THE PLAYLIST
At just 21 years old, Mura Masa is making some of the most playful and ambitious dance music of his generation, heard on his self-titled debut album released last week. In a playlist with USA TODAY, the UK-born singer and producer (real name: Alex Crossan) shares a wideranging group of artists who have influenced his music.
Yesterday The Beatles
This is just a pure and simple statement of songwriting. It’s just so perfectly metered and every line and melody has a perfect place.
I Wanna Be Your Lover Prince
Possibly my favorite song of all time. I love Prince because he’s the archetype of what so many bedroom producers and artists are doing today.
U Hurt Me Burial
When I think of what the UK sounds like in this century, I think of Burial. He so perfectly captures that mix of whimsy and melancholy alongside the darker textures.
Come Up and Get Me Death Grips
The introduction to No Love Deep Web is such a great mission statement for Death Grips; visceral, raw experimentation driven by the combination of three incredible musicians.
Solo Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean is an amazing storyteller, and his turn of phrase is always so recognizable.
November Has Come Gorillaz
Demon Days was a seminal album for me, in terms of getting to grips with that multicultural, boundary-less, genre-less pop sound.
Jasmine Jai Paul
The work that the Paul brothers did on Jai’s two released records is sonically breathtaking.
Trophy Nao feat. A.K. Paul
Nao is a gifted songwriter, and seeing her progress and bloom as an artist in herself has been one of the biggest inspirations to me.
Eyeless Slipknot
Slipknot really connected with me growing up, because I loved the way that underground rave and DJ culture was woven into the extreme distortion of their sound.
Let TameIt HappenImpala
How does he get his drums to sound like that? Seriously. This whole album is just incredible.