Amy Lamé has stepped down as London’s night czar – and nightlife could be poorer for it

She was derided as toothless and overpaid – but often by right-wingers with a broader motive. Rather than cheer her departure, let’s advocate for London’s vibrant culture

Various Artists: Redline Impact review – thrilling dive into east Asian hyper-electronics

This exhilarating compilation pushes from K-pop to trance, hardstyle techno, budots and beyond – and is at its best when artists rachet up the intensity

Caribou: Honey review – this AI-aided album is dubious on so many levels

Evidently running out of ideas, the Canadian musician has used AI to alter his voice into rappers and singers – a dismally insular style of working that produces little of note

Sophie: Sophie review – shiver-inducing posthumous album from the hyperpop trailblazer

Completed by her brother after her accidental death in 2021, the experimental pop producer’s second album is among the most inventive records of the year

Rahim Redcar: Hopecore review – former Christine and the Queens artist plays to his fanbase

There are flashes of brilliance in this roughly-hewn album, but also flaws hidden by production flourishes. It’s intriguing but not wholly enjoyable

‘I shouldn’t have listened to those around me’: Janet Jackson on Michael, motherhood and how she’s taking back control

After five decades in the public eye, three marriages and the ‘wardrobe malfunction’ that torpedoed her career, the pop megastar is back. She opens up about family, fame and her fears of mayhem after the US election

Moby review – full of teenage energy on first tour in over a decade

With songs either maximalist or stripped back, there’s not much subtlety during this 25th anniversary tour for the once-ubiquitous Play – but there are some head-rush thrills

Jamie xx: In Waves review – bright, blissful bangers for 3am on big speakers

Filled with guest stars from his xx bandmates to Robyn, this long-gestating second solo album picks up where In Colour left off, and deepens its dancefloor devotion

Berlin’s Watergate nightclub will close with New Year’s Eve last dance

Upmarket Kreuzberg club blames economic pressures, a pandemic hangover and Berlin’s dated image as factors leading to end of 22-year party

‘My whole life’s interconnected’: Neneh Cherry on the relationships that inspire her, leaving home at 15, and the joy of a trashy box set

The celebrated musician answers questions from Observer readers and famous fans including Michael Stipe, Bernardine Evaristo, Questlove and Sadiq Khan

Jungle review – like a puzzle with a piece missing

The Brit award winners keep their audience in happy shuffle mode with a plush set of disco-flecked retro bangers

One to watch: Friedberg

The London-based four-piece led by Austrian singer-songwriter Anna F serve up the coolest dance punk this side of LCD Soundsystem

‘This janitor’s daughter became a state deputy’: Leci Brandão, the Brazilian samba star turned communist lawmaker

Born in poverty, Brandão became a socially conscious samba singer who satirised Rio’s bourgeoisie – then a politician championing gay rights and Black culture. As she turns 80, she recalls a remarkable life

Caribou review – small-scale sweaty return showcases potent pivot to pop

Playing mostly new material from upcoming album Honey, this mainstream club fare is given huge personality by Dan Snaith’s croon and yearning songcraft

Fred Again: Ten Days review – pop house with unfulfilled pretensions

An album of lofty intentions and muttered musings from the dance artist de jour is saved by a gift for a nagging hook and uplifting melody