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The Wire 503/504

January 2026

Current issue in shops now

2025 Rewind: the Year in Underground Music – 50 Releases of the Year: We asked our contributors to vote for their top ten releases of 2025 then added up the votes; Columnists’ Charts: Our specialist critics delve deep into their musical niches from noise to modern composition; 50 Archive Releases of the Year: We asked our contributors to vote for their top ten archive releases of 2025, then added up the votes; Critics’ Reflections: Our writers discuss their memorable cultural experiences of the year; Plus: Style Counsel: Experimental music’s uneasy flirtation with high fashion. By Lucy Thraves; Against the Stream: DIY radio subverts the hierarchies and algorithms of the mega-platforms. By Paul Rekret; Time out of Joint: Old school instruments and ancient wisdom connects past and present. By Daryl Worthington; Arch Rivals: London’s crumbling infrastructure provides a haven for experimentation. By Deborah Nash; Hybrid Vigour: Jazzing up improvisation via beats, noise and rhymes. By Stewart Smith; Extended Play: Drones and duration versus doomscrolling. By Xenia Benivolski.

Hilary Woods: The Irish songwriter’s craft explores trauma and terror. By Leah Kardos; Company: Derek Bailey’s rekindled improvisation meet-up recalled. By Mark Wastell; Tristan Perich: 1-bit electronics hook listeners into the cosmic circuit. By Antonio Poscic; Anna Högberg: The Swedish saxophonist blowing burnout away. By Peter Margasak; Makaya McCraven: Group recordings are reworked to infinity in his kaleidoscopic jazz. By Melvin Gibbs; Carrier: Antwerp beatmaker follows in the footsteps of Torsten Pröfrock with his technoid breakbeat constructions. By Christian Eede; Hypomanic Daydream: Marie McAuliffe’s creations gene-splice Rock In Opposition, video games and heavy metal. By Kek-w; Erwan Keravec: The Breton piper brings global and experimental approaches to trad sounds. By Francis Gooding.

Invisible Jukebox: Ikonika: Will the London beatmaker get all mixed up with The Wire’s mystery record selection? By April Clare Welsh; Global Ear: Chicago’s jazz and blues scene stands tall in the face of racist immigration raids. By Howard Mandel; Unlimited Editions: Warm Winters Ltd: By Antonio Poscic; The Inner Sleeve: Tony Herrington on Here & Now/Alternative TV’s What You See... Is What You Are; Against The Grain: MayDay Rooms’ anarcho-punk archive disinterred by Chumbawumba vocalist. By Seth Wheeler; Epiphanies: Cosey Fanni Tutti reflects on a life in art.

Plus 40 pages of reviews including: Juana Molina: Who’s laughing now? By Phil Freeman; Jean-Paul Guionnet: Essential 21st century saxophony. By Seymour Wright; Tiger Milk: 1980s feminism rebottled. By Louise Gray; The Bottle Tapes: Chicago’s jazz/improv scene celebrated. By Bill Meyer, and much more.

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Tracks

Office Ambience 502

Office Ambience 502

Stream a selection of tracks from releases we listened to during the making of our December 2025 issue

The Portal

Jack DeJohnette (9 August 1942–26 October 2025)

Jack DeJohnette (9 August 1942–26 October 2025)

The US drummer, pianist and composer died on 26 October aged 83. In the February 1989 issue of The Wire, he was interviewed by the magazine’s then editor Richard Cook. As a tribute, we have made that article free to read in our online library

Tracks

Wire playlist: Alien Territory Archives

Wire playlist: Alien Territory Archives

Nyahh Records’ label runner Willie Stewart compiles a playlist to accompany new boxset The Alien Territory Archives: A Collection Of Radical, Experimental & Irrelevant Music From 1970s San Diego, a companion to Bill Perrine’s book of the same name

On Air

Shane Woolman presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Shane Woolman presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 23 October edition of The Wire’s weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra included a special guest mix by Cairo-based DJ, producer and multidisciplinary artist El Kontessa, plus tracks by Alien Trackers, Sanaa Moussa and more

Tracks

Wire playlist: Sonny Simmons

Wire playlist: Sonny Simmons

Pierre Crépon selects tracks from the catalogue of US saxophonist Sonny Simmons, with input from Marc Chaloin, co-author of new autobiography Better Do It Now Before You Die Later

Tracks

Wire mix: Kinlaw & Franco Franco

Wire mix: Kinlaw & Franco Franco

To accompany their interview in The Wire 501, Bristol duo Kinlaw & Franco Franco curates an exclusive Wire mix of celestial musings, cyber-noir, and trappist beats

Tracks

Office Ambience 501

Office Ambience 501

Stream a selection of tracks from releases we listened to during the making of our November 2025 issue

Essay

Why listen to animals?

Why listen to animals?

A new Foley based production at London's Royal Court Theatre invites us into the sound-making world of animals, writes Giles Bailey

Tracks

Wire mix: Weston Olencki

Wire mix: Weston Olencki

To accompany their interview in The Wire 500, Berlin based US composer Weston Olencki curates an exclusive Wire mix of music by their close collaborators

Tracks

Office Ambience 500

Office Ambience 500

Stream a selection of tracks from releases we listened to during the making of our October 2025 issue

Tracks

Unlimited Editions: Ftarri

Unlimited Editions: Ftarri

To accompany his report on Ftarri in The Wire 499, Derek Walmsley explores a playlist of recent releases from the Japanese improv label

Tracks

Wire mix: SANAM

Wire mix: SANAM

Beirut based avant rock group SANAM curate a special mix of music to accompany their interview in The Wire 499

Tracks

Wire playlist: Chris Burn

Wire playlist: Chris Burn

To complement his interview with Chris Burn in The Wire 499, Seymour Wright discusses tracks from across the musician’s varied career

Tracks

Global Ear: Bologna

Global Ear: Bologna

Seth Wheeler and Jamila Squire compile an annotated playlist to accompany their report on Bologna’s experimental music centre in The Wire 499

Tracks

Office Ambience 499

Office Ambience 499

Stream a selection of tracks from releases we listened to during the making of our September 2025 issue

Download

Below The Radar 48

Below The Radar 48

Volume 48 of The Wire's subscriber only download compilation includes tracks by Crystabel Efemena Riley, Meat Strap, Labake Sabbath, Violeta Garcia & Hora Lunga, Nahja Mora, Annie Bloch & Emily Wittbrodt, Master Of Inane Conversation and more

On Air

Shane Woolman presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Shane Woolman presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 17 July edition of The Wire’s weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured an exclusive guest mix from Anvar Kalandarov, musician and founder of Uzbek label Maqom Soul, as well as tracks by Cheb Bakr, tedzi, Stimulator Jones, DJ DIE SOON and more

Tracks

Unlimited Editions: Artetetra

Unlimited Editions: Artetetra

To accompany his report on Artetetra in The Wire 498, Miloš Hroch explores a playlist of recent releases from the Italian cassette label

Tracks

Global Ear: Manila

Global Ear: Manila

Simon Coates compiles an annotated playlist to go with his report on Manila’s underground music scenes in The Wire 498

Tracks

Office Ambience 498

Office Ambience 498

Stream a selection of tracks from releases we listened to during the making of our August 2025 issue

Tracks

Wire mix: Nina Garcia

Wire mix: Nina Garcia

To accompany her interview in The Wire 497, guitarist and composer Nina Garcia creates an exclusive Wire mix of her own music alongside works by Conlon Nancarrow, Sophie Agnel, Guttersnipe, and more

Tracks

Unlimited Editions: Dusty Ballz

Unlimited Editions: Dusty Ballz

To accompany his report on Dusty Ballz in The Wire 497, Daryl Worthington explores a playlist of recent releases from the label that celebrates new music from China

Tracks

Global Ear: Dhaka

Global Ear: Dhaka

Simon Coates compiles an annotated playlist to go with his report on Dhaka’s underground music scenes in The Wire 497

Tracks

Office Ambience 497

Office Ambience 497

Stream a selection of tracks from releases we listened to during the making of our July 2025 issue

On Air

Lucy Thraves presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Lucy Thraves presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 5 June edition of The Wire’s weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured tracks by DJ Marcelle/Another Nice Mess, Cécilia Angeles, Joy Guidry, Anika, Mark Stewart, Larry Stabbins & Mark Sanders, and more

Tracks

Global Ear: Bratislava

Global Ear: Bratislava

Chiara Rendeková compiles an annotated playlist to go with her report on Bratislava’s underground music scenes in The Wire 496, as the city resists authoritarian crack downs

Tracks

Wire mix: Quinton Barnes

Wire mix: Quinton Barnes

To accompany his interview in The Wire 496, Montreal vocalist and producer Quinton Barnes creates a special mix of his own music alongside tracks by Aby Ngana Diop, Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, RP Boo, and others