An extract from the two-book biography penned by The Wire's Rob Young and Can's Irmin Schmidt, and published by Faber

“The joy of shaping, forming and organising materials is at the heart of Taylor’s work... it is strange he should be pigeonholed as a ‘free’ player”

An excerpt from chapter six of Shirley Collins's memoir, published by Strange Attractor Press

To mark the passing of Cecil Taylor, who died on 5 April 2018 aged 89, we present a selection of articles drawn from The Wire’s online archive in which other musicians discuss the pianist and his music

The trend for classical and orchestral reinterpretations of dance music comes with strings attached

The Wire’s publisher zooms in on one bad riff as a way of entering the late pianist’s musical universe

The DIY culture archivist talks about preserving artistic integrity, his home archive and extensive online database Tape-Mag

Cecil Taylor died at his New York home in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, on 5 April 2018. He was 89

In his 400 page book of interviews, Rettman traces a history of Washington DC's scene and its spread throughout the US

In light of the forthcoming DVD release of the cult film Liquid Sky, Rob Young delves into The Wire archives to unearth a different history of electronica

Following a special show in London last month, Shane Woolman speaks to the Turkish artist, activist and label boss

“Check out the mad skills/Top secret technique, too hard for you to peep it and keep it”
— Ghostface Killah featuring Cappadonna & Raekwon

First published in 1977, Val Wilmer’s As Serious As Your Life: Black Music And The Free Jazz Revolution, 1957–1977 will be reprinted by Serpent's Tail on 1 March

A Q&A with Elaine Mitchener about her performance piece Sweet Tooth – a visceral, overwhelming indictment of the role sugar and the slave trade played in building the British Empire

The Wire's Deputy Editor talks to the artist about freedom, fragility and his new EP Heute Will Ich Frei Sein

To celebrate the life and work of Mark E Smith, who died on 24 January 2018, we present a selection of articles on the Fall frontman and his group drawn from The Wire’s online archive

Filippo Cicciù speaks to Turkish psychedelic explorers Baba Zula, who're playing in London at the end of January

Read an extract from Matthew Collin's new book Rave On: Global Adventures In Electronic Dance Music, as reviewed by Sophia Ignatidou in the February issue of The Wire

Tony Bevan recalls his years playing – and playing around – with the late free jazz drummer

Algoraves, homemade instruments, mechanical art and horned helmets: AlgoMech celebrates unmaking and experiments with music and technology