Niia

Los Angeles 

My favourite late-night chic cocktail spot. Sometimes I'll get up and sing a song if I'm drunk enough.

A secret, tiny restaurant that reminds me of NYC. Best breakfast ever

My go-to Italian spot. You sit outside and feel like you're in Italy.

Understated jazz club where you'll often catch insane musicians.

I highly encourage getting stoned and seeing this strange and amazing museum.

Arguably the most iconic music and movie store ever.

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Cami Layé Okún

Havana

I highly recommend a visit to the other side of the bay of Havana, the way to get there is by the “Lanchitas de Regla” (small boats). Known for being a town with a strong cultural tradition, especially with regard to Afro-Cuban religiosity and spirituality, it’s also a place known for its musicians.

The University of the Arts, built in 1976, is undoubtedly one of the city's architectural emblems. Twenty minutes from the centre of Havana, the ISA is a campus full of vegetation with domes and tunnels that from an aerial view, suggest breasts, fallopian tubes and vaginas. Despite having five buildings, you can only access the ‘artes circenses’ building that is currently abandoned. Ideal place to meditate, read or picnic with friends.

Exquisite live jazz club. Located in a basement of 23rd Avenue in the heart of the Vedado neighbourhood. A space where you can really get a feel for the musical talent found in the city.

The spot for fresh, natural juices. Ideal place to stop and cool down from the sun. It’s one of the few places I know where you can find a variety of juices without sugar, made in the moment with fresh fruits and vegetables. Only accepts national currency.

One of the best views of the city and sea. Admission is free for everyone, no matter if you are not staying at the hotel. Highly recommended spot for the sunset.

The greenest area in the city, where the smell of the earth is penetrating. With lush vegetation and trees brought from Africa, it is a space full of spirituality where many works of Afro-Cuban santeria are practised.

In the summer season there’s nothing better than swimming at Club Náutico.

This is a natural park where the facilities and nature merge in an enveloping way. Ideal to arrive by bicycle and enjoy the musical activities that are offered, mainly for children on weekends.

Havana would not be Havana without the Malecon. The Wall that protects the ocean and the place that gives us the best sunsets and sunrises from any point. It is the ideal place for all those things that make life more beautiful.

Havana with DJ, Cami Layé Okún

Sam Riddle

Detroit

Detroit is the birthplace of Techno and still hosts one of the most prestigious electronic music festivals in the world, contextually giving the city a rich history with record stores and DJ culture. Paramita is an unique record store that is also a wine bar and a steward in the Detroit beat scene.



Detroit is a potential gold-mine for the cannabis industry and will see an influx of jobs and industry in the city once marijuana is fully recreational. One disproportionate measure of the cannabis industry is that only 4.3% of the business is controlled by black owned companies. Furthermore, despite roughly equal usage rates, blacks in America are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana. Viola is a black-owned business and my favourite medicinal dispensary in the city, owned by former NBA star Al Harrington.

Cliff Bells is a Detroit institution and my favourite brunch in the city. Pre-Covid you could drop in here on a weekend morning or afternoon to hear live jazz with a scene that feels like a time machine or out of a Fred Astaire movie, as the NY Times described it.

With iconic shoe collaborations (see: New Balance) and a pivotal place in the street wear scene, especially in the Midwest - Burn Rubber shaped culture through its employees and friends that include Big Sean, Jay John Henry, Cliff Skighwalker and more hometown heroes.

Sweet Water is across the street from my favourite concert venue in Detroit, St. Andrews Hall. It was a ritual to visit Sweet Water before and after concerts to grab a meal. I haven’t eaten meat regularly in almost three years, but I still dream about their Buffalo Wings.

A library-esq used book store that boasts over an over 1-million book inventory across their two locations in Detroit and nearby suburb Ferndale. My father used to take me here as a kid and I would try my hardest to get lost in the maze-like-store so I could read until my heart was content.

Detroit has gotten a lot of attention for ‘ruin porn’; the trend of photographing delapitated buildings as if that was what represents the city. The Heidelberg Project flips that trend on it’s head a bit; as a city block-long outdoor community art exhibit that transforms discarded items into exhibits, sculptures and statements.

Coney Islands are kinda to Detroit as Waffle House is to Atlanta. There are so many great ones across all of Michigan including Lou’s in Detroit, Abe’s in Ypsilanti, and Sparty’s in East Lansing (where I went to college at Michigan State.) For this guide and looking at Downtown Detroit - the debate is American Coney Island vs Lafayette Coney Island, which sit next door from one-another. If you ask me its Lafayette all day.

