Journey to the forests of the Amazon and Poland with blind artist Izabela Dłużyk

Now is a time to listen more deeply. Sound artist Izabela Dłużyk, blind since birth, launched a crowdfunding campaign to “dream despite blindness” back in 2016 to travel to Peruvian rainforest. We can sonically travel with her in a full-length album of field recordings, The Amazon — Where the Moon Wept.

Bliss out with Palette Sequencer, generative Max for Live Device

Palette Sequencer by the duo KOAN Sound uses color palettes to generate sequences for melodies and modulation. It’s gorgeously designed and available now for Ableton Live and Max for Live.

Linux DAW is a one-stop catalog of free and proprietary plug-ins for Linux

From full free and open-source software to proprietary favorites from other platforms, the plug-in options on Linux have quietly come into their own. linuxdaw.org has a visual, searchable catalog – and it’s a reminder of just how spoiled for choice you are even without Windows or macOS.

Utrecht’s Le Guess Who? festival chronicles a broken visa system

Le Guess Who?, a festival beginning this week in Utrecht, Netherlands, put together a model of inclusion and diversity. And then that vision ran straight into a visa system often designed to keep people out – when it worked at all. But this festival decided to do something differently: share their experience.

Arash Azadi’s music returns to primordial states of human existence

In whirling, abstract flights of noise and oscillations, composer Arash Azadi makes electronics that evolve as if in an electro-organic primordial ooze. And he has something to say about returning us all to a deeper state of existence.

Bastl Instruments Crust drum voice is free in VCV Rack, too

The free modules for VCV Rack are coming fast and furious. The latest is Bastl’s awesomely versatile Crust drum voice. Just in case you need something to, you know, distract yourself today/tonight/the rest of this week.

Peak 90s Opcode in a Vision training tape, NIN music video

Do you want to travel back to 1990s music production? Were you not born yet and want to experience it in a fully immersive way? Opcode’s Josh and Nine Inch Nails have you covered.

Quincy Jones in four essential interviews

The world lost legendary multi-disciplinary musical powerhouse Quincy Jones yesterday. He was 91. Here’s his vision in his own words at different stages of his life and career.

Free Soundtoys PhaseMistress: here’s a complete tour and extra presets

Soundtoys has made their exceptional phaser plug-in PhaseMistress free for a limited time. Here’s how to get it, plus some CDM-exclusive presets and a crash-course tour.

Okay, the “frog” bass stabs on MJ’s Thriller is a Casiotone MT-60

Never underestimate the power of simple synthesis tricks, least of all in the hands of vintage Casio designers. The distinctive “frog” bass croak in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” recorded in 1982, comes from a Casiotone MT-60. And it’s a sound you can patch up yourself.