Experimental drone and postmetal outfit Nadja got their start in 2003 as the solo studio project of ambient musician Aidan Baker, but by 2005 he’d enlisted the help of bassist and vocalist Leah Buckareff to bring his music to the stage. They’re a married couple as well as bandmates, and they’ve since relocated from their […]
Tag: Germany
Posted inMusic
German indie veterans the Notwist draw from Chicago’s jazz community for the new Vertigo Days
Long-running German group the Notwist perfected their airy combination of lovelorn indie rock and tender electronic sounds nearly two decades ago, but once they got it just right, they apparently decided never to repeat themselves. They preceded the new Vertigo Days (Morr Music) with an instrumental album steeped in the wallpaper aesthetics of library music […]
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Aki Takase, Christian Weber, and Michael Griener advance the language of piano jazz with a collective approach
Berlin-based pianist Aki Takase has been performing for more than 40 years, and in that time she’s engaged with contemporary composition, spoken word, and even a turntablist—the trio Lok 03 includes her husband, fellow pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, and their son, DJ Illvibe. But no matter where she roams, her playing is fundamentally rooted in […]
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One-man black-metal outfit Old Growth finds serenity in nature and death on Mossweaver
German one-man primal black-metal outfit Old Growth has dropped a remarkable debut. The project of a musician who goes by Shaman Animist, Mossweaver is dedicated to the theme of reverence for wilderness, and contains more than an hour of evocative hymns to the unknowable forest that was here before us and will be here long […]
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Steve Von Till finds beauty and humanity within a chaotic universe on No Wilderness Deep Enough
Steve Von Till is best known as co-front man of the mighty Neurosis, but for two decades the singer, multi-instrumentalist, and poet has also led an ambitious and expansive solo career. Under his own name he’s released dark pastoral folk, and as Harvestman he’s made dynamic, psych- and drone-infused music. On his new album, No […]
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Old comrades Peter Brötzmann and Fred Lonberg-Holm reunite on Memories of a Tunicate
German reeds player Peter Brötzmann turned 79 in March, so it would be developmentally appropriate for him to take a look back. But memories are a mixed blessing for a devoted practitioner of improvised music. While they can build up a shared understanding between partners, making it easier for them to come up with something […]
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Kris Esfandiari of King Woman and producer Darcy Baylis combine forces in Sugar High
Kris Esfandiari is no stranger to side projects. Since cofounding doom-metal band King Woman in 2009, she’s released solo material under the names Miserable, Kris, Dalmatian, and Nghtcrwler. Her latest project, Sugar High, is a collaboration with Berlin-based songwriter and producer Darcy Baylis, whose credits include recordings by Wicca Phase Springs Eternal and Camp Cope […]
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Berlin producer Laurel Halo performs at this year’s Daphne festival and releases her first film score
Update: To help slow the spread of COVID-19, this show has been postponed until a date to be determined in the future. Contact point of purchase for refund or exchange information. In January 2018, Berlin-based dance producer, vocalist, and composer Laurel Halo tweeted that she’d written a score for Possessed, a documentary by Rob Schröder […]
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Former Can vocalist Damo Suzuki still diving into impromptu moments
Update: This show has been canceled to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase. Damo Suzuki has always had a case of wanderlust. Born in 1950 in Kobe, Japan, he began traveling while still in his teens and spent time living in Gräsmark, Sweden, before eventually landing in […]
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International dance veterans Tama Sumo and Lakuti know the best routes through music’s past and present
Tama Sumo and Lakuti, each a key player in electronic music for nearly three decades, have been linked professionally and romantically for several years, even though their journeys started in different continents. Lerato Khathi, aka Lakuti, went to her first rave in Johannesburg in 1990, and since then she’s worn several hats: DJ, promoter, booking […]
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Glass house people
The Leider family and an estimated 200,000 Chicagoans trace their heritage to settlers from the tiny nation of Luxembourg.
Posted inBlogs
Five literary biopics whose pictures are worth a thousand words
Five literary biopics whose visual style lives up to the words.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Should the CTA be free? Why not?
Making it easier for people to get to jobs, schools, and health care could save society a ton of money.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Could woman-only el cars prevent sexual harassment on the CTA?
It’s worked in Mumbai and Tokyo, but the CTA says education is a better strategy.
Posted inBlogs
In never-ending wars, the U.S. is on a losing streak
America keeps losing wars—without effect.