Fading Pictures
*2026 stockn* Last time, RLW (Ralf Wehowsky—active years ago on P16.D4 and since then releasing a largely uncategorizable brand of noise music across numerous publications) thrilled us on these pages with his album Satanic Inventions. Now, again on Stephen Meixner’s label Black Rose Recordings, the similarly conceptually dense album Fading Pictures is released.
In the liner notes, Wehowsky describes the close connection between electroacoustics and Cinéma L’Oreille. He understands electroacousti…
Furafauna
Furafauna is the culmination of three years of work by Thorsten Soltau (who sometimes works under the name Femurl, with both names attributed to this album). Consisting of four pieces and two remixes, one by Troum and one by Sewicide, he dabbles in a wide variety of mostly (but not exclusively) electronic structures. Elements of abstract noise, glitching digital, and traditional composition all are present at various points, culminating in a dense and at times challenging but engaging album.
Oresme
*300 copies limited edition* Percussionists Mika Kallio and Janne Tuomi have each spent decades at the edges of Finnish improvised music. Oresme, their debut duo on Mustik Motel, takes its name from the 14th-century philosopher who argued that all perceived motion depends entirely on where you stand. Nine tracks navigate that same double territory: outward into astronomical scale and inward toward something quieter and untranslated. Two percussion setups, one vibraphone, and a great deal of room…
Felix
The great master, improvisational pianist, and musical polymath Steve Beresford; John Edwards, one of the most important double bassists on the global free improv scene; and Mandhira de Saram, an exquisite violinist and former member of the renowned Ligetti Quartet, come together. “Felix” is the recording debut of this trio, which, since its formation a few years ago, has become a regularly performing ensemble. Recorded at London’s Vortex club in January of last year, the album demonstrates how …
Oblic
"Among all the paradoxes of communication, which improvisational musicians explore continuously as connoisseurs to create magic, there is the fact that they speak at the same time (something we are generally discouraged from doing). Not only that, but they have the quartering ability to listen and hear each other while speaking at the same time. Reversal of the situation for better sharing: to hear each other better, to hear everything better, it would really be better if we all got into the hab…
Bee Space
There aren’t many all-female vocal groups in the world of improvised music, even fewer of them are working bands, and there are very few projects that are anything more than that. VoiceACT, conceived by Anna Gadt, is exactly that. VoiceACT is, above all, a platform for artistic exploration, generally without specific stylistic characteristics, but operating according to the sacred principle of free creation, to which each invited artist contributes whatever resonates in their improvisational sou…
Serpentine
After the wild Afro-jazz fusion of Trancedance (reissued as BT118) and the meditative solo Christer Bothén Donso n’goni (BT133), legendary Swedish multi-instrumentalist Christer Bothén returns to Black Truffle as part of a dream quartet completed by the three members of Ghosted: Oren Ambarchi (guitar), Johan Berthling (bass) and Andreas Werliin (drums). Recorded at a rustic studio built by Werliin and Hans Fredriksson in the sylvan surrounds of Hamburgsund, Sweden across a few days in September …
L'Oriole
L'Oriole is the meeting point between violinist and composer Clara Lévy and sound artist Stéphane Clor. Combining violin, violoncello piccolo and a unique orchestra of resonators and transducers, the duo explores birdsong, resonance and the transformative power of sound. Acoustic instruments are projected into cymbals, drum skins, aluminium cans and other resonant objects, creating rich layers of colour, texture and spatial depth. Inspired by the work of Olivier Messiaen and his fascination with…
Almost This
"There is a familiar species of experience. I believe it is nearly universal. Here’s the brief: we have not seen a person in a long time, someone with whom we were once close. For no good reason – no falling out, no unpleasantries at all – our paths have not crossed. Then, in an instant, we are together, thrown or brought or drawn. Circumstance has landed us proximate and here we are, face to face. Within seconds, we recognize the person. I mean really recognize them. Not just their external app…
Synàntisi
"Autumn has always brought me bright thoughts and fruitful encounters. Barry and I, although we had known each other for many years — and although I had grown “into adulthood” musically through the influence of masters like him — had never had the chance to play and record together. Finally, October 2025 gave me this wonderful gift: an extraordinary meeting. Coming face to face with a champion of free improvisation placed me in a position where I had to draw upon all the creativity available — a…
