Chris Cheek about Directions in Jazz
Downbeat has referred to Chris Cheek's latest quartet recording as an “understated gem.” The praise is justified, but feels like a misrepresentation: This isn't the sound of restraint, but music of great anticipation which elevates every subtle nuance to a moment of devastating beauty.
Ello Sun Shares her Creative Process
Despite their warm, elastic bass lines, the dreamy songs of Ello Sun's first solo EP feel like creations of air and ether. They could go on forever, but prefer to fade before their spell is broken.
Born Ruffians about Emotions in Music
The Canadian quartet have recorded a collection of emphatically uplifting power pop anthems. In the best moments, they aren't just channelling their own moments – they are creating dynamic feedback loops with anyone who listens to them.
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Enrico Sangiuliano about Production, Technology, and Creativity
“Every tool I choose has to add meaning, not just sound.“
Jimena Angel Shares her Creative Process
For the Colombian songwriter, life and art are intricately intertwined: Her new, sunsplashed single literally came to her under the shower. Still, making music is instinctual – a source of love, healing, and self-empowerment.
The Bones of J.R. Jones about Lyrics
"Words are incredibly powerful … but where do they fall short?"
Nyah Grace about Emotions in Music
For Nyah Grace, soul and rnb are not glossy aural comfort food. Her songs show both sides of life's coin: The ecstasy and the heartbreak, the pleasure and the pain, the “longing, mixed with a little bit of sombreness.”
Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer about Collaboration
Integrating field recordings and gentle modular synth movements, the pieces of the duo's second album embrace their urban surroundings. The music never gets photorealistic, however, capturing an emotional response instead - lusher than life and much more beautiful than the real thing.
Maison Blanche about Minimalism
Experimenting with compressors, EQs, and tape recorders, Maison Blanche is bringing the deep, jazzy vibe of 90s French Touch house into the present. His productions sound fresh and contemporary – while smelling as familiar as a strawberry-jam croissant on a Sunday morning.
yonglee & the DOLTANG about Directions in Jazz
South Korea's jazz scene is changing: The fractures of society are pushing artists to speak up, while new technologies are fostering sonic experimentation. Seoul is oscillating between tradition and hyper-modernity – and yonglee is eager to ride the wave.
Hampus Lindwall about Directions in Contemporary Composition
As a classically-trained church organist, Hampus Lindwall plays four improvised masses each week. But none of them sounds like the pieces on his new album. Performed with endless inventiveness and energy, they make the instrument sound all but possessed.
Ronny Graupe Shares his Creative Process
What started out as performances of jazz standards resulted in a set of freewheeling trio pieces at once airy and intense – are these still "songs"?
Liz Vice about her Voice and Singing
For Liz Vice, spirituality informs her entire life. Her voice can silence an entire room and give her out of body experiences while singing. It is a power that feels gratifying and scary at the same time.
Adwer about Kraut & Krautrock
The Hungarian producer's “Kraut Komet” has sent audiences dancing to its cosmic sequencer lines for years. As his new EP proves, his interest in the electronic side of krautrock goes a lot deeper still.
Stilluppsteypa about the Magic of Sound(s)
The Icelandic duo still believe in the power of music to mesmerise, intoxicate and scare the shit out of you. Their new album consists almost entirely of loops that don't seem to go anywhere. It's incredible.
Domenic Cappello about Production, Technology, and Creativity
In Glasgow Domenic Cappello is already a legend. The pieces of his upcoming EP could make him one far beyond the city's borders. Layering rich, dreamy strings over Kraftwerk'esque beatwork, it's his most personal release yet.
Feyisayo Anjorin Shares his Creative Process
Hailing from Akure, Nigeria, Feyisayo Anjorin has excelled as an author, screenwriter and singer. Spirituality and storytelling inform songs which feel like an African soul take on the gospel tradition.
Yugen Blakrok about Directions in Hip Hop
For the South African rapper, the future has already begun. Her music and consciously word-heavy lyrics, however, aim to focus on the unchanging core of our human existence – creating connection and communion in the face of ever greater separation.
Asta Hiroki about Directions in Jazz
"Playing around and not adhering to formats or genres is how jazz originated. So perhaps I honour the spirit of it in that way."
Edu Comelles Allué about the Magic of Sound(s)
Sound artist Edu Comelles spent 5 years sculpting and continually reworking the pieces on his new album. They condense time into six soft meditations – fragile, fleeting, and never fully finished.
Brandee Younger Shares her Creative Process
Music is the space where harpist-composer Brandee Younger can say what needs to be said. Her new album Gadabout Season started with rage - and then sublimated into a personal field of beautiful catharsis.
Sandro Sáez Shares his Creative Process
“The title of the album was very clear to me long before the recording. But I still had to figure out what it meant.“
Sigmund Vestrheim aka DUMMY THICC about Drums and Percussion
Stretching across an epic 26 pieces, DUMMY THICC's debut album is an ode to the groove. But these are more than just rhythm studies. Interacting with seductive keys and resonant strings, his drums are gateways to deep emotional moods.
KARABA about DJing
For the French-Congolese artist, production is about vulnerability, DJing is about energy. By adding live percussion to her sets and relinquishing control, her vision becomes clear: This is not just about playing music, this is a performance.
Julia Basso about the Potentials of Music and Dance as Medicine
Eppur si muove: Movement is life and music initiates movement. By scientifically validating the power of rhythm, Julia Basso is finding new ways to support those with autism or spectrum disorder.
MCBAISE about Fashion & Music
“A black metal band playing in suits with ties would in of itself be a statement.”
KX9000 Shares his Creative Process
Creating music for travelling was the point of departure for KX9000's new EP. But these radiant, laid-back deep house songs don't just get the body moving – the mind is always being transported, too.
Omar Shares his Creative Process
Even into the third decade of his career, the impulse to create has never left the British soul legend. His first studio album in eight years radiates warmth and flows with effortless ease – the result of a trance-like approach to songwriting.
Salome Voegelin about the Magic of Sound(s)
We need sonic literacy, Salome Voegelin maintains. Sound can provide us with a powerfully different view of the world: One where things sound and come together, where we can access the invisible and the indivisible.
Maxine Troglauer about Directions in Jazz
A wealth of questions stood at the start of the bass trombonist's extraordinary debut album. Occupying a space between jazz, modern composition and experimentalism, the answers are always in her instrument and her imagination.
Aaron Helgeson on the Magic of Sound and Voice
"I never felt comfortable working with other people’s poetry. Not as they wrote it, anyway."
Soli City Share their Creative Process
Society and the constant urge to visualise everything are the main sources for the Copenhagen-based artist's hyper-organic, behind-the-mirror compositions. It's a curse – but one they gladly use to their advantage.
Farhot about Directions in Hip Hop
Born in Afghanistan, Farhot has become one of Germany's most acclaimed and exciting hip hop producers. The future? Is all about never being boring.
Miriam Hanika about Emotions in Music
The German songwriter and oboist has written a poetic album that takes listeners into their inner world. But although gestures and words are subtle, these pieces are always born from a burning fire inside.
Momus about the Magic of Sound(s)
“Is silence a right we'd be willing to die for? I'll be silent when I'm dead.”
Mia Morgan about Lyrics
“This is an angry album. And the time that angry women can command an audience’s undivided attention is very limited.“
Super Progressive about the Crucial Warm-Up Phase of DJing
"A great warm-up set can somewhat fly under the radar. But a bad opening set can derail a night."
Dina Summer about Production, Technology, and Creativity
The Berlin trio places Kraftwerk's naïve melodicism and cool vocals on top of Moroder-style bass sequences. The result is sexy, nocturnal, and physically intoxicating.
Mt. Joy Share their Creative Process
Mt. Joy continue their search for the perfect song on Hope We Have Fun. But it's a perfection that comes through free association and letting go – there are worlds of deeply felt intentions within the unintentional.
Goodman/Bordenave/Mahall about Directions in Jazz
“A moment of truth can ignite anywhere. What matters is the fire you bring to it.”
Porcelain about Dark Places
The Austin quartet's music is a no holds barred emotional dive into the shadowside of life. Still, their buzzing post-noise-rock-hardcore anthems always find the beauty hidden in the darkness.
Tools of Creation: The Didgeridoo
For Richard Poher, the didgeridoo is strikingly simple but offers endless potential. It allows for intellectual approaches while connecting us to the earth.
Andi Haberl of Bella Wakame about Drums and Percussion
“I have to feel comfortable. Then, I just have to let go and play and listen.”
Florian Zimmer of Bella Wakame on All Things Modular
“The modular's an instrument that I have to work on constantly. When I come back from a holiday, I often find myself wondering how it all works.”
