Mountains of Gold

Everything Is Recorded is a genre-spanning collaborative project spearheaded by Richard Russell, an influential British producer who runs the highly successful independent label XL Recordings. The collective's releases are taken mostly from sessions at Russell's London recording studios, featuring a wide range of R&B, hip-hop, indie, and jazz musicians, including XL regulars like Sampha and Giggs, as well as more surprising guests such as violinist Warren Ellis, saxophonist Kamasi Washington, Crass' Penny Rimbaud, and Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah. The results encompass dark trip-hop, vulnerable alternative R&B, and brooding rap, as heard on Everything Is Recorded by Richard Russell (2018) and Friday Forever (2020), followed by Temporary (2025), a digital folk conception that brought in Maddy Prior, Jah Wobble, and Bill Callahan, among others.

Russell became the A&R manager for XL in the early '90s, when the fledgling label was initially focusing on rave music and techno. As part of the duo Kicks Like a Mule, Russell scored a U.K. Top Ten hit with the 1992 breakbeat hardcore classic "The Bouncer." While XL earned much of its early success with dance acts like the Prodigy and SL2, Russell (who had taken full control of the label by the mid-'90s) helped broaden the label's scope, with artists such as indie folk songwriter Badly Drawn Boy, Detroit garage rock duo the White Stripes, and grime pioneer Dizzee Rascal all releasing landmark recordings on the label during the first half of the 2000s. Russell continued working behind the scenes as a producer and musician -- he produced Gil Scott-Heron's final album, I'm New Here, and worked with Damon Albarn on several projects, including DRC Music, Bobby Womack's The Bravest Man in the Universe, and Albarn's Everyday Robots. Russell also produced Ibeyi's self-titled 2015 debut.

Soon after, Russell began hosting the studio sessions that would form the basis of the Everything Is Recorded project. A website appeared, documenting studio and radio sessions, and debut EP Close But Not Quite arrived on XL in May of 2017, featuring the Sampha-sung title track and appearances by Scritti Politti's Green Gartside and London-based rapper Obongjayar, among others. Subsequent singles "Mountains of Gold" (with Sampha, Ibeyi, Wiki, and Kamasi Washington) and "Show Love" (with Syd and Sampha) appeared later in the year. Early in 2018, "Bloodshot Red Eyes" (featuring Gartside and Infinite) was issued just ahead of the full-length Everything Is Recorded by Richard Russell. Dedicated to Gil Scott-Heron and featuring a cover of his "Cane," the album debuted at number 66 on the U.K. chart in March. A second Everything Is Recorded album, Friday Forever, was released in April 2020 with a broader range of collaborators including A.K. Paul, Mariah Somerville, and Penny Rimbaud, along with Infinite and his father, Ghostface Killah. It coincided with the publication of a book written by Russell, Liberation Through Hearing: Rap, Rave & the Rise of XL Recordings.

The following year saw Bristol drum'n'bass heavyweight Clipz deliver Saturday Specials, a complete remix of Friday Forever. By then, Russell had already started work on the next Everything Is Recorded album. He drew inspiration from collagists ranging from Steve Reich to the Bomb Squad, and was further fueled by wondering what folk music would have sounded like in the '80s if it had incorporated digital production techniques, as reggae had done. The album was put on hold after Russell and Samantha Morton worked on "You Were Smiling," a hushed ballad that prompted the two to write and record Daffodils & Dirt, an album released under the name SAM MORTON in June 2024. "Porcupine Tattoo," the first preview of the third Everything Is Recorded album, followed three months later. The song brought together the unlikely combination of Bill Callahan and Noah Cyrus. A handful of additional songs scattered over the next few months featured the likes of legendary bassist Jah Wobble and emergent indie rock trio mary in the junkyard. The loss-themed Temporary was issued in February 2025 with Steeleye Span's Maddy Prior, Florence Welch, and Nourished by Time also part of the project's growing cast. ~ Paul Simpson & Andy Kellman

Sampha's artful and emotive mix of R&B, pop, and electronic music isn't easily categorizable, and is further distinguished by a heartfelt vocal style that tends to sound as if it's on the brink of choking back tears. The artist established himself as a valued remixer and studio collaborator sought by emergent underground talents and mainstream stars alike, including SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, Drake, Beyoncé, and Kanye West. Process, his 2017 full-length debut, went Top Ten in his native U.K. and won the Mercury Prize. Following its release, Sampha humbly continued to assist a similarly vast range of artists, including Florence + the Machine, Alicia Keys, Actress, and Kendrick Lamar, most remarkably contributing to the latter's Grammy-winning Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Lahai, the brighter and broader follow-up to Process, landed in 2023 with Sampha's introspective lyrics coalescing with inspirations such as his grandfather, fatherhood, time travel, and Afrofuturism.

The singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer, born Sampha Sisay, started making music in his early teenage years. In 2009, the South London native broke through with a remix of the xx's "Basic Space," which led to a busy schedule throughout 2010 and 2011. This period entailed collaborations with SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, and Lil Silva, as well as a solo debut with Sundanza, an EP issued on the Young Turks label. After a less eventful 2012, the following year Sampha was featured on Drake's "Too Much" and Beyoncé's "Mine," and he issued Dual, his second Young Turks EP, an abstract and skeletal showcase for his fragile-sounding yet expressive voice. As he continued to work with fellow U.K. natives SBTRKT, Bullion, and FKA twigs, Sampha was also sought by more high-profile North American artists, and in 2016 alone he appeared on Kanye West's The Life of Pablo, Frank Ocean's Endless, and Solange's A Seat at the Table. His own "Timmy's Prayer" (co-written by West) and "Blood on Me" were out by the end of the year as previews of his first full-length.

Process, recorded while Sampha was grieving the death of his mother, and released in February 2017, hit number seven in the U.K. and narrowly missed the Top 50 in the U.S. Later in the year, he made appearances on Drake's More Life and releases from Richard Russell's Everything Is Recorded project. Process went on to win the 2017 Mercury Prize, as well as Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards Album of the Year.

Over the next few years, Sampha contributed in various capacities to recordings by Loyle Carner, Alicia Keys, Headie One and Fred again.., Actress, and many other artists across genres. An expanded "bonus edition" of Process, released at the top of 2022, added two tracks previously available only in Japan. Later in the year, Sampha was heard on a pair of chart-topping albums: Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale & The Steppers (number one in the U.S.) and Stormzy's This Is What I Mean (a U.K. number one). Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers subsequently won Best Rap Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

In June 2023, amid appearances on a slew of releases by SBTRKT, Laura Groves, and Kwes., along with Speakers Corner Quartet and Ragz Originale, Sampha delivered his first solo single in six years. The atmospheric "Spirit 2.0.," written with Yussef Dayes, Yaeji, and El Guincho, heralded the October release of Lahai, Sampha's second album. The rest of the set was similarly collaborative, with Groves, Ibeyi, and Speakers Corner member Kwake Bass accounting for a small fraction of the support. The album reached number 21 on the U.K. pop chart and 25 on Billboard's R&B chart. In July 2024, Sampha teamed up with acclaimed rapper Little Simz for the single "Satellite 2.0." ~ Andy Kellman

Ibeyi (pronounced ee-bey-ee) is the Parisian musical duo of Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, twin sisters with a cosmopolitan sound mixing left-field pop and alternative R&B with Afro-Cuban roots music. Their name comes from the Yoruba language and translates as "twins." The two were born in Cuba and raised primarily in France, and they sing in English, Spanish, French, and Yoruba. Ibeyi (2015), Ash (2017), and Spell 31 (2022), their three albums for XL Recordings, have been met with major critical acclaim.

The Diaz sisters are the daughters of the late conguero Miguel "Angá" Diaz (Buena Vista Social Club), who passed away while they were still in their teens. Their mother, Maya Dagnino, insisted that the pair compose and perform. They were in their early teens when they began to perform together in and around their neighborhood, and then in Paris at large. In 2013, XL Recordings boss Richard Russell saw a YouTube video of the pair singing "Mama Says" and brought them to London. He signed the duo and began producing their debut (while helping out on synths). In 2014, the singles "Oya" and "River" were released, Ibeyi appeared on Later...With Jools Holland on BBC 2, and a third single, "Mama Says," arrived after that. Their self-titled debut long-player was issued on XL in February 2015. In addition to global touring, the duo found time to guest on jazz composer and multi-instrumentalist Alfredo Rodriguez's celebrated Tocororo album the following year as well as appearing in the short film for Beyoncé’s album Lemonade. They also landed on the cover of Fader and returned to Havana for triumphant live performances.

In June 2017, Ibeyi issued a pre-release single, "Away Away," and followed it with the political album Ash in September. The record is drenched in a meld of electro-acoustic and Afro-Cuban and Yoruba sounds with contemporary influences ranging from Kendrick Lamar, Jay Electronica, and Erykah Badu to Nina Simone. Produced by Richard Russell, it featured guest spots by Kamasi Washington, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Chilly Gonzales. The twins would not release another album for five years; their third full-length, Spell 31, finally arrived in 2022, heralded by the promo track "Sister 2 Sister." It featured production by Russell and guest spots from Jorja Smith, Pa Salieu, and Berwyn, the latter of whom contributed to the duo's radical update of Black Flag's defiant 1981 punk anthem "Rise Above." ~ Thom Jurek

New York rapper Wiki colors outside the lines of conventional east coast hip-hop, bringing new and unexpected angles to his storytelling, production, and flows. After collaborating with Sporting Life, Hak, Lil Ugly Mane, and others in various groups, Wiki eventually went solo, releasing critically acclaimed albums like 2021's Navy Blue-produced Half God.

