The Wire #371

The Wire’s review of the last 12 months in underground music and audio culture, with 30 pages of charts, essays and reflections from critics and musicians guiding you through the releases, trends and debates of 2014

Rie Nakajima
Object lessons from the Japanese sound artist. By Abi Bliss

Unplugged
Serbia’s last leaf players. By Nick Cain

Mette Rasmussen
The Danish saxophonist joining forces with Chris Corsano. By Daniel Spicer

Divine Styler
The return of the psychedelically inclined rapper and producer. By Joseph Stannard

Global Ear Bratislava
The ZVŮK festival in Slovakia puts sound art in unlikely settings. By Jakub Juhás

Cross Platform Emeka Ogboh
The field recordist tunes into the chaotic frequencies of Lagos. By Clive Bell

Invisible Jukebox Alasdair Roberts
The folk singer and songwriter is left reeling by The Wire’s mystery record selection. Tested by Stewart Smith

The Inner Sleeve
Bob Stanley on Marianne Faithfull’s Come My Way

Epiphanies
Memory, loss and the passing of time are evoked in sound for Renée Green

Print Run
New music books: 90 Degrees Of Shade edited by Stuart Baker; The History Of Rock ’N’ Roll In Ten Songs by Greil Marcus; Splitting In Two: Mad Pride And Punk Rock Oblivion by Robert Dellar; Peter Christopherson Photography by Peter Christopherson; Bright Lights And Cats With No Mouths: The Art Of John Balance by John Balance, edited by Liam Thomas and Thighpaulsandra

On Screen
New films amd DVDs: pirate radio film Drowned City and Eddie Prévost’s Blood

On Site
Recent exhibitions: The Mechanical Garden And Other Long Encores and Sound :: Gender :: Feminism :: Activism

On Location
Recent festivals, gigs and clubs: Shabazz Palaces, Brighton, UK; Glassfest, Bristol, UK; Unsound, Krakow, Poland; Abdullah Ibrahim, London, UK; Hassle Fest VI, Somerville, USA

Soundcheck A–Z
Gilles Aubry
Laura Cannell
Chemotex
Madou Sidiki Diabaté
Maxmillon Dunbar
Einstürzende Neubauten
Sidsel Endressen & Stian Westerhus
Chris Forsyth & Nate Wooley
Frisk Frugt
Ghostface Killah
James Ginzburg & Yair Elazar Glotman
Gong
Peter Gordon
Milford Graves & Bill Laswell
Jonny Greenwood
Itasca
Junko
Large Unit
Monopoly Child Star Searchers
My Cat Is An Alien And Cédric Stevens
Anthony Naples
Noveller
Roberto Opalio
Michael Pisaro
Rezzett
Alasdair Roberts
Shintaro Sakamoto
Akira Sakata
Tom James Scott
Sleater-Kinney
Wadada Leo Smith & Bill Laswell
Andy Stott
David Sylvian
DJ Spider & Marshallito
tētēma
Various Banko Ghodo
Various Mitha Bol
Various Live At Amarras Desert Music Festival
Various The Unofficial Countryside
Nate Wooley/Dave Rempis/Pascal Niggenkemper/Chris Corsano
Bernie Worrell
Wu-Tang Clan
The Actor
Francis Bebey
Bourbonese Qualk
John Coltrane
Roberto Gerhard
Peter Jefferies
Bruce Lacey
Hailu Mergia And The Walias
Luigi Nono
Various Disco: A Fine Selection Of Independent Disco, Modern Soul And Boogie 1978–82
Various Lead Kindly Light: Pre-War Music And Photographs From The American South
Various Music From The Tudorfest: San Francisco Tape Music Center 1964
Various Parchman Farm: Photographs And Field Recordings 1947–1959
Wilco