Detroit with Artist Manager, Sam Riddle

Gilles Peterson

London

Out of curiosity for me, I’ll always go to Cafe Oto. The music played there is really Avant Garde and improv, but I personally find that really interesting these days.

If you're okay with the West End's sort of touristy, theatre-going audience, Ronnie Scott’s is pretty good. They get decent people in and you can sit down and watch world class music. And to be fair, at a place like Ronnie Scott’s, the stories are incredible. I’m so glad it is still around and they care about it. I know it's probably not the most fashionable or edgy answer and not everyone can afford to go - but it’s a bit of a date spot, somewhere for special occasions.

I think Atlantis is really good because they’re not online. I love John who works there and I've been spending a lot of time at the shop recently. You will genuinely find a gem there because someone hasn’t googled it and found online. You can actually find some really great stuff, so I'd say my favourite record shop as of late has definitely been Atlantis.

Brawn was the first restaurant in London that I felt had a community feel. In places abroad like Germany, Austria, France, or Japan, I've always found that there was a real close association between the winemakers and DJs - a real kind of community.
In London, I felt like there isn’t always that kind of community... Until I met Ed Wilson, Chef and owner of Brawn. We get on like a house on fire. He's amazing. His restaurants are amazing and the food is too. He's humble and is an incredibly rare Chef that's so knowledgeable about wine.

I really rate the guys at Noble Rot. It’s run by really brilliant people who have an incredible magazine which has become a monthly mag, almost like a cult thing. It’s about wine and they’ve sort of changed the whole landscape of wine understanding. Both their restaurants are really good and quite old-fashioned and so I big them up.

I like what the crew behind Primeur have done. I even had my birthday party here.

I've got to give Fink's a bit of credit. I'm a shorts guy so will come here for an espresso or piccolo.

West Reservoir is a good little walk. It’s an amazing spot. Feels like suddenly you're in the country - you’ve got the reservoirs, the swimmers, the church in the background. Coming back from Arsenal, if you’re going to a game and then go all the way back there at night time, it’s amazing.

Gilles Peterson's Favourite Spots in London

Lordkez

Johannesburg

This is a collection of shops, restaurants and galleries all in one space in Johannesburg. My favourite spot to go to when I am there is called "Peachy" they have incredible "Asianesque Wings" that you need to try out. They also have live music which is always great, especially when it is Jazz!

This is one of the best places I have been to in Johannesburg. The food is incredible, the music is so nice and the overall aesthetic of the place is amazing, in fact, I shot some scenes for my music video "Sunday" in the venue. When you go there you need to ask for Katlego Mlambo, he is the head chef - award winning type of guy.

This is a really cool place to go chill on a Saturday afternoon, it is a food and drink market that happens in the city, great views, good music and tasty food is always a good combination.

My favorite part about these gardens is the river with the fish, I like feeding the fish, it is so peaceful and green. Oh, they also have ducks and ducks are really cute. Sometimes, you just need to sit under a tree and breathe in fresh air with your shoes off, this is the perfect place for this.

This is an old school cinema based in Braamfontein, which is near Johannesburg city centre. They showcase indie films there, both local and international. It's really great to spend an evening watching indie films and eating popcorn, I feel so vintage when I do that.

This place is really cool, it is a lifestyle centre made up of over 100 empty shipping containers filled with different fashion and retail stores, there are also some really cool coffee shops with great doughnuts, they sometimes have live music too, if you watching live music you need a glass of wine. South Africa has the best wine.

This rooftop is on the 15th Floor of a designer hotel in the middle of Johannesburg City Centre, the views of the city are incredible and the sunsets are even better. If you ever find yourself in this beautiful venue you have to try the Oysters, they are unbelievable.

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Venna

The most legendary jazz club in London Town, I’ve been lucky to perform in & watched various musicians play. You’ll always learn something new there.

I saw Terrace Martin & Robert Glasper perform there with their group R+R (was a special one for me!) & seen some of my favourites there over the years. Also been there to perform when JVCK JAMES was supporting Ella Mai.

Amazing sax shop by Blackfriars, I can spend hours in there staring at stuff I want. They also have practice rooms you can get for the day and shell a practice.

My local OG music shop in forest hill that i buy my reeds and i get my sax serviced in, they also offer tuition if you’re trying to learn how to play or need to brush up.

My guy Jackum put me onto Nicky & he’s helped me with picking equipment over the last couple of years or so, I’ve done some wicked sessions in the recording studio they have in the back too.

My favourite record shop, the list of records I need from this place is LONG, stuff for sampling + stuff you just need in the collection. You’ll find most of records you already knew you wanted & even more you’ve never seen before. The best Black Music is sold in Sounds of The Universe, in my humble opinion.

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