"Taking its name from the two-step partner shuffle done to the slower soul selections at blues dances since the late ‘70s, 2-step soul came into its own in the mid-‘80s to early ‘90s through London-based soul blues/rare groove sound systems …" Before UK Garage, 2-Step Was All About the Soul:

Composer Chaz Underriner's latest multimedia project draws from the landscape of the American South. 'Moving,' transforms environmental field recordings and modular compositions into hypnotic soundscapes that document our fragile waterways. Ripple Effects — Chaz Underriner's Immersive Water Music:

"Factory is as synonymous with Manchester as The Beatles are with Liverpool — which is rather ironic, because Liverpool is precisely where Factory Records was born. If you don’t believe me, then we should take a look at the six days leading up to this event."

Three decades into their existence, Italy's experimental metal/rock/jazz trio release 'Ferrum Sidereum,' a double-album that draws on meteoric iron symbolism, Tibetan philosophy, and the practice of creating inner silence amid external chaos. The Lightning Bolt Sound and Diamond Nature of Zu:

"The second part of my definitive favourite jazz list …" 30 jazz records that expanded my mind (part II):

Today's Tonal Treat ✨ #SongOfTheDay #NowPlaying #MusicSky #TonalTreat

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"I was infatuated with these seemingly random photos of people holding oversized signs around London. They reminded me of folks on the side of the highway twirling advertisements for the local carwash or sandwich shop. Yet the printed logo gave them a Pop Art feel."

In this clip from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, NAMM's John Mlynczak stresses the importance of immediate enjoyment to spark long-term passion in music students and learners. #MusicEducation Don't miss the full conversation: podcast.thetonearm.com/john-mlyncza...

"As wholesome as cherry pie and as grotesque and inexplicable as a dismembered ear in the grass, drawn equally to spirit-lifting doo-wop and ominous electrical hums, his work hinges on an axis of fear and love, reminding us of our choice: Fix your heart or die, the kingdom of heaven is within."

Louis Gardner's 'Emotionally Suited To Be A Solo Pianist' began as a three-hour improvisation that captured winter's quieter truths about distance, solitude, and the strange calm that arrives when the world slows down. Arina Korenyu investigates. The Cold Comfort of Louis Gardner's Solo Piano:

Aw man… Saw the Oils a couple times in the 80s and Hirst was so clearly the MVP of that band RIP

"We return to France, in the late 60s, where a motley international band of beat poets, 'space whisperers' and potheaded pixies set up a commune in the woods outside Paris. Bonjour, GONG…" Daevid Allen & Gong — “Absurdism is the highest form of comedy”: www.uncut.co.uk/features/dae...

"Surrounded by family in the band and in the audience, John Fogerty bookends solo material with the rock and roll staples of Creedence Clearwater Revival." John Fogerty — Tiny Desk Concert: www.npr.org/2026/01/16/g...

We talk endlessly about the Billboard Hot 100, but there aren’t many articles doing an in-depth analysis of the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100—the chart for the songs not popular enough to chart. That’s where I come in. tedium.co/2026/01/19/b... new @tedium.co

"Be-Bop Deluxe barely register in music’s critical or popular canon: under-rated by critics even in their lifetime, never really attaining proper popular success, could they be the ultimate 70s cult band?" Sunburst Finish by Be-Bop Deluxe, 50 years on:

"The Damned’s history, in fact, is so convoluted it’s actually done them harm. Where everyone understands who and what their contemporaries the Sex Pistols and the Clash were, it’s much harder with the Damned." The Damned celebrate 50 years of punk, goth and holy grail hunting:

"Born Hollis Frazier-Herndon, 2hollis is the son of a successful music publicist, Kathryn Frazier, and a stalwart of indie music, John Herndon, the drummer of the foundational Chicago post-rock band Tortoise …" For 2hollis, Music Is a Family Business. So We Interviewed Him and His Dad (gift link):

Greil Marcus has long been an astute observer of American music and culture. He coined the term ‘The Old, Weird America’ and described it as a “playground of God, Satan, tricksters, Puritans, confidence men, Illuminati, braggarts, preachers, anonymous poets of all stripes.”

"He discovered a talent for improvising while playing along with a school ensemble on a plastic whistle. 'I had an ear for it,' he told DownBeat. 'I knew how it worked.'" Ralph Towner, Eclectic Guitarist With the Ensemble Oregon, Dies at 85 (gift link):

Join us on today's new episode of The Tonearm Podcast for a conversation with John Mlynczak, President and CEO of NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), as he shares his path from trumpet player to educator to leader of the music industry's largest trade organization …

It's "Blue Monday", which is a load of nonsense, but it is an excuse for a thread about New Order and the UK's best-selling 12-inch single of all time #BlueMonday (THREAD 1 of 10)

"Thirlwell understood that to have his work presented the way he wanted, he had to be in the driving seat. This desire for control may have limited his commercial opportunities, but it also meant that he would make decisions that were best for him and his art. Including when it was finished."

"I’d had too much to smoke and was lying down with my Leica when I saw Bubbleman. The bubble burst just as I pressed the shutter." A naked man plays with bubbles at Glastonbury – Jocelyn Bain Hogg’s best photograph:

"In a world obsessed with surveillance, I've been drawn to hidden languages that might be opaque to the public. For me it feels liberating." Colin Self turned night into studio and meditation into medium, emerging with 'r∞L4nGc'—an album that speaks in secret tongues to commune with departed souls:

"Perfect sound forever — Fun? No thanks. The cut-throat record business? Love it. Painstaking perfectionism? If only. Welcome to the mysterious world of Lawrence: the pop star that fame forgot." Meet Lawrence, Music's Last True Enigma:

"Bowie has always felt elemental to me, and that first listen [to ★] left me struck. I suspect it will always retain an enigmatic allure, its meaning occulted (hidden) and revealed in transcendent flashes that register for only a moment and then disappear back into the ether."

