Strong Songs

The magazine is named after the cable: the microphone in the booth, the line to the desk, the DMX run that fires the lights. Studio, stage and rig share the same cable. Most magazines pick one of the three. This one covers all of it, because the people we read do too — the engineer mixing a record on Tuesday is on front of house by Saturday.

Around a hundred and sixty sources, in English, Japanese, Spanish, German, French, Chinese and Italian: makers and their release notes, reviewers who put a hand on the thing, studios and touring crews, the producers and collectives surfacing this month and the scenes they came out of. Synths and modular, plugins and DAWs, guitars and drums, microphones, monitors, PA and lighting. What the trade is talking about is counted and plotted. The editor's letter has just started; it will find its rhythm.

For each story: a headline, a short excerpt, one picture and the link out. We never reprint the article, and the picture belongs to the maker or the photographer. A German review appears in German and a Japanese one in Japanese, as the writer published it; the link goes to the original.

Nothing is sold on this site. When a link leads to a shop, it is the maker's shop, not ours.

One letter a week, starting soon.

Strong Songs

Strong SongsVoices"Peg" by Steely Dan ...it will come back to you.

Strong SongsVoices"Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads There is water at the bottom of the ocean.

Strong SongsVoices"Song for the Dead" by Queens of the Stone Age Come on, let's take a little ride.

Strong SongsVoices"Little Bird" by Annie Lennox I've just got to put these wings to test.

Strong SongsVoices"Mamma Mia" by ABBA Here we go again!

Strong SongsVoicesReturn to Kind of Blue A closer look at Miles Davis's 1959 jazz masterpiece.

Strong SongsVoices"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" by Megadeth My past erased, no more disgrace, no foolish naive stand.

Strong SongsVoices"Both Sides, Now" by Joni Mitchell I really don't know life at all.

Strong SongsVoices"Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie This is our last dance.

Strong SongsVoices"Rosanna" by Toto Meet you all the way.

Strong SongsVoicesThe Jazz Pianist's Perspective, with Peter Martin Kirk talks with jazz piano legend and Open Studio founder Peter Martin.

Strong SongsVoicesThe Fearless Fela Kuti, with Jad Abumrad Jad Abumrad joins Kirk to talk about his new podcast series, Fela Kuti: Fear No Man.

Strong SongsVoicesSuper Mario Bros: Koji Kondo's 8-Bit Masterpiece [Twenty Thousand Hertz] From the springy jump sound to the iconic Overworld Theme, the sound of Super Mario Bros. is instantly recognizable.