Crucial Listening

Tim Hecker beneath the aurora borealis, nerdy icebreakers, blurs and beats. The Turkey-born, UK-based composer and guitarist discusses three important albums. Elif's picks: Tim Hecker – Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again Tangerine Dream – Rubycon Bowery Electric – Beat Elif's new album, Green Drift , is out now on Expert Sleepers. Her website is over here and she's also on Instagram. Donate to Crucial...

Harnessing ugliness, memories of Okinawa, Pärt in the snow. The Japanese vocal performer discusses three important albums. Hatis' picks: Meredith Monk – Mercy Yasukatsu Oshima with Geoffrey Keezer – S/T Arvo Pärt – Tabula Rasa Hatis Noit's new album,  Aura , is out now on Erased Tapes. Check it out on Bandcamp or on the Erased Tapes site. Donate to Crucial Listening on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cru...

Hours of jazz in the city, matching Spiderland tattoos, vertiginous rabbit holes. The guitarist and label curator discusses three important albums. Greg's picks: Miles Davis – Bitches Brew Slint – Spiderland Bernard Herrmann – Vertigo OST Head over to The Lord Bandcamp to hear/buy the first album Forest Nocturne , and to preview/preorder the upcoming record  Devotional with Petra Haden. Both are r...

Sad tween car journeys, dismantled pop, pioneers of Baltimore Club. The South Asian-American vocalist, sitarist, composer and producer discusses three important albums. Ami's picks: Sardari Begum – OST Portishead – Third K-Swift – Club Queen Vol. 3 Ami's new album, The Living World's Demands , is out on November 4th via Phantom Limb and Leaving Records. Preview/pre-order on Bandcamp. Follow Ami on...

Brazen electronic keys, odes to the rig, ripping everything out. The UK composer and performer discusses three important albums. Laurie's picks: "Blue" Gene Tyranny – Out Of The Blue Improved Sound Limited – Road Trax Mica Levi – Blue Alibi Laurie released three new albums this Spring: Years Went By with Eliza McCarthy via Entr'acte , Fatty via 33-33 and Sharp Love Slow Faint on Hyperdelia . They'...

Raga of the spine, stretched like honey dripping, body-recalibration drones. The Mexico-born, Chicago-based visual and sound artist discusses three important albums. Rocio's picks: Weyes Bluhd – Strange Chalices Of Seeing Carl Stone – Mom's David First – Privacy Issues (droneworks 1996 – 2009) Rocio's debut album, Invisible Miracles , is out now on Monastral. Check it out over here. Rocio has a we...

Haunting organs, sitting inside tape loops, endless questions. The Oslo-based multidisciplinary artist discusses three important albums. Jenny's picks: Henning Christiansen –  Op. 50 Requiem Of Art (Aus "Celtic") Fluxorum Organum II Robert Ashley – Private Parts Lost Girls –  Menneskekollektivet Jenny's new album, Here Is Always Somewhere Else , is out now via Breton Cassette. Check it out on Band...

Feedback as praxis, weird fragments, the first true drone show. The Cree, Canadian, interdisciplinary artist and sound designer discusses three important albums. Chloe's picks: Les Rallizes Denudes – Mizutani Coil – Backwards (Demos) Phill Niblock – Music Chloe's new album,  They Can Never Burn The Stars , is out now on SIGE. Follow her on Instagram here. Donate to Crucial Listening on ko-fi: http...

Black metal vs Aphex Twin, sad tape loops, the best screamo of all time. The UK-based artist and multi-instrumentalist discusses three important albums. Zen's picks: The Appleseed Cast – Low Level Owl, Vol. 1 Welcome The Plague Year – S/T Everyday Loneliness – Appropriation Cremation Lily's new album, Dreams Drenched In Static, is out now on The Flenser. Check it out here. Follow Cremation Lily on...

Earth-shifting philosophies, wordless shoegaze treasures, cinematic heartache. The MC and producer discusses three important albums. Will's picks: Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded / By All Means Necessary All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors – Turning Into Small Tom Petty – Wildflowers Check out Dälek's new album, Precipice , over on Bandcamp (along with all their other incredible records...

Septic-tank-prog roadtrips, poop jokes written backwards, a literal anvil. The Oregon-based composer, multimedia artist, instructor and champion of friendship discusses three important albums. Vern's picks: Yes – Fragile Pamelia Kurstin – Thinking Out Loud Harvey Milk – My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be Go have your mind whirled by Vern's website. The Avola bandcamp i...

A weaving of voices, moments of pure connection, sibling influences. The Narrm/Melbourne-based drummer and composer discusses three important albums. Maria's picks: The Necks – Open Alice Coltrane – Journey In Satchidananda Tyondai Braxton – HIVE1 Maria's new album For Leolanda is out now on ROOM40. Check it out here, along with her other works. Maria's website is over here. Donate to Crucial List...

Myspace discoveries, kaleidoscopic sonics, the beam shining through. The Yokohama-born, London-based producer discusses three important albums. Hinako's picks: The Knife – Silent Shout Linda Perhacs – Parallelograms Beverly Glenn-Copeland – Keyboard Fantasies Hinako Omori's new album, a journey... is out now on Houndstooth. Check it out on Bandcamp. Hinako's website is here, and her Instagram is h...

Reaching beyond our world, the thing in all its magnificence, the butterfly on your hand. The violinist, composer, improviser and interdisciplinary artist discusses three important albums. Biliana's picks: Sofia Gubaidulina – Offertorium Frances-Marie Uitti – Utopian Spaces Rhodri Davies, David Sylvian, Mark Wastell – There Is No Love Read about Biliana’s DUOS series here, and check out the releas...

Divine possession, accessing a communal psyche, opening quantum windows. The guitar player and electroacoustic composer discusses three important albums. Stefano's picks: Franco Battiato – La voce del Padrone Loren Connors – Sails Bernard Parmegiani – De Natura Sonorum Stefano's new album is out now on Die Schachtel, complete with some seriously gorgeous artwork. Get the vinyl/CD here , or digital...

Mum meets the Beatles, live environment failures, waves of transformative energy. The composer of experimental and electroacoustic music discusses three important albums. Yiorgis' picks: The Beatles – 20 Greatest Hits Iannis Xenakis – La Légende d'Eer Swans – The Glowing Man Yiorgis' latest album, Fons et Origo , is out now via miclithuania. Check it out here. His website is over here. Donate to C...

Stretched instruments, drudging through the mud, Kanye on the space highway. The Brooklyn-based Asian American musician and composer discusses three important albums. OHYUNG's picks: Mica Levi – Under The Skin OST Dean Blunt – Black Metal Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy imagine naked! is out 22nd April on NNA Tapes. Check it out on the OHYUNG Bandcamp. Donate to Crucial Listening on...

Sulphur and molasses, museums and ice cream, reverence for the beautiful. The avant garde ballard-purveyor discusses three important albums. Eric's picks: Betty Carter – Inside Betty Carter Richard Dawson – The Glass Trunk Martin Arnold – 'Stain Ballads' Eric's new album, Say Laura , is out now via Constellation and Murailles Music. Check it out on Bandcamp. Eric's label with Martin Arnold, Rat Dr...

Wombic alien mechanics, circuit-bent FIFA, worldbuilding soundtrack serendipity. The Syrian-born, Sweden-based artist discusses three important albums. Obay's picks: Boards Of Canada – Music Has The Right To Children C418 – Minecraft: Volume Alpha / Volume Beta Celer – Discourses Of The Withered Check out Obay's splendid record Sandbox right here. He's also on Instagram and Facebook . Donate to Cr...

Gargling fire, empty samplers, ruined picture discs. Crucial Listening host Jack Chuter shares his three important albums. Jack's picks: Meshuggah – Nothing (2002 version) Jesu – S/T Sachiko M – Bar Sachiko Many thanks for allowing me this bout of self-indulgent podcast host catharsis. Donate to Crucial Listening on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Totality in music, lyrical homicide, destroyed Barbie dolls. The experimental music performer and instrument-maker discusses three important albums. Ramsey Lewis – Mother Nature's Son T. Rex – Electric Warrior Violent Onsen Geisha – Excrete Music evicshen tours the US with Machine Girl in February 2022 – check out the dates here. She'll also be playing to mark the end of here Audium residency in S...

VHS basslines, definitive ambient, record shopping in Woolworths. The London-based musician and anarchist discusses three important albums. Martin's picks: LFO – Frequencies Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92 Pete Namlook – The Definitive Ambient Collection Vol. 1 Head over to sm-ll.com and partner label Tapes For Mates . For mastering/support for the electronic music community, check out c...

Everybody against everybody, the left hand of the Qin master, tin can Beatles. The Beijing-based musician and poet talks about three important albums. Yan Jun's picks: Ævangelist – Enthrall To The Void Of Bliss Various – Sound Spaces: 9 Sound Installations The Qin Repertoire Of LIU Shao-Chun Check out the websites for Yan Jun's own work and Sub Jam. Both are on Bandcamp too ( Yan Jun , Sub Jam )....

Liturgical lullaby, canine concrète, a chess game that never ends. The Chicago-based media artist and composer talks about three important albums. Olivia's picks: Alèmu Aga – Éthiopiques 11: The Harp Of King David Beatriz Ferreyra – Huellas Entreveradas Morton Feldman – For Samuel Beckett Honourable mention: Kim Jung Mi – Now Olivia also mentioned another record in the Éthiopiques series: Piano So...

Spontaneous trips to Genoa, bloop speakers, big Tori energy. The LA-based musician and visual artist discusses three important albums. Emma's picks: Sibylle Baier – Colour Green Shape Of Despair – Monotony Fields Tori Amos – Boys For Pele Emma's new album Engine Of Hell is out now via Sargent House. Head over to her site for three beautiful music videos, merch and links to buy the record. It's on...