Michael McKinney

last month

Ahead of her upcoming EP, Eliana Glass (@ladyliana) spoke with Michael McKinney (@mmckwrites) about the “gem-like” qualities afforded via vintage recording material, the importance of having an audience, her relationship to improvisation and “vocal jazz,” ghosts and disembodied voices, and much more. Out now on powmag.net 🔗: https://www.powmag.net/p/eliana-glass-interview-e-at-home #POWMagazine

3 months ago

The Sound Of: Ghostly International, mixed by Michna 👻 Pinning down the sound of Ghostly International’s is an almost impossible task, with a sprawling catalogue spanning blissed-out ambient and lo-fi folk, through experimental hip-hop and post-punk, to heads-down house, techno and all manner of spaces in-between and beyond. But, as founder Sam Valenti IV explains, it all just comes down to its no-rules approach, and an openness to change. It’s an ethos that’s rooted in his formative experiences in ’90s Detroit, and one that’s endured to make Ghostly one of the 21st century’s most trusted imprints. Here, alongside a mix recorded by label affiliate Michna, Valenti shares its story. ✍️ @mmckwrites

3 months ago

Slam on the CDJ: The Best DJ Sets of January 2026 From breakbeat barnstormers to eleven-odd hours of sun-blasted disco and psychedelic downtempo music and everything in between. BY MICHAEL MCKINNEY @mmckwrites Full Slam on the CDJ Available On Our Website 🔗:https://www.passionweiss.com/2026/02/19/slam-on-the-cdj-the-best-dj-sets-of-january-2026/ #POW

3 months ago

Songs That Carry a Handaxe: An Interview With Sopa Boba We speak with experimental group Sopa Boba about architecting the blood-soaked world of their debut album, ‘That Moment.’ BY MICHAEL MCKINNEY @mmckwrites Full Interview Available On Our Website 🔗: https://www.passionweiss.com/2026/02/18/sopa-boba-interview-that-moment/ #POWMagazine

4 months ago

Recognise 098: Nono Gigsta, live from Dripping 2025 🐊 Last summer, the Marseilles-via-Berlin DJ and climate campaigner Nono Gigsta crossed the Atlantic on a largely wind-powered cargo ship. Bound for North America, where she was scheduled to play for the first time at events like New Jersey’s Dripping, the boat was struck by a hurricane, a perilous ordeal the captain would later describe as “monstrously beautiful”. At Dripping, Nono Gigsta harnessed the energy of that storm to weave a genre-warping mix of techno, breaks, dubstep and all-manner of leftfield dance music idioms in-between, interlaced with recitations of the life-affirming Mary Oliver poem that kept her afloat while on that journey. For her contribution to DJ Mag’s Recognise mix series, Nono Gigsta now shares a recording of that set, and speaks to Michael McKinney about her experience on board the Artemis, her history with music, meditation and transcendence on the dancefloor, and approaching DJing with the energy of a jazz drummer. Listen to the mix and read the interview now on djmag.com 🔗 ✍️ @mmckwrites 📸 @jojo.sselkie 🎨 @rossdavies.uk

4 months ago

Slam on the CDJ: The Best DJ Sets of 2025 From zero-gravity ambient music to miles-deep genre explorations, Michael McKinney pulls from all corners of the globe and the Internet to deliver the best DJ sets of 2025. BY MICHAEL MCKINNEY @mmckwrites 📝Full List Available On Our Website 🔗: https://www.passionweiss.com/2026/01/29/slam-on-the-cdj-the-best-dj-sets-of-2025/ #POWMagazine

4 months ago

Recognise 097: JIALING 🔊 JIALING’s been on an unstoppable upward trajectory of late. In the past year alone, the Baltimore-born, Brooklyn-based DJ and producer has released on labels like Clasico Records, Sorry Records and her own WOE imprint with Kade Young, and played at notable clubs the world over, from New York and Berlin to London, Shanghai and Rio de Janeiro. With a 90-minute mix of breaks, bass and blazing East Coast club music for the Recognise series, she demonstrates the fire-starting energy that’s set her on this course, and which shows no sign of slowing down. In conversation with Michael McKinney, she talks about her background in classical cello, exploring her heritage through production, and championing the next-gen sound of her hometown. Listen to the mix and read the interview now on djmag.com 🔗 ✍️ @mmckwrites 📸 @malikesidibe Live Photos: Someoneyes

5 months ago

“Too Human to be Truly Ambient”: An Interview with Kara-Lis Coverdale @k__lc We reach into the void with composer Kara-Lis Coverdale to break down the emotional and physical process behind her sprawling records. BY MICHAEL MCKINNEY @mmckwrites 📝Check Out The Full Interview Over On Our Website 🔗: https://www.passionweiss.com/2026/01/12/kara-lis-coverdale-interview-grafts-from-where-you-came-a-series-of-actions-in-a-sphere-of-forever-changes-in-air/ #POWMagazine

6 months ago

𝐃𝐉 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 Marcelle van Hoof is seated in her Netherlands home, surrounded by some 20,000 slabs of vinyl. As ever, she’s throwing gauntlets. “To be honest, I don’t find the majority of DJs to be very interesting,” she says over a transatlantic Zoom call. “I really love a good techno track, but I think: why is there not some shouting over it, or the sound of breaking glass on top of it? The attitude of the DJ as an entertainer — ‘Let’s dance’ — doesn’t interest me that much.” Van Hoof, who regularly performs across the globe as DJ Marcelle, has spent the past handful of decades chasing her own dragons, building a career on top of a mountain of records and sticking to a reliable M.O. Behind the boards, she is equally prone to wry humor as she is to thumbed noses or hard left turns; her music is one of joyful noise. She’s used to slamming dancefloors, sure, but her work is rarely straightforward for long. Beyond her work in the DJ booth, Marcelle puts out her own music at an impressive clip, weaving together all manner of who-knows-whats in a discography that splits the difference between sound collagery and dance music. “I can’t describe my own style, but I think I’ve very much got a style of my own. This brings us to “Sorry, No Silence,” a sludged-up fever-dream of a track that acts as the centerpiece of her latest LP, Sorry, No Service. The single’s cover art, which features Marcelle in her home carrying a sign that translates to “AMSTERDAM AGAINST GENOCIDE,” is about as subtle as the track’s repeated evocation of “ethnic cleansing,” ripped from photographer Nan Goldin’s speech at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie. Read the full interview at untitled909.substack.com

6 months ago

Death, Diners & Daughters: An Interview With Jennifer Walton Genre polymath Jennifer Walton speaks with POW about her latest album, ‘Daughters,’ and the mess of putting grief into song. BY MICHAEL MCKINNEY @mmckwrites 📝 Check Out The Full Interview Over On Our Website 🔗: https://www.passionweiss.com/2025/11/21/jennifer-walton-interview-daughters/ #POWMagazine