foam & mesh
Recorded by Karl Winand and Markus Massinger at artacts – Festival for Jazz and Improvised Music, Alte Gerberei, St. Johann in Tirol, Austria. Mixed and mastered by John Butcher
Sophie Agnel - pianoJohn Butcher - saxophonesPascal Niggenkemper - double bassStåle Liavik Solberg - drums
Rhizoming
Chinese tradition tells the story of how one day, the Emperor decided to decorate the walls of his new palace. He summoned two of the most famous painters of the time and gave them two months to complete the paintings on the walls. One of the painters immediately got to work and spent two months diligently and meticulously sketching, applying colors, correcting, and perfecting his painting. The second painter arrived a day before the deadline and painted his painting in a single gesture, without…
Heresy Museum
Nice Music presents, from the artist well-known in drastic DIY thrills circles as People Skills, the debut release under the endonym S.B.A. (or Samael B. Aaens). Shotput through a career of recordings for prestigious underground pillars - Siltbreeze, Blackest Ever Black, Kashual Plastik, Altered States Tapes, Regional Bears and I Dischi Del Barone, yet for the first time ever, S.B.A. touches home, unleashing a series of recordings using his distant glowing beacon 'Heresy Museum' as the pivot poi…
60bpm 33rpm
"After six minutes, time flips into reverse. The sounds of Ramsgate start running backwards. Cackles of seagulls are sucked back into tiny throats, while the distant yelps of school playtime turn giddy and abrupt, doubtless punctuating games of backward hopscotch. Central to the piece is the steady tick of the steam-age turret clock at St George’s Church, which was installed almost two centuries ago. When ticking runs forward, it seems to gift a divine guarantee to the formidable flow of time; a…
Bing Industries
"Impassable moments lingering in the present,” utters Beth Robertson, the soft spoken voice cresting over a jostle of harmonics, creaks and knocks. “Existing just after us but before her. Everything lingers.” It’s inevitable that a record inspired by gigantic mounds of waste should be rich in the residue of the past, yet it’s striking to hear these atmospheres crackle with future-facing anticipation. Out of the sounds salvaged and recycled from previous performances at Tokoro Studio, we hear all…
Wildnis
During numerous sessions in their own Inkiek studio in Unna/Germany and a residency in Montoriol/France in 2025, Klangwart have created their new work „Wildnis“ („wilderness“), inviting Sébastien Del Grande to add tenor and alto saxophone, drums, marimba and other various percussion instruments to their electronic textures. Catalan composer and performer Ivan Chin aka Ivan Telefunken also participated in the recording sessions by contributing to a Catalan version of Swiss group Grauzone's famous…
Around Here, The Birds Plant The Trees
A blackbird at dawn inspired a living score: Natalia Beylis’ work, ‘Around Here, The Birds Plant The Trees’, is a 52-minute longform journey about land stewardship grown from the sounds and textures of a single field in Leitrim, Ireland. This recording of 'Around Here, The Birds Plant The Trees' captures the piece as it existed on Friday 12 December 2025. I mention a specific date, because the score for this work is constantly shifting and provides a new variation each time it is played, echoing…
Six or Seven Ways Towards Becoming Undone
The duo of Camila Nebbia and Chris Corsano brings together two fiercely creative voices from the international improvised music scene. Nebbia’s searching tenor saxophone lines meet Corsano’s explosive, highly textural percussion in a set of spontaneous exchanges of raw expression. Their music moves fluidly between delicate detail and surging intensity, driven by deep listening and fearless experimentation. The result is a striking dialogue where every gesture reshapes the sonic landscape in real…
Studio Recording
The new release by Ochibonoame captures the trio’s raw and searching approach. With Makoto Kawashima on alto saxophone, Louis Inage on bass, and Naoto Yamagishi on drums and percussion, the group navigates the volatile terrain of silence and eruptive energy. Their music unfolds as an intuitive dialogue, where fragility and abrasive sonic bursts collide in real time. The result is a deeply visceral document of spontaneous creation, rooted in the underground spirit of Japan’s improvised music scen…
Vi la pampa arder
The trio of Luciana Bass, Ezequiel Jaime, and Federico Isasti brings together three distinctive voices from Argentina's adventurous improvised music scene. Centered on Bass’s expressive sonic palette, their music is both volatile yet deeply attentive, fueled by Jaime’s exploratory playing and Isasti’s highly responsive drumming. They move freely between sparse textures and intricate collective energy. This release documents a trio deeply attuned to one another, forging form and intensity in the …