Interviews

Rammellzee is HipHop's mech-warrior, waging covert war on cultural racism with the aid of a bizarre personal mythology that includes graffiti paint-bombs, linguistic tank battles and 14th century vocoders. Confused? That's the idea. Story by Peter Shapiro

Since his early 80s Bronx classic "Beat Bop", artist, rapper and Gothic Futurist Rammellzee has been engaged in a literal war of words against the forces of authority and capital. In this rare interview, he introduces his stunning array of self-made armoured combat outfits, outlines the medieval origins of his complex philosophy of animated letters and looks back at his youth spent paintbombing the subway.

Maryanne Amacher is a sound artist whose city-to-city installations engulf listeners in ecstatic noise. Here, guitarist Alan Licht offers a personal appreciation of New Music’s best-kept secret.

Read Howard Mandel’s 1992 interview with the late Rashied Ali, who died on 12 August 2009. From issue 98 (April 1992)

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is an unlikely star – a religious recluse whose sensibility is more in tune with the deep past than the present. Rob Young goes in search of the ancient spirits that haunt Pärt’s music. Illustration by Julian Kulpa

Paul Stump's interview with Christian Vander's Magma from #137m July 1995

Read about Rob Young's audience with the late John Martyn. From issue 172 June 1998

Talvin Singh - virtuoso percussionist, producer, club organiser and musical live wire - is a crucial contributor to the passage of black and Asian music into the wide world of global pop. Rob Young speaks to him about his collaborations with Bjork, Sun Ra and On-U Sound, and hears a vision of the future sound of India

Cologne and Düsseldorf are hives of musical activity. A loose community of musicians, label owners, club runners and sonic theorists is building on the legacies of Can, Kraftwerk and DAF, creating the electronic soundtrack for a united Europe. Rob Young meets the stars of selten gehörte Musik: Mouse On Mars, Mike Ink, Dr Walker, A-Musik, Pluramon and more

The compositions of Iannis Xenakis are shot through with the sound of warfare, crowds, arcane mathematics and Chaos Theories. Ben Watson meets a composer whose attempts to transform Futurism into sound capsize the cliches of modern classical music.