Start your Black History Month in music by traveling back to the 6th century

Black History Month may be a creation of the USA, but why not go further out and further back – much further back? Jon Silpayamanant takes us back to Saint Yared in Ethiopia in the 6th century for a ride through the centuries that could transform some of your ideas about music history and provide some alternative starting points.

Chappell Roan used the Grammys to call out industry, demand a living wage

Chappell Roan didn’t just win a Grammy: she used that stage as a platform to call out industry abuse and demand a living wage for artists. And she did it in an enormous hat. There is a call to action for just this kind of change inside the USA – one that’s relevant advocacy worldwide.

Sinevibes’ YouTube account is terminated (updated: it’s back!)

YouTube has disabled the account of plugin developer Sinevibes, citing violations of the platform’s “spam, deceptive practices and scams policy.” There’s no rational reason for that, and it’s the latest chilling example of how severely dominant tech platforms can disrupt businesses. Here’s more:

TouchOSC native Linux touch support arrives; demo on SteamDeck

Hexler has done it. Every single platform of this multi-touch MIDI and OSC control app now has native multi-touch support: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and now Linux. And what better way to show it off than on a SteamDeck?

That time Jem and The Holograms went synthesizer shopping

1980s animated Jem and The Holograms was peak Hasbro Saturday morning cartoon and peak US synthpop era. For a glimpse into those two worlds, travel back to an imaginary 1988 synthesizer shopping spree with Jem and the Holograms. That’s right: Jem and Minx went to NAMM.

Natalie Beridze weaves sounds of Tbilisi street protests into an album

Week after week, Georgia is still, still in the streets. Composer Natalie Beridze has transformed recordings of Tbilisi in November and December into a powerful, haunting, full-length wash of sound for Street Life – as the protests continue.

Pigments 6: modal engine, vocoder, more expand this synth playground

Pigments 6 is available now. With a new synth engine, a vocoder, and expanded filters, modulation, and granular capabilities, Arturia’s sound design playset is deeper than ever. But it’s never overwhelming, and this release is the most refined yet. Here’s a review.

The O.G. returns: Lemur controller app is back on the iPad

Predating the iPhone by half a decade, JazzMutant’s Lemur brought Star Trek visions to life* and established many of the multi-touch interactions to come. But its beloved iPad port has been unavailable — until now.

In Kreuzberg, artists from communities in exile present their own vision

It’s a different vision of a festival and exhibition, one that bubbles up from the Kiez instead of being collected in modern palaces. For the next few days, artists from the Berlin neighborhood around Kottbusser Tor will reveal their self-image in communities in exile.

Bitwig enters crowded audio interface space with controller, CV twists

Bitwig is boldly going where other DAW vendors have gone before – making its own audio interface. And there’s control surface integration. But for Eurorack and analog gear lovers, there’s something you don’t normally find: pre-calibrated CV with convenient dedicated minijack connections. (Also: Linux support!)