Yo La Tengo
In New York, David Keenan sups with the 20 year old avant rock trio who got hip to free jazz

The Ex
In Amsterdam, Dan Warburton squats in the fishtank with the veteran anarcho-punk agitators

Invisible Jukebox: David Sylvian
The sonic alchemist and enlightened croonertakes this month's blindfold test. By Christoph Cox

Mauricio Kagel
The deconstructed works of this Argentinian composer prefigured postmodernism by some decades. By Philip Clark

Primer: Soft Machine
John Cratchley and Samantha Brown trace Soft Machine's passage from London's psychedelic underground to their later jazz rock peaks and beyond

Nina Simone
The late singer led a tragic life, always searching for the key to freedoms she was constantly denied. By Ian Penman

Asmus Tietchens
Jim Haynes gets tangled up in the tape music of the Cologne-based electroacoustic investigator

Sightings
Marc Masters tests his limits for aural assault with the crushing Brooklyn trio

Cliff Martinez
His sordid past as a punk/ New Wave drummer (even with Beefheart) did not prevent his ascent to Hollywood film composer. By Richard Henderson

Global Ear
In Jerusalem, Eran Sachs observes Israel's avant music community struggling for identity

Epiphanies
Brian Morton finds solace in the music of Tim and Jeff Buckley

Print Run
All Music Guide To Jazz, edited by Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra & Stephen Thomas Erlewine; The Devil's Son-In-Law: The Story of Peetie Wheatstraw & His Songs, by Paul Garon; The Second Sense: Language, Music and Hearing, by Robin Maconie

Cross Platform
Ken Hollings finds virtual cities, digital earthquakes and viral ruins in the shattering audiovisuals of Semiconductor
Plus: Reviews of Pop Conference 2003; Vectors: Digital Art of Our Time; DVDs of The Miles Davis Story; Gil Scott-Heron. And: Kim Hiorthøy's Inner Sleeve featuring Cat Power

On Location
All Tomorrow's Parties UK, Camber Sands Holiday Centre; Sonic Youth: Stan Brakhage Memorial Benefit, New York Anthology Film Archives; Archipel, Geneva Various Venues, Switzerland; X-Tract Sculpture Musicale: Dialogues Between Music and Art, Berlin Podewil; Wire: Flag: Burning, London Barbican; Freedom of the City 2003, London Conway Hall; Freedom of the City: London Improvisors Orchestra, London Conway Hall; Godspeed You! Black Emperor + Jackie O Motherfucker, Québec St Roch Church/ Montréal Rialto Theater, Canada