DJ Psychiatre about Production, Technology, and Creativity
The French producer's hypnotic sonic dreams do not reinvent the rules of deep house. Suffused with warmth and a sense of wonder, they extend into worlds that retain their mystery yet feel like coming home.
Raz Olsher about Film Music
For the British composer, film music can sometimes show things that aren't on the screen. On his latest project, an instrumental score to an imaginary Spaghetti Western movie, there isn't even a screen any more.
Marc Melià about Minimalism
Marc Melià's new album was recorded entirely on a monophonic analog synthesizer. The result is not just so inventive it's hard to believe the premise – but also deeply moving, and utterly unique.
Ayumi Ishito about Directions in Jazz
“If I could see Coltrane live I would be so excited I would faint.”
Michael Vallera about the Magic of Sound(s)
The guitarist and sound artist's ghostly drone works are testimony to an acute sensitivity to sound. This album isn't just called “The Other World” - it actually feels like listening to one.
Stella Sommer of Die Heiterkeit about Lyrics
Stella Sommer has been likened to Lana del Rey and Nico. As her new album as Die Heiterkeit proves, these comparisons are mere pointers for an artist for whom songwriting is beyond control – sometimes a walk in the park, sometimes a battlefield.
Ambre Ciel about Directions in Contemporary Composition
The Canadian composer intended approaching her debut album with the most minimal concept imaginable. In the end, the pieces grew increasingly more orchestral, more lush, more sepiatoned – while still incorporating her pull towards the unknown and unconventional.
Gojnea76 about Production, Technology, and Creativity
“The real question is: What sound do you want to create? It all depends on your curiosity and what pushes you to break barriers.“
Daniel O'Sullivan (Ulver, Sunn O))) about Directions in Contemporary Composition
“I think we’ve moved beyond the idea of the composer as a solitary genius. Composing today is as much about curating and connecting as it is about generating.”
Margaux Gazur about the Magic of Sound(s)
The woozy, welcoming deep-house-textures of Gazur's new album stretch out into immersive epics. Partly inspired by the noises of Vietnam and dealing with tinnitus, these pieces get better by turning the volume down.
G.W. Sok (ex-The Ex, Sopa Baba) about Lyrics
At first, translating the dark subject matter of a short story by Nicoleta Esinencu into music seemed like a journey into Eastern European history. As G.W. Sok and Pavel Tchikov eventually discovered, it turned out to be a stunningly visionary comment on the current the state of the world.
John Acquaviva about Directions in Electronic Music
“I believe that the relationship between the roots of music and what we have now is NOT STRONG ENOUGH.”
Amanda Ekery about her Voice and Singing
The Texas vocalist, composer and instrumentalist draws from her Mexican and Syrian roots for her intensely inwards-looking songs. The world is not just her oyster – it's a miracle of intimacy and utter freedom.
The Vernon Spring about the Magic of Sound(s)
“Our dishwasher has some great polyrhythms! It also creates this melody which reminds my partner of the Curtis Mayfield song ‘Move On Up’!”
Andrea Casarrubios about Directions in Contemporary Composition
People, programs, and places are on the Spanish cellist's mind, both when she's composing and performing. But in the end, her music always feeds off the human experience: “When something feels important, your body remembers.”
Noni-Mouse about Directions in Electronic Music
The left-of-center artist is using every tool at her disposal to keep her approach fresh: Scoring for film, tapping into AI, drawing from Mumbai's art scene and “working with atonal sources of sound, to create textural dance music that feels accessible and fresh.”
Pawas about Minimalism
Electronic music is the natural home for Pawas Gupta. Still, in his productions, the idea of a band is always on his mind – regardless of the genre he's working on.
Arborra about the Magic of Sound(s)
“The only thing that truly gives me hope for humanity is sound.”
Joy Guidry about Emotions
“There was a lot of smiling, but even more tears while recording this album.“
Dominik Gehringer and Jordan Arts: Can Sound Change the World?
"Music can quite literally save lives."
Ensign Broderick about Minimalism
Releasing two albums at the same time might not seem particularly minimalistic. But for Come Down and Mirror Ring, Canadian songwriter Ensign Broderick restricted himself to little more than his voice and the piano – in this vast emotional space, every single sound matters.
Rose Room about Celebrating their Long, Long Career and their Creative Process
It don't mean a thing unless it ain't got those strings: After 15 years of relentlessly reinvigorating Swing, the Scottish ensemble have enriched their sound with a layer of nostalgic violins – be prepared to cry once, then cry twice.
Pavel Tchikov Shares his Creative Process
Pavel Tchikov had to face emotional baggage from childhood for his duo with Dutch vocalist G.W. Sok. It translated to a work of brutal beauty, industrial beats, glistening strings, and naked poetry.
Jackie Myers about her Voice and Singing
“Tone, placement, and rhythm allow communication in a way speaking could never really match.”
Super Progressive about his Progressive House Podcast, Passionate Clubbers, and Authentic Journalism
"Once it was just me and my handheld camera, the artists seemed to open up more."
Manuel Pasquinelli about Drumming
Pasquinelli has been the emotional pulse behind a variety of formidable formations at the borders between jazz and post-punk and -rock. On his solo project, he is now drumming and collaborating with delicately drifting drones – an equally dreamy, intense, and otherworldly experience.
Chicarica Share their Creative Process
Chicarica are the latest entry in a long line of luminous Chilean synth pop bands. Their take on the genre is mesmerising, floating, and blissful – somewhere between a dream of Kraftwerk and Underworld, but always entirely their own thing.
The Young Mothers about Directions in Jazz
This band contains multitudes: The Young Mothers are playing spiritual jazz filled with beauty, fuelled by diversity and a deep sense of trust.
M(h)aol Share their Creative Process
Too much coffee, a subversive humour and an un-spiritual approach to creativity drove the Irish trio's latest set of songs about feminism and dogs. The band's manic post-rock is as experimental as it is catchy, taking the pressure of their anthemic riffs to the point of explosive combustion.
Hybrid Protokol about Directions in Electronic Music
"With the rise of Instagram, DJing and electronic music have become a FARCE."
5volts about Minimalism
As a resident of one of the world's most maximalist metropoles, Kalkotta's 303-and-drum-maschine explorer Varun Desai came to appreciate the minimalist mindset late. It's still a radical concept to him – but one which offers the reward of total freedom of expression.
Theo Bleak about her Voice and Singing
The track titles to the Scottish song-poets pieces - filled with "liars," "grief," and unrequited feelings - point to a world of inner turmoil. Her voice is a source of comfort here, a beacon amidst an ocean of beautiful brokenness.
Gilles Aubry about the Magic of Sound(s)
Aubry's list of favourite sounds is long, extending from abandoned railway shacks and a river gorge in the Moroccan Atlas to old movie theatres and the hellbound chaos of metal band Portal. But don't get him started on the sirens of Berlin's fire trucks!
Ziggy Zeitgeist and Lewis Moody from EX GENERATION about XJAZZ! 2025 and Directions in Jazz
"This is the lesson we learn from music: it allows us to just be here, right now, present."
Vesna Pisarović about her Voice and Singing
In this expansive interview on the occasion of her new album Poravna with improvisers Tony Buck, Axel Dörner, Noël Akchoté, and Greg Cohen, the Crotian vocalist and composer dives deep into all aspects of singing – from the sacredness of performing to the limitations of the body.
Resavoir and Matt Gold about their Collaboration
A shared admiration for Brazilian music from the 60s and 70s was the “North Star” for the duo's heavenly acoustic excursions. Expanding on short, sometimes 4-bar-loop ideas, these compositions are dreamy yet distinct, sweet but passionate, hazy but with intense focus.
Elana Sasson about Emotions in Music
Sasson's recent collection of songs deals with longing, hope, and inbetween sensations. These pieces are tender, but Sasson won't let anything stop them – not even having to play in total darkness for many minutes during a recent gig.
Azmari on Energy & Music
Re-uniting with a former band member and opening themselves up to cross-cultural influences, Azmari are venturing beyond their ethio-jazz roots. More minimal than ever, however, their music stays true to its core: The trance of hypnotic grooves and the mystery of sound.
Aron & The Jeri Jeri Band about XJAZZ! 2025 and Directions in Jazz
Translating their raw, propulsive electronic afrobeat to the stage remains a constant challenge for the trio. The real task, however, is to remain relevant: “Being an original artist today feels like survival.”
Cloth Share their Creative Process
“Loss, grief and the process of trying to self-assure” remain the focal points of the Glasgow duo's beautifully poignant songs. This time, however, enriched by Adrian Utley's synths and rich string arrangements, they tap into even deeper and more powerful sensations.
Andrew Moreno about Energy, Improvisation, and his Creative Process
“It's important to bring a little confrontation to audiences more often.”
