#144: Fortresses

Aggressive pianos, bursting arpeggios, music for the cool kids. The Australian composer and producer discusses three important albums.Madeleine's picks:Philip Glass – GlassworksDirty Three – Whatever You Love, You AreTim Hecker – VirginsMadeleine's new album, Bodies, is out now on Room40. Check it out on her Bandcamp. Her website is here and she's also Instagram.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Black metal for midwest drives, post-apocalyptic collage, ragas for John. The Manchester, UK-based ambient folk artist discusses three important albums.Ethan's picks:Wolves In The Throne Room – Two HuntersGodspeed You! Black Emperor – F# A# ∞Pelt – AyahuascaThe new Black Brunswicker EP, A Moment Of Clarity, is out April 26th on Nettwerk. You can hear several tracks over on the Black Brunswicker bandcamp, and also see a couple of official videos over on Youtube. Ethan is also on Instagram.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Cathartic tragedies, dog-eating opera, guitar improviser spirit animals. The vocalist, lyricist and composer from 9T Antiope discusses three important albums.Sara and Nima's picks:Scott Walker & Sunn O))) – SousedBen Frost – The Wasp FactorySidsel Endresen & Stian Westerhus – BonitaThe new 9T Antiope album, Horror Vacui, is out 12th April on American Dreams. Check it out here. 9T Antiope is on Twitter. Sara is on Twitter and Instagram. Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Voice drips like milk, rays of soprano sunlight, filthy metal bass face. Producer, vocalist and DJ Felicia Chen discusses three important albums.Felicia's picks: Arvo Pärt – Te DeumPortishead – DummyGoth-Trad – PsionicsThe collaborative record between Dis Fig and The Body is out now via Thrill Jockey. Check it out here. Dis Fig is on Instagram and Soundcloud.The Body and Dis Fig will debut the collaboration at this year's Supersonic Festival in Birmingham UK, which runs 30th August – 1st September. More info here.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Driving in fury, letting the endings be real, slow and lonely. The free improvisation percussionist discusses three important albums.Mark's picks:Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell – Old And New Dreams (1979)Evan Parker – MonocerosRebecca Saunders – Fury IIAs always, Mark has a bunch of upcoming live dates. These include Evan Parker's 80th birthday residency at Cafe Oto, for which Mark has prepared a four-part percussion group. Mark's website is here.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Caught by howling, three people at the 2pm concert, vivid colour changes. The Berlin-based singer and artist discusses three important albums.Rosa's picks: Julia Shortreed – Violet SunLow – Double NegativeTear Garden – To Be An Angel Blind, The Cripple Soul DivideRosa's new album Interior is out 23rd February on KLANGBAD. Check out her music on Bandcamp. Rosa's website is here. She's also on Instagram.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Post-apocalyptic industrial environments, pseudo-music, twisted proto-typicalities. The sound artist and experimental musician discusses three important albums.Francisco's picks:David Lynch + Alan Splet – Eraserhead (OST)Mnemonists – HordeMeshuggah – ChaosphereFrancisco's work is available on Bandcamp, including the recent Conveyor Belts [USA]. His website is here.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

The dirt aesthetic, non-relinquishable frequencies, opening up that filter. The London-based sound artist and "mutant dancehall" practitioner discusses three important albums.Aniruddha's picks:Miles Davies – Dark MagusRobert Hood – Minimal NationHallucinator – LandlockedCheck out Dhangsha's music on Bandcamp here. His Hard Return EP "Aberrant" is over here. Dhangsha plays London's Cafe Oto on 24th January, and Electric Spring festival in Huddersfield on 17th February.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Slowing everything down, emotionally devastating lines, the snare on Faucet. The Portland-based producer discusses three important albums.hyacinth.'s picks:DJ Screw – Bigtyme Vol II All Screwed UpEarl Sweatshirt – I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go OutsideMIKE – War In My PenCheck out hyacinth.'s music over on the peradam tapes. label. They're on Twitter – @hyacinthindecay.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening

Mellow ingenuity, drowned in reverb, London at its most gloomy and miserable. London-based multidisciplinary artist Sam Ashton discusses three important albums.Sam's picks:Explosions In The Sky – The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead PlaceGrouper – Dragging A Dead Deer Up A HillBurial – S/TYou can check out Sam's music over at the Fortresses Bandcamp or over at Dragon's Eye Recordings. He's also on Instagram.Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening