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“Growing in the Shade”: Bill Direen, Christchurch, and the Beginnings of Flying Nun Records

It is certainly not possible to discuss the entire history of Flying Nun Records in one blog post. This fact is proven by Audioculture, the New Zealand music website which […]

April 30, 2023

Torn Light Archives 11: ‘Coda’ from 1975-1976

I’m thrilled to return to the Torn Light Archives again, especially when I have material as solid as this to sift through. If you follow Torn Light on social media, […]

April 9, 2023

Record Store Day 2023

Browse the list below to see all new RSD exclusive releases we will be stocking in-store on April 22, 2023. Check back regularly for updates. The Adicts – Fifth Overture […]

April 7, 2023

“Free Minds and Ears”: The Early Days of the Los Angeles Free Music Society

What is now known within noise and avant-garde circles as the Los Angeles Free Music Society didn’t start out with that name, a moniker suggesting legitimacy, seriousness, maybe funding from […]

February 26, 2023

“This Might Cause Feedback”: Toshimaru Nakamura and the No-Input Mixing Board

Toshimaru Nakamura has blasted a set of speakers on occasion. However, listening to his 2000 debut album, No-Input Mixing Board, a subtle display of minimal musicianship, wouldn’t suggest music that […]

January 29, 2023

Mirrors: A Conversation with Matt Ibarra

For this blog entry, I got together for a conversation with Matt Ibarra, a San Diego-based musician releasing ambient and techno under the name MattxIbarra. Earlier this month MattxIbarra released […]

December 31, 2022

Delayed Saxophones and the Downtown World of Dickie Landry

The saxophonist, composer, artist, and photographer Dickie Landry set out into the artistic world with the goal of crafting an individual sound unlike any other. From his distinctive stereo delay […]

November 27, 2022

The Fragmented Blues of Loren Connors

Drawing on inspiration from the abstract painter Mark Rothko to the delta blues stylings of Robert Johnson, Loren Connors crafted a sparse and wandering improvisational guitar sound unlike any other […]

October 28, 2022

“Ancient and Futuristic”: Robert Rutman and the US Steel Cello Ensemble

While the word “cello” may bring to mind a wooden instrument played by influential figures such as Yo-Yo Ma, the steel cello created by German artist and composer Robert Rutman […]

October 21, 2022