Luke Hess about the Magic of Sound(s)
“We can all benefit from listening to music and to our fellow human beings on a deeper level.”
Harrison Lipton about Lyrics
Harrison Lipton's songs are deceptively soft, padded with gorgeous harmonies and dreamy grooves. But his diaristic and private take on lyrics lends them a relatably moving, and occasionally devastatingly heartbreaking quality.
Joy Guidry about XJAZZ! 2025 and Directions in Jazz
Joy Guidry's expansion as an artist parallels the expansion of jazz as a genre. Working with basson, electronics, poetry, and her voice, her latest projects push sonic boundaries into a space between the spiritual and the radical.
KitschKrieg about Collaboration, Technology, and Creativity
With a unique aesthetic and style, KitschKrieg have made it to the creative top of Germany's hip hop scene. On London's Calling, they focus on collaboration and songwriting, while staying true to their philosophy: Being professional dilettantes with a minimal set-up.
Katelyn Clark and Mitch Renaud about Improvisation
The press release to the duo's latest explorations mentions Deleuze, Nietzsche, and the "planetary movements." The music, meanwhile, performed on small pipe organ and modular, is built on direct interaction, holding a space of gradually interweaving and shifting oscillations.
Penelope Trappes: Can Sound Change the World?
"I like the idea of my music being a kind of gathering or community, where we can all feel connected to something infinite."
Uli Kempendorff about Emotions
There has to be more to music than emotions, finds saxophonist Uli Kempendorff. On the new album with his quartet Field, there is. Casting a questioning mood between transcendence and the visceral, these pieces invite the listener to co-shape the experience.
Black Loops about Production, Technology, and Creativity
As Black Loops, Riccardo Paffetti pushes his laid-back, futuristic Detroit love letters forward with live drumming and cool electro beats. It's cosmic man-machine music made by humans for humans.
Rebecca Vasmant about Directions in Jazz
The multifaceted composer/producer/DJ's vision of jazz is like a dream of the Glasgow jazz scene: Soft, sensual, subtle and full of wonder for the everyday miracles of life.
Danielle Nia on All Things Modular
Switching from keyboard to modular finally allowed Danielle Nia to realise what was in her head. Her ultimate goal: To shape her sound to the same degree as a string player or vocalist.
lilo about Lyrics
“In a song you can say anything you like. But I think it is important to say something that matters to you.“
JakoJako about Directions in Electronic Music
Sibel Koçer's recent trip to Vietnam resulted in sequencer music of ethereal, brightly coloured beauty. It is testimony to her admiration for the Asian electronic scene – and a restless brain in need of constant stimulation.
RAH from RAH & the Ruffcats about XJAZZ! 2025 and Directions in Jazz
Some people can use improvisation to talk to the universe, Rapturous Apollo Helios believes. But for the infectuous 21st century afrobeat of the Ruffcats, the main key is simply for the groove to never stop.
Shunkan about Energy & Music
“It's a big thing coming,” Marina Sakimoto sings in the opening to her new album. But the music breathes a sense of intimacy and longing. Right in between nostalgia and euphoria lies the magic of her fuzz-drenched dream pop.
Elijah Jamal Asani about the Magic of Sound(s)
Places of worship hold a special meaning for Asani's response to sound. It it isn't the silence between notes that feels important to him – but a softness capable of exerting incredible power.
Melia Watras about Directions in Contemporary Composition
The 18 short pieces on Watras's “Almond Tree Duos” are pure, poignant, powerful in their immediacy. The emotional range is wide and the techniques diverse - but hope is always the overarching sensation.
Clay Jenkins about Directions in Jazz
"A musician can’t truly be an innovator without being well informed about the history and legacy of jazz and jazz musicians."
Interview Review: jakojako – Tết 41
A personal trip to Vietnam resulted in a sequencer album opening up into a galaxy of intimacy. Tangerine Dream could have written this in the mid-80s – it would have been one of their better works.
Mara Schwerdtfeger about the Magic of Sound(s)
The Australian sound artist, currently on tour through Europe, has experienced sound in the most diverse spaces – including a huge disused fish silo. Still, nothing beats the calm and beauty of everyday noises.
Matthias Tschopp (it's me?) on all Things Modular
Joining forces as it's me?, Matthias Tschopp and Jürg Zimmermann aimed at something in between experimental sound art, ambient, techno and jazz. Getting there turned into a journey.
Jürg Zimmermann (it’s me?) on all Things Modular
Starting from the trumpet, Zimmermann gradually developed a modular set-up aimed at experimentation and exploration. Control is an important element – but so are chance and coincidence.
YASS about Dark Places
Something's hidden in the basement, something sinister and hypnotic, flooded in strobe light, smeared with pulsating synth streaks. If you want to feel safe here, you've got to make the demons your friend.
GOBLYNS about Kraut & Krautrock
The mostly Berlin-based trio are playing an airy, almost weightless version of motoric magic. Somewhere between Can and Khruangbin and forever indebted to the jam.
Sorvina about Directions in Hip Hop
Studying the greats of the past and present is a pivotal part of Sorvina's process. Her stories, however, are uniquely her own – and can never be destroyed by any system.
Merrick Winter about Lyrics
Merrick Winter's new EP is a collection of true, not necessarily real stories – picked up over dinner while riding the train, overheard on the street, drawn from life lessons imparted to him.
Peter van Hoesen about Production, Technology, and Creativity
The Belgian producer's studio has recently gone through incisive changes. But it is never the hardware that counts – but rather the will to keep going and radically question himself in difficult times.
Thomas Burkhardt about Minimalism
“I asked myself if I could do something like techno without having a sequencer or drum voices - or voices at all.”
Hans Bilger Shares his Creative Process
With thousands of kilometres between them, coherence was the main concern for Hans Bilger and Eli Greenhoe's songwriting process. As they soon found out, they weren't building bridges – but entire musical worlds.
Raúl Monsalve about Directions in Jazz
On the return of his band Los Forajidos, the Venezuelan bassist hits a lighter tone than on the politically driven predecessor. His delirious, trance-inducing grooves between tradition, trap and robotic funk remain true to his core motto, however: Ancient to the Future and Future to the Ancient.
SEX BEAT about Energy & Music
Anger is the driving force for the Berlin formation. Recorded in a rehearsal room, their upcoming sophomore effort is a beacon for those in need of release.
George Draguns of Roboquarians about Improvisation
The Roboquarians' second album is progressive-punk-style Black Flag jazz: Free, but with intense intent.
Mo Lowda & the Humble about Emotions in Music
"I’ve looked up and seen smiles. I’ve looked up and seen tears. Sometimes during the same song. Sometimes at the same time."
Uner about Minimalism
“Minimalism isn’t just reducing but it’s refining. It’s a deep search for essence and presence.”
Adja Fassa about Lyrics
Joni Mitchell and Erykah Badu showed Adja how to not just believe in herself, but to actually believe herself. In her music, she is not afraid to extend her limits – she's not just an artist, but an athlete, too.
Roberto Di Gioia of WebWeb about Directions in Jazz
“If I had seen Hendrix live, or Coltrane ... I would probably have become a gardener.”
Nathan Davis Shares his Creative Process
Picking up a variety of raw materials from Home Depot was the first step of the creative process for Nathan Davis's new piece. Gradually, the music grew into a micro-immersive space of Youtube samples, MaxMSP manipulations and suspensefully discrete, visceral sounds.
Vilhelm Bromander about Directions in Jazz
Connections and exploring the unknown are at the core of Vilhelm Bromander's approach to music. The new album of his Unfolding Orchestra is an epic spiritual jazz journey embracing the mystery of twilight states.
Luke Spiller of The Struts about Lyrics
For his euphoric solo debut, the Struts' frontman studied great poets and lyricists. In the end, however, melody is still key.
Satomimagae about the Magic of Sound(s)
The tender, almost whispered sonic poems of the Japanese artist float in a space between sound and song. They open up intimate galaxies within the safety of your own room.
Elles Bailey about Energy
“I have gigged when I felt like I have nothing to give. It's in those moments that the audience can carry you.”
Mobley Shares his Creative Process
Usually, Mobley can hear and project the end result of the creative process right from the start. For his new, speculative fiction concept album, however, he had to wait patiently for the right ideas to come.
FAMILY GARDEN about Dark Places
The Pennsylvania band blend brutal blast beats, spiky punk riffs and blackened atmospherics into a ferocious maelstrom - “part grief and loss, part religious imagery and part monsters of the mind.”
Rindert Lammers about Directions in Jazz
Somewhere between The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Mark Isham's ambient jazz soundtracks and the clear bell tones and choir-like sounds of early Roland synths lies a place the Dutch producer loves to visit.
Konalgad about Production, Technology, and Creativity
Konalgad's debut LP sits at the cusp between dream and nightmare, reliving and exorcising a dark phase in his life. And yet, these pieces move towards the light, not away from it – testimony to the ideal of physically playing, singing and moving his body while composing.
Ada Morghe about Lyrics
Songs are not the only form of lyrical expression for Ada Morghe, who also writes plays and books. But, she feels, words are particularly powerful when combined with sound: “Music reaches the heart before the mind even has a chance to catch up.”
An-Ting about Interspecies Communication
The Taiwan-born sound artist's Lost Communication is one of the most wondrous takes on animal sounds: Listening deeply, she is putting birds in the spotlight, propelling their song forward with beats, sweetening their signals with sultry soundscapes.
Shcaa about the Magic of Sound(s)
“The mixing stages can feel very sculptural. Arranging is more like painting.”
Infinity Division about Directions in Electronic Music
No matter how dark and intense Ash Luke's jungle and hardcore-inspired almost-un-dj'able productions may be – there needs to be a spark of soul at their heart.
Trousdale Share their Creative Process
Growth is the key theme on the trio's new album. So why are their lovingly crafted, breathtakingly harmonised songs moved by a bittersweet undercurrent?
Fraser Smith about Directions in Jazz
There is always potential for something new in the swing-oriented jazz of the British saxophonist. And yet, in our digital age, sometimes just hitting the stage with an all-acoustic band can be enough to grab attention.
Tara Nome Doyle Shares her Creative Process
Doyle's new album emerged from confusion and loss. Aiming at a translation of raw, unfiltered truth, she ultimately found inspiration in sensations of disconnection and disorientation.
Peter Gregson about Directions in Contemporary Composition
The cellist and composer finds beauty in how sounds interact with the space they're born into. On his new album, every stroke of the bow and modular synth line is lovingly, laboriously shaped by hand.
Ginger Winn about Emotions in Music
Winn's new songs were haunted by a ghostly premonition. The devastating suicide of her father changed her as a person and an artist – but there was never any choice but to deal with it with raw honesty.
Lullahush: Can Sound Change the World?
Beats, sampled and chopped lyrics, field recordings and processed instruments: In his wondrous songs, inspired by Irish culture and poetry, Daniel McIntyre excavates fossils from the future.
Sofia Härdig about Lyrics
As a kid, the Swedish songwriter was addicted to books and played in nine bands at the same time. These addictions never ended, they just got sublimated: Words and music are never separated in her larger-than-life torch songs.
Gleb Kolyadin Shares his Creative Process
Gleb Kolyadin's Mobula touches on anything from minimal music to instrumental piano prog. That's because he believes that anything can be an inspiration.
Mark Constantine about Curation, Compilations, and the Connections between Perfume and Music
"If we take “Chelsea Morning” by Joni Mitchell and you look at the lyrics, it is very easy to smell the bath bomb we created."
Sominaryst about Directions in Electronic Music
Ukrainian producer Anton Somin talks the talk on the future of music - and his meticulously crafted, future-high, sample-shot rhythmical sculptures more than delivers on the promises.
Shai Maestro Shares his Creative Process
The Israeli pianist and ECM artist had no intention to record a solo album. Listening back to two gigs of “miniatures and tales,” he discovered a spontaneous beauty beyond planning.
Chiminyo about Directions in Jazz
For the British drummer and producer, the stage is the studio and improvisation is instant composition. His collaborative performances have myriads of roots – but jazz and a love for randomised electronic systems are key components.
Stranded Horse Shares his Creative Process
Recorded to analog tape and capturing the essence of twelve years as a duo, this third-eye-folk-music builds intimate spaces from guitar, kora and vocals.
Micah Thomas about Directions in Jazz
Music, for Micah Thomas, fosters radical acceptance. Ahead of a trio performance at Ladbroke Hall, the pianist reflects on his views on collaboration and improvisation and how performing on stage keeps him sane.
Mörmaid about Production, Technology, and Creativity
An inveterate perfectionist Live Sollid Schulerud could never finish a track in a few hours. Perhaps that's precisely what makes her inimitable electronic songscapes, often driven by deeply personal experiences, so unique.
Matteo Liberatore (aka Molto Ohm) about how sound and noise contribute to our Wellbeing
"We need noise to keep us creative and push boundaries."
Courtney Hadwin about her Voice and Singing
The British singer-songwriter loves the sensation of having her body taken over by music - turning into a medium for pure desperation and anger.
Max Walker about Directions in Jazz
Max Walker is right – his hard-hitting fusion isn't avantgarde per se. But it is certainly part of the vanguard when it comes to rhythmical inventiveness, emotional complexity and the creation of deep, innovative textures.
Medlar about Directions in Electronic Music
Ned Pegler sees no reason to fear for the future. On his deep new album he is tapping into the unknown and building instantly relatable visions of dance music from improvisations.
Interview-Review: Kaidi Tatham – Miles Away
4D performances caught in a time loop: Using and breaking the spell of his loops, the British fusion master replaces improvisation and composition with his personal dream-logic.
Mark Van Hoen about the Magic of Sound(s)
“Sound is a more direct line to the human spirit than the visual arts.“
Kjetil Husebø about Improvisation and his Piano Transformed project
Composer and improviser Kjetil Husebø had become estranged from the piano. Then, he connected it to samplers and electronics and started building alien worlds somewhere between structure and spontaneity.
Ashley Henry about Directions in Jazz
The British pianist and composer is about to take his soulful modern jazz to stages across the UK. As always, the album versions will merely be a springboard for inspired in-the-moment actualisation.
Kids Return Share their Creative Process (2025 Version)
Friendships and the bonds of love remain important catalysts for the psychedelic pop of the French duo – so do food, great melodies and studios with windows.
Hara Alonso about the Magic of Sound(s)
In her music, Alonso weaves sonic objects of different spatialities into time-arresting drift-states. It's a place of pure experience - no one's judging.
The Null Club about Directions in Electronic Music
In his new project, the Gilla Band guitarist explores twisted house, noise and making the foundations of his tracks sound fucked.
Joan Arnau Pàmies about Minimalism
After once being blown away by Reich's 18 Musicians, the Catalan composer no longer looks at music through a maximalist or minimalist lense. It's all about finding and honing the ideas that truly matter.
ESINAM & Sibusile Xaba about their Collaboration
We call it interspiritual jazz: The soulful songs and blissful moods of these two multitalented polymaths extends beyond borders and genres.
Alex Garnett about Directions in Jazz
To Alex Garnett, even after 100 years, jazz is still “finding its way.” Ahead of a quintet performance at Ladbroke Hall, the saxophonist reflects on the unique UK sound, the chops of a new generation and why his discography as a leader has remained fairly small.
Jon Allen about his Voice and Singing
Teachers tried to smooth out the edge, roughness and rasp in Jon Allen's voice. Thankfully, he had a record player – and a stubborn streak.
El Leon Pardo about Improvisation
El Leon Pardo's journey into music started with a mystical experience. On his psychedelic new album, he is channeling it through cosmic cumbia, spiritual jazz and dubbed-out electronics.
Dilee D about Directions in Electronic Music
Sri-Lankan born Dilee D has found a new home in Chicago. A firm believer in the benefits of technology, his shimmering melodic house is inspired by the constant need to push the envelope.
Kinwu & Koan the alias about Directions in Hip Hop
“What hip hop could be like is something so far from its origins that it may not be called hip hop.”
Leonie Jakobi about her Voice and Singing
At 12, Leonie Jakobi wanted to sound like Bon Jovi. Today, the singer has found her own voice, and her own style - and has come full circle on her new single.
Lisa Harres: Can Sound Change the World?
"The world needs an understanding of complexity, of the coexistence of opposing thoughts and emotions. Nothing is ever just one thing."
JKriv about Directions in Electronic Music
With a background in jazz and inspired by Frank Zappa and Edgard Varèse early on, Jason Kriveloff's take on house was always going to be different. Recorded while going through serious health issues, his new EP is a triumph of life teaming with individuality.
Interview Review: Butcher Brown - Letters from the Atlantic
A series of sonic postcards with an all-embracing reach and a profound emotional impact.
Chris Gall about Improvisation
Debussy with contemporary grooves, Satie even dreamier than the original? Chris Gall is improvising the music of the great impressionists - looking for the link between himself, history, and the moment.
Alfie Cattell of Decent Music PR about Promotion Beyond the Stats and Genuine Engagement
"Many of the positives we associate with the music industry are actually a result of technology rather than anything the industry itself is doing."
Mess Esque Share their Creative Process
The songs of the Australian duo float in soft, psychedelic fluid – as if each note, every word and the next chord were sent to them from an alternate, liminal space.
Natasha Barrett about beauty over death and detaching from the crazyness of the world
The electro-acoustic composer talks us through the motivations and inspirations behind her latest collection of works.
Thomas Florin of Dig Dug Dug about Improvisation
Florin doesn't think of himself as a fairly limited instrumentalist. In the piano trio Dig Dug Dug, those limitations lead to a direct and unromantic sound, bound- and borderless interactions - and plenty of surprises.
Interview Review: Ciao Kennedy - Solarium
Virtual and physical reality merge on this time-travelling fusion of rock, jazz, and electronica – a perfect representation of the present moment.
Oliver Lutz about the Magic of Sound(s)
Equally wondrous, joyful, and sexy, Oliver Lutz's music is a celebration of his deep fascination with sound – be it from Coltrane, Tomita, fusion jazz or the singing of lyrebirds.
Mary Bue: Can Sound Change the World?
“Songs can help us see things in a new way … and that is empowering.“
Tara Sarter of Sarter Kit about Directions in Jazz
Saxophonist Tara Sarter doesn't believe anything is better than anything else. On her latest album, this simple creed translates to one of the most unconventional visions of the jazz trio format.
JOYE about Lyrics
These electronic pop songs, influenced equally by Sinéad O'Connor, Patti Smith and Björk, are powerful in their courage to portrait powerlessness, universal in their intimacy, consoling by channelling pain.
This is not a Beginning
Tobias Fischer reflects on how the death of one of Germany's biggest singers created an infinite loop.
Apparitions about Energy & Music
Aiming for the border between divine ecstasy and extreme horror, the doom metal trio “saturate the acoustic space and overtone series in an attempt to sever the listener’s consciousness from the past and the future.”
Marina Zispin about Directions in Electronic Music
The term “synth pop” doesn't do this collection of dark, mysterious, and weirdly glamorous songs justice. Inviting myriads of comparisons, it remains incomparable.
Salin about Drumming
The Thai drummer's global take on jazzy funk is so dreamy and groovy that it all but belies her real intention: To hit as many things at once as she possibly can.
Tasha LaRae (Arrested Development) about her Voice and Singing
Soulful, sultry, and smooth, Tasha LaRae's Right Now is a feast for lovers of deep vocal house. Every track stays true to her goal: Expressing every emotion she holds inside.
Vega Trails about Minimalism
Vega Trails are still playing subtle, spiritual trios between double bass, sax and space. This time, however, they wanted to see make their minimalist music as big as mountains.
OHYUNG about Directions in Electronic Music
OHYUNG firmly intends to be a pop star. Their new album has all the right hooks, infectuous melodies, and sultry beats – but bathes them in an otherworldly twilight.
The Infinity Ring about Energy & Music
Scott Walker’s Tilt “objectively” inspired the majestic trance-states of the New England fivepiece – never fully discharging, perpetually in a state of feverish suspension.
Interview Review: Biomania – System D
A caleidoscopic continuum from hip to jazz, a transatlantic bridge, a showcase for a highly individual band sound.
Lil’T about Directions in Electronic Music
Inspired by his Latin roots and applying techniques of Sushi preparation to his productions, the new album by the Pillowtalk member is a joyful collection of infectious house songs.
VRAELL about the Magic of Sound
Olafur Arnalds is a fan, but Burial is an inspiration: VRAELL re-defines the borders between producer, songwriter, and composer.
Broodmen about Directions in Jazz
Music may not be as important in an ADD world. But to accordion-and-guitar-weilding jazzrock-trio Broodmen, there is still no alternative to living jazz 24/7.
Rita Donte about her Voice and Singing
The Cuban singer-songwriter's voice shines brighter than ever on Ritual. But it's the big communal choruses, performed without a metronome, which brought most joy to her.
Interview Review: Imperial Triumphant - Goldstar
Terrible or incredible? The trio's hypertechnical metal turns towards storytelling.
DARGZ about Directions in Hip Hop
The upcoming new DARGZ full-length is a family affair filled with warm soul, crisp beats and chopped-up contributions from London's new jazz scene.
C'mon Tigre Share their Creative Process
Emerging from skeletal sketches, the global-minded duo's expansive new album is driven by the synergy between words and sounds and the beauty hidden in misunderstandings.
Katarina Gryvul about Directions in Contemporary Composition
Embracing multimediality, and multidisciplinarity, Gryvul navigates between radical sound art, Ukrainian folk-themes and inventive ensemble work.
Christoph Irniger about Directions in Jazz
Combinations over Content: The Swiss saxophonist is giving in to the moment completely on his new, entirely live-recorded album.
Interview Review: William Basinski - September 23rd
A state of suspension, a feeling of voluntary submission: This music needs to exist.
Gizmo Varillas Shares his Creative Process
“Part of the role of an artist is to determine if an idea is worth exploring.”
Ciao Kennedy about Energy & Music
The Brussels-based band's passionate post-rock-electronica finds an excitingly unstable equilibrium between sentimental analog nostalgia and loud, uplifting futurism.
Verena Zeiner about Directions in Jazz
Faced with big, burning questions, Verena Zeiner accepted her responsibility as an artist – responding with radical care and a new-found musical freedom.
Gerald Mitchell (Spiral Deluxe, Underground Resistance) about Directions in Electronic Music
With Spiral Deluxe, the Detroit keyboard player is shaping his vision of a bright future – between the acoustic and the electric, tradition and progress, jazz and house.
KEINE ANGST IM DUNKELN about the Magic of Sound(s)
High Frequency Fetishism: On his fuzz-drunk solo debut, Denis Wanic of SUIR is affectionately piercing your ears.
ARV about Energy & Music
Unleashing an Arctic Post Metal Inferno, the Norwegian band clearly feel strongly about transmitting energy. Their goal: To help listeners raise their voices.
XIXA Share their Creative Process
Based on an old French theatrical production, the Tuxon, AZ band created a trip of latinamerican rhythms and deep songwriting - a challenge they wouldn't care to do again any time soon.
Ricky McKinnie of The Blind Boys of Alabama about his Voice and Singing
One of the great American gospel voices about the importance of natural harmony – and the cough drops The Blind Boys of Alabama swear by.
Tom Avgenicos about Directions in Contemporary Composition
On Ghosts Between Streams, triggered by observations of ecological destruction, the environmental impact is “both the subject and the work itself.”
Matteo Liberatore (aka Molto Ohm) about the Magic of Sound(s)
Is every sound we hear loaded with associations with our past? On the first album of his new project – a collage of beats, sequences, personal messages and blocks of sound - Matteo Liberatore is determined to find out.
Interview Review: Blind Io - Pillars of Creation (Part 1)
No abstractions: Electro-acoustic improvisation in the age of fun.
Ni Maxine about Directions in Jazz
Watch this space – in her songs and performances, the British songwriter is digging deep into the new and unknown of a genre she has a funny relationship with.
Mood Bored Share their Creative Process
The Dutch indie rock trio are finding beauty in a fucked up world - always looking for the suckerpunch in the most mundane things.
Darci Phenix about her Voice and Singing
Pushing beyond autotune, Darci Phenix discovered the true potential of her voice on Sable – while retaining the dreamy, otherworldly spirit of her folk songs.
Elia Aregger about Energy & Music
Inspired by “long days and nights that stretched into the morning”, the hypnagogic music of Aregger's trio moulds sensuality and suspense into “moments where the energy boils beneath the surface.”
Interview Review: Okonski - Entrance Music
Utopian jazz: Music so beautiful that it makes you experience and long for a better world.
Ibelisse Guardia & Frank Rosaly about Directions in Jazz
Experiencing the duo's debut album MestizX is “like downloading a mountain” - a mind-altering journey through trance-inducing vocals, multilayered drumming, naked emotion and psychotropic electronics.
Azul Kechi about her Voice and Singing
The Nigerian-British singer and lyricist wants to leave an imprint and offer a true representation of who she is. On her soulful and stripped-down debut album, she's come pretty close to that ideal.
EB Rebel about Directions in Hip Hop
The “rebel sound” marries true lyricism with a border- and genreless sound that is dark, powerful and uplifting all at once.
Interview Review: Fox Capture Plan - DEEPER
The melodies of the Japanese Acid-Fusion-trio keep falling down - but the effect is one of consolation and ecstasy.
Grand River about the Magic of Sound
For her new album, Aimée Portioli processed, pitched and arranged wind recordings. The result is a veritable force of nature – and possibly the most powerful piece of sound art you'll hear this year.
Lauren Mia: Can Sound Change the World?
“If more people approached communication the way musicians do, so many conflicts could dissolve effortlessly.”
Rose Betts about Lyrics
Tradition and the present are caught in a burning, dream-like embrace in Rose Bett's songs. Each flaw and failing, each high point and low point – nothing is ever off the table.
