Features

Benoît Pioulard :: Stanza IV (Disques d’Honoré)

Stanza IV is the latest chapter in Benoît Pioulard’s ambient series—a richly textured collection of slow-moving, analog-driven compositions blending guitar, tape loops, field recordings, and synths. Deeply meditative and emotionally resonant, the album is paired with Stanza IV [Versions], a full-length rework collection featuring artists like Clarice Jensen, Arovane, and Markus Guentner, offering new dimensions to Pioulard’s immersive sound world.

Merzbow :: Sedonis (Signal Is Noise)

Sedonis is a searing new release from noise icon Merzbow and Chicago’s Signal In Noise label, blending his signature chaos—overdriven electronics, handmade instruments, and relentless textures—with the label’s sharp visual identity. At nearly 70, Merzbow remains uncompromising, delivering an immersive, punishing sonic experience that continues to push the boundaries of sound.

Tom Hall :: Trip Computer album launch @ Gray Area (San Francisco 8/16/2025)

Tom Hall presents Trip Computer album launch—a powerful new audiovisual performance marking two decades of exploration in experimental sound, systems, and synthesis. Featuring special guests r beny, Testu Collective, Amma Ateria, and Sharkiface, this event brought together boundary-pushing artists for an immersive night of sonic and visual experimentation.

Kraftwerk :: Live in Lajatico, Tuscany (July 18, 2025)

On Friday July 18th, I had the chance to see Kraftwerk live in Lajatico, Tuscany—a rare Italian stop on their European tour, and one of the most surreal concert settings imaginable. Performed at Andrea Bocelli’s hilltop Teatro del Silenzio, the show blended stunning visuals, razor-sharp sound, and decades of electronic music legacy into an unforgettable night.

Stars of the Lid :: Music for Nitrous Oxide (30th Anniversary Reissue) (Artificial Pinearch Manufacturing)

In 2025, the record feels as vital as ever—it reminds us that silence, space, and subtlety are not signs of absence, but of deeper presence. Music for Nitrous Oxide remains a benchmark of ambient music’s emotional potential, a quietly monumental achievement whose influence continues to unfurl, like a sunrise that never quite arrives—and never needs to.

Boards of Canada :: Music Has The Right To Children (Warp/Skam) — [flashback]

Boards of Canada’s Music Has the Right to Children stands as a quintessential cornerstone of downtempo electronic music—a seminal release that propelled the enigmatic duo of Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin into a boundless realm of nostalgic reverie. In this edition of our “Flashback” column, Anne Jackson revisits the album’s haunting landscapes, with particular focus on “Telephasic Workshop,” a track that encapsulates a paradoxical beauty: at once claustrophobic and transcendent in its sonic intricacy.

Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson :: Detroit Techno — [flashback]

In this [Flashback] column, Anne Jackson explores the origins of Detroit Techno, a genre born in the early 1980s from the city’s underground dance scene. Pioneered by African-American artists Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson—collectively known as the Belleville Three—techno fused elements of funk, electro, and early electronic music. Shaped by Detroit’s industrial backdrop and the socio-economic challenges facing its residents, the genre became both a form of artistic innovation and a powerful outlet for expression within the African-American community.