Three of the top draws playing this year’s Castlepalooza give us the lowdown on their dream festivals – from the Anthony Bourdain catering to the T-Rex in the corner

New album The Electric Lady marks the return to the limelight of the fabulous Janelle Monae. She reveals how her musical vision is powered by feminism, futurism, painting and the funk

Musical biographies are often sanitised inanities, but intelligent recent offerings by David Byrne, Nile Rodgers and Questlove might signal a change

Why wait for those end-of-year lists, here’s the best albums and songs – until now

The Red Bull Music Academy is where aspiring producers and musicians go to learn new tricks. Jim Carroll joins this year’s intake in New York City

Chris Dave has a client list that includes Beyoncé, Adele and D’Angelo – and now he’s bringing his Drumhedz outfit to Dublin