Crucial Listening

Architectural sound, understandings of freedom, and how do we end? The composer, improviser and performer discusses three important albums.

Lucie's picks:

Iannis Xenakis – La L​é​gende d'Eer
Pauline Oliveros – The Tuning Meditation
Christian Wolff – Changing The System

Lucie's recent solo album, Cave Acoustics, is out now via the labels mappa and Skupina. Lucie's website is here. Follow them on Instagram.

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Light in the ocean depths, doors to other worlds, respiratory cycling. The Tehran-based composer discusses three important albums.

Ava's picks:

William Basinski – Watermusic
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Harold Budd / Akira Rabelais – As Long As I Can Hold My Breath (By Night)

Ava's new album Ginestra is out now on Flaming Pines. Check it out here. She's also on Instagram and X.

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(Almost) falling into the water, post-dumb-house-party-bike-rides, wildness and mastery. The musician and member of Xiu Xiu discusses three important albums.

Hyunhye's picks:

Chris Watson – El Tren Fantasma
PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love
Cecil Taylor – Solo (1973)

Hyunhye's new album, Eel, is out now on Room40. Check out her website and Instagram.

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

The science of baffling unpredictability, nuclear plants leaking beauty, the moments before the apocalypse. The São Paulo-based artist discusses three important albums.

Claudio's picks:

KRAAN – Flyday
Hatfield And The North – The Rotters' Club
Guruh Gipsy – Guruh Gipsy

The new Babe, Terror album is titled Teghnojoyg and it's out now. Check it out on the Babe, Terror Bandcamp. Head over to the Babe, Terror Youtube to see videos for each track on the new record. Check out the Babe, Terror Tumblr and also the Patreon.

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

Digging in near the bridge, one old woman, acting like the Rolling Stones. The American media artist and composer discusses three important albums.

Arnold's picks:

Tony Conrad With Faust – Outside The Dream Syndicate
Sacred Guitar and Violin Music of the Modern Aztecs (Smithsonian Folkways)
Robert Ashley – Automatic Writing

The new album by Arnold Dreyblatt & The Orchestra of Excited Strings, titled Resolve, is out now on Drag City. Check it out here. Here's Arnold's website and Instagram.

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

Music for sleep, radical electronics, biospheric amorphous spaces. The sound artist and 12k label founder discusses three important albums.

Taylor's picks:

Brian Eno – Thursday Afternoon
Ryoji Ikeda – +/-
Microstoria – Model 3, Step 2

Taylor's new EP, Eev, is out August 18th via Nettwerk. Preorder and preview it on Taylor's Bandcamp. Taylor is also on Instagram and X.

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

The joy of UK pirate radio, intoxicating production, Streets Of Rage DJ set. Montréal-based French-British producer Jean Néant discusses three important albums.

Jean's picks:

Death Is Not The End – The Letter Tape Series / Bristol Pirates
Yuka Honda – Memories Are My Only Witness / Eucademix
Yuzo Koshiro – Bare Knuckle II OST / Bare Knuckle I OST

The new Joni Void album, Everyday Is The Song, is out now on Constellation. Check it out here. Joni Void is on Instagram and Twitter.

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

Phytoplankton microsound, sketched-out dead ends, perfect warbles. The North Carolina-based electronic music producer discusses three important albums.

Bana's picks:

Jana Winderen – The Wanderer
Autechre – Amber
Boards Of Canada – Tomorrow's Harvest

Bana Haffar's new album, intimaa' إ​ن​ت​م​ا​ء, is out now on Touch. You can also listen/buy via Bana's bandcamp here. Bana's website is actually a Google sheet, and you check that out here. She's also on Instagram.

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

Sunday puppet show routine, childhood anime memories, Brazilian cutlery jams. The electronic producer and performer from Taiwan discusses three important albums.

Sabiwa's picks:

Pili Puppet Drama – Soundtrack / Sound Design
Joe Hisaishi – Princess Mononoke OST
Hermeto Pascoal – Zabumbê-bum-á

Sabiwa's new album, Island no.16 – Memories Of Future Landscapes, is out now on Phantom Limb. Sabiwa is on Instagram.

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

Scared of the wolf, emotionally-resonant Eno, the 90s Louisville scene. Modern composer Matthew Cooper (aka Eluvium) discusses three important albums.

Matthew's picks:

Prokofiev (New Philharmonia Orchestra) – Peter And The Wolf (narrated by Richard Baker)
Eno – Another Green World / Brian Eno – Discreet Music
Rachel's – Music For Egon Schiele / Rachel's – The Sea And The Bells

The new Eluvium album, (Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality, is available now. Eluvium also has a website and a Bandcamp. Matthew is on Instagram and Twitter.

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