‘I’m not a quitter!’ Rubén Blades, the salsa supremo who acted with Jack Nicholson, inspired Bad Bunny – and served as Panama’s tourism minister

As he prepares to play the UK, the 25-Grammy-winning musician (and Harvard law graduate) looks back on his astonishing journey from the barrios of Panama City to global stardom

The Black Lights review – Mica Levi, Moin and Klein thrill at an awesome addition to the UK festival circuit

Tapping into the kitsch and romance of a Blackpool weekender, this debut offering from Manchester’s White Hotel becomes a triumph of pan-genre experimentalism

Candomblé: Sacred Rhythms in Brazil review – ceremonial drumming remixed for the dancefloor

A treasure trove of field recordings are reshaped into pulsating floor-fillers and sparse baile funk by a range of producers

‘It’s giving me carnival vibes’: how Fête de la Musique became a must-visit event for the Black diaspora

Begun in 1982, the festival is now a magnet for Black Britons, who spill across Paris enjoying genres from amapiano to zouk. But can it resist commercialisation – and is it getting too big?

‘A mermaid brushed her hair while people put objects under her boobs’: discover the tiny secret festivals rivalling Glasto for vibes

Fed up with expensive tickets and omnipresent branding, some festival fans are creating their own anarchic, ticketless events full of glitter and silliness. They explain how it’s done

‘There’s a way to fly mindfully. Like, I don’t have my own plane any more’: can DJ megastar Alok make dance music more sustainable?

The Brazilian musician, who collaborates with Indigenous artists and puts millions into philanthropy, explains his mission – and defends his jetsetting

David Guetta and Sia’s song Titanium got me through my fertility treatment

Hearing their in-your-face banger was a turning point for me – and I’ve never looked back

Pussy Riot: CYKA review – debut album from iconic Russian agitators is let down by blunt-force EDM

On a disappointing record helmed by co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova, corny guitars and generically moody synths undermine the activist group’s political acuity

‘We got banned from YouTube but they showed Saddam Hussein being hanged’: the wild viral visions of Romain Gavras

What will life be like in 2034? Will kids surf in quarries – or live in the woods since they think Earth is hollow? We meet the film-maker behind Gener8ion, whose dark predictions have a habit of going viral

‘In prison, I made a little studio in my head. It kept me sane’: Ibrahim Alfa Jr, British techno’s great survivor

He moved from Nigeria to middle England and was swept up into the rave scene – then battled through incarceration and near-death illness. After making 500 tracks while living on porridge and lettuce, he explains how he kept going

‘You can let your inner freak out!’: welcome to Pixelate and the growing craze for internet-culture raves

At Pixelate, the music is as garish as the meme-referencing costumes. Is it internet ‘brainrot’ come to life – or a much-needed offline community?

Collection of rave-era memorabilia expected to fetch up to £80,000

Producer Rob Ford’s trove of 1,700 items includes membership cards and the Prodigy’s first business card

‘The biggest myth? That I left Sister Sledge’: Kathy Sledge on sibling rivalry, Chic and disco’s political power

One of disco’s biggest stars answers your questions, recalling tours with Rick James, inspiration for Destiny’s Child and what she wished she asked Michael Jackson

Post your questions for Sister Sledge’s Kathy Sledge

The voice of some of Sister Sledge’s biggest hits is touring again, and will take on your questions

‘Brits are not as groovy as us – but they’re less square than Europeans’: how drum’n’bass united Brazil and the UK

When drum’n’bass grew stale in the 90s, it got a samba-splicing Brazilian twist. As that style returns, the scene’s legends and newcomers celebrate a cross-cultural triumph