For Scritti Politti’s first ever record, Skank Bloc Bologna, a self-released 7”, they included on the back of the sleeve the total costs of producing the record, which included recording, mastering, and pressing. Back in 1979, it all came to under £500. Well, admittedly the cost of producing SHOOK magazine’s South Africa issue (SHK#09) were slightly higher than £500 (factoring in inflation), but not much higher.

SHOOK, which I’ve edited for almost three years, is driven by a desire to spread the word about the music and cultures we love, ones which are traditionally sidelined by the conspiracy of the mainstream media. We’re not funded by a big corporation, we’ve got no one’s interests to serve but our own.

It’s pretty counter-intuitive to set up a magazine in a time of recession, especially when so many great titles have fallen by the wayside – whether it’s The Face, Jockey Slut, Blues & Soul or (we were saddened to hear, this month) Smoke Magazine. But magazines are what we love and the majority people who see SHOOK understand why.

Our new issue, on sale this week in the UK, features an interview with soul singer Bilal just ahead of his new album. DJ Spinn tells us about Juke Music and the Footworking dance styles that are breaking out of Chicago’s South Side. On the cover is Mpumi Mcata from the BLK JKS. We arranged for them to meet Dr. Philip Tabane, the electric guitarist who played with Miles Davis back in the 70s. The issue also features house producers Black Coffee and Culoe de Song, a pair who are taking their Durban poison worldwide.

You can browse through the issue below, and physical copies will be on sale in the US via Borders and Barnes and Noble from next week so seek it out and enjoy.