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.
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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."
