Carlos Niño, Liv.e, André 3000 and Luis Pérez Ixoneztli discuss how their music is inspired by spirit, the feeling of creating sounds that are meaningful to them, and how they stay open to learning during their lives in music.

Carlos Niño is a prolific producer, percussionist, and composer based in California, known for his unique, highly developed, self-described “Spiritual, Improvisational, Space Collage” sound. In September of this year, he released (I’m just) Chillin’, on Fire, his most singular, intentional work ever, featuring the most vibrant and abundant gathering of Friends which included the likes of Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Laraaji, Kamasi Washington and André 3000 (and also produced André's latest album, New Blue Sun).

André 3000 - is one of the most celebrated artists of the last three decades, an auteur whose work in music, film, fine arts, and fashion, continues to influence the cultural landscape on a global scale. As one half of Outkast, André established a brand new voice within rap that had never been experienced before when the pair emerged in the early ’90s. In November of this year, after a 17-year hiatus, André 3000 released his debut solo album, New Blue Sun - where he plays flutes - it's not a rap record and as André describes "represents a continuation of adventure and discovery for me."

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, experimental R&B artist Liv.e is known for her hypnotic voice and eclectic musical influences. She was first introduced to music through the church ,but now draws inspiration from the likes of Lalah Hathaway and Wayne Shorter, as well as Dallas-based label Dolfin Records. In February of this year she released her critically acclaimed second album, Girl in the Half Pearl.

Composer, ethnomusicologist and multi-instrumentalist Luis Pérez Ixoneztli is a hugely influential figure in Mexican music, who’s dedicated years of research to the pre-Columbian instrumentation of Mesoamerica, travelling around the country to study the musical traditions of Mexico’s native peoples. His music has been described as “perhaps the ultimate fusion of ethnic and modern music”; in 2013, his work was inducted into the Archive of Mexican Music, 32 years after it was first published.