Inside The Wire 274 December 2006

Regulars

The Masthead 6 Letters 8 Bitstream 10 Trawling for gossip withThe Wire’s news net. PlusTrip Or Squeek Global Ear 18 In Ethiopia, Chris Sharp succumbs to the hypnotic rhythms of Tigrean music Charts 48 Out There 92 The pick of the month’s festivals, concerts, club spaces, radio and more Subscribe 96 Back Issues 98 Epiphanies 106 Sitting in on a recording session at Abbey Road in 1965, Barry Miles watches The Beatles reinvent pop music

Melvins photographed by Kareem Black

Features

The Wire Tapper 16 4 Your track-by-track guide to this month’s free CD Reanimator 12 The Portland duo’s low-tech, analogue debut is infused with spectral Techno rhythms. By Philip Sherburne

Hisato Higuchi 14 Alan Cummings uncovers the workplace stress and urban alienation which frustrate and inspire the Japanese guitarist

Beat Furrer 16 The Swiss composer’s Fama project expounds his concept of a ‘listening theatre’. By Andy Hamilton

Cross Platform Charles Atlas 20 Louise Gray connects the dots of the US fi lm maker’s work, which links Merce Cunningham to Sonic Youth and Fennesz

Invisible Jukebox Marc Ribot 22 The versatile and prolifi c guitarist picks up the duende in tracks by Albert Ayler, Giacinto Scelsi, Ry Cooder and more. Tested by Alan Licht

Steve Mackay 28 Best known for his blowing on The Stooges’ Fun House, the saxophonist fi nally makes his solo debut with two albums of blazing free jazz and electronics. By Edwin Pouncey

John Surman 30 The veteran saxophonist’s early 70s work with The Trio, John McLaughlin and Dave Holland produced some of the most visionary moments in British jazz. By Julian Cowley

Melvins 36 The unpredictable California based quartet intersperse neo-Metal albums with art fi lm soundtracks, avant garde provocations and audience baiting antics. By Phil Freeman

Reviews

Index 49 Soundcheck 50 This month’s selected CDs and vinyl, including Janek Schaefer, Sandy Bull, Robbie Basho, Hototogisu and more. Plus specialist columns on avant rock, critical beats, dub, electronica, hiphop, jazz & Improv, modern composition, outer limits, reissues, compilations and unusual formats The Inner Sleeve 77 Adam Kidd on Why?/ Odd Nosdam’s split EP Print Run 78 New music books, including a VJing compendium, a collection of Studs Terkel’s interviews, John Cage discussed and more On Screen 80 New music DVDs, including Faust and Jeff Tweedy On Site 81 Installations and gallery events, including Maryanne Amacher’s Music For Sound Joined Room Series On Location 82 Concert and festival reviews, including Instal in Glasgow, Adventures In Modern Music in Chicago and more

The Primer Texan Hiphop 42 Cough syrup at the ready, Dave Stelfox presents a user’s guide to the Lone Star State’s own brand of ‘screwed and chopped’ hiphop