Elaine Mitchener about Working, Composing, and Improvising with her Voice
Ahead of a new Barbican premiere, the experimental vocalist speaks about her practise, disrupting semantic sense and her love for how people say the things they say.
Dream Brigade about Improvisation
Martial arts and creative remembering are guiding principles for the piano-percussion duo. Their debut album incorporates moments of intimacy, sonic sculpting and suspenseful drum rolls.
Interview Review: Rob Mazurek - Alternate Moon Cycles
The deeper this single-note meditation goes, the more it creates the sensation that “we're all in this together.”
Roller Derby Share their Creative Process
Wherever the Hamburg duo may go - the next big melancholic chorus is always right around the corner.
Mathias Landæus about Energy & Music
No plans, no concepts. Just honesty and vulnerability: On an impressionist, bittersweet new trio album, Mathias Landæus is once again surrendering to the flow.
WHO SHOT SCOTT about Directions in Hip Hop
WHO SHOT SCOTT's music may not be overtly political. Its dopamine-spike-frenzy gives it a soundtrack-to-the-next-revolution-quality nonetheless.
Kuunatic Share their Creative Process
Kuunatic play psychedelic rock on traditional Japanese instruments. Their process involves science fiction, mythology - and burning incense from Kyoto's Nanzen-ji Temple.
Reiko Füting about Directions in Contemporary Composition
There is a lot of space in Füting's compositions – filled with echoes of the past, an embrace of magic and the will to break it.
Xani about Energy & Music
Live, Xani channels the rawness of Hendrix and Paganini. On her upcoming studio album, she expresses feelings of loss and grief through krautrock.
STRUKTURSTRUKTUR about Directions in Jazz
Propelled by two drummers, the quartet are looking for patterns between hypnosis and deconstruction, tactile grooves and grainy texture.
JOHNNYSWIM about Lyrics
Cuban folk, Nu Soul, dreamy acoustics and uplifting beats - everything flows naturally on the new JOHNNYSWIM album. Aptly, writing songs feels like water to them.
KARMÅ Shares her Creative Process
KARMÅ's music is a return to the core of club music: Alchemic, euphoric, and deeply spiritual. It is also simply classic songwriting.
Yumiko Ohno (Spiral Deluxe) about Directions in Electronic Music
“We must respect the great music of the past, and create something new,” moog master Yumiko Ohno says. To do this, she keeps her antennae open to jazz and electronica, installations, and DJ sets.
SHURR JR. about Energy & Music
Aggression and vulnerability blend in the trios' fuzzy indie rock. Revealing their darkest thoughts opens up a space of hope.
Mary Kouyoumdjian about Directions in Contemporary Composition
The Armenian diaspora continues to influence Kouyoumdjian's work. And yet, her ingenious use of field recordings roots her documentarian approach to the present.
Denis Blackham about his Life in Mastering
From Kraftwerk and Cabaret Voltaire via Eric Clapton and Depeche Mode to OMD and Black Sabbath - Denis Blackham's masterings have made the world of music a better one.
Nite Kite about Directions in Jazz
From Protection-era Massive Attack via modular-synth-fantasies to stripped-down melancholia, Nite Kite is exploring personality over progress.
Nickolas Mohanna about Energy & Music
Energy is an inspiring potential in the crushingly beautiful feedback anthems of Mohanna. It needs to stay untethered by the egomaniacal creatures of the world.
TC:KYLIE about Directions in Jazz
Hong Kong’s Cantopop is a joyful fusion of Eastern and Western influences. Now, TC:KYLIE adds jazz and historically charged soundscapes to the equation.
Simon Fisher Turner about the Magic of Sound
Even after five decades, Fisher Turner is still just "making it up."
Natasha Barrett about Directions in Electronic Music
Using 3D ambisonic microphones, Barrett's current acousmatic works listen towards the future: Are we headed for beauty or dystopia?
Veronica Burnuthian of Spinnen about Lyrics
Spinnen write edgy, from-the-dark-corners-of-the-basement drum-and-guitar post-punk anthems. The lyrics, however, imbue them with a “light that permeates the body.”
Kinan Azmeh about Directions in Contemporary Composition
Damascus and New York are the pillars of Kinan Azmeh's world. His intensely spiritual, ecstatically still music, however, is bound to no genre or place.
Nicole McCabe about Improvisation
Nicole McCabe is learning to relinquish control. Intruigingly, that's precisely how she regains it on the mysterious, surreal-in-a-beguiling-way analog-synth jazz of her latest album.
Takuro Okada about the Magic of Sound(s)
Ambient guitarist Takuro Okada wants to play as if he were looking at water and grasping a cloud.
Markus Mehr about Spaces of Possibility and Gateways for the Senses
Mehr's immersive installation SUPRA may sound enchanting. But its themes are serious: Unless we take action, we are headed for epochal changes.
Alexandra Dariescu about Interpretation
If inspiration hits, the Romanian pianist can spend months diving into a composer's letters, and life story. Music is living and breathing – a dialogue with the past.
Kenji "Jino" Hino (Spiral Deluxe) about Directions in Jazz
Miles Davis made Hino realise jazz is the ultimate form of music: Ageless, colourless, cool, sexy, sad, chaotic and funky like hell.
Messer about Energy & Music
The post-punk band's new release captures them at their most raw and intense: Sounds cutting like knives, words turning to swords.
Harald Walkate about Composing for Photos and Making Music Visual
Inspired by mysterious photos by nanny photographer Vivian Maier, Harald Walkate imagines the narrative beyond the frame.
Joona Toivanen about Improvisation
Tapping into sampling and working with experimental performance approaches, Joona Toivanen still heads one of the most unique piano trios we know.
Fifteen Questions Interview with Raissa Febriani
First, Febriani spent time in the Indonesian forest. Then, she translated the inspiratio into stripped-down, bass-heavy percussion-funk.
Oh My Sun Share their Creative Process
The London duo's haunting songs carry the DNA of 70s psychedelic folk and dreamy soft rock – with just the right amount of “roughage.”
Biomania about Directions in Jazz
The French quintet shape their own vision of 21st century jazz, soul, and hip hop – seducing the mind, but keeping the body engaged.
Manuel Bienvenu about his Voice and Singing
“With the kind of tone I have, one bottle of Bourbon and two packs of cigarettes a day would probably help. But I am not that disciplined.”
Anna Thorvaldsdottir about Directions in Contemporary Composition
Thorvaldsdottir's new work feels like a journey to the heart of sound: A slow stream of tiny particles, intimate cascades and reverberations tending towards the infinite.
Paul van Dyk about Directions In Electronic Music
Much of today's popular dance music is a "deliberate rip-off of the past," according to van Dyk. But what is the solution?
Gaudenz Badrutt about the Magic of Sound(s)
Is the Swiss composer's new album a piece of ghostly resonances? A sculpture? Or is it just a space in which it exists as a sonic sculpture?
lisa tba: Can Sound Change the World?
Music can just be a tool for having a good time to lisa tba. But she also uses it to support causes such as migrant solidarity and feminist struggles.
Krajenski about Directions in Jazz
Lutz Krajenski's plays, collects, and restores Hammond organs. On his new album, he now fuses them with hiphop beats.
David Grubbs about the Magic of Sound(s)
Sound is almost all-important for David Grubbs. His new collection of "distorted poems" is intense testimony to that.
Fifteen Questions Interview with Petra Onderuf
The Tradition is to Break the Tradition: Petra Onderuf spices up jazz with Eastern European and Balkan influences.
Cyber Witch: Can Sound Change the World?
"My music reflects the challenges of the world I live in while expressing the values I hold dear. Music is not just an art form - it’s a tool for a better future."
Gabríel Ólafs about the Magic of Sound(s)
Gabríel Ólafs imagines what a world of ice would sound like – rejecting the notion that there could ever be too much reverb.
NIJI Shares his Creative Process
Blending Yoruba culture and spiritual jazz, NIJI's Oríkì is a passionate, pristinely produced piece of deep soul searching.
Benjamin Lackner about Art in the Face of War and the Importance of Titles
Haunting and quietly intense, pianist Benjamin Lackner's second album for ECM is a work of beauty slowly descending into darkness.
Mörmaid about Jazz, Improvisation, and Electronic Music
"I’ve always been drawn to music that has different degrees of weirdness to it."
Musina Ebobissé aka Blendreed about the Magic of Sound
The French jazz saxophonist sculpts glacially majestic soundscapes – creative antidotes to the vicious cycle of noise he's observing.
Scratch Massive about Minimalism
Experience and the search for essence have turned the French electro duo into architects of sound.
AŸA about Energy & Music
The Moroccan-Yemeni singer has a voice and an on-stage presence that takes her audience on a rollercoaster ride. It's a blessing and a responsibility.
s8jfou about Production, Technology, and Creativity
Inspired by an indelible Autechre performance and living alone in a mountain cabin, the French producer's music is pure exploration.
Russell Ferrante of Yellowjackets about Directions in Jazz
"Music can inspire, and bridge ethnic, religious, and political divides. As a musician and a composer, I want this to be my focus."
Lasse Winkler about Lyrics
In his late 20s and mesmerised by Berlin's 24/7 party life, the German songwriter didn't get anything done. It turned out to be the most creative time of his life.
Violeta García Shares her Creative Process
Recorded in an old underground water tank, Violeta García's new album was stolen, then returned – embarking on a journey of its own.
Sven Väth about DJing and his “Journey of Music, Magic, and Euphoria”
The legendary DJ looks back on 40 years behind the turntables - on the art of storytelling, the navigation between control and surrender.
Dennis Quin about Directions in Electronic Music
“The best way is to DJ like a producer and to produce like a DJ.“
Jessica Lauren about Directions in Jazz: Queer Jazz Edition
Lauren's outsider nature shines through in increasingly minimal, life-affirming jams - but she doesn't call herself a jazz musician anymore.
Ruckus Early Music about Interpretation
For their new album of baroque music, the ensemble found inspiration in Irish synth folk and Mariah Carey. Who cares what Handel would have thought?
Nina Garcia Shares her Creative Process
A tiny tool caught every tremor and every hesitation of Garcia's hand. Her new album is a work of of fragile, heartfelt guitar noise.
Ionzi: Can Sound Change the World?
For Iona Evans, sheer determination in the face of rejection and belief in the world you are creating are crucial.
Nicole Johänntgen about Directions in Jazz
Every improvisation is about the state of the world for saxophonist Nicole Johänntgen. It is also a “body language.”
Miramar about Lyrics
Miramar's bittersweet bolero anthems find endless fascination in the "human social experience" and the relationship between joy and pain.
Amy Rita about Energy & Music
The Swiss-Australian pianist-composer is looking for a healing energy – inspiring both reflection and action.
Keiichiro Shibuya about his AI Opera and Buddhist Insights on Technology
Shibuya's oeuvre questions the nature of death, offering a new romanticism through the eyes and ears of AI.
Laurie Torres: Can Sound Change the World?
“I strongly believe that community is key to fighting injustice. Music is one way to build communities.”
Dane Alderson of Yellowjackets about Directions in Jazz
"I use music and concerts as a way to forget about current events, worries or concerns."
Bon Entendeur about DJing
As masters of Back to Back DJing, the French duo are constantly in conversation through music.
Ralph Heidel about Directions in Jazz
Jazz-Ambient-Rap-Drone composer Ralph Heidel still “fucks up a lot.” But he's confident “the audience still knows what I’m trying to say.”
Selassie about Directions in Hip Hop
For the Ghanaian rapper, hip hop is a case of “either you're living it or you're watching it.”
Abel Selaocoe Shares his Creative Process
In the prayer-like realm of “Moya,” Selaocoe translates African musical languages to the cello.
Rafiq Bhatia about Improvisation
"Before we think too hard about freedom we should start by focusing on kindness."
Toribio about Directions in Jazz
In the spiritual jazz-house of the NYC multihyphenate, improvisation is a tool for tapping into the subconscious.
LESSSS about Energy & Music
“I feed off the audience's energy, and amplify it through the music. It’s a constant exchange.“
Jean Claude Vannier Shares his Creative Process
The legendary French composer and arranger (Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy) still writes music "like they did in the 17th century."
Hadiqa Kiani about her Voice and Singing
"I wanted every note to feel pure, unfiltered, and deeply authentic—a reflection of the soul and spirit of Qawwali."
Abdomen about the Magic of Sound(s)
The almost frighteningly intense noise-rock of the Dutch trio is inspired by a longing for the unexpected.
Ebba Åsman about Directions in Jazz
Improvisation is everywhere on Ebba Åsman's hip-hop-infused torch songs. But she doesn't need to sound like her jazz heroes to honour them.
Andorra: The Band Interview
The Danish fivepiece's magical, multi-facetted jazz is held together by friendship, laughs – as well as lots of coffee.
Emma Jean Thackray about her Voice and Singing
"I’m definitely revealing deep secrets and singing about uncomfortable truths."
Martina Bertoni about the Magic of Sound(s)
"Sound is one of society’s core expressions. It’s one of its identification marks."
Nathan Ott about Drumming
To Nathan Ott, drumming is a deeply sensory experience: Lighting will change how he plays, rhythm becomes melody, textures turn into grooves.
Joke Lanz and Thomas Rehnert about the Magic of Sound(s)
A conversation about “sucking music through the pores," becoming a sound field, and extreme sonic experiences.
Jung Latch about Directions in Electronic Music
“The process of DAW to Bandcamp to CDJ is starting to run out of mileage. Exploring new ways to present your work is going to be the fun part.“
Chris A. Cummings of Cici Arthur about Lyrics
With the trio Cici Arthur, Cummings connects with his inner world – and his experiences with the "shittier aspects of showbusiness."
Morgane Lhote (Stereolab) aka Hologram Teen about the Magic of Sound(s)
"I lost a fair amount of my top end hearing so I gravitate towards bassy sounds. It’s a physiological response at this point."
klingt.collective: The Band interview
"I like it, when we “tickle” each other with our music."
Bob Mintzer of Yellowjackets about Directions in Jazz
"All the great improvisors worked hard at a compositional approach to improvising."
Radic The Myth about Production, Technology, and Creativity
"If producion gets a lot more easy, it's gonna take the fun out of it."
Marta Finkelštein about Interpretation
"You have to live a very full life to channel something meaningful to the audience."
Jan Blomqvist about Production, Technology, and Creativity
From Blomqvist Sound to Blomqvist Archives
Aleksander Kostopoulos about the Magic of Sound
"I’m often moved by sounds where the organic meets the digital."
Lei Liang about Directions in Contemporary Composition
“I always test my music with my young son.“
Nubya Garcia: Can Sound Change the World?
"Music gives us the strength to stand together against anyone who’s trying to destroy inclusivity and freedoms."
Jules Reidy about the Magic of Sound(s)
"I live right by the S-Bahn and listen to that for hours. It’s kind of irritating and comforting at the same time."
Javier Rojo about Improvisation
"Reacting in the moment is like meeting someone for coffee—you’re not going to recite memorized stories."
Noémi Büchi about Production, Technology, and Creativity
"I only believe in variations on what already exists. But the range of variation is infinite."
Xin Lie: Can Sound Change the World?
"My own voice isn't loud enough to be heard. So I'll let the music speak through big speakers."
Fthmlss about the Magic of Sound(s)
"We tend to use our imaginations so much more when receiving information through sound."
The Delines about Lyrics
"A lot of my characters are doomed, sometimes by self-inflicted wounds."
Matthias Lindermayr about Collaboration
"I am drawn to collaborating with people who inspire me."
Masako Ohta about Collaboration
"How did we resolve disagreements? Just talk and play again."
Eiko Ishibashi Shares her Creative Process
"Each album has a different theme. On this album, the word “graveyard” was the theme.”
Close Counters about Production, Technology, and Creativity
"We like to bring technology to the forefront and play with it."
COLLIGNON about the Magic of Sound(s)
"A lot of architects overlook how their buildings sound."
Black Flower about Directions in Jazz
"Jazz has lost its meaning as a specific style. It’s a way of making music."
Topher Horn about Scoring for Film
"I like when the score is a little removed from what’s happening on screen."
Moses Yoofee Trio about Improvisation
"Ego is not about being the best. It just gives me a lot of self-awareness and self-confidence to be able to express myself."
Dardust about Minimalism
"Some of my music could be played by a child in their first year of piano study. There are so few notes, yet they say so much to me."
Anané about her Voice and Singing
"To sing is to convey a message from the soul - in any way the song calls for."
Øystein Skar about Directions in Contemporary Composition
“This album has been a quiet form of personal activism—a subtle response to the outside world.“
United Freedom Collective: Can Sound Change the World?
"We can’t just hide from it and hope it all works out."
AWKWARD i Shares his Creative Process
“Maybe I’m just trying to fill a void, an emptiness. It’s addictive magic.“
Terri Lyne Carrington about Drumming
“Drummers are natural leaders. They lead bands they play in even when it is not official.”
KALI Trio about Directions in Jazz
"In a time when developments tend to draw people apart, creating something as a democratic collective is, in itself, a political act."
Yaron Herman about Improvisation
“My daily work consists of expanding my toolbox - so I can move from any given idea to any other given idea.“
Michele Ducci about his Voice and Singing
"There is something in singing that makes humans similar to the wind, to birds, to the flow of water, to the falling of rain."
Ela Minus about DIA, Taste and Instinct
"I want to make anthems for the place I am from for the people that share my background."
Damon Locks about Lyrics
"I am always asking why things are so messed up? That topic is unfortunately always relevant."
A.M. Architect about Directions in Electronic Music
“Reimagining our songs in a nonlinear environment and creating a two-way interaction between ourselves and the audience is very exciting for us.“
Michael Jaeger about Directions in Jazz
"The owner of a jazz club told me that I should be careful that people still understood our music. But isn't the jazz club the right place for unbiased listening?"
Angelina Luzi about her Voice and Singing
"Singing should be accessible to everyone - not only ‘allowed’ to a few."
Evgeny Grinko about Minimalism
"I wanted to record the lids of 20-30 coffins slamming shut. The label and sound engineer refused to help me."
Frum about Lyrics
"Writing feels like a bridge between the seen and unseen, between what we feel and what we want to understand."
Sara Persico about the Magic of Sound(s)
"Once you start recognizing the physicality and spatiality of sound, it transforms the way you approach making music."
Helen Anahita Wilson and Merlyn Driver about Animal Music and Interspecies Communication
"The evolution of human music may go back to sex. This would bring the music of other species further inside our radius of understanding."
Andrey Sirotkin: Can Sound Change the World?
"I try to sublimate negative feelings via music. When I come to my family, my friends, my tribe, I won’t put these things on them."
Rosa Bordallo about Lyrics
"Poetry is like an incantation. Music is more like being possessed."
Thomas Lemmer about Dreamscapes, Acoustic Health, and the perfect Reverb
“My goal was to compose loop-based music that is calming and meditative but never dull.“
Cari Lekebusch about Directions in Electronic Music
“Maybe new developments will happen in the area of how to perform this type of music.“
Adam F about Colours, Career, and Re-Creating a Classic
"It’s incredible to think that something I created nearly three decades ago still resonates with people."
JESHI about Directions in Hip Hop
"Punk and Hip Hop stand for the same thing: breaking the rules and doing things your way."
The Necks about Bleed, Improvisation, and Recording
"I enjoy every single aspect of making a record. Except for actually doing a take!"
Joshua Idehen: The Barista Interview
"A great cup of coffee? Good beans, good grind, a summer day, a window, your new favourite song, and something to read."
Bernhard Living about Silence and Negative Space in Music
"My intentions for using silence are very different from those of John Cage."
François X about Directions in Electronic Music
“Avoiding trends and focusing on authenticity is key to taking electronic music into the future.“
W4RP Trio about Interpretation
"I’m still trying to figure out how to play things I learned as a child!"
TIKHET about Directions in Hip Hop
“Hip Hop is the largest and most comprehensive subculture that has ever existed.“
Tools of Creation: The Kora
For Seckou Keita, the Kora is a simple instrument channeling ancestry, secret techniques and storytelling.
Kenji Herbert about Directions in Jazz
"Being innovative and having a personal voice is part of the tradition. It isn't opposed to it."
Brunson about Minimalism
“If you only have 3 or 4 elements, but they are used deliberately, you can unravel the flavor layers the longer you play the track.“
Jakob Dinesen about Improvisation
“I don’t mind being a fool. Sometimes that's what allows real music to happen.“
Silvan Strauss about Drumming
“The conception that 4/4 is kind of the “normal“ thing is super unrealistic.”
Airod about Directions in Electronic Music
“Being an artist means offering a more or less unique experience that truly reflects who you are.“
Joshu about the Magic of Sound(s)
"Hands rubbing on a balloon is probably my worst sound in the world. Should be illegal."
Juanita Stein about Lyrics
"I’m obsessed with what it all means. Trying to understand and find deep appreciation in our total existence."
Joachim Spieth about Minimalism
"There is only one rule: does the music have an effect on me? Anything that doesn't fulfil this rule can go."
Vincent Dombrowski of Nordsnø Ensemble about Improvisation
“I normally am not loud and extreme. But I sometimes love to be that way whilst playing.“
David Allred about the Magic of Sound(s)
"I prefer a song that is poorly written, even intentionally bad, rather than a song that is trying to be good but is mediocre."
Tunng Share their Creative Process
“I consider myself lucky to have been part of it. Then I get the washing up done.“
Leonardo Pavkovic of MoonJune about Directions in Jazz
"I do not miss the past. I miss the future."
Daniel Blumberg about The Brutalist and Scoring for Film
"Scoring The Brutalist was a delicate dance between the dialogue, score and sound."
Slavek Kwi about Animal Sounds and Interspecies Communication
“All soundlifeforms are welcome! No tonal racism!“
Philip Samartzis about the Sounds of Antarctica and the Role of Art in Environmental Protection
"These are more than mere recordings. They are a narrative of a rapidly changing landscape."
Reinier Zonneveld about Directions in Electronic Music
“In Brazil I make my beats way more percussive. In China, the clap is the most important part in the groove rather than the kick.“
Martin Kohlstedt about Improvisation
“For my live album, I had to listen to 400 improvisations of myself.“
Kasiva Mutua and Christian Mohr Levisen about Intercultural Collaboration
"Christian's hurdy gurdy rhythm reminded me of the Agikuyu tribe from Central Kenya."
Fie Eike about the Magic of Sound(s)
"Some people live a whole life without ever really listening."
Éric Normand about Directions in Jazz
"I'd prefer a vision of diversity rather than merely showcasing the culture of rich civilizations."
Callum Smart about Violin Chatbots and the State of Classical Music
“I owe much of my ability to be caring toward others to learning the violin.“
Alec Orea about Directions in Jazz
"Barriers are an illusion. Audiences are ready for true art."
Sun Sone Shares his Creative Process
"You are not a machine which needs to endlessly churn out a ‘product.’ If you’ve only got one album in you that’s fine."
Ossi Raippalinna and Anna McLuckie about Intercultural Collaboration
"Intercultural collaborations push me to reinvent my role as a musician every single time."
Madison Margot about Lyrics
"I can feel thrown off if a random love song appears in the middle of a breakup album."
SYREETA about DJing
“I have never played the same set twice. I even used to never play the same track twice.“
Mattias De Craene about the Magic of Sound(s)
"One day, maybe soon, silence will become a luxury product."
Jérôme Sabbagh about Directions in Jazz
"Playing improvised music with honesty and integrity is an act of defiance in a society that values shallow things and encourages our worst instincts."
Félix Blume about Animal Sounds and Interspecies Communication
“The rustling of wind through trees, birdsong, and human voices are not separate elements. They're part of a cohesive soundscape.“
Damian Lazarus about Directions in Electronic Music
“My love of this music never subsides. I just have to wade through a lot of shit in order to find it.“
Yazz Ahmed about Heritage, Identity, and A Paradise In The Hold
"This album is a record of how my identity has been evolving."
Sula Bassana about Kraut & Krautrock
"People think that Krautrock must have a motorik beat. But there was so much more new and fresh stuff in Krautrock."
Denis Blackham about Mastering Kraftwerk, Mike Oldfield, and Vangelis
“Autobahn is still special to me.“
Bastien Keb about Directions in Hip Hop
“I respect artists who use their craft for the betterment of society. But my music is an escape, like a dream.“
Gregor Tresher about Production, Technology, and Creativity
"Controlling technology just with your mind sounds like the future. I guess we’re not so far away from that."
zzzahara about their Lyrics
"Most of the feedback I get is, “this song helped me with a breakup.” Sounds right to me."
Mark Wingfield about Directions in Jazz
"A lot of the things I hear in my head are unplayable."
Nikki Sheth about Animal Sounds and Interspecies Communication
“I have to go in without any expectations - I always seem to find something unexpected.“
Utopia Union about Kraut & Krautrock
"The motorik beat is not just a rhythm - it's a way of getting lost in the music."
Lauri Järvilehto about Lyrics
"Music is a form of communication. Sometimes you even communicate with yourself."
MM WORKS about Directions in Jazz
"The core idea of MM Works is the dynamic we get when playing together. That is hard to get online."
A. Blomqvist about the Magic of Sound(s)
"When my second daughter was born, I created all kinds of compositions to the rhythm of a heart beat monitor!"
Brunson about Intimacy Between Friends
"I have tables full of machines. I had so much stuff Tresor was kind of annoyed."
Cosimo Fiaschi about his Creative Process and Directions in Contemporary Composition
“I thrive and offer only sounds; nothing more, nothing less”.
Hiroshi Watanabe about the Magic of Sound(s)
"Music remains an irreplaceable and singular trance for me—a gateway to the fifth dimension."
