Eventim Apollo, London, UK Image: Still from Shiver, dir. Martin Falck The key protagonist of Fever Ray’s third album Radical Romantics is Main, a meek white collar drone who, by submitting to the objects of their desire, casts off their awkward shell and embraces love… Read More
Cassie Kinoshi with seed. + NikNak + London Contemporary Orchestra Barbican, London, UK | Photo by The Red Beanie. The Barbican’s stage is crowded. Cassie Kinoshi, the alto saxophonist, composer and former member of Kokoroko, leads the ten piece seed. ensemble for the presentation of… Read More
Mariam Rezaei + Angharad Davies + Atzi Muramatsu + Semay Wu Cafe Oto, London UK The first night of Mariam Rezaei’s three day residency at Cafe Oto considers the unmet potential of a string quartet. The musicians play two improvised sets with no prior discussion… Read More
Gianmarco Del Re (Editor)система | system Pbk 567 pp Ukrainian Field Notes was initiated by film maker Gianmarco Del Re, who became interested in Ukrainian experimental music after the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, but started researching the country’s diverse scenes more intensively after the Russian… Read More
Various venues, Montreal, CanadaPhoto: Open Reel Ensemble at MUTEK Forum by Maryse Boyce This year is the 24th edition of Montreal based festival Mutek, which investigates how new technologies are applied in the creative industries while also exploring tech’s symbiotic relationship with electronic music. It… Read More
Nkisi, Iklectik, London, UKPhoto: Jonathan Crabb In the concluding chapter of Kick It: A Social History Of The Drum Kit, author Matt Brennan notes that drums have infiltrated music production to the extent that “we are all drummers now”. This is especially true of electronic… Read More
Suzanne Ciani + Li YileiKings Place, London, UK Taking refuge in Kings Place from the sweltering summer heat, I’m met by Li Yilei’s solitary song. The London based artist begins with an avian melody performed on a whistle. The phrase fills the hall, looping and… Read More
Museum Of Portable SoundPortsmouth, UK/Online “Are you familiar with the story of the first MP3?” asks John Kannenberg, director and chief curator of the Museum of Portable Sound (MOPS). He plays me the 1987 a cappella version of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner”. Karlheinz Brandenburg, the… Read More
Cafe Oto, London, UK The venue is plunged into darkness. A sonic assault ensues. The processed drums strike the ear with an industrial regularity. The sound is heavy and repetitive like endless rows of pumpjacks nodding in an oil field. Coloured spotlights frame Vymethoxy Redspiders… Read More
Kings Place, London, UK Themes of metamorphosis abound in NikNak’s immersive performance. The concert begins with a meditation that resets the mood of the room. Many in the audience feel inclined to sit or lie on the floor. Piano loops and birdsong are embellished by… Read More
Ilia Rogatchevski 