Many of these essays first appeared as a series in "The Wire", which since 1982 has bypassed the music mainstream in search of the most innovative, uncompromising and compelling sounds from all genres across the world. As music listeners have grown increasingly eclectic and adventurous in their tastes, "The "Wire' has emerged as an authoritative source on modern music. This volume contains new material as well as revised and updated versions of many of the original articles.

Author Biography

Marcus Boon lives in Toronto and writes and teaches literature. Julian Cowley lives in Herefordshire and has published widely on music and literature. He is a regular contributor to 'The Wire'. Christopher Cox teaches philosophjy at Hampshire College, Amherst, MA. Erik Davis is a writer based in San Francisco, and a contributing editor to 'The Wire'. Andy Hamilton teaches philosophy at Durham University. Ken Hollings is a writer based in London. Biba Kopf writes about German music for 'The Wire' and other publications. Ian Penman is a freelance writer and critic. Edwin Pouncey lives in South London and is a regular contributor to 'The Wire'. Tom Roe lives in New York and is a sound and text manipulator. Mark Sinker is a writer. Peter Shapiro is a writer and one of the world's leading air guitar experts. Philip Smith lives in Berkeley, California and edits digital reproductions of rare books. David Toop lives in London and is a composer, author, critic and sound curator. Rob Young is editor of 'The Wire.