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The Wire 497

July 2025

Current issue in shops now

On the cover: Haruomi Hosono: The exotica explorer and YMO founder has found his voice in a late career renaissance. By James Hadfield. Plus: Japanese exotica: A user’s guide by David Toop; Bromp Treb: Film maker and musician Neil ‘Cloaca’ Young has learned from the possibility of failure. By Matt Krefting; Christer Bothén: The Swedish multi-instrumentalist and onetime Don Cherry associate has continued along his own path. By Clive Bell; Crystabel Efemena Riley; The close listening of free improvisation offers vital moments of human connection for the London percussionist. By Abi Bliss; Blackhaine: Stockport’s industrial hiphop head is making waves on the world stage with his choreography collaborations. By Hugh Morris; KASAI: Footwork folk. By Daryl Worthington; Use Knife: Rhythms of refuge. By Xenia Benivolski; Nina Garcia: Doppler-like effects. By Miloš Hroch; Invisible Jukebox: DJ Scotch Egg: Will the bassist and breakcore pioneer crack The Wire’s mystery record collection? Tested by Daniel Neofetou; Global Ear: Experimental music in the Bangladeshi capital thrives under the government’s radar. By Simon Coates; Unlimited Editions: Dusty Ballz plugs the Chinese diaspora into the global avant garde. By Daryl Worthington; The Inner Sleeve Djrum on Svarte Greiner’s Knive; Against The Grain: Underground music must urgently defend its trans and queer communities, urges Rosie Esther Solomon; Epiphanies: Joy Guidry finds true freedom in the life lessons of Sun Ra. Plus 40 pages of reviews including Mourning [A] BLKstar: Blooming collaboration. By Esi Eshun; Kevin Drumm: The multitude dude. By Raymond Cummings; Bennie Maupin: The lotus position. By Phil Freeman; Meredith Monk: Calling: Sublime to the ridiculous. By Daniel Glassman; Long Play Festival: Banging renditions. By Kurt Gottschalk; and much, much more.

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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

Tracks

Wire mix: John King

Wire mix: John King

To accompany his interview in The Wire 495, the composer and string player John King compiles an exclusive Wire mix

Tracks

Office Ambience 495

Office Ambience 495

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

Download

Below The Radar 47

Below The Radar 47

Volume 47 of The Wire’s subscriber-only download series includes tracks by Larry Wish, Bianca Scout, Semay Wu, Abdullah Miniawy, Ava Mendoza & Malcom Mooney, Lulenga, and more

Essay

Engineered Phantoms: AI tools & DIY sounds

Engineered Phantoms: AI tools & DIY sounds
In advance of the first of three Wire Salon events on music and AI, we have made Abi Bliss’s 2024 essay on DIY musicians utilising machine learning free to read in our online library

On Air

Misha Farrant presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Misha Farrant presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 3 April edition of The Wire’s weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured tracks by OHYUNG, Raisa K, Nazar, Roberto Cassani & Graeme Stephen, Rainy Miller, Seven Angels, KLAUDIO, Bengal Chemicals, Florence Sinclair and more

On Air

Lucy Thraves presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Lucy Thraves presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 27 March edition of The Wire’s weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured tracks by Chuquimamani-Condori & Joshua Chuquimia Crampton, Quade, Goldie, Angel Bat Dawid & Naima Nefertari, Maxine Funke, aya and more

Global Ear: Osaka

Global Ear: Osaka

Jere Kilpinen compiles an annotated playlist to accompany his report on Osaka’s experimental noise scene in The Wire 494

The Portal

In Latent Space: Mapping the Uncanny Valley

In Latent Space: Mapping the Uncanny Valley

The Wire Salon returns in April with the first of three events exploring the relationship of AI and music. In advance, read Emily Bick’s 2023 interview with composer patten in which he discusses using AI-generated samples to map music’s infinite complexities

Tracks

Wire mix: Ciaran Mackle

Wire mix: Ciaran Mackle

To accompany his interview in The Wire 494, London based experimental musician Ciaran Mackle compiles an exclusive Wire mix

On Air

Shane Woolman presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Shane Woolman presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 13 March edition of The Wire’s weekly broadcast on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured a guest mix by Portuguese musician Ana Lua Caiano alongside a selection of new and recent releases by Om Unit, Nadah El Shazly, Lollise, Shit And Shine, Darkchild x SKRS INTL, and more

Tracks

Wire mix: Metalheadz

Wire mix: Metalheadz

To celebrate 30 years of the pioneering drum ’n’ bass label, Metalheadz’s Sam Oliver, aka Friske, curates a special Wire mix

Tracks

Office Ambience 494

Office Ambience 494

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

Tracks

Global Ear: Tijuana

Global Ear: Tijuana

Juan San Cristóbal Lizama compiles an annotated playlist to accompany his report on Tijuana’s Static Discos label in The Wire 493

Tracks

Wire mix: Polonius

Wire mix: Polonius

The Egyptian-French composer creates an exclusive mix of music to accompany his interview with Miloš Hroch in The Wire 493

On Air

Phil England presents Adventures In Sound And Music

Phil England presents Adventures In Sound And Music

The 13 February edition of The Wire's weekly show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured tracks by Sopa Boba, Amand, Clipping, Zakir Hussain & Third Coast Percussion, Janek Schaefer, Fred Moten & Brandon Lopez, Joe Armon-Jones and many more

The Portal

Terror Danjah

Terror Danjah

The influential grime producer Terror Danjah (real name Rodney Pryce) has died. As a tribute, we have made his Invisible Jukebox interview with Joe Muggs that appeared in The Wire 343 available to read for free in our online magazine library.

Tracks

Office Ambience 493

Office Ambience 493

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

Tracks

Wire mix: Sakina Abdou

Wire mix: Sakina Abdou

The French saxophonist creates an exclusive mix of tracks that have been inspiring her recent playing, including her latest album Hammer, Roll And Leaf

Essay

Perfect Sound Forever

Perfect Sound Forever

In The Wire 491/492, John Brien argues that the humble compact disc offers efficient delivery of pure audio that bypasses the artisan fetishism of the vinyl industry

Essay

The Wellness Trap

The Wellness Trap

In The Wire 491/492, James Gormley argues that redrawing the line between public and private space has coined a dubious new currency in sonic self-help and healing experiences

The Portal

David Lynch (20 January 1946–16 January 2025)

David Lynch (20 January 1946–16 January 2025)

The US filmmaker has died aged 78. As a tribute, we have made the extended cover feature on Lynch that appeared in The Wire 486 free to read in our online library. The feature includes a cover designed by Lynch, an interview with the director and his music collaborator Chrystabell, and 12 pages of essays exploring the unique sound world created by his films.

Essay

All Ears

All Ears

In The Wire 491/492, Louise Gray recalls developing a new relationship to sound while bed-bound in hospital following an accident

Tracks

Wire mix: Stonecirclesampler

Wire mix: Stonecirclesampler

Stonecircesampler, aka Luke J Murray, curates an exclusive compilation of edits, alternative mixes and unreleased music to conjure a hauntological landscape

Essay

Let The Rhythm Hit Em

Let The Rhythm Hit Em

In The Wire 491/492, Drew Daniel recounts a dream of a strange new music style, whose subsequent online virality revealed the need to test the limits of genres