Crucial Listening

Perceptual geographies, Dylan's near misses, Coltrane's unresolved places. The LA-based artist and composer discusses three important albums. Byron's picks: Maryanne Amacher – Sound Characters (Making The Third Ear) Bob Dylan – Planet Waves John Coltrane – Sun Ship Byron's fabulous new record, Mirror Views , is out now via Ash International. His website is here , and he's on Twitter as @byronwestb...

Weird industrial synths, rapping over alarm clocks, Kubrick with 2 bricks. The Zambian-Canadian rapper and producer discusses three important albums. Ashanti's picks: Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope Death Grips – The Money Store Danny Brown – The Atrocity Exhibition Check out the BACKXWASH website here. She's also on Twitter and Bandcamp. Donate to Crucial Listening on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cru...

Ever-heavier tape trades, music for twenty radio stations, new urgencies. The composer, artist and improviser discusses three important albums. Raven's picks: Mr Bungle – Disco Volante José Maceda – Ugnayan Moor Mother – Fetish Bones The latest record by Endlings – Raven's band with John Dieterich – is out now on Whited Sepulchre. Head over to Raven's website for more on his current and past proje...

More mayonnaise, electrified tango, unapologetic folk. The musician, composer and multimedia artist discusses three important albums. Cecilia's picks: Charly Garcia – Clics Modernos Violeta Parra – Composiciones Para Guitarra Eduardo Rovira – Sonico The audio documentation of RED(DB) is out now via Relative Pitch Records. Head over to Cecilia's website for the score and performance video too. Foll...

Record warehouse paradise, lullabies finished in hell, destroying synchronicity. The musician and filmmaker discusses three important albums. Domingæ's picks: Jackson C. Frank – Blues Run The Game Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica Ryuichi Sakamoto – async Domingæ's new album Æ is out now via Sacred Bones. Her Linktree is here and you follow her on Instagram here. Donate to her Transition and Surviva...

Lost souls in a fishbowl, lushness and harmony, sanza psychedelia. The Kenyan composer and performer discusses three important albums. Nyokabi's picks: Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here Kelsey Lu – Blood Francis Bebey – Psychedelic Sanza 1982-1984 Nyokabi's new single, Galu , is out now via SA Recordings. It's part of a forthcoming EP project called peace places: kenyan memories , also due on SA. He...

Cannonball of musicians being shot at a staircase, flying across the top of the mosh, sunlight in the white room. The Ireland-based, Australian-born artist discusses three important albums. Robert's picks: Naked City – Grand Guignol Ministry – In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up Folke Rabe – What?? Robert's brand new three-album set, Beyond Enclosures , is out September 17th and available via...

Resonating glass, the arsehole of Western music, shopping mall avant garde. The nomadic sound maker discusses three important albums. crys' picks: Annea Lockwood – The Glass World Of Anna Lockwood Walter Marchetti – Antibarbarus Bernhard Günter – Univers Temporel Espoir crys' contribution to Boomkat's Documenting Sound series is called Other Meetings and it's wonderful. Check that out here. Also g...

Out-of-time ska, home alone raves, smashing together American music. The live electronics improviser discusses three important albums. Lauren's picks: Lunachicks – Jerk Of All Trades Andy C – Nightlife Van Dyke Parks – Song Cycle Give yourself a treat and listen to Lauren's record Embrace , released on SUPERPANG. There's also the equally fabulous Mini Savior Opt. put out via Unsilent Desert Press....

Top string of the harp, transcendent worldbuilding, catharsis in composing. The LA-based artist and composer discusses three important albums. Geneva's picks: Ursula K. Le Guin + Todd Barton – Music And Poetry Of The Kesh Grouper + Roy Montgomery – Split Swans – The Great Annihilator Geneva's new longform work, Turning Of The Day , is out now on LINE – check it out here. Her website is here and he...

XXX alcohol, forgone resolutions, avalanches of brutality. The multidisciplinary artist and performer discusses three important albums. Jen's picks: Joseph Spence – Good Morning Mr. Walker Stephen Layton – Whitacre: Cloudburst And Other Choral Works Opeth – Blackwater Park Go spend a bunch of time on Jen's website and Instagram . Sonified Physiological Indicators Of Empathy is out on Cacophonous R...

Slipping into the bloodstream, navigating hell, addictive polyrhythms. The Honduran-American producer discusses three important albums. Pablo's picks: Muslimgauze – Hussein Mahmood Jeeb Tehar Gass Paul Schütze – New Maps Of Hell Los Roland's – Solo Exitos Vol. 2 The new Dalibor Cruz album, Riddled With Absence , is out now via Natural Sciences – check it out here. Follow Dalibor Cruz on Instagram...

Jaw on the floor, zoning into spirituality, bastardised reggae basslines. The multidirectional musician and producer discusses three important albums. Kevin's picks: Gil Mellé – The Andromeda Strain OST The Necks – Sex Public Image Limited – Metal Box Kevin's soundtrack to Tarkovsky's Solaris comes out June 25th on Phantom Limb. Elsewhere, there's a Bandcamp for his music as Kevin Richard Martin a...

Going beyond the bandstand, simultaneous multidimensionality, searching for fire. The music research strategist and insurgent learning workshop co-ordinator discusses three important albums. Marshall's picks: Prokofiev – Peter and the Wolf (Disney animated version and accompanying reading) Earth Wind & Fire – All 'n All Ornette Coleman – The Shape Of Jazz To Come Marshall's record as MUSIC RES...

Toilets on heads, high frequency feedback devastation, hot pink harsh noise. The New York-based vocalist from Sydney, Australia discusses three important albums. Charmaine's picks: Derek Bailey / George Lewis / John Zorn – Yankees Yan Jun + Hsia Yu – 7 Poems And Some Tinnitus Masonna – Noskl In Ana - Rare Tracks Collection Charmaine's incredible new record, KNVF , is out now via Erratum Musical an...

Drumsticks into sawdust, ripping off Harvey Milk, going crazy for the Blind Owl. The BIG|BRAVE guitarist discusses three important albums. Mathieu's picks: Rockets Red Glare – S/T Harvey Milk – A Small Turn Of Human Kindness Blind Owl Wilson – S/T The latest BIG|BRAVE album, Vital is out now on Southern Lord. Check it out on Bandcamp here. BIG|BRAVE are on Facebook over here. Donate to Crucial Lis...

Thrash at the rehearsal room, transcending cheap music, collapsing nature and artifice. The analog noise artist discusses three important albums. Yuko's picks: Slayer – Reign In Blood Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon Monolake – Gobi. The Desert Yuko's new record, End Of Trilogy , is out now on Room40. Follow Yuko on Instagram over here , and Tumblr over here. Donate to Crucial Listening on k...

The opposite of politeness, sucky sucky bloodsuckers, ego destruction on the subway. The two improvisatory collaborators discuss their important albums. Chris' picks: Caroline Kraabel – Now We Are One Two Art Ensemble Of Chicago – Chi-Congo Bill's picks: Jaynez Cortez And The Firespitters – There It Is Ronald Shannon Jackson – Pulse The duo's new album, Made Out Of Sound , is out right now on Bill...

Snot-caked pants, wild banshee shit, the cadence and emphasis of Robert Ashley. The New York-based composer and multi-instrumentalist discusses three important albums. Ka's picks: Love – Forever Changes Sonny Sharrock – Black Woman Eliane Radigue – Songs Of Milarepa Ka's new album, Vivification Exercises I , is out now on RVNG Intl. Check out Ka's website here. Donate to Crucial Listening on ko-fi...

12 seconds of Stockhausen, high-altitude Frank Ocean, the power of SOPHIE. The Vancouver-based composer and music educator discusses three important albums. Sarah's picks: Karlheinz Stockhausen – Kontakte Frank Ocean – Blonde SOPHIE – Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides Sarah's YouTube channel is called Sounds Good – find that here – while her music is up on Bandcamp. Check out her band Watering too....

Sitting in a room, Hip Hop Connections, looking for a breadfruit tree. The Blackburn-based artist, radio DJ, podcast producer and lecturer discusses three important albums. Paul's picks: De La Soul – 3 Feet High And Rising The Congos – Heart Of The Congos Alvin Lucier – I Am Sitting In A Room Paul's latest solo record, Cobblestones & Kitchari , is out now on Fractal Meat Cuts. His personal Ban...

Releasing your giant, rural music in the city, stealing the cat from the temple. The Bangkok-based artist discusses three important albums. Pisitakun's picks: Pornsak Songsaeng – สาวจันทร์กั้งโกบ Jing.com – มันส์ ม่วน คัก Buddhist chants – Malai chant / Giant chant Check out Absolute C.O.U.P. on the Chinabot Bandcamp . Hear more Pisitakun over at Soundcloud and follow him on Facebook. Donate to Cr...

Invocations for judgement and destruction, sons of nature, reimagining the music of Indonesia. Wukir Suryadi and Rully Shabara discuss three important albums. Senyawa's picks: Gugus Gema – S/T Sawung Jabo/Iwan Fals – Dalbo Church Universal And Triumphant, Inc. Featuring Elizabeth Clare Prophet ‎– The Sounds Of American Doomsday Cults Alkisah is out next month from 39 record labels around the world...

Battling the beast of boredom, choosing the bloodstream over the live stream, being cooler than Santa Claus. The Portland-based abstract sound musician discusses three important albums. Daniel's picks: Alvin Lucier – Music On A Long Thin Wire Die Kreuzen – S/T Diamanda Galás – Litanies Of Satan Daniel's wonderful new record The Soaring is available now over on SIGE. Find more of his releases on hi...

Ethereal spatiality, appropriated memories of home, millennial mythos. The multimedia artist from Mexico discusses three important albums. Laura's picks: Golden Living Room – Welcome Home Core Of The Coalman – Mystery Odes Bath Consolidated –  Narryer Gneiss Terrane Laura's latest record, Tuberose , is out now on Whited Sepulchre. Listen/buy on Bandcamp. Check out the Remembrance Species 2020 comp...