VMP Magazine

Photo from Shakira’s El Dorado World Tour, via shakira.com

Born as Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira has become known as the Queen of Latin Music. Having planted her feet in the industry for over three decades, Shakira has remained authentic as she navigated a tightrope balancing act between remaining genuine with her music and appealing to wider audiences, especially in the early 2000s when she ventured to make a footprint in the U.S. landscape. But, as we now know, her steadfast dedication to vocalizing her own blend of backgrounds has spoken to many. She draws inspiration from both her Colombian and Lebanese heritage, infusing a multitude of diverse styles and instruments into her music and her live performances, eluding commercial demands. From the beginning, Shakira shook the industry and the world with her authenticity, setting the stage with a unique set of sounds that would indicate her greater cultural impact in the U.S. music market and crown her a queen.

VMP is featuring Grizzly Bear’s third studio album, Veckatimest, as our October 2021 Essentials Record of the Month. The album launched the band into the mainstream, going so far as to eventually shape the way other genres evolved, too, an impact that’s further explained in the album’s Listening Notes .

This primer explores the band’s meaningful catalog, taking note of their sounds before and after the release of Veckatimest. Beginning with vocalist Ed Droste’s mostly solo album under the Grizzly Bear moniker, Horn of Plenty, and moving through their most recent 2017 album, Painted Ruins, walking through the band’s discography is a journey that puts their talents and unique music into perspective.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is ODESZA’s The Last Goodbye, the electronic duo’s first album in five years.

Vermont-based musician and producer James Hinton, aka The Range, has returned with his first record in six years, Mercury. To celebrate the new release, The Range spoke with VMP via email about making his latest record, sample discovery and his Mercury-inspired home listening mix.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Flume’s nature-driven third album, Palaces.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Suki Waterhouse’s debut album, I Can’t Let Go.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Flock of Dimes’ follow up to her 2021 album, a collection of live performances, covers and unreleased demos, Head of Roses: Phantom Limb. 

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Cécile McLorin Salvant’s latest release, Ghost Song. 

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Emily Wells’ latest studio album, Regards to the End.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Reviver, Lane 8’s latest release.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is not just one, but four albums released by Arca as part of the Kick series. 

VMP Rising is our series where we partner with up-and-coming artists to press their music to vinyl and highlight artists we think are going to be the Next Big Thing. Today, we’re featuring the new album gelato from boylife.

Photo by Merrick Ales

Every week we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Strand of Oaks’ In Heaven.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Valentine, the sophomore record from Snail Mail.

At the age of 14, Lee Morgan’s career seemed to be set in stone after receiving a trumpet for his birthday. His growth was meteoric, and just one year later, while still in high school, he was already performing professionally. Even the upper echelon of jazz musicians noticed Morgan’s talent — many were eager to scout the rising talent. Shortly after graduating high school, Dizzy Gillespie invited Morgan to join his big band. Clifford Brown had been a mentor to the rising musician, and following Brown’s untimely death in a car accident, Morgan was catapulted to the top of the list as the next great trumpeter.

Graphics by Julia Fletcher

The process of buying a turntable can feel like buying a car. While it’s a vehicle for practical use, you still want to enjoy riding the soundwaves. Perhaps, like moving on from your first car, you want to move on from the basics of your turntable and upgrade its pieces as you become even more invested in the hobby.

Knowing where to start, without a doubt, is an arduous task. Beginning with the basics — knowing the anatomy of your turntable and its functions — can ease you into the process, especially when understanding how the pieces work together to affect your sound quality.

We’ve done a bit of the dirty work and broke down and illustrated the parts of a turntable to give you a head start on figuring out how to elicit the best sound possible from your machine.

VMP and Oda have worked, in their own ways, to share timeless music and elevate artists. In celebration of our August Essentials ROTM, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, we’re bringing our experiences and Oda’s technology together and giving VMP members access to a live performance by Glenn-Copeland. Read on to learn more about Oda, the partnership and the performance.

Every week we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Baby Queen’s debut mixtape, The Yearbook.

Welcome to VMP’s series, Two Turntables and a Mic, where we’ll guide you through the ins and outs of vinyl DJing, or turntablism. Today, we’re taking a short look at its history: where the term came from, the first live DJ event, the role of Jamaica’s sound systems in remixing and how hip-hop came to embody vinyl DJing.

Every week we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Big Red Machine’s sophomore release, How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?

Every week we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Pressure Machine, the seventh album from The Killers.

Photo by Kelia Anne MacCluskey

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever.

Photo by Tyree Harris

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Vince Staples’ self-titled fifth album.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is DARKSIDE's Spiral.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Gorgon City’s Olympia.

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Matthew Dear’s Preacher’s Sigh & Potion: Lost Album.

Photo by David McClister

Every week, we tell you about an album we think you need to spend time with. This week’s album is Raise the Roof, the second collaborative record — 14 years after the first — from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.