W

Description

Populous, also known as Andrea Mangia, a DJ and producer from Lecce in southern Italy, is releasing his new album titled W on the New York label Wonderwheel Recordings. W, for Women, is a tribute to feminine musical imagery. It is inspired by women who sing, write, compose, and play, and who are, for Populous, both icons and friends from Italy, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. W is also a celebration of femininity beyond stereotypes, less defined by gender but rather a common individuality that is the perfect response to the uniformity imposed by the machismo that still reigns in the music industry. With this new album, Populous has revealed his queer identity, making his first musical statement on queer identity. From the songs to the cover, he has created a visual manifesto to present feminine musical imagery. The cover was designed with Nicola Napoli, a digital artist from the Berlin queer scene. It represents, in Populous's own words, a utopian party that we would do anything to be invited to. An eclectic, unlikely but coherent crossover party where you might meet Grace Jones and Missy Elliott, Loredana Bertè and RuPaul, Aaliyah and Amanda Lear, Beth Ditto and Divine, all while dancing to shamanic house, digital cumbia, vogue beats, and glitch electronica. Populous is joined on each track by the independent artists he admires most: Sobrenadar, Kaleema, Sotomayor, Emmanuelle, Barda, Weste, Cuushe, and the Italians M¥SS KETA, L I M, Matilde Davoli, and Lucia Manca. These collaborations were born from the discovery of his sexual freedom, perpetual motion, and incessant travels, whether physical or musical.