Music

In electro-funk group Blak Emoji, singer-songwriter Kelsey Warren blends his longstanding love of alt-rock bands like Nine Inch Nails and Björk with a more recent fascination with dance beats. With Bryan Percivall on bass, Max Tholenaar-Maples on drums, and Sylvana Joyce on keys, this New York City-based outfit is hypnotic and penetrating, navigating electronica and funkadelic soul. They are joined by Starchild & the New Romantic, a Brooklyn-based artist who has collaborated with the likes of Solange and Dev Hynes. Inspired by Prince and Parliament, Starchild has been praised by Pitchfork for his “slick, colorful foray into retro-futurist funk that’s fueled by his keen sense of style.”