From sushi pianos to Yoko Shimomura, Square Enix Music TV is the best TV

In a dark and often soulless world, the Square Enix Music Channel is a total oasis — like an instant-action antidepressant. Want to see the Osaka sound team play with a sushi piano? Want to hear composer Yoko Sihomura talk about figure skating? Want to tune into an hours-long stream of Final Fantasy III music? They’re here for you. I guarantee you it’s better than anything else you could possibly be watching.

Breakcore and mouneh: High Hats music supports relief kitchens in Lebanon

In the face of violence and erasure, give some attention to people who stay loud and give something back. High Hats Community’s new compilation is a guide to breaks, breakcore, and experimental underground music from Lebanon. But it’s also a window into broad community kitchen efforts in Lebanon, bringing together migrants from Sri Lanka to […]

Peter Kirn - March 29, 2026

Premiering now, Fake Lines: Sono Levant reconnects what was divided

From Joy Moughanni to Al Shatea Band, Fake Lines: Sono Levant from the non-profit, “non-label” Fake Lines draws together sounds from across diasporas and identities in a time of genocide, erasure, and division. It’s premiering now as I write this on Radio Alhara, with a release coming later this month (and tracks to preview). And it supports a vital cause: giving Gaza back its food sovereignty.

Peter Kirn - September 25, 2025