Undercurrents

The Wire is a collectively-owned magazine based in London. Publisher Tony Herrington says, "We don't sees ourselves as outside commentators but very much as part of a community of musicians and listeners."

For the last twenty years The Wire has fearlessly bypassed fashion in it's search to expose the most innovative, radical, and compelling music from every genre all across the world. As listeners have grown increasingly eclectic and adventurous in their tastes, The Wire has emerged as the most authoritative source on modern music.In Undercurrents some of the best music writers of our time uncover the hidden wiring of the past century's most influential music. Ian Penman discusses how the microphone transformed the human voice and made phantom presences of great singers such as Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, and Brian Wilson. Christoph Cox demonstrates how the pioneers of live electronic music, the West Coast ensemble Sonic Arts Union, redefined virtuosity for the electronic age. Philip Smith and Peter Shapiro examine Harry Smith's Smithsonian Anthology of American Folk Music, which led to a massive reappraisal of musical values that went far beyond the folk music revival.>Music explored in Undercurrents ranges through avant rock, jazz, hiphop, electronica, global music, and contemporary "classical."

Acknowledgements; Introduction Part I: Electrification 1. Recording Angels, by Erik Davis 2. On the MIC, by Ian Penman 3. The Jerrybuilt Future, by Christopher Cox 4. Worship the Glitch, by Rob Young Part II: Occultism 5. The Eternal Drone, by Marcus Boon 6. Slapping Pythagoras, by Rob Young 7. The Ragged Trousered Anthologists, by Peter Shapiro and Philip Smith 8. The Solar Myth Approach, by Ken Hollings Part III: Mechanism 9. Humans, Are They Really Necessary?, by David Toop 10. Automating the Beat, by Peter Shapiro 11. The Autobahn Goes on Forever, by Biba Kopf 12. Rock Concrete, by Edwin Pouncey 13. Deck Wreckers, by Peter Shapiro Part IV: Freedom 14. Destroy All Music, by Mark Sinker 15. The Limits of Language, by Julian Cowley 16. The Music of Chance, by Andy Hamilton 17. Smiling Faces Sometimes, by Peter Shapiro 18. Frames of Freedom, by David Toop 19. Generation Ecstasy, by Tom Roe