Crucial Listening

Perceptual geographies, Dylan's near misses, Coltrane's unresolved places. The LA-based artist and composer discusses three important albums.

Byron's picks:

Maryanne Amacher – Sound Characters (Making The Third Ear)
Bob Dylan – Planet Waves
John Coltrane – Sun Ship

Byron's fabulous new record, Mirror Views, is out now via Ash International. His website is here, and he's on Twitter as @byronwestbrook.

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Weird industrial synths, rapping over alarm clocks, Kubrick with 2 bricks. The Zambian-Canadian rapper and producer discusses three important albums.

Ashanti's picks:

Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope
Death Grips – The Money Store
Danny Brown – The Atrocity Exhibition

Check out the BACKXWASH website here. She's also on Twitter and Bandcamp.

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Ever-heavier tape trades, music for twenty radio stations, new urgencies. The composer, artist and improviser discusses three important albums.

Raven's picks:

Mr Bungle – Disco Volante
José Maceda – Ugnayan
Moor Mother – Fetish Bones

The latest record by Endlings – Raven's band with John Dieterich – is out now on Whited Sepulchre. Head over to Raven's website for more on his current and past projects. Be sure to check out Radio Coyote too, which Raven initiated along with the CCA Wattis Institute.

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More mayonnaise, electrified tango, unapologetic folk. The musician, composer and multimedia artist discusses three important albums.

Cecilia's picks:

Charly Garcia – Clics Modernos
Violeta Parra – Composiciones Para Guitarra
Eduardo Rovira – Sonico

The audio documentation of RED(DB) is out now via Relative Pitch Records. Head over to Cecilia's website for the score and performance video too. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

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Record warehouse paradise, lullabies finished in hell, destroying synchronicity. The musician and filmmaker discusses three important albums.

Domingæ's picks:

Jackson C. Frank – Blues Run The Game
Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica
Ryuichi Sakamoto – async

Domingæ's new album Æ is out now via Sacred Bones. Her Linktree is here and you follow her on Instagram here. Donate to her Transition and Survival Fund over at Gofundme.

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Lost souls in a fishbowl, lushness and harmony, sanza psychedelia. The Kenyan composer and performer discusses three important albums.

Nyokabi's picks:

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
Kelsey Lu – Blood
Francis Bebey – Psychedelic Sanza 1982-1984

Nyokabi's new single, Galu, is out now via SA Recordings. It's part of a forthcoming EP project called peace places: kenyan memories, also due on SA. Her website is here and here Instagram is here.

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Cannonball of musicians being shot at a staircase, flying across the top of the mosh, sunlight in the white room. The Ireland-based, Australian-born artist discusses three important albums.

Robert's picks:

Naked City – Grand Guignol
Ministry – In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up
Folke Rabe – What??

Robert's brand new three-album set, Beyond Enclosures, is out September 17th and available via Recorded Fields. Tailte Cré-Umha (Bronze Lands) is out now. Robert is also on Bandcamp and Twitter.

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Resonating glass, the arsehole of Western music, shopping mall avant garde. The nomadic sound maker discusses three important albums.

crys' picks:

Annea Lockwood – The Glass World Of Anna Lockwood
Walter Marchetti – Antibarbarus
Bernhard Günter – Univers Temporel Espoir

crys' contribution to Boomkat's Documenting Sound series is called Other Meetings and it's wonderful. Check that out here. Also great is the new Ora Clementi record, Sylva Sylvarum – out now on Black Truffle. Head over here for crys' website, and follow her on Twitter here.

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Out-of-time ska, home alone raves, smashing together American music. The live electronics improviser discusses three important albums.

Lauren's picks:

Lunachicks – Jerk Of All Trades
Andy C – Nightlife
Van Dyke Parks – Song Cycle

Give yourself a treat and listen to Lauren's record Embrace, released on SUPERPANG. There's also the equally fabulous Mini Savior Opt. put out via Unsilent Desert Press. Be sure to check out an excellent suite of articles about Lauren's work put out via HCMF. Her website is here, and she's also on Twitter and Instagram.

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Top string of the harp, transcendent worldbuilding, catharsis in composing. The LA-based artist and composer discusses three important albums.

Geneva's picks:

Ursula K. Le Guin + Todd Barton – Music And Poetry Of The Kesh
Grouper + Roy Montgomery – Split
Swans – The Great Annihilator

Geneva's new longform work, Turning Of The Day, is out now on LINE – check it out here. Her website is here and her Bandcamp is here. She's also on Twitter and Instagram.

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