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Music Features

Friday

This Old Chicago House: EDM's Family Roots

A fan of soul and disco, Nemiah Mitchell, Jr. (left) let the taste of his son, Vince Lawrence, shape the output of his record labels Mitchbal and Chicago Connection. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

The Record

This Old Chicago House: EDM's Family Roots

The compiler of a boxset that resurrects early Chicago house music traces the scene's prehistory to the relationship between a father and son who were ahead of the curve.

"Shake Your Body" by Jeanette Thomas

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Thursday

Monday

Springsteen's American Dream, Beautiful And Bleak

Bruce Springsteen onstage during the Born in the USA tour in 1985. Richard E. Aaron/Redferns hide caption

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Richard E. Aaron/Redferns

The Record

Springsteen's American Dream, Beautiful And Bleak

Ann Powers says her infatuation with The Boss grew into adult respect for the strivers in his songs.

Springsteen's American Dream, Beautiful And Bleak

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Saturday

A Summer With Fun.

Nate Ruess before fun.'s show at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Friday. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

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Mito Habe-Evans/NPR

The Record

A Summer With Fun.

For the summer season, we'll follow the rising band behind the hit "We Are Young" — and its backstage crew — as it hits the road.

A Summer With Fun.

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Friday

In New Orleans, A Buffet Of Great Music

Glen David Andrews, the New Orleans trombonist and singer and regular on HBO's Treme, surfs the crowd at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Douglas Mason/Getty Images hide caption

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Douglas Mason/Getty Images

The Record

In New Orleans, A Buffet Of Great Music

As critic Ann Powers found out during a two-and-a-half week stay in the Big Easy, the city offers more musical options at any one time than you can hope to take in. She shares a few of the highlights from her trip.

Thursday

He'll Retune Your Living Room
Tomasz Zajaczkowski/iStockphoto.com

The Record

He'll Retune Your Living Room

Psychoacoustic engineers like Chris Kyriakakis work to perfect the way music sounds in imperfect environments as diverse as symphony halls, your living room and your ears.

He'll Retune Your Living Room

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Monday

Friday

Thursday

My American Dream Sounds Like Prince's 'Sign O' The Times'

Prince performing at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, Calif., in 1985. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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The Record

My American Dream Sounds Like Prince's 'Sign O' The Times'

Miles Marshall Lewis draws a line from Prince's concern for his community to the Hip-Hop Nation.

My American Dream Sounds Like Prince's 'Sign O' The Times'

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Wednesday

Clear Channel Will Be The First To Pay Royalties For Music On Its Air

Tim McGraw (left) and Scott Borchetta, CEO of Big Machine Label Group, at a press conference in Nashville last month announcing McGraw's signing to the label. Royce DeGrie/WireImage hide caption

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Royce DeGrie/WireImage

The Record

Clear Channel Will Be The First To Pay Royalties For Music On Its Air

The network will pay for the recordings — not just songs — it airs, and less for those it streams.

Clear Channel Will Be The First To Pay Royalties For Music On Its Air

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Tuesday

Diplo: Building A Bridge From The Underground To The Mainstream

The DJ and producer Diplo, who also records as Major Lazer, has produced songs for M.I.A., Beyonce and Usher. Jordan Strauss/Getty Images hide caption

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The Record

Diplo: Building A Bridge From The Underground To The Mainstream

The DJ and producer behind some of pop's biggest recent hits — by artists like Beyonce and Usher — talks about his new EP and his sometimes controversial roles as a curator of global sounds.

Diplo: Building A Bridge From The Underground To The Mainstream

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Egypt's Underground Wakes Up

Noor Noor performs with his band El-Zabaleen, which makes many of its instruments out of recycled materials. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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The Record

Egypt's Underground Wakes Up

The music that people have been listening to since last year's uprisings rewrote the rules.

Egypt's Underground Wakes Up

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Sunday

Usher's Classic R&B Dances On The Cutting Edge

On Looking 4 Myself, Usher's seventh studio album, the singer works with producers to cloak classic R&B in cutting-edge sounds. Francesco Carrozzini/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Francesco Carrozzini/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Usher's Classic R&B Dances On The Cutting Edge

The singer's new album, Looking 4 Myself, is soulful, dramatic, heartfelt and deeply danceable. Cloaked in the newest electronic textures, it sounds like the ultimate post-genre album at first, but its style is actually classic and ambitious.

Friday

A Record Label With A Midas Touch

Adele performs in February. Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

The Record

A Record Label With A Midas Touch

Tiny XL Recordings, the home of Adele, Vampire Weekend, the XX and just a few more, has become among the most relevant record labels in the world while releasing just a few albums each year.

A Record Label With A Midas Touch

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