Bites
Kid Koala Decks hand The Necks Going for the Jugular Ultra-Red Commie Sense Dave Pajo M person

Invisible Jukebox: Lemmy
The Motorhead bassist and drinking person's Heavy Metalhead gets no sleep till he identifies tunes by Little Richard, Pink Fairies, High Rise, Massacre, Ice T and more. Tested by Peter Shapiro

Jonathan Harvey
Spectral, sensuous, spiritual: three words to describe the unique computer-aided music transmutations of the acclaimed UK composer. By Andy Hamilton

Ryuichi Sakamoto
Revered for his continuing presence in the global art rock elite; reviled for his recent over-ambitious multimedia opera Life. Will Japan's leading omni-musician ever stop causing controversy? By Clive Bell

The Primer: North India
A user's guide to collecting the transcedental drones, overtones, ragas and sagas of the subcontinent's Hindustani classical music, from Ravi Shankar to Gopal Krishnan. By Richard Henderson

Quannam Projects
Blackalicious, Latyrx and DJ Shadow are leading the resurgence of American West Coast HipHop with their freewheeling mixology and colour-coded raps. By Peter Shapiro