Let’s face it, your life is pretty cushty right now. You’ve got three days off work (probably), you’re days away from the closest a 21st century society can possibly get to democratic change, it's basically summer now so you can stop putting on two jackets just to go the shop where you will drop a tenner on condoms and crisps without a second thought, and Skepta just played a free show in a public carpark.Elsewhere in the world, lots of terrible shit is happening. One of those things is a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit central Nepal yesterday, killing over 6,000 people and injuring almost 14,000. With many remote towns surrounding the earthquake's epicentre left devastated, The Nepali government has warned that the death toll could rise to more than 10,000.Ryan Hemsworth spent a week in and around Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, last year, shooting a video for his single “Snow in Newark”. Many of the areas featured in the video have been hit, one of which can be seen in the screenshot above.Saintly human and crusader of communal experience that he is, Hemsworth took to Facebook last night to address the earthquake and its aftermath, give people information on where to donate, and share the following story:“At one point during my time there, i swapped USBs with a dude who was giving me a drive, it was filled with like 400 awesome songs (mostly from bollywood soundtracks, which makes sense) but i compiled a zip of my favourite songs he shared with me (i wonder if he enjoyed the rap / electronic / weird shit i gave him lol). anyway, enjoy this and hopefully it helps keep the conversation going.”The main point of this is obviously to prod whatever empathy you have left in your cold, desensitised-due-to-western-media heart to consider doing something to help. But the compilation, for what it's worth, is amazing in that it's both an act of kindness and absolute flames. It's 12 tracks of the most exciting, experimental music I've heard in ages, one of which manages to mix Bollywood with trap snares, an Iron Maiden-style duel guitar solo with harmonised electric keyboards, and also hand drums. It's the best thing I've ever heard.There is nothing positive to be taken from what's happened, but this compilation at least underlines the neccessity for the appreciation and understanding of cultures outside of your own direct experience.You can download the compilation here. Information on how to donate responsibly can be found here.Follow Emma on Twitter.
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