Crucial Listening

Nothing but blancmange, beautiful death-adjacency, laughing through the discomfort. The vocalist of Buñuel and the late Oxbow discusses three important albums.

Eugene's picks:

Johnny Hartman – The Voice That Is!
Billie Holiday – Lady In Satin
Arthur Prysock – Compact Jazz

The new Buñuel album, Mansuetude, is out now on Overdrive/Skingraft. Check it out here. Eugene has a Substack, an Instagram and is on X. Buñuel's Instagram is here.

Small music, the lazy way of listening, the motor of collaboration. The Tokyo-born, Düsseldorf-based musician discusses three important albums.

Miki's picks:

Rolf Julius – Music For A Distance
Eliane Radigue – Vice Versa, etc.
Jean-Yves Bosseur – Musique Vertes

Miki's new album, As If, is out now on Hallow Ground. Check it out on Bandcamp. Miki's website is here and she's also on Instagram.

Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

No kick drum, three sounds and humour, the power of multidirectional expression. The Hungarian electronic producer discusses three important albums.

Gábor's picks:

Nicron – Transfer Completed (Youtube link)
Errorsmith – 2
AGF – Westernization Completed

Gábor's new album is called Reflex, and it's out now on Raster. Check it out on Bandcamp or over on the Raster site. Gábor's website is here and he's also on Instagram.

Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Perfect trumpet voice, music as prayer, Ben Monder's right hand. The improviser and songwriter discusses three important albums.

Wendy's picks:

Mary Lou Williams – Black Christ Of The Andes
Robert Wyatt – Old Rottenhat
Theo Bleckmann And Ben Monder – No Boat

Wendy's new album, Viewfinder, is out now on American Dreams. Check it out on Wendy's Bandcamp. They're also on Instagram and X, and their website is here.

Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Noisy artefact discovery, spilling soft toys at the parade, heartbroken AI minds. The Swiss-Philippine composer and musician discusses three important albums.

Annie's picks:

Eliane Radigue – Trilogie de la Mort
Charlemagne Palestine – Jamaica Heinekens In Brooklyn
Holly Herndon – PROTO

Annie's debut solo album, It's Not Quiet In The Void, is out now on Everest Records. Check it out on Bandcamp. Annie's website is here and she's also on Instagram.

Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

IBM 7090 hypnosis, black jeans on the beach, music for crying and driving. The Venezuelan experimental musician and writer discusses three important albums.

Carlos' picks:

Horacio Vaggione – La Maquina De Cantar
Pita – Get Out
Low – Double Negative

Carlos' new album, Dream Walker, is out now on Ideologic Organ. Check it out on the Ideologic website or on Bandcamp. Carlos is on Instagram, where you can also find his upcoming European tour dates (September - October 2024).

Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Isolation and electroacoustics, listening and openness, putting rock into the coffin. The artist, musician and theorist discusses three important albums.

Mattin's picks:

Roberta Settels – Isolation! Meinhof In Memoriam
AMM – The Crypt
Lou Reed & Metallica – Lulu

Mattin's new album, Expanding Concert (Lisboa 2019-2023), is out now. Check it out here. Mattin's website is here and he's also on Instagram.

Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Proto-disco black hole disintegration, leaving in the flubs, "Shake Your Hips" at number 3. The American bassist discusses three important albums.

Brian's picks:

Can – Soon Over Babaluma
His Hero Is Gone – Fifteen Counts Of Arson
The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St.

The new Sumac album is called The Healer, and it's out now on Thrill Jockey. Check it out here or on Bandcamp. Find Brian on X and Instagram.

Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Life partner collaborations, Alice Coltrane signature bends, nomadic explorations in tuning. The Los Angeles-based musician discusses three important albums.

Tashi's picks:

Bley-Peacock Synthesizer Show – Revenge: The Bigger The Love The Greater The Hate
Alice Coltrane – Live at the Berkeley Community Theater 1972
Laurie Spiegel – Obsolete Systems

Tashi's new album, What Is Not Strange?, is out now on RVNG Intl. Check it out here. Tashi is also on Instagram and X.

Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Making work out of bones, Bach in intergalactic excess, pre-admin ABC karaoke. The composer and improviser discusses three important albums.

Jennifer's picks:

Meredith Monk – Our Lady Of Late
Voyager – The Golden Record
ABC – The Lexicon Of Love

Jennifer's collaboration with Tony Conrad, In The Merry Month Of May, is out now on Drag City affiliate label Blue Chopsticks. Check it out on Bandcamp. Jennifer's website is here and she's on X as @JenniferWalshe.

Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening