Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves have the cutest dinosaur music video

Owen Lake is back — the alias of Jeff Snyder, who in these parts is best known for Snyderphonics, MPE innovator and Manta creator (of Princeton University). Here, we get twee-and-western, electro-country tunes with Anica Mrose Rissi that charmingly stick in your head, played partly on instruments Jeff invented, Electrosteel and Electrobass. And there’s a music video with dinos!

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.

Peter Kirn - April 27, 2026

In the sound of Wukir Suryadi’s kentongan, a world warning

From Indonesia to the planet, Wukir Suryadi sends a distress call in insistent strikes against his hand-built kentongan instrument. If you want an answer to what music we should be making in this moment, perhaps what you need is Titir — a warning.

Peter Kirn - March 25, 2026

In flickering feedback, an audiovisual synth hums and sings

Peter Kirn - February 27, 2025

Sequencing with light on an alien-looking instrument by Kacper Ziemianin

Peter Kirn - January 10, 2025

Tour Superbooth with Afrorack – featuring the show’s best instruments

Peter Kirn - May 22, 2024

Suzuki is re-releasing the electronic autoharp Omnichord to celebrate its 70th anniversary

Peter Kirn - March 28, 2023

Khabat Abas of Kurdistan-Iraq talking about cellos, bombshells, silenced stories of women

Peter Kirn - March 8, 2023

“Singing Daxophone” makes incredible eerie quasi-vocals out of an experimental instrument

Peter Kirn - July 8, 2022