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Essay

Meta machine mantras: the birth of the Buddha Machine

January 2024

To mark the recent reissue of FM3’s Buddha Machine, Steve Barker tells the story of its origins, a tale which takes in Chinese temples and a Hong Kong branch of McDonald’s, a Beijing foot massage parlour and dinner with Brian Eno.

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The Primer: Fred Frith

January 2024

To coincide with his interview with the British composer, improvisor and multi-instrumentalist in The Wire 479/480, Clive Bell compiles a primer of works from Fred Frith’s vast discography

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From The Archive by Neil Kulkarni

January 2024

The Wire is deeply saddened to hear of the death of writer Neil Kulkarni. Neil was one of the UK’s most original and distinctive music critics. He had been writing for The Wire since the early 2000s, and just last week filed this online essay, in which he picks his favourite writing from The Wire’s back pages. We publish it now as a tribute to Neil. RIP.

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From The Archive by John Morrison

November 2023

Contributor John Morrison selects pieces of writing from The Wire’s back pages featuring hiphop mixtapes, Can, Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore, Steinski, and more. All selected articles are available to read in The Wire’s digital library with a print or digital subscription

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Carla Bley (11 May 1936–17 October 2023)

October 2023

As a tribute to the jazz pianist and composer who has died aged 87 we have made three articles in our online library free to read. The first two articles comprised the cover story of the second issue of the magazine published in 1982; the third is a guide to Bley’s recordings published in 2021.