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The Wire 501

November 2025

Current issue in shops now

On the cover: claire rousay: The Texas raised composer finds an uneasy balance between melancholy and wonder with her interweavings of soundscapes and spoken word confessions. By Lucy Thraves; Rafael Toral: The Portuguese experimentalist injects the harmonic innovations of swing-era jazz into guitar drone. By Peter Margasak; Once Upon a Time in New York: The late John Giorno’s Giorno Poetry Systems operation hotwired the Beat generation’s literary crossover with New York no wave, Los Angeles punk, sound art and beyond. By Alan Licht; Yusuf Mumin: Black Unity Trio’s founding member revisits his archive of spiritual and philosophical jazz. By Phil Freeman; Susu Laroche: The Egyptian/French musician and film maker conjures otherworlds from a fog of electronics. By Misha Farrant; Invisible Jukebox: Lord Spikeheart: Can Kenya’s premier metal producer and vocalist crack The Wire’s mystery record selection? Tested by Claire Biddles; Kinlaw & Franco Franco: Cybernetic industrial rap from Bristol. By Alastair Shuttleworth; Alister Spence: Sydney keyboardist probes the guts of his instrument. By Derek Walmsley; Chupame El Dedo: Colombia’s tongue in cheek Satanic metal cult. By Juan San Cristóbal Lizama; Global Ear: Warsaw venue Chmury offers a haven for the marginalised. By Aleksandra Bieniewska; Unlimited Editions: steel tipped dove’s hiphop label Fused Arrow. By Tim Fish; The Inner Sleeve: Chino Amobi on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s async; Against The Grain: Hauntology doesn’t account for Black creative practices, argues Robin James; Epiphanies: Two chance encounters revolutionise UK-Iranian composer Pouya Ehsaei’s music; Black Eyes: Look and learn. By Louis Pattison; Sophie Agnel: Tone generator. By Stewart Smith; The Dream Syndicate + Rain Parade: Back for seconds. By Claire Biddles; Better Do It Now Before You Die Later: Saxophonist Sonny Simmons’s tough but triumphant life in jazz. By Jo Hutton; TOPOS: Voices of resistance to Trump’s US regime. By Xenia Benivolski; The IMPROVESISTANCE Ensemble: UK-Palestinian improvisors in support of Gaza. By Gabriel Bristow; and much, much more.

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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

Essay

A note of gratitude from The Wire

A note of gratitude from The Wire
Thank you to everyone who responded to our call out last Friday by either subscribing to the magazine, buying a copy, making a donation, or helping to spread the word.

On Air

Shane Woolman presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Shane Woolman presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 23 May edition of The Wire’s weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured an exclusive guest mix from vocalist and composer Nadah El Shazly, as well as tracks by O$VMV$M ft gnome GOD, Kin’Gongolo Kiniata, El Kontessa, Bad Sound & DJ Marfox, Miso Extra and more

Tracks

Wire mix: Bios Contrast & Nilotpal Das

Wire mix: Bios Contrast & Nilotpal Das

To accompany his interview in The Wire 495, Kolkata producer Nilotpal Das, aka Bios Contrast, creates a special mix of his own tracks alongside music by influences including Aphex Twin, Madvillain, AR Rahman, and My Bloody Valentine

Tracks

Office Ambience 496

Office Ambience 496

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

On Air

Chris Bohn presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Chris Bohn presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 1 May edition of The Wire’s weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured tracks by Nadah El Shazly, Arturas Bumsteinas, Wukir Suryadi, Li Jianhong, IZ, Noor Zehra Kazim, Der Expander Des Fortschritts and more

Tracks

Wire mix: Trân Uy Đúc & DJ Maicol

Wire mix: Trân Uy Đúc & DJ Maicol

To accompany his interview in The Wire 495, the Vietnamese producer and video artist Trân Uy Đúc curates a special Wire mix in collaboration with Glasgow based DJ Maicol

Tracks

Global Ear: Copenhagen

Global Ear: Copenhagen

Josh Feola compiles an annotated playlist to accompany his report on the Danish capital’s DIY underground in The Wire 495

On Air

Phil England presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Phil England presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 24 April edition of The Wire’s weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured tracks by Sun Ra, Ambrose Akinmusire, Stefan Niculescu, Ukandanz, Maggie Nicols & Dan Johnson, Chris Cochrane's Collapsible Shoulder Big Band, Poor Creature, and more

Essay

Gazelle Twin: Destabilising Trauma and Musicalised Terror

Gazelle Twin: Destabilising Trauma and Musicalised Terror

In the third instalment of his rebooted Secret History of Film Music column, Philip Brophy analyses two horror scores by Gazelle Twin – Black Cab (2024) and Nocturne (2020) – and considers how psychological turmoil can be expressed in sound