Mercury Rev
Ten years of turmoil, substance abuse and swirling guitars may sound like your typical sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll tale, but David Keenan hears how encounters with the US avant garde influenced their New York State of mind

Primer: Music of Islam
The melodic arabesques, staccato rhythms and piercing tones of Islamic music are responsible for one of the world's great, but misunderstood, musical cultures. Richard Henderson provides a guide for initiates

Invisible Jukebox: Kirk Degiorgio
The Suffolk soul boy turned Techno tastemaker attempts to discern the flava in patterns by Carlos Garnett, Tek 9, Marion Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Man Parrish, Daniel Biro and others. Tested by Mike Barnes

Cornelius Cardew
The English composer, improvisor, teacher and leftist radical's efforts to create a pure, egalitarian music continues to inspire. Julian Cowley retraces his long march towards obliterating the boundaries between art and life

Playgroup
Taking his cue from the multicoloured swap shop of post-punk pop, underground HipHop producer Trevor Jackson has rejigged his output to recreate the sweaty, sexy music of his youth. By Peter Shapiro

Madlib
Hua Hsu has a session with the multiple personalities of Hiphop producer and one-man band Otis Jackson Jr

Axel Dörner
The German trumpeter has roots in free jazz but digital analogies have begun to shape his playing. By Tom Perchard

Alog
Analogman and Digitalman converge in the Norwegian duo, finds Philip Sherburne

Station 17
David Keenan encounters a different perspective from the mentally challenging Hamburg group

Global Ear
Olivier Petitpas goes underground in Hong Kong

Epiphanies
Sasha Frere-Jones finds hope in 80s NYC clubbing

Print Run
Anarchy, by John Cage; Writings Through John Cage's Music, Poetry And Art, edited by David W Bernstein & Christopher Hatch; Verschwende Deine Jugend, by Jürgen Teipei; Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz In Japan, by E Taylor Atkins; Blue Note Records: The Biography, by Richard Cook; Give the Anarchist A Cigarette, by Mick Farren; Songs Of The Unsung: The Musical And Social Journey Of Horace Tapscott, by Horace Tapscott, edited by Stephen Isoardi; American Hardcore: A Tribal History, by Steven Blush

Ether Talk
Anthony Huberman investigates new forums for artistic interchange

On Location
This Is Not Art Festival, Newcastle Various Venues, Australia; Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavik Various Venues, Iceland; Wayne Shorter, London Royal Festival Hall, UK; DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, New York Irving Plaza, USA; Kenneth Anger Film Benefit: John Zorn + Mike Patton + Fantomas, New York Anthology Film Archives; USA