Following Chris Cutler's response to Kenneth Goldsmith's filesharing Epiphany, David Keenan looks at the fallout from music's shifting economy, from the perspective of his webshop and record shop Volcanic Tongue.
Gil Scott-Heron, with and without his longtime partner Brian Jackson, has long refused to fit into anyone's market plan for a soul-jazz singer. Nathan West and Mark Sinker discuss his recorded legacy. This article originally appeared in The Wire 108 (February 1993).
Responding to Kenneth Goldsmith’s epiphany on filesharing in The Wire 327, Henry Cow founder and ReR label boss Chris Cutler counts the cost of free music to those who make and distribute it
This article originally appeared in The Wire 11 (January 1995).
Does the new technology of mix 'n' splice mean the end of Popular Song as we know it? Or the start of a new open-ended dance afterlife? The death of the Original, or the birth of the infinite version? David Toop looks/locks into a brand new time lapse. This article originally appeared in The Wire 103 (September 1992). David Toop reflects on writing the essay below.
Early works, the emergence of the Lydian Theory, the Workshop and associated recordings discussed by Max Harrison. This article first appeared in The Wire 3 (Spring 1983).
The output of George Russell's Sextet, discussed by Max Harrison. This article first appeared in The Wire 4 (Summer 1983).
A three-day conference, sponsored by The Wire and organised by the Centre for Contemporary Music Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London on the Greek composer coinciding with the tenth anniversary of his death. Scholars, researchers and musicians will present papers and participate in panels, alongside a programme of concerts and workshops. London Southbank Centre, 1–3 April.
In its original incarnation, Electro was black science fiction teleported to the dancefloors of New York, Miami and LA; a super-stoopid fusion of video games, techno-pop, graffiti art, silver space suits and cyborg funk. Now that Electro is back, David Toop provides a thumbnail guide to the music that posed the eternal question: "Watupski, bug byte?" This article originally appeared in The Wire 145 (March 1996).
Read an extended version of Will Montgomery's Cross Platform article on Japanese sound artist Toshiya Tsunoda, master of the art of field recording.
An occasional series in which we offer a beginner’s guide to the must-have recordings of some of our favourite musicians (and music). This month, Richard Henderson enters the preternatural realm of field recordings. This article originally appeared in The Wire 168 (February 1998).
A full collection of tributes to the late musician, including a number of pieces which were not published in the magazine.
Web only Epiphany by The Wire's intern Imogen Decordova
Panda Bear, whose Person Pitch album was voted third in our Top 50 Albums of 2007 chart, gives his verdict of the year just gone
Immerse yourself in mid-80s pirate nostalgia with mastermix.org says Jason Gross
African Music blogs offer a conduit to the mass of African music that remains unreleased in the West says Jennifer Allan
Julian Cowley on the enduring pre-digital cassettes issued on Vonna-Michell’s South London imprint
Edwin Pouncey on Jamaican Dancehall's bulletins from the frontlines
Music history as we once knew it is unravelling, says Dan Warburton
Phil Freeman on bootleg culture