Like a lot of artists who play the Tiny Desk, the guys in Foo Fighters carefully curated and worked through their set for weeks leading up to their appearance, even taping out the dimensions of the Desk in a practice space to puzzle-out the close quarters. But once they were in the office, they tossed most of those plans. „If you put instruments in our hands and there are people,“ Dave Grohl jokes, „it’s fun to play!“

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The humor of De La Soul has always been one of its calling cards. When DJ Maseo tells the Tiny Desk crowd, „Ladies and gentlemen, we’re a new group called De La Soul,“ he means it as a joke. But, in so many ways, one of the most influential groups in hip-hop is new: the duties have been reassessed, the focus has shifted and the newness of The Plugs is laid plain here at the Tiny Desk.

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There’s nothing easy about the laid-back cool of Air’s music. On record and for film soundtracks, the French electronic duo turns distressed dreams into symphonies plucked from cotton candy clouds — sonically light, but heavy with emotion. Yet to see Air’s members perform live, everything seems so effortless.

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Kevin Parker’s team came back with two words: „all acoustic.“ I was dumbfounded, not only by the notion of an acoustic Tame Impala set but also by the idea of the band playing the real Tiny Desk. In 2020, Tame Impala was able to toe and, by some standards, cross the line for its Tiny Desk (home) concert. Here at NPR headquarters, Parker and the crew had to relinquish a certain level of control. „Let’s just try it and see what happens,“ Parker told me.

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What began in 2008 as a humble, stripped-back performance series for NPR’s blog has grown into a global phenomenon, with unforgettable sets from stars like Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Dua Lipa, and more. Despite its viral fame, the heart of Tiny Desk remains the same: a real desk in a real office, surrounded by shelves packed with priceless mementos left by artists–from Adele’s water bottle to Sabrina Carpenter’s martini glass and even Chappell Roan’s wig. Meet the team behind the production, and discover how Tiny Desk became such a beloved series.

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Based on real-life events and people, Buena Vista Social Club features many characters and lots of great Cuban music. It takes such skill to reflect music of a bygone era, even more to sound fresh and vibrant night after night for months at a time. Scaled down for the Tiny Desk, the show is no less magical.

Before it was a Broadway musical racking up Tony Award nominations, the Buena Vista Social Club was a second chance. After the Cuban Revolution, many of the country’s beloved musicians were lost to time, but in 1996, an ensemble was formed to reclaim their spotlight. To tell their story, the musical goes back and forth between the 1940s and the recording sessions that produced a masterpiece.

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This set at the Tiny Desk is mostly culled from Lives Outgrown, her densely layered and lived-in album released last year. Sonically, Gibbons‘ solo debut feels worlds apart from the haunted electronic production of Portishead, yet her existential themes of loss, change and restless curiosity remain. There is, however, an invitation within these new songs to bear witness to Gibbons‘ own tragedy and transformation. In the daylight of the NPR Music office, she closes her eyes as she leans into the uncertainty of the moment, and turns away once a song ends.

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While the term „pioneer“ is used loosely in pop culture today, few terms describe Cypress Hill’s impact over the past three decades more adequately. They are the first Latino hip-hop group to achieve platinum and multi-platinum status. B Real, Sen and producer DJ Muggs crafted a sound in the ’90s that stretched beyond regional boundaries. It was dark, psychedelic and at times directly addressed mental health before the topic was commonplace. Many dismissed the group as „stoner rappers,“ yet the members were fervent advocates for the legalization of weed long before it came to fruition.

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When Fred again.. first proposed a Tiny Desk concert, it wasn’t immediately clear how he was going to make it work — not because he lacked creativity, but because translating purely electronic music at the Desk is a daunting task for anyone. How would an artist, whose performances take the form of DJ sets in front of massive audiences, curate an intimate and unique experience? But what the British songwriter and producer came up with is a reminder of what a Tiny Desk is at its best: an opportunity for artists to challenge themselves in such a way that it almost feels like they’re making new music, all while sticking to what feels true to them.

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Max Richter mit (s)einem Tiny Desk (Home) Concert für NPR Music.

Gehabt euch wohl.

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This performance was recorded on Feb. 12, 2020. We will continue releasing Tiny Desk videos of shows that had already been taped. In light of current events, NPR is postponing new live tapings of Tiny Desk Concerts. In the meantime, check out Tiny Desk (home) concerts! They’re recorded by the artists in their home. It’s the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

June 17, 2020 | Abby O’Neill — On a brisk February morning, Alicia Keys, full of effervescence, entered NPR through the loading dock wearing a canary yellow faux fur coat. During our ride to the fourth floor, she joked about how she hadn’t been invited to play at the Tiny Desk. That, of course, wasn’t exactly true. We worked on and off for years to make this moment happen, and I can say wholeheartedly that it was worth the wait.

Alicia Keys has an aura that you can sense the second she enters a room, or in my case, an elevator. She radiates compassion and kindness. This spirit is the key to Keys’s songwriting, which is rooted in introspection and mindfulness.

As she approached her piano, a bit surprised at the amount of people in the room, she smiled and remarked over her shoulder, „Gee, the Tiny Desk is tiny!“ She kicked off the set with an uncanny ode to combat the darkness of this moment in American history: „Show Me Love,“ a single she released in 2019. No one could have predicted then how much her lyrics and musical healing would be crucial during this emotionally fraught time of unprecedented political and racial unrest, heightened by three months of quarantine due to a global pandemic.

The stand-out moment during her Tiny Desk was the premiere of „Gramercy Park“, a song from her upcoming self-titled album, ALICIA, which is set to be released this fall. It’s one of those timeless songs that will transcend radio formats and genres, with lyrics that address how utter selflessness and worrying about making everyone happy but yourself can throw your own center askew. The song’s spiritual refrain is sure to be a sing-along moment for the rest of Keys’s career.

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Das Tiny Desk Concert von NPR steht immer für ganz kleine, exklusive Konzerte, für die schon immer jede Menge interessanter Künstler eingeladen wurden. Die der wirklich guten auch meistens. Nun hat man die Muppets der Sesamstraße um eine musikalische Audienz gebeten. Und ein Teil derer kam auch.

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