Techno original Sean Tate, aka The Butcher, has died

It’s a painful year for techno’s originators and Detroit. News is spreading today that Sean Tate, aka The Butcher and an iconic techno originator, has died.

Loraine James has a new LP, it’s a free download, and it’s raw brilliance

“U Get Me”? Yes. Out today, Friday, Loraine James’ newest LP It’s Nothing Personal. is the kind of massive, glitchy percussive syncopation I would want to use to break in an excellent, brand new pair of trainers. Then comes deep bass, explosive rhythm, and heart-skipping vocals. (“Oi!”)

Peter Kirn - September 4, 2026

The strength of grieving together, in Felisha Ledesma and Snakeskin

We live in a world of solitary trauma and unrealized grief. We can sit alone with our phones and see it reduced to images in an algorithm. We can see our loved ones go through trauma in ways we can’t even understand or reach. In Palm of Hand, through extemporaneous collaboration between Snakeskin and Felisha Ledesma, Malmö and Beirut, there is a healing expression of all this agonizing, fragmented experience. The result can be deeply centering, a balm to play on loop.

Peter Kirn - August 7, 2026