wax Poetics
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  • Documenting the music trailblazers, cultures and stories that shape the sounds of yesterday, today, and beyond.

  • Joining the dots.
    Groups of articles that bring stories to life.

  • Explore classic, rare, or forgotten records.
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  • All of our mixes, playlists, and podcasts in one place.

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  • Documenting the music trailblazers, cultures and stories that shape the sounds of yesterday, today, and beyond.

Music Made Us Wax poetics

Music Made Us

Music Made Us—the new show from Wax Poetics and Sonos Radio—takes listeners on an 8-stop journey across the United States, exploring how music’s influence helped shape and build the unique character of each locale.
The D Wax poetics

The D

A collection of stories and interviews about the musicians hailing from and/or working in the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Saudade Brasil Wax poetics

Saudade Brasil

When you are longing for all the different sounds and styles from the one of the world’s greatest musical treasuries, Brazil, then you’ve come to the right place.
Record Rundown Wax poetics

Record Rundown

New and classic articles where rappers, producers, and DJs lay out their favorite and/or most influential records
Beats and Beat Makers Photo by B+.

Beats and Beat Makers

From Dilla to DJ Premier, dig into the personalities behind the beats as they divulge the stories behind the creation of hip-hop classics and left-field breakbeats..
Riddim Nation Wax poetics

Riddim Nation

A collection of articles on reggae, ska, rocksteady, dub, digital dancehall, and all the vastly layered and complex styles that originated from the island of Jamaica.
The NYC DJ Wax poetics

The NYC DJ

The long and storied tradtion of DJ culture in the Big Apple gets its full due here, as legendary booth residents recount their favorite memories behind the decks and discuss their craft.
Women in Music: Artists & Writers Wax poetics

Women in Music: Artists & Writers

Featuring selected articles that display women’s important and versatile contributions to music, from the artists to the writers.
We Live in Brooklyn, Baby Wax poetics

We Live in Brooklyn, Baby

An ongoing collection of articles about artists from and/or based in Brooklyn, New York, the spiritual home of Wax Poetics.
Calvin Klein Plugged In Wax Poetics & Calvin Klein present Plugged In

Calvin Klein Plugged In

Calvin Klein and Wax Poetics teamed up to look for the next generation of music journalists.
Japan Wax poetics

Japan

Japan has long been the land where tradition and innovation come together. The Japanese appreciation and adoption of cultures from abroad has led to extraordinarily eclectic artists and fans. Wax Poetics celebrates the unique music scene of Japan.
Philly World Wax poetics

Philly World

The sophisticated and eminently danceable sound of the City of Brotherly Love was not only a defining element of disco, but a sound that in many ways set the stage for house music. Dive into the origins and stories of the scene, and take a look at current Philadelphia artists that emerged from the shadows of the city’s towering musical history.
Hey, America Wax poetics

Hey, America

An examination of the complex, often bittersweet relationship between America and the Black Experience. The celebration of Black culture and music in the face of adversity.
U.K. Jazz-Funk Wax poetics

U.K. Jazz-Funk

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the U.K. witnessed the birth of an inclusive scene of dancers and musicians who built their own scene influenced with the sounds of U.S. jazz and funk.
Issue 1 Extra Let it rain. Photo courtesy of Motown Records.

Issue 1 Extra

We revisit Volume 2, Issue 01 with a range of companion pieces to the magazine. We speak to Motown engineer Bob Olhsson about the finer details of recording Marvin Gaye's masterpiece, and part 2 of the Sergio Mendes article it sees him enter a new decade, revamping his band as Brasil ’77, and rubbing shoulders with Harrison Ford, Stevie Wonder, the Brothers Johnson, and Pelé. Plus we have a series of interviews with the creative protagonists that helped make issue 1 so special.
Prince Prince performing at MTV's 1991 <i>Video Music Awards</i>.

Prince

Wax Poetics commemorates one of the most prolific artists of our time. Our Prince connection features Q&As with collaborators, related Re:Discoveries, and remembrances from the Purple One’s friends and associates.
Pride Wax poetics

Pride

From classic NYC disco and Chicago house to proudly Queer artists, Wax Poetics celebrates the enduring legacy and influence of the LGBTQ+ community through music.
The Building Blocks Wax poetics

The Building Blocks

A Rosetta Stone of rhythm, the drum breaks that make up the legendary Ultimate Breaks and Beats collection form a cornerstone of hip-hop, and, by extension, a large part of contemporary rhythmic feel. Investigate the birth of the boom bap below.
We Out Here Wax poetics

We Out Here

A collection of stories about the artists who play the beloved U.K. festival.