Ahead of his performance at our venue on the 10th of November, we invited Kae Tempest to create a playlist for us: a personal selection of songs, artists, and sounds that have echoed through his life, work, and inner world. The result is a beautiful set of tracks that are songs to hold closely, not merely as influences, but companions who’ve stood by your side.
If you’ve ever stepped into Kae’s world, through his spoken word, writing, or music, you’ll know how deeply sound runs through everything he creates. His work sits at the meeting point of poetry and pulse, language and rhythm, and this playlist feels like a continuation of that dialogue.
Here, we’re given a glimpse into the tracks that have stayed with him. Songs that ground, challenge, and move; sounds that have shaped moments both personal and creative. There’s an intimacy to the choices: a sense of someone reaching back through time, tracing a line from early inspiration to the present moment.
This is not “the hits of Kae’s life” as a greatest-hits reel. Instead, it’s a map (a sonic map) through what has shaped, soothed, challenged, and uplifted. You’ll find voices speaking in poetry, textures that scatter like light, rhythms that pulse under skin, and moments of quiet stillness.
Freedom! – George Michael
Tease Me – Chaka Demus & Pliers
New World Water – Mos Def
Sittin’ Here – Dizzee Rascal
Glory – D Double E, TenBillion Dreams, Ghetts
CATFISH – Doechii
Battle – Wookie, Lain
Tell Me Lies – Confucius MC, Bastien Keb, Kofi Flexxx
This Is How We Walk On The Moon – Speakers Corner Quartet, Tizrah
Weary – Solange
Love Is A Losing Game – Amy Winehouse
It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz
Dide O – Kokoroko
Living – Shabaka, ESKA
Change – Big Thief
God Is Alive Magic Is Afoot – Buffy Sainte-Marie
