Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio, Rachel Getting Married) and Ian Brennan (Grammy-winning producer of Tinariwen) are dedicated to making music that lays purposely apart from the mainstream. The old friends and collaborators sat down for the Talkhouse Podcast on the occasion of the release of the Brennan-produced Tanzania Albinism Collective’s White African Power record (my favorite album of 2017 so far). Their conversation takes in the persecution of people with albinism in East Africa, and Brennan’s trip to a remote albino colony in Tanzania where he recorded this incredibly honest and heartrending record. The chat also covers the Western music industry’s proximity bias, artists who prize spirit over virtuosity, the travails and triumphs of the Malawi Mouse Boys, and Celine Dion. Check it out, and subscribe now on iTunes or Stitcher to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast. — Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer

Today’s episode was recorded by Tunde Adebimpe and Ian Brennan. It was mixed and co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi.