Crucial Listening

Voice drips like milk, rays of soprano sunlight, filthy metal bass face. Producer, vocalist and DJ Felicia Chen discusses three important albums.Felicia's picks: Arvo Pärt – Te DeumPortishead – DummyGoth-Trad – PsionicsThe collaborative record between Dis Fig and The Body is out now via Thrill Jockey. Check it out here. Dis Fig is on Instagram and Soundcloud.The Body and Dis Fig will debut the collaboration at this year's Supersonic Festival in Birmingham UK, which runs 30th August – 1st September. More info here.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Driving in fury, letting the endings be real, slow and lonely. The free improvisation percussionist discusses three important albums.Mark's picks:Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell – Old And New Dreams (1979)Evan Parker – MonocerosRebecca Saunders – Fury IIAs always, Mark has a bunch of upcoming live dates. These include Evan Parker's 80th birthday residency at Cafe Oto, for which Mark has prepared a four-part percussion group. Mark's website is here.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Caught by howling, three people at the 2pm concert, vivid colour changes. The Berlin-based singer and artist discusses three important albums.Rosa's picks: Julia Shortreed – Violet SunLow – Double NegativeTear Garden – To Be An Angel Blind, The Cripple Soul DivideRosa's new album Interior is out 23rd February on KLANGBAD. Check out her music on Bandcamp. Rosa's website is here. She's also on Instagram.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Post-apocalyptic industrial environments, pseudo-music, twisted proto-typicalities. The sound artist and experimental musician discusses three important albums.Francisco's picks:David Lynch + Alan Splet – Eraserhead (OST)Mnemonists – HordeMeshuggah – ChaosphereFrancisco's work is available on Bandcamp, including the recent Conveyor Belts [USA]. His website is here.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

The dirt aesthetic, non-relinquishable frequencies, opening up that filter. The London-based sound artist and "mutant dancehall" practitioner discusses three important albums.Aniruddha's picks:Miles Davies – Dark MagusRobert Hood – Minimal NationHallucinator – LandlockedCheck out Dhangsha's music on Bandcamp here. His Hard Return EP "Aberrant" is over here. Dhangsha plays London's Cafe Oto on 24th January, and Electric Spring festival in Huddersfield on 17th February.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Slowing everything down, emotionally devastating lines, the snare on Faucet. The Portland-based producer discusses three important albums.hyacinth.'s picks:DJ Screw – Bigtyme Vol II All Screwed UpEarl Sweatshirt – I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go OutsideMIKE – War In My PenCheck out hyacinth.'s music over on the peradam tapes. label. They're on Twitter – @hyacinthindecay.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Mellow ingenuity, drowned in reverb, London at its most gloomy and miserable. London-based multidisciplinary artist Sam Ashton discusses three important albums.Sam's picks:Explosions In The Sky – The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead PlaceGrouper – Dragging A Dead Deer Up A HillBurial – S/TYou can check out Sam's music over at the Fortresses Bandcamp or over at Dragon's Eye Recordings. He's also on Instagram.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Weird symphony, no crazy vibrato, Terry Riley on the discman. The violist and composer discusses three important albums.Jessica's picks:Beethoven - André Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Symphony No. 9John Cage, Arditti String Quartet – String Quartet In Four PartsTerry Riley – You're NogoodJessica's new album Clamor is out now via Out Of Your Head Records. Her website is here.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

High-altitude Bryars, trash on the walls, desperate shamans. The Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist discusses three important albums.Dorian's picks:Gavin Bryars – The Sinking Of The Titanic / Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me YetNearly God – S/TGeorge Michael – Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1Dorian's new album, Excesiva, is out now on Dragon's Eye Recordings. Check it out on Bandcamp. Dorian's website is here.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Emotional rollercoasters, impossible Neo Tokyo, perfect snares. The London-based Swedish producer/sound designer discusses three important albums.Julia's picks:Esbjörn Svensson Trio – LeucocyteAkira Yamaoka – Silent Hill 2 OSTPinecone Moonshine (label) – [PCMS 2020​.​1] Vector SpaceThe new aircode album, titled Surface Tension, is out now via Gin&Platonic. Check it out on Bandcamp. Aircode is on Bandcamp and Instagram.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening