The Wire (magazine)
Encyclopedia
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine
, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz
and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music
. Since then it has covered hip hop
, modern classical, free improvisation
, post-rock
, and various forms of electronic music
.
Richard Cook
succeeded Anthony Wood as editor, and was himself succeeded in June 1992 by Mark Sinker. After Sinker was sacked in early 1994 (though he continued as a contributor for some years), the magazine has been edited successively by Tony Herrington, Rob Young
and Chris Bohn, who also writes under the name Biba Kopf.
A series of new music compilation CDs called The Wire Tapper
has been given away with the magazine since 1997. The magazine has used the strapline "Adventures in Modern Music" since 1994. In addition to the Tapper CDs subscribers also receive label, country and festival samplers.
Apart from the numerous album reviews every month, the magazine is known for features such as The Invisible Jukebox, an interview conducted by way of unknown tracks being played to an artist and The Primer, an indepth article on a genre or act. It also features the avant music scene of a particular city every issue. In addition to its musical focus, the magazine also likes to investigate cover art and mixed media artistic works.
Owned for many years by Naim Attallah's
Namara Group, it was bought out by its six full-time members of staff in 2001 and is now published independently.
Since January 2003 The Wire has been presenting a weekly radio program on the London community radio
station Resonance FM
which uses the magazine's strapline as its title and is hosted in turns by members of The Wire's staff.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
. Since then it has covered hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, modern classical, free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
, post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
, and various forms of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
.
Richard Cook
Richard Cook
Richard David Cook was a British jazz writer, magazine editor and former record company executive.Sometimes credited as R. D. Cook, Cook was born in Kew, Surrey and lived in west London as an adult. He was co-author, with Brian Morton, of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings , now in its ninth...
succeeded Anthony Wood as editor, and was himself succeeded in June 1992 by Mark Sinker. After Sinker was sacked in early 1994 (though he continued as a contributor for some years), the magazine has been edited successively by Tony Herrington, Rob Young
Rob Young
Rob Young is a British music author, journalist and current editor-at-large of The Wire, a British based experimental music magazine.Young has contributed to various publications including The Guardian, Gramophone, The Independent On Sunday, Uncut, Frieze and Jazz Times.-Rob Young, coastal...
and Chris Bohn, who also writes under the name Biba Kopf.
A series of new music compilation CDs called The Wire Tapper
The Wire Tapper
The Wire Tapper is a long running series of CD compilations issued with editions of The Wire Magazine. The compilation is not always released with newsagent copies of the magazine; subscribers receive the compilation on a much more frequent basis....
has been given away with the magazine since 1997. The magazine has used the strapline "Adventures in Modern Music" since 1994. In addition to the Tapper CDs subscribers also receive label, country and festival samplers.
Apart from the numerous album reviews every month, the magazine is known for features such as The Invisible Jukebox, an interview conducted by way of unknown tracks being played to an artist and The Primer, an indepth article on a genre or act. It also features the avant music scene of a particular city every issue. In addition to its musical focus, the magazine also likes to investigate cover art and mixed media artistic works.
Owned for many years by Naim Attallah's
Naim Attallah
Naim Attallah is a businessman and writer. He was born in the former British Mandate of Palestine in 1931 and is the publisher of Quartet Books and backer of the Literary Review and The Oldie....
Namara Group, it was bought out by its six full-time members of staff in 2001 and is now published independently.
Since January 2003 The Wire has been presenting a weekly radio program on the London community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station Resonance FM
Resonance FM
Resonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station run by the London Musicians' Collective .The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and over 300 volunteer technical and production staff.Until September 2007, ResonanceFM...
which uses the magazine's strapline as its title and is hosted in turns by members of The Wire's staff.
The Wire contributors
- Steve Barker
- Mike Barnes
- Clive Bell
- Chris Blackford
- Marcus Boon
- Ben Borthwick
- Leon Chew
- Philip Clark
- Mia Clarke
- Julian Cowley
- Christoph Cox
- Alan Cummings
- Lina Dzuverovic - Russell
- Phil England
- Kodwo EshunKodwo EshunKodwo Eshun is a British-Ghanaian writer, theorist and film-maker. He studied English Literature at University College, Oxford University and Romanticism and Modernism MA Hons at Southampton University...
- Phil Freeman
- Paul GilroyPaul Gilroy-Biography:Born in the East End of London to Guyanese and English parents , he was educated at University College School and obtained his bachelor's degree at Sussex University in 1978. He moved from there to Birmingham University where he completed his Ph.D...
