Global Ear: Odessa
Thea Derks reports from the Ukrainian city where a classical music festival has become a weapon in the war against political and social corruption

Bites
Cut Chemist Old School pharmacist Pat Thomas Random noise bursts Goran Bregovic Epic soundtracks Thomas Dimuzio Sonic extremist Fast track: gavin Bryars Label lore: Sargasso

Ikue Mori
The cyborg drum programmer has been scrambling the codes of avant rock ever since she landed the drum seat in the No Wave group DNA. Her album sleeve designs aren't bad, either. By AC Lee

Don Byron
The prickly clarinettist, whose music spans homages to 40s cartoon composers, Jewish klezmer, Mandrill's funk-Metal, and the nu blaxploitation of Existential Dred, makes life difficult for Howard Mandel

Sun City Girls
The mysterious American underground trio break a 15 year media silence to discuss their music's embracing of lo-fi, punk jazz and noise Improv, and why they venearte the gooddess Kali. By Douglas Wolk

John Martyn
Emerging from the 60s folk revival, the Scottish guitarist evolved a highly personal songwriting style for his bruised voice and echo-drenched improvisations. And, he says, the best is yet more to come. By Rob Young

Invisible Jukebox: Jesus And Mary Chain
East Kilbride's sidewalk surfers collide head on with records by Butthole Surfers, Caspar Brotzmann & FM Einheit, Lou Reed, My Bloody Valentine, High Rise and more. Tested by Mike Barnes

Plastikman
Is the stripped back and streamlined Techno of Canada's Richie Hawtin a puritanical response to the gross-out consumer excesses of the USA? Rob Young investigates

The Secret History of Film Music
I second that motion? Far from underscoring feeling in the movies, orchestral music usually swamps it. Philip Brophy sifts out excerptions by Gorecki, Penderecki, Jack Nitzsche and Philip Glass

The Primer: P-funk
Bridging the mind-booty divide, george Clinton's Parliafuckadelicment Thang combined black sci-fi, low-sling funk and epic space rock into a series of brain-frying fusions. Peter Shapiro untangles a complex genealogy

Gary Lucas
The former Beefheart guitarist discusses his Jewish musical roots, a recent collaboration with Future Sound Of London, and his childhood vampire obsession. Mike Barnes takes notes