Oliver Wang
Oliver Wang is an culture writer, scholar, and DJ based in Los Angeles. He's the author of Legions of Boom: Filipino American Mobile DJ Crews of the San Francisco Bay Area and a professor of sociology at CSU-Long Beach. He's the creator of the audioblog soul-sides.com and co-host of the album appreciation podcast, Heat Rocks.
-
The group's one and only album, Power Fuerza, provides a snapshot of a pivotal moment in musical and political history in 1970s New York City. -
A 1970s explosion in affordable music gear, particularly synthesizers and drum machines, yielded fascinating experiments by amateur artists. A new compilation collects electronic soul gems from that era. -
Producer Robert Williams and his studio Red, Black and Green Productions were behind some of Washington's biggest R&B hits in the 1970s. -
Toronto-based philosopher Marshall McLuhan's 1967 musique-concrete LP gets a second look. -
Profile Records never meant to get into the rap game, but the label launched the careers of groups like Run-D.M.C. -
In 1971, Motown founder Berry Gordy created MoWest, a California label that would last only two years before being dismantled. A new anthology documents this odd and little-known chapter in Motown's history. -
Salsa is most commonly linked to New York and Miami, but a neighborhood in northwest Chicago boasted a vibrant salsa scene in the 1970s. A new compilation explores this hidden era in the city's music history. -
Terrell was perhaps best known for her duet work with Marvin Gaye, but the young singer released solo recordings before they'd ever collaborated. These solo recordings have been collected on a new anthology called Come On and See Me. -
Unlike Marvin Gaye or James Brown, Johnson never had massive success, in spite of a prolific career. A new box set, Syl Johnson: The Complete Mythology, compiles more than 80 recordings from the late 1950s through early 1970s.
-
Maya is the third full-length album by M.I.A., and it rattles with hard-edged and well-produced beats and electronica. Reviewer Oliver Wang says that even if it's not her best work, the record still offers reminders of why M.I.A. is one of the most compelling and unusual artists in pop today.