- Louise Gray
- Jim Haynes
- Richard Henderson
- Tony Herrington
- Ken Hollings
- Hua Hsu
- David KeenanDavid KeenanDavid Keenan is a Scottish author, critic and musician. He is the author of England's Hidden Reverse, a biography of Coil, Current 93 and Nurse With Wound, a regular contributor to The Wire since 1995, and proprietor of Volcanic Tongue, a shop, distributor, record label and mailorder business that...
- Rhama Khazam
- Biba Kopf
- Alan Licht
- David LubichSoul UndergroundSoul Underground was a UK-based music magazine covering ‘underground’ black music and dance music, which launched in 1987 and ceased publication in January 1991....
- Dave Mandl
- Brian Marley
- Marc Masters
- Jerome Manusell
- Keith Moline
- Will Montgomery
- Brian Morton
- John Mulvey
- Anne Hilde Neset
- Ian PenmanIan PenmanIan Penman is a British writer and, latterly, blogger. He began writing for the NME in the autumn of 1977, later contributing to various publications including Uncut, Arena, The Wire, The Face, The Guardian, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Independent, Screen and German Vogue.Many of Penman's...
- Tom PerchardTom PerchardTom Perchard is a writer and musicologist. He is the author of Lee Morgan: His Life, Music, and Culture , the first biography of the jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan . His work is concerned with the historical and cultural situation of music-making and listening, focussing specifically on American jazz...
- Edwin Pouncey
- Mosi Reeves
- Simon ReynoldsSimon ReynoldsSimon Reynolds is an English music critic who is well-known for his writings on electronic dance music and for coining the term "post-rock". Besides electronic dance music, Reynolds has written about a wide range of artists and musical genres, and has written books on post-punk and rock...
- Tom Ridge
- Stephen Robinson
- Aaron Rosenberg
- Jack SargeantJack SargeantJack Sargeant is a writer specialising in cult film, underground film, and independent film, as well as subcultures, true crime, and other aspects of the unusual. In addition he is a film programmer and an academic...
- Peter Shapiro
- Chris Sharp
- Philip Sherburne
- Nick Southgate
- David StubbsDavid StubbsDavid Stubbs is a British journalist. He was born on 13 September 1962 in London, but grew up in Leeds. As a student at Oxford University he was a close friend of Simon Reynolds; together they worked on an influential fanzine called Monitor before joining Melody Maker in 1986...
- David ToopDavid ToopDavid Toop is an English musician and author, and as of 2001 was visiting Research Fellow in the Media School at London College of Communication. He was notably a member of The Flying Lizards. He was a prominent contributor to the British magazine The Face. He is a regular contributor to The Wire,...
- Dan Warburton
- Ben WatsonBen Watson (music writer)Ben Watson is a British writer on music and culture of Marxist views, known especially for his books on Frank Zappa.Watson is well-known for his writing in The Wire , as well as the author of numerous books, often entailing studies of popular culture from a Marxist perspective...
- Philip Watson
- Rob YoungRob YoungRob Young is a British music author, journalist and current editor-at-large of The Wire, a British based experimental music magazine.Young has contributed to various publications including The Guardian, Gramophone, The Independent On Sunday, Uncut, Frieze and Jazz Times.-Rob Young, coastal...
External links
- Official site
- Resonance FM
- Swen's Weblog - A MP3 weblog focused on THE WIRE
- 1994 Rewind - Record of the Year: Portishead - DummyDummy (album)Dummy is the debut album of the Bristol-based group Portishead. Released in October 22, 1994 on Go! Discs, the album earned critical acclaim, winning the 1995 Mercury Music Prize. It is often credited with popularizing the trip-hop genre and is frequently cited in lists of the best albums of the...
- 1995 Rewind - Record of the Year: TrickyTrickyTricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
- MaxinquayeMaxinquayeMaxinquaye is the debut album of the English musician and actor Tricky, released in 1995. Expanding on the sonic template of fellow Bristolians Massive Attack, and featuring then-girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird on vocals, Maxinquaye is a dark, mysterious album featuring a combination of hip-hop,... - 1996 Rewind - Record of the Year: TortoiseTortoise (band)Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
- Millions Now Living Will Never DieMillions Now Living Will Never DieMillions Now Living Will Never Die is the second album by the Chicago-based band Tortoise. Released in 1996 by Thrill Jockey Records, Millions... is renowned as a groundbreaking album for post-rock; an uncredited review from Outersound.com declares that not long after the album's release, the group... - 1997 Rewind - Record of the Year: Robert WyattRobert WyattRobert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
- ShleepShleepShleep is the eighth album by Canterbury scene and progressive rock veteran and musician Robert Wyatt, released in 1997.The album brings together a diverse range of musicians from a range of genres.-Track listing:... - 1998 Rewind - Record of the Year: Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
- A Thousand LeavesA Thousand LeavesA Thousand Leaves is an album by Sonic Youth. It was the group's first major album to be recorded in their private Manhattan studio, dubbed Echo Canyon.... - 1999 Rewind - Record of the Year: Mouse On MarsMouse on MarsMouse on Mars is a duo from Germany who have been making electronic music since 1993. Their music is a sometimes quirky blend of IDM, krautrock, disco, and ambient with a heavy dollop of analog synth sounds and cross-frequency modulation...
- Niun NiggungNiun NiggungNiun Niggung is an album by German electronica group Mouse on Mars, released in 1999.The American release of Niun Niggung included a radically different configuration from the British and German release and contained several bonus tracks.-Track listing:... - 2000 Rewind - Record of the Year: Anti-Pop Consortium - Tragic Epilogue
- 2001 Rewind - Record of the Year: BjörkBjörkBjörk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
- VespertineVespertineVespertine, is the fifth studio album by the Icelandic recording artist Björk, released on 27 August 2001. On this album, Björk creates a quiet, introverted world of microbeats and personal lyrics... - 2002 Rewind - Record of the Year: Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
- Murray StreetMurray Street (album)Murray Street is the twelfth album by Sonic Youth. It was released in 2002. It was the first album by the group to feature Jim O'Rourke as an official fifth member.Members of noise improv group Borbetomagus appear on "Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style"... - 2003 Rewind - Record of the Year: Robert WyattRobert WyattRobert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
- CuckoolandCuckooland-Track listing:All tracks composed by Robert Wyatt; except where indicated#"Just a Bit" – 5:09#"Old Europe" – 4:15#"Tom Hay's Fox" – 3:33#"Forest" – 7:55#"Beware" – 5:09... - 2004 Rewind - Record of the Year: Albert AylerAlbert AylerAlbert Ayler was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer.Ayler was among the most primal of the free jazz musicians of the 1960s; critic John Litweiler wrote that "never before or since has there been such naked aggression in jazz" He possessed a deep blistering tone—achieved...
- Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70) - 2005 Rewind - Record of the Year: The BooksThe BooksThe Books are an American duo, formed in New York City in 1999, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong. Their releases typically incorporate samples of obscure sounds and speech...
- Lost and SafeLost and SafeLost and Safe is the third album by The Books. It is in the same style of their previous albums, continuing their rich use of samples as diverse as Raymond Baxter , W. H... - 2006 Rewind - Record of the Year: BurialBurial (musician)Burial is the stage name of William Bevan, an electronic musician from London. His music contains elements of dubstep, 2-step garage, ambient and house music. His eponymous debut album was released in 2006 to critical acclaim...
- BurialBurial (Burial album)Burial is the eponymous debut album by the dubstep producer Burial. It was released in 2006 on Kode9's Hyperdub records to critical acclaim, including being named "Album of the Year" by The Wire magazine... - 2007 Rewind - Record of the Year: Robert WyattRobert WyattRobert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
- ComicoperaComicoperaComicopera is an album by Robert Wyatt released on 8 October 2007, available on both CD and double vinyl formats . It is Wyatt's first release on the Domino Records label... - 2008 Rewind - Record of the Year: The Bug - London ZooLondon Zoo (album)-Release history:-External links:* at Ninja Tune...
- 2009 Rewind - Record of the Year: Broadcast & The Focus GroupBroadcast (band)Broadcast are an electronic music band, founded in Birmingham, England. Original members were Trish Keenan , Roj Stevens , Tim Felton and James Cargill . Various drummers played with the band, including Keith York, Phil Jenkins, Jeremy Barnes, Steve Perkins, and Neil Bullock...
- Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio AgeBroadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio AgeBroadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age is an album collaboration by Broadcast and The Focus Group, released by Warp Records on October 27, 2009. It was voted the best album of 2009 by The Wire... - 2010 Rewind - Record of the Year: Actress - Splazsh