Arthur Russell would have celebrated his 70th birthday today. The late avant-garde musician is a source of inspiration for many celebrated artists of today and Devonte Hynes of Blood Orange is no exception. Despite his cult status, Arthur remains a marginalized figure by mainstream culture, “He made things that people have held dear their whole lives but probably have no idea who Arthur Russell is,” Hynes told us during rehearsals from our Red Hot + Arthur Russell live show at BAM in 2015. “With Arthur Russell, I don’t think there’s anything he’s done that I don’t like.” See the video below for the Blood Orange maestro’s reflections on Arthur Russell.

“With Arthur Russell, I don’t think there’s anything he’s done that I don’t like.”

-Dev Hynes

Red Hot is proud to announce that we have made four grants (see below) to incredible organizations and projects through money raised from the Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell album. We’d like to thank Steve Knutson & Tom Lee at Audika Records for their support in this endeavor and our label partner Yep Roc.

• PrEP4All – Fight to ensure that everyone can access the HIV care they need. · Universal access to HIV PrEP and treatment can reduce new HIV infections to zero
• The Trevor Project co-founder documentary – Support for the documentary Lifelines created by Trevor Project co-founder Celeste Lecesne that shows stories of non-binary people who survived thoughts of suicide
• The AllyCoalition – To provide critical support for their black homeless LGBTQ+ initiative
• ACT UP – Funding for the ACT UP oral history project to make its unique archive of audio and video interviews and historic material available online
• Ellsworth Community Music Institute – ECMI’s Arthur Russell Strings, a summer youth program in Maine and recommended by Arthur’s surviving partner, Tom Lee, provides young musicians an opportunity to travel to Southwest Harbor on Mount Desert Island for a week of playing music together, receiving instruction, and performing for eager audiences. In 1998, Arthur Russell Strings was founded as a way to honor the legacy of an avant-garde cellist, composer, singer, and musician with ties to Mount Desert Island, Maine.