In this episode, we speak with Sunik Kim — Korean American musician, writer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Kim's music has been described as "a frenzied electronic orchestra that sits somewhere between free jazz, noise, and Korean shamanic music. Their writing, spanning subjects from Korean communism to Conlon Nancarrow, has appeared in The Wire, Pitchfork, Bandcamp Daily, Tone Glow, and elsewhere. We discuss in detail their new essay "Zones of Illusion", tracing the connections between illusion, cognition, class, and the conditions under which sound — and thought — might still escape capture.

Today, International Workers' Day 2026, Sunik Kim releases seven CDs of new music, three essays, including "Zones of Illusion", and a book. More details at sunikkim.com.

Thanks to Fielding Hope.

Direct link to "Zones of Illusion":

https://sunikkim.com/zones-of-illusion