Constant Smiles's Ben Jones discusses how 'Moonflowers' is his return to fingerpicked folk after years of pushing against the Martha's Vineyard sounds that shaped him, and how he finally has the patience to honor influences like Nick Drake. Ben Jones and the Patient Bloom of Constant Smiles:

"Though it’s certainly a team effort that makes Birdland one of the most classic examples of ’70s jazz fusion, the interplay between Zawinul and Pastorius is truly stunning – particularly around the two minute mark, with Pastorius dropping low and Zawinul going high."

"To come into contact with Bobby musically felt like entering a portal that was a direct conduit into the mystical, musical landscape and history of the Grateful Dead." Bob Weir remained completely in touch with the Grateful Dead’s wild wonder. I’ll never forget playing with him:

Today's Tonal Treat ✨ #SongOfTheDay #NowPlaying #MusicSky #JazzSky #TonalTreat

"Ms. Kilgore [flew] under the mainstream cultural radar. But she was extolled by musical connoisseurs for the vitality she brought to her reinterpretations of pop standards of the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s." Rebecca Kilgore, 76, Dies; Acclaimed Interpreter of American Songbook (gift link):

I am so incredibly sad to learn Ralph Towner has departed our realm. Someone I got to know very well across decades of interviews. Once I process this devastating news, I’ll have a lot more to say.

"Through deep reporting and an unwavering ethical framework, Pelly took Spotify to task … the streamer’s continued misdeeds were put under a microscope throughout 2025, leading to a steady drumbeat of negative press and many artists leaving the platform in disgust."

Join us on today's new episode of The Tonearm Podcast for a conversation with John Mlynczak, President and CEO of NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), as he shares his path from trumpet player to educator to leader of the music industry's largest trade organization …

"Beth Morrison wasn’t seeing the kind of opera she wanted to see, experimental music theater that resonated with contemporary life. So, she told herself, 'I guess I have to start my own thing.'" Modern American Opera Wouldn’t Be the Same Without Her (gift link):

"'Goodbye Horses' is best known for its appearance in The Silence of the Lambs … I’ll look at how the song was produced and recreate the synthesizer sounds in order to explore how a few sparse layers, some minimal processing, and plenty of atmosphere can create something timeless."

Saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom's album 'Songs in Space' brings together her pioneering approach to surround sound jazz, a vision of music in zero gravity, and a belief that silence gives the brain time to process music moving through dimensions. We Are Floating in Space — Jane Ira Bloom's Jazz Odyssey:

"In this article, I’ll discuss how 'Music for Airports' was created, and I’ll deconstruct and recreate the tracks 2/1 and 1/2. Hopefully, the article will demystify some of Brian Eno’s techniques and give you some ideas about how to adopt some of his ambient music techniques yourself."

"The idea of the “rock god” was born in 1971 in an article in the Edwardsville Intelligencer, a newspaper in Illinois, USA. But David Bowie had long believed in such beings, and now he was about to make one, become one, and kill one." The Church of David Bowie:

Remembering Ryuichi Sakamoto on what would have been his 74th birthday

In an interview with The Tonearm, guitarist Nels Cline talks about 'Trio of Bloom' with Craig Taborn + Marcus Gilmore, maintaining experimental outlets alongside two decades in Wilco, and the productive anxiety of working with wizard-level musicians. OK Bloomers — Nels Cline Finds His Happy Place:

“'The damn instrument was invented by a sadist,' Alison Fletcher, who plays with the Hudson Valley Symphonic Wind Ensemble, told me. 'You sound like a wild duck for at least the first three years.'" If You Think This Instrument Is Hard to Play, Try Building One (gift link):

"Phuture invented acid house, mucking around with a dead-batteried 303; LFO added steel, elegance and bass to the acid sound, and The Micronauts took it outside and messed it up …" The Micronauts - Paris’s twisted answer to Bleep and Chicago:

Today's Tonal Treat ✨ #SongOfTheDay #NowPlaying #MusicSky #JazzSky #TonalTreat

"The 15 January edition of The Wire’s weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra featured music by Christina Kubisch, Klein, Magda Drozd and many more …" James Gormley hosts Adventures In Sound And Music:

As it's Françoise Hardy's birthday today I updated an article on French Girl Pop that I did for Into Creative a few years ago. grantmcphee.substack.com/p/french-gir... #francoisehardy

"The thing is, once you’ve learnt to appreciate the beauty of swinging on a sweet, dry ride cymbal, there’s no going back. Before I knew it, I’d embarked on discovering what are considered the most celebrated jazz records." 30 jazz records that expanded my mind (part I):

"Chris Knox is a humble classicist, energized and enabled by the simplest tools of his various trades: pen and paper, reel-to-reel four-track, Casio keyboards, time-lapse video, stop-motion video, cheap guitars, the gift of gab, and the willingness to drop a well-timed curse word in a catchy song."

"The shift from the dreamy, psychedelic ‘60s to the heavy-rocking ‘70s presented challenges for more than a few bands, but the UK group Freedom made the leap as if they’d been training for it." Freedom, “Freedom At Last”: