It’s Mamdani time! On this episode of the show we’re bringing things right up to the here and now to celebrate New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani. Tim and Jeremy recount the emergence of Zohran as a political figure, his background and parents, his democratic socialist politics and what his election means for the Left and anti-imperialism more broadly. We also hear a potted history of the DSA, consider the particularities of Left Populism as a contemporary political tendency, spend time with Bernie and de Blassio, and appraise a couple of the incoming mayor’s early rap tracks.Edited by Matt Huxley. Become a Patron at Patreon.com/LoveMessagePodwww.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk/Tracklist:Sunidhi Chauhan - Dhoom Machale Young Cardamom, HAB - #1 Spice Mr. Cardamom - Nani Lil Wayne - Right Above It Das Racist - Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell The Temptations - Smiling Faces Sometimes Books:David Harvey - A Brief History of NeoliberalismBarbara Ehrenreich - Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy
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1:41:53
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1:41:53
Soundtrack for a Coup D'Etat pt.3: DRC Today
In this episode we conclude our look at the Democratic Republic of Congo with an exploration of the music and politics of the country from 1960 to the present day. Beginning with the overthrow of Patrice Lumumba, Jeremy and Tim discuss the colonial and imperialist dynamics that have buffeted the country for the last half century, the cycles of violence this engenders and the role of nations like the US, China and Rwanda have played in destabilising the country. They also unpack the ‘resource curse’ of the DRC’s mineral stocks, the activities of companies like Apple and Tesla, and finish with a reflection from the great Franz Fanon.On the music side of things, we hear a potted history of the conga drum, some drum and bass, electric thumb pianos, handmade amplifiers and an African cousin to footwork.Edited by Matt Huxley.Become a Patron at patreon.com/LoveMessagePod.www.LoveistheMessagePod.comTracklist: Zaiko Langa Langa - Femme Ne Pleure Pas Papa Wemba - La Vie Comme Elle Va Bola Grooverider - Rivers of Congo Konono No.1 - Lufuala Ndonga Khalab - Chitita Kokoko! - Malembe Jupiter & Okwess - Na Kozonga Fulu Kolektiv - Lualaba Fulu Kolektiv - Nfuka
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1:27:56
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1:27:56
LITM Extra - What We're Listening To, Nov '25 [excerpt]
This is an excerpt from a patrons episode. To hear the full thing, and dozens more like it, visit Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod and become a patron from £3 a month.In this patrons-only episode Jeremy and Tim revive the long-dormant ‘What We’re Listening To’ format for an exploration of what’s been on their turntables recently. Tim pulls extensively from the bag he packed for a recent Lucky Cloud party, including selections from SAULT and Cotontete, while Jeremy shares a modern slice of Bukem-esque DnB and an end-of-the-night dreamy deep cut. Elsewhere in the show we hear a post-punk Fela cover, a classic piece of Sharon Jones funk soul, Highlife guitar, a shoutout for the humble 7”, Afrofuturist mythology and… Alan Partridge. Tracklist: Miguel ‘Anga’ Dias - A Love Supreme Evolução Africa - Liberdade SAULT - Let Me Go Cotonete feat. Leron Thomas - Day In Day Out Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - What If We All Stopped Playing Taxes Vital Disorders - Zombie Underground System - 95 South The Earons - Land of Hunger Big Bud - Lucky7 Rubies feat. Feist - I Feel Electric (TieDye Remix)
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10:41
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10:41
Soundtrack to a Coup D'Etat pt.2: The Jazz Ambassadors
We’re continuing our series of episodes inspired by the 2024 documentary Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat with an examination of some of the film’s key characters: the so-called ‘Jazz Ambassadors’, a group of mostly black US musicians sent around the world to (unwittingly) promote American soft power during the Cold War. Tim and Jeremy give a brief history of the emergence of the CIA in the post-war USA, explain the role of NATO, and detail a few of the great many instances of US interference in newly decolonised states around the globe. We hear about Louis Armstrong in Ghana, Dizzy Gillespie’s tours to West Asia and revisit Max Roach from our previous show, alongside Brubeck, Stravinsky and… Bing Crosby. The guys discuss these various attempts to portray America as a haven of free self expression at home while it repeatedly violated sovereignty and democracy abroad. Also included in this show: Fantasia, the Military Industrial Complex, the Kennedy assassination and some speculative White House tripping. Edited by Matt Huxley. Become a Patron at Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod.www.LoveistheMessagePod.comTracklist:Aaron Copeland - Fanfare for the Common Man Bing Crosby - The Isle of InnisfreeIgor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring Louis Armstrong - (What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue Louis Armstrong - Spooks Dizzy Gillespie - Tour de Force Dave Brubeck - Take Five Max Roach - Triptych: Prayer / Protest / Peace The Byrds - He Was a Friend of Mine Books:William Blum - Killing Hope Susan Williams - White Malice
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1:29:28
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1:29:28
LITM Extra - Music in the Cold War pt.1 [excerpt]
This is an excerpt from a patrons-only episode. To hear the full thing, and dozens more like it, visit Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod and become a patron from £3 a month.In this patrons episode we’re taking some time to explore some of the background to our recent main feed show about colonialism, jazz diplomacy and the documentary Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat with a bitesize primer on the origins of the Cold War. Jeremy and Tim run it all the way back to 1917 to unpack the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the subsequent years of communist rule leading into WW2, and the musical expressions of this historic period. Along the way they discuss Soviet Realism, Modernism, formal experimentation in the arts, Stalin, the Monro Doctrine and the CIA. Elsewhere in the episode we hear about George Formby, Peter and the Wolf, the Red Army Choir, and ask whether any of us really like orchestral music. Tracklist:The Red Army Choir - The Internationale Billy Bragg - The Internationale Shostakovich - Symphony No.2 (October)Books:William Blum - Killing Hope
About Love is the Message: Dance, Music and Counterculture
Love is the Message: Music, Dance & Counterculture is a new show from Tim Lawrence and Jeremy Gilbert, both of them authors, academics, DJs and dance party organisers.
Tune in, Turn on and Get Down to in-depth discussion of the sonic, social and political legacies of radical movements from the 1960s to today. Starting with David Mancuso's NYC Loft parties, we’ll explore the countercultural sounds, scenes and ideas of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
”There’s one big party going on all the time. Sometimes we get to tune into it.” The rest of the time there’s Love Is The Message.
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