Known simply as Quiet American to most, sound artist Aaron Ximm has been instrumental in shining a spotlight on field recordings, minimal sounds, and digital music that melds these strategies together though his successful Field …

Eschewing more traditional, Italianate nomenclature for movement titles like “Chaser,” “Plucker,” and “Grinder” is but the first indication that Nathaniel Stookey’s String Quartet No. 2 is a decidedly 21st century sort of composition. Add to …

I’ve always been a sucker for cello ensemble pieces. There’s something really appealing about having a big group of people all playing the same instrument, and it works more effectively with cellos than most instruments—tons …

I became an instant Blevin Blectum fan back when she and Kevin Blechdom performed a concert in a Mills College bathroom. Since then, she’s continued to tweak sampler knobs and laptop trackpads, coaxing extraordinary sounds …

Craig Hella Johnson & Company of VoicesI’ve never understood people who could throw a CD in the stereo and go to sleep. Even at my most exhausted, my ears will not disengage from the sound …

Bridge’s new CD of music by Tom Flaherty was my introduction to this L.A.-based cellist/composer. While the disc offers a variety of chamber music combinations including two duets for two pianos, the piece I find …

A visit to o.blaat’s webpage will point you to a myriad of interesting sites such as WKCR’s Live Construction archive featuring music, sound work, and radio art from every corner of the globe. Visitors are …

Violists tend to feel like left out like second cousins at the party, but really it seems like the perfect instrument—the soul of the cello with all the portability of a violin. Easley Blackwood is …

I’m always lured in by a musical composition that has a forceful opening, especially a piece of music scored for a large orchestra. Even better than the first paragraph of a novel that’s written in …

The string of CDs released under Lucky Kitchen’s Sparkling Composers Series implies a global subculture of musicians and audio artists creating electronic music using acoustic means—or the reverse—without prejudice, someplace where “uptown” and “downtown” never …