Wiki was born Patrick Morales in1993 and raised in New York. The MC and producer developed a love of hip-hop from an early age, beginning to learn his craft in sixth grade, inspired by his math and Spanish teachers, who had grown up in the Bronx and had an affinity for hip-hop. Taking his name from Wikipedia -- and later shortened to Wiki -- Morales spent his time listening to Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and Notorious B.I.G., as well as bands such as the Ramones and Suicide, which would eventually go on to influence his eclectic style. In 2011 Wiki started the hip-hop outfit Ratking with fellow members Sporting Life and Hak, and by 2014 they had released their debut full-length album, So It Goes, after signing to the XL Recordings-affiliated label HXC. A follow-up, 700 Fill, appeared in 2015, and at the end of the year Wiki delivered his debut solo mixtape, Lil Me. The following year, Hak departed from Ratking to pursue his own path, and Wiki joined forces with Lil Ugly Mane and Bay Area rapper Antwon to form new group Secret Circle. The collaborative EP What Happened to Fire? with Your Old Droog appeared at the beginning of 2017, and Wiki returned to the studio to record his debut album. Working with a host of producers including Kaytranada, Earl Sweatshirt, and Alex Epton, the resulting No Mountains in Manhattan was issued in fall 2017 on XL. Secret Circle disbanded in 2018, and in 2019 Wiki released his second solo album, Oofie. The album featured guest spots from familiar friends Lil Ugly Mane and Your Old Droog, as well as appearances from Princess Nokia and Denzel Curry. In 2021, Wiki released his third album Half God. Produced entirely by Navy Blue and featuring cameos from Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, and others, the textural and cinematic album evoked scenes of triumph and defeat in the big city. ~ Rich Wilson

Kamasi Washington is a Los Angeles-based saxophonist, composer, and bandleader who was branded the future of the new jazz upon the arrival of his three-disc, spiritual jazz-funk classic The Epic in 2015. While the term has been bandied about since the 1950s, it refers to Washington's musical and cultural diversity, given his wide experience playing with artists of many disciplines. His sound draws few boundaries between modal and soul-jazz, funk, hip-hop, and electronic music. In addition to his solo work, Washington was a member of Throttle Elevator Music, and he has played recording sessions with musicians from many genres. 2018's follow-up Heaven & Earth was nearly cinematic in composition and production quality. 2024's Fearless Movement explored life on earth and the evolution of movement in the human body. Washington provided music for the Adult Swim anime series Lazarus in 2025.

Washington, a Los Angeles native, didn't pick up a saxophone until he was 13 years old, but by that point, he'd already been playing several other instruments. That's when he found his calling. Within a couple years, he was the lead tenor saxophonist at Hamilton High School Music Academy in his native Los Angeles. After graduation, he attended UCLA to study ethnomusicology. While enrolled at UCLA, he recorded a self-titled album with Young Jazz Giants, a quartet he had formed with Cameron Graves and brothers Ronald Bruner, Jr. and Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner, released in 2004.

From that point on, Washington continually performed and recorded with an impressive variety of major artists across several genres, including Snoop Dogg, Raphael Saadiq, Gerald Wilson, McCoy Tyner, George Duke, and PJ Morton. He self-released a handful of his own albums from 2005 to 2008 while also performing and recording as one-third of Throttle Elevator Music. In 2014 alone, Washington demonstrated his tremendous range with appearances on Broken Bells' After the Disco, Harvey Mason's Chameleon, Stanley Clarke's Up, and Flying Lotus' You're Dead!, among other albums that covered indie rock, contemporary and progressive jazz, and experimental electronic music.

The following year, Washington contributed to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly and released The Epic on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label. An expansive triple album nearly three hours in duration, it involved the other three-fourths of Young Jazz Giants -- by then part of his larger collective, alternately known as the Next Step and West Coast Get Down -- and a string orchestra and choir conducted by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. A critical and commercial success, The Epic landed at number three on Billboard's jazz chart. Washington toured the U.S., played dates in Europe and Japan, and continued session work with contributions to albums by Terrace Martin, Carlos Niño, John Legend, Run the Jewels, and Thundercat, all while continuing to tour. Washington debuted the six-song project at the Whitney Biennial in March along with a film by A.G. Rojas and artwork by Amani Washington.

In early 2017, Washington premiered Harmony of Difference, an original six-movement suite, as part of the Whitney Biennial, and compiled that recording for a six-track, 13-minute EP -- his first original music since The Epic two years earlier. Issued in September, Harmony of Difference explored the philosophical possibilities of counterpoint. Composed as a suite, it contains five separate movements and a sixth, "Truth," as a finale that includes tenets and themes from its predecessors. Washington returned in 2018 with the full-length Heaven & Earth. The double album featured contributions from Thundercat, Patrice Quinn, and Miles Mosley, and the singles "Fists of Fury" and "The Space Travelers" were released in advance of the record. Two years later, Washington returned with Becoming, the original soundtrack to director Nadia Hallgren's documentary film companion to Michelle Obama's 2018 memoir.

After the pandemic, Washington fathered a daughter. Whereas all of his previous outings explored concepts, philosophies, attitudes, emotions, and spiritual reflections about the cosmos and metaphysical, he recorded 2024's Fearless Movement with a more earthly focus, inspired no doubt by the impact and influence of parenthood. Among his collaborators were Andre 3000, George Clinton, Thundercat, Terrace Martin, and Quinn. Lazarus [Adult Swim Original Series Soundtrack] appeared in 2025; Bonobo and Floating Points also composed music for the anime series. ~ Andy Kellman