Editor's Idea
This month's issue contains a conclave of artists and projects that are more than usually wrapped up in their own singular bubbles. The mysterious proclamations of Keiji Haino have been baffling and magnetising worshippers for three decades, and his eccentric universe, mapped out by Alan Cummings on page 32, continues to expand with a surprising move into an alchemical form of DJing (though don't expect any immediate responses to his 'playa hate' from the likes of Jay-Z any time soon). Steven Stapleton's Nurse With Wound has remained relatively impenetrable in his farmhouse fortress in the Irish countryside, but David Keenan has been granted unprecedented access for his Primer on N W ' s colossal back catalogue. I only regret that space limitations meant we could only scratch the surface of a mammoth discography, but at least we could publish a selection of very rarely-seen photos from the Nurse camp. Meanwhile, Howard Mandel, commemorating the 35th anniversary of John Coltrane's death on page 38, convincingly demonstrates how off the jazz message was the saxophonist's late music when i t landed among the far more prosaic bop scene in the mid-60~.
Talking of anniversaries, we can at last begin to unveil
The Wire's plans to celebrate our own 20th anniversary, which occurs this year. Issue 1of this publication is dated "Summer 1982", and fittingly the first of several events planned to mark the occasion happens this month on London's South Bank. We are proud to present the first appearance by Japanese group The Boredoms in nearly eight years on Saturday 13 July. Another outfit that has moved through a variety of dazzling incarnations, all overseen by the priestly presence of Yamatsuka Eye, their current drumdriven trance rock is jawdropping. As I write, John Cale, appearing on the same bill, has promised t o create a special set for the occasion (see Out There for more details).
The Cale/Boredoms show is a foretaste of a string of exciting events we'll be rolling out at various points around the world this coming autumn. During October we will be hosting a four day festival in association with two Paris clubs, Instants Chavires and Batofar (a floating venue on the Seine). And on 3 November, back at London's Royal Festival Hall, we'll be presenting a historic UK premiere of the incredible version of Metal Machine Music by Berlin New Music ensemble Zeitkratzer, with Lou Reed himself appearing as special guest. And that's by no means all. There are a number of other projects in the works: keep this frequency clear for further announcements.
Coinciding with these events will be a CD box set released through the Mute label, on which we'll simply be compiling a selection of favourite tracks of everyone working at the magazine - as much music as we can fit on three CDs that has inspired, bedazzled and spurred us on through two decades of sonic adventures. And finally, watch the bookshelves in November for Undercurrents: The Hidden Wiring O f Modern Music, a collection of new and previously published essays on the crucial movements and underlying forces that have shaped the development of modern music.
Before signing off, I'll just flag up a new section we're launching this month. The regular Ether Talk section is replaced by Cross Platform (page 78), with a broad remit to cover the many other media in which music and sound art play a significant role, from installations and lnternet projects to film, video and DVD, computer games and software, visual art and sculpture, dance, etc. And that's enough announcements. ROB YOUNG
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Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Tony Herrington publisher@thewire.co.uk
Editor Rob Young editor@thewire.co.uk Reviews Editor Chris Bohn reviews@thewire.co.uk Assistant Editor Peter Shapiro
Projects &Web Editor Anne Hilde Neset projects@thewire.co.uk
Advertising Manager Andy Tait ads@rhewire.co.uk(7422 5014) Advertising Production Slim Smith design@thebire.co.uk
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Art Direction & Design Kjell Ekhorn, Jon Forss info@ekhornforss.com
Special thanks this issue Jerome Maunsell
Words Steve Barker, Mike Barnes, Ed Baxter, Clive Bell, Chris Blackford, Marcus Boon, Ben Borthwick, Philip Clark, Byron Coley, Julian Cowley, Christoph Cox, John Cratchley, Alan Cummings, Brian Duguid, Phil England, Kodwo Eshun, Man ffytche, Sasha Frere-Jones, Louise Gray, Natalie Gravenor, Andy Hamilton, Jim Haynes, Richard Henderson, Ken Hollings, Hua Hsu, David Keenan, Monica Kendrick, Rahma Khazam, Biba Kopf, Art Lange, Alan Licht, Howard Mandel, Dave Mandl, Jerome Maunsell, Andy Medhurst, Will Montgomery, Jon C Morgan, John Mulvey, lan Penman, Tom Perchard, Ed Pinsent, Edwin Pouncey, Simon Reynolds, Tom Ridge, Stephen Robinson, Chris Sharp, Philip Sherburne, Bill Shoemaker, Mark Sinker, Dave Tompkins, David Toop, Dan Warburton, Ben Watson, Don Watson, Val Wilmer, Barry Witherden
Images Amy &Tanveer, Frank Bauer, Nigel Bennett, Kareem Black, Hamish Brown, Mattias Ek, Olly Hewitt, Tim Kent, Simon Leigh, Sebastian Mayer, Non-Format, Savage Pencil, Michele Turriani, Eva Vermandel, Johnny Volcano, Jake Walters, Wandy
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