find out more about the featured artists below. 96 Back // Abnormal Sleepz // Acre // Afrodeutsche // Aitch // All Hands on Deck // Andy…
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Last year, Ayo launched the Salt Book Club to discuss fiction set in Greater Manchester or written by Mancunian authors. The idea was that people who weren’t from the city or wanted to learn more about it could use literature as an entry-point. We wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on discussions we had…
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“I’ve been dreaming so much recently,” Danielle Swindells says. “I’ve been dreaming about people who used to be in my life who have passed away.” She pauses. “I dream that one day, we all meet again. Something like that.” Brit Seaton smiles. The two artists are old friends who met whilst at different universities in…
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