Abadir’s The Primitivist is a high-energy rhythmic tour of Arabic sound

Cairo-born producer ABADIR is back with a four-track gut-punch of Arab rhythm, a foot-stomping, belly-activating powerhouse of an EP. True to its label, The Primitivist is neither fetishized nor repurposed: it’s Rami speaking in a native musical language that’s fully rooted and simultaneously all his own. The Primitivist by ABADIR We don’t get a lot […]

Kaximia on channeling aggression, soldering into survival; VCF giveaway

Behind the headlines, there is the reality of living through war. Our friend in Kyiv, Kaximia, (part of Tembra Modular, “Let’s explore modular synthesis”) is back to talk about how music can be an outlet. The past days and hours have been horrifying, from Tyre to Odesa, so I’m grateful to Kaximia for her reflections […]

Kaximia - June 1, 2026

Image of hard-shell tacos; photo CC-BY Karl-Martin Skontorp

Taco Tuesday: reason to be cautiously optimistic about tariff relief

Trump’s unprecedented tariffs are starting to hit reality following a Supreme Court defeat over the weekend. Music gear consumers shouldn’t expect any immediate cost relief. But while the picture is complicated and the major problems remains the chaos Trump is causing, there are some hopeful indications for makers and musicians both inside and outside the USA in the longer term.

Peter Kirn - February 24, 2026

Pitch is political: learning Arabic maqams and decolonizing music

Peter Kirn - August 21, 2024

NASA’s Webb telescope could transform how we imagine digital art, along with our cosmos

Peter Kirn - July 12, 2022

Welcome to YouTube Hell: A MIDI pack reseller silences criticism

Peter Kirn - April 30, 2019

A plea to DJs: make sharing part of digging

Peter Kirn - February 27, 2019

Upload music directly to Spotify: streaming giant goes in new direction

Peter Kirn - September 20, 2018

Yes, Avicii’s death should be a wake-up call – and not just for EDM

Peter Kirn - April 23, 2018