Cookies

This website uses cookies. Please let us know if you agree to this.

Settings No, change preferences

The world's greatest print and online music magazine. Independent since 1982

In Writing
Subscribe

Donate now to help The Wire stay independent

The Mire: Tangents, threads and opinions from The Wire HQ

Marshall Allen exclusive ticket offer

Nathan Budzinski



The legendary saxophonist and de facto leader of The Sun Ra Arkestra Marshall Allen plays a one-off UK show at London’s Café Oto on 6 July. Allen, who is touring Europe with the Arkestra during July, will be joined by the Arkestra’s piano player Farid Barron as well as some of London’s leading free music players for this exclusive and extremely rare event. Tickets cost £16 in advance, £18 on the door.

But in an exclusive offer, readers of The Wire can claim a special discount and get tickets for just £14.

To buy discounted tickets, click on either of the links below (NB Discounted tickets are limited and available on a first come first served basis): We Got Tickets or SU Tickets For more information on the event click here

Nathan Budzinski

Tags:

Sonar 2009

Nathan Budzinski

If you're in Barcelona for Sonar today & this weekend, come by The Wire's stall in the editorial fair (it's in MACBA's main building) and say hi... We'll be around all today and tomorrow selling back issues + free CD w/each issue, T-shirts and earplugs (!) checking out the music and generally hanging out. Inspired by the artistic environment, we've constructed an interactive sculptural installation as an added attraction (see below)


Stay tuned... We've got some rough and ready video excerpts of Jeff Mills's DJ set as The Wizard, Luomo (Sasu Ripatti aka Vladislav Delay) and Konono Nº 1 live onstage to upload when we get a chance.

Nathan Budzinski

Tags:

Rowe Words

Derek Walmsley

Interesting link forwarded to me recently of Keith Rowe describing in detail the thoughts and ideas behind his recent ErstWhile/ErstLive release. Some fascinating ideas here, but such is their conceptual density throughout each minute of the piece, you wonder how (or if) a listener is expected to gain access to this extraordinary inner world of ideas and schemes from the relatively austere music on the disc.

This rare glimpse into this artist's inner monologue is nothing like my experience of playing onstage, though. Most of my thought processes were along the lines of 'what shall I do for the next few minutes/where do I want to be in ten minutes'.

Derek Walmsley

Tags:

Fela, Voice Of America

Derek Walmsley

I'm probably the last person on the planet to discover these, but I only just ran across these recordings of Fela Kuti from Nigeria in 1965. Some of these early tracks have been released elsewhere, and often it's a little like hearing the early Wailers – the pieces just haven't fallen into place yet. However, these recordings, made for a show called Voice Of America, I understand, are surely must-listen material....

http://www.voanews.com/english/africa/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry;=8DC92121-9F33-ED7A-D547329B08561449

Derek Walmsley

Tags:

Listening To The Office To Make Music To Listen To In The Office

Derek Walmsley

You may have noticed the Real Office Ambience, field recordings of The Wire office recorded by Jez riley French, which you can download from our website.

Jez's contact mics seem to have disturbed some karmic balance at The Wire, because I've sensed several weird audio disturbance since he's been in. The noise-cancelling headphones that are an essential part of a Reviews Editor’s armoury have started feeding back strangely when the battery runs down, giving a wistful, medium pitched sinewave like a robotic sigh before they conk out; the portable CD player that I keep close at hand has started skipping on the first track, so that a Touchin' Bass compilation of electro began to sound like Errorsmith crossed with Oval; then the jack plug of my iPod started malfunctioning, and a Rinse FM download of a funky/house set began to sound like it had been run through a ring modulator, leaving a ghost of the music without any impact or warmth.

The office ambience may never be the same again; perhaps some sacred convent has been broken.

Derek Walmsley

Tags:

Comus and Ultra-red on Adventures In Modern Music

Nathan Budzinski

Adventures In Modern Music, 11 June with Rob Young: Comus are one of the great forgotten English progressive folk groups. Their 1971 album First Utterance was a blast of savage pagan energy directed against hippy complacency. Amazingly, the group have reformed and will play First Utterance in full at this week's Equinox Festival. Rob will be joined by the group's main singer and songwriter, Roger Wootton, to discuss Comus's history and influences, and play a selection of music by Comus and their contemporaries. Resonance 104.4 FM or online, 11 June, 9PM BST

On Saturday 13 June Anne Hilde Neset will be hosting a special extra edition of AIMM where she'll be joined by the international art/music collective Ultra-red (who currently have a show on at London's Raven Row Gallery) members Dont Rhine and Robert Sember to discuss their various projects. Resonance 104.4 FM or online, 13 June, 3:30PM BST

Nathan Budzinski

Tags:

Adventures In Modern Music Thursday 4 June

Derek Walmsley

On Adventures In Modern Music this week, Derek Walmsley will be talking to Simon Reynell of the Another Timbre label and organiser of this month's Unnamed Music Festival in London and Leeds. We'll be talking about the state of improvisation today and Simon will be playing some choice selections of recent music. Listen live on 104.4FM or online at the Resonance FM website.

The show is available to download here

Derek Walmsley

Tags: