A very English voice combines with wholly
un-English sentiments in the idiosyncratic songs of Robert Wyatt,
who is about to break a six year silence with a brilliant new
album. This article was originally published in The Wire
163 (September 1997).
New York's Sonic Youth and Los Angeles'
Savage Republic are revitilising American rock music with their
hard-core attitudes and screaming guitars. Biba Kopf reports on the
coast-to-coast cacophony as rampant discords clash by night. This
article originally appeared in The Wire 58 (December
1988).
The musicians behind Germany's mysterious
Basic Channel label are Techno-archaeologists, anonymous
electricians inhabiting the wired-up cities of Berlin and Detroit.
Biba Kopf tracks down the invisible men of electronic music. This
article originally appeared in The Wire 150 (August
1996).
The unedited transcript of Biba Kopf's
interview with Robert Wyatt. A feature based on this interview
appeared in issue #163 of The Wire
The Wire 's Biba Kopf has curated a
show for Band Of Holy Joy front man Johny Brown's internet radio
station, Radio Joy. The episode, which was...
On The Cover: The Samadhisound proprietor
tells Biba Kopf about his latest song collection which features
input from improvisors Eddie Prévost, Keith Rowe and more. Plus:
Aki Onda, Julie Tippetts, William Basinski's Jukebox, Joker,
Caroliner, John Wynne, 20 years of Warp, Philip Jeck on recycled
sleeves, Matt Thorne on Viking Moses and others...
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Vladislav Delay - What makes today's Techno
so different, so appealing? Interviews with Sightings, Hot Chip,
Cath & Phil Tyler, Warrior Queen & Wooden Shjips. Plus:
George E Lewis's Invisible Jukebox, Hideaki Takahashi's 'media
opera' in Cross Platform, Drew Daniel's Global Ear from Baltimore,
Nick Sylvester's Epiphany, Damon & Naomi's Inner Sleeve plus
much, much more...
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Sting and Bono are Sensible. The Butthole
Surfers and Bootsy Collins are Stupid. John Adams and Glenn Branca
are Stoopid. Biba Kopf explains the difference. This article
originally appeared in The Wire 135 (May 1995).
Of all the Japanese musicians now coming to prominence in the West, Keiji Haino is the most extraordinary: his music, shrouded in mystery, describes a personal quest of withering complexity and intensity. Biba Kopf talks to Haino in Tokyo. This article originally appeared in The Wire 151 (September 1996).
ON THE COVER: Smegma - Three decades of free rock
mayhem hasn't dimmed the enthusiasm of the LA freakout troupe who
have worked with Wild Man Fischer, Richard Meltzer, Merzbow and
Wolf Eyes. By David Keenan
FEATURES: Dabrye, Invisible Jukebox: Biosphere,
Akio Suzuki & John Butcher, Die Trip Computer Die, Cross
Platform: Brian Eno, Philip Samartzis, Leopard Leg, John Wiese
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Read at Exact Editions
ON THE COVER: 2003 Rewind - The Wire's
crack writing squad select the year's best records; plus critics',
singers' and players' pros and cons
FEATURES: Arthur Russell, Jerome Noetinger, Paal
Nilssen-Love, Matt Rogalsky, Invisible Jukebox: Damon & Naomi,
Basil Kirchin, Matthew Bourne
Buy - £6.00
ON THE COVER: New Weird America - Sunburned Hand
of the Man are spearheading the groundswell of the US free folk
revolution. By David Keenan
FEATURES: Primer: Fela Kuti, Robert Ashley, Phew,
Mike Paradinas, The Pastels, Niobe, Cedric Im Brooks, Tu m'
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ON THE COVER: Asian Dub Foundation - Rooted in
Community Music, the East London posse have built a broad popular
base for their sample-loaded and politically charged music,
bringing down barriers between high/low and East/West. By David
Stubbs
FEATURES: 2002 Rewind: Records of the Year, Albert
Ayler, Shandar, Invisible Jukebox: John Sinclair, Schimpfluch,
Henry Grimes, Oxbow, Gert-Jan Prins
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ON THE COVER: Tom Waits - Barfly, beatnik, hobo,
hipster, Weimar cabaret singer, Stallone co-star, Harry Partch fan:
the chronicler of the American underbelly has been playing
confidence games with his identity and music since the 70s. By Phil
Freeman
FEATURES: Invisible Jukebox: Arthur Lee, William
Parker, Lou Harrison, Leif Elggren & CM Von Hausswolff, To Live
& Shave In LA, Boom Bip, Tchad Blake, Kevin Drumm, Peter
Hammill, Sonic Process
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ON THE COVER: Company Flow and beyond - New York's
finest HipHop outfit may have ceased trading, but board members
El-P, Bigg Jus and Mr Len have already laid separate plans for
anti-corporate action via labels such as Def Jux and Sub Verse. By
Mosi Reeves
FEATURES: Neu!, Primer: Fire Music, Invisible
Jukebox: Fred Frith, John Duncan, Electrelane, Radiohead, Yoko Ono,
Scritti Politti, Prix Ars Electronica
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ON THE COVER: Tortoise - Climbing out of their
shells, Chicago's premier post-rockers reveal to David Keenan how
their new album redefines their standards even as it reaffirms
their hardcore roots
FEATURES: Primer: The Residents, Secret Museum of
Mankind, Invisible Jukebox: Gary Lucas, Bob Ostertag, Lesser,
Peaches, Japanorama live
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On The Cover: As London's Hayward Gallery hosts
the largest retrospective of sonic art the UK has ever seen, we
present a guide to the visualisation of multiple, hybrid
soundworlds
Features: Brian Eno, Christian Marclay, Evan
Parker's Jukebox, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Laurie Anderson,
Dylan Group, Iain Ballamy
Buy - £6.00
ON THE COVER: Stockhausen - Interstellar
Fugitive
FEATURES: Kraftwerk, Neu!, La Dusseldorf, The Dead
C, Tropicalia, Ozomatli, David Toop on Fela Kuti, Stock, Hausen
& Walkman's Jukebox, Solid Eye