Joane Hétu's Enduring Vision for Québécois Experimental Music
At sixty-six, the founder of SuperMusique and DAME Records continues championing the collaborative spirit that has defined her artistic practice since the 1980s.
The Going Gets Weird — Locrian Revisits 'The Crystal World'
As Locrian reissues their landmark album, Terence Hannum discusses the band's evolution from experimental duo to post-metal trio, his separation of visual art from music, and why heavy metal "rewards playing it safe."
Enlightenment is Easy — Constructing Amina Hocine's Breathing Machine
Using hardware store materials and spiritual guidance, Hocine built an organ that breathes, complains, and refuses to be controlled. Her album 'ātamōn' captures each pipe's distinct personality in the reverberant depths of an abandoned iron mine.
From Soundribbons to Shoreline Symphonies — Knox Chandler's Creative Transformation
After four decades as a collaborator for artists like R.E.M. and Cyndi Lauper, the guitarist has retreated to rural Connecticut to create his first solo work and discover what he calls "my truth."
Buzzing with Zen — Steve Holtje's Improvisational Honeymoon
The ESP-Disk label manager found liberation from classical composition anxiety through distorted trombone and Phantom Honeymoon, his noise duo with theremin player Alexandra Beneski.
The Black Watch's Twenty-Fifth Album Asks the World of You
John Andrew Fredrick discusses The Black Watch's album 'For All The World,' how broken bones shaped his solitude, and why making demands of listeners remains essential to meaningful art.
Fragments of Revelation — A Lost Conversation with Matthew Shipp & Ivo Perelman
A technical failure erased the interview, but the spiritual dimensions of 'Armageddon Flower,' Shipp and Perelman's forty-sixth collaboration together, prove more durable than digital memory.
Words That Float — Ingrid Laubrock Discovers Music Inside Koans
The saxophonist and composer transforms Erica Hunt's enigmatic fragments into 'Purposing the Air,' a double album that pairs poetry with four carefully chosen vocal-instrumental duos.
A Tidal Wave of Love — Our Tribute to Brian Wilson
Behind the California sunshine, harmonies, and groundbreaking production techniques lies a complex artist battling inner demons. Three takes on why Brian Wilson's music remains a refuge for so many.
Going Gonzo — The Complicated Work of Hunter S. Thompson
Kevin J. Hayes's 'Understanding Hunter S. Thompson' challenges the romantic narrative surrounding the Gonzo pioneer, revealing uncomfortable truths about talent squandered and assignments abandoned.
Kinan Azmeh Takes the Sound of Syria's Streets on a World Tour
The Damascus-born clarinetist discusses his philosophy of musical freedom, the power of long-term collaboration, and how his latest release, 'Live in Berlin,' captures nearly two decades of creative partnership with his CityBand quartet.
Noise Deployed — Arthur Arsenne and the Art of Texture
The French multi-instrumentalist discusses his path from Pat Metheny's harsh noise to creating "sonic mille-feuilles" with Toru, exploring modular synthesis, and running his Arsenic Solaris label.