If you’re a fan of Gold Panda, you will have heard his 2016 album ‘Good Luck And Do Your Best’ by now, and you’ll probably know all about how it was inspired by a trip to Japan in 2015 (GP goes to Japan a lot, and lived there in his early 20s). Even before that record came out I thought it’d be cool to go to Japan with Derwin for feature, but never thought it would actually happen. Then, this month, it did, for the cover story of Loud And Quiet 81, in stores and online from today (October 29th).

Daniel Dylan Wray got out of the UK too, traveling to Paris a year after the horrific attacks on the Bataclan Theatre and Stade de France, to hear about how the French capital’s underground music scene is more accepting and tolerant than ever, despite what the Far Right want you believe.

Between us, we also met Chicago rapper Joey Purp, field recordist Katie Gately, LA recluse Alex Izenberg and DIY super hero Calvin Johnson, who, did you know, doesn’t play live with a microphone these days.

James F. Thompson also investigated a repurposed pub in New Cross that is now the base for an arts collective called the Rising Sun Collective, who are making trip-hop like Portishead.

Shirley Manson remembers what it was like to be 16 (she spent it sniffing glue and ruining dinner time) and The Strokes’ Nikolai Fraiture answers out Getting To Know You questionnaire.

Stockists here. Order a copy here. Or read our digital edition.

Meanwhile, here’s a photo I took of Derwin in Osaka with Spiderman. He was selling watches from a Jeep.