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Raphael Helfand on Muck Rack

Raphael Helfand

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As seen in: Bandcamp Daily, Flipboard, Pitchfork, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate, The FADER, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA), NewsBreak, Brooklyn Magazine, OffBeat Magazine, Flaunt and
writer/reporter/editor/producer for hire: raphael@raphaelhelfand.me

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Articles

How an obscure tape label discovered Nirosta Steel’s MY SKYSCRAPER

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By Raphael Helfand
| The FADER Verified
Nirosta Steel. A month ago, very few people knew the name Nirosta Steel. But on June 29, when the 69-year-old singer, producer, and guitarist released his sprawling, omnivorous new album MY SKYSCRAPER, something happened. Steel, born Steven Hall, was a mentee of beat poet Allen Ginsberg and a collaborator of Arthur Russell, and has spent much of his life traveling the globe. MY SKYSCRAPER’s 17 songs trace Steel’s journey over the past five decades, spanning songs he recorded from the 1980s to 2025.
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GEN F: Corridos Ketamina’s online evolution of Mexico’s outlaw music

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By Raphael Helfand
| The FADER Verified
Gen F: Corridos Ketamina’s online evolution of Mexico’s outlaw music Nico Malva and Henny Fay are spinning a centuries-old sound into something that looks more like them. The FADER’s longstanding GEN F series profiles the emerging artists you need to know right now. Nico Malva is always hungry. Growing up in San Luis Colorado — a border town in Sonora, Mexico — his Sundays were centered on carne asadas, massive grill-outs where families and friends gather for no reason in particular.
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Thaiboy Digital has found his paradise

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By Raphael Helfand
| The FADER Verified
Thaiboy Digital. Thaiboy Digital has changed his name again. Born Khazitin Bonleunge, he later became Thanapat Bunleang and has also used the surname Thaothawong. His new name, which he assures me I can’t pronounce in Thai, means “seeker of wisdom.” He’s had other monikers over the years — Thaiboy Goon, DJ Billybool, the Legendary Member — but his friends have always called him Nino.
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