Support The Quietus
Our journalism is funded by our readers. Become a subscriber today to help champion our writing, plus enjoy bonus essays, podcasts, playlists and music downloads.
Our journalism is funded by our readers. Become a subscriber today to help champion our writing, plus enjoy bonus essays, podcasts, playlists and music downloads.
Studio Ghibli's co-founder Isao Takahata passed away on 5 April. Karl Smith commemorates the legendary director, screenwriter, and producer with a personal reflection on grief through Takahata's first film Grave of the Fireflies, released thirty years ago this year
Studio Ghibli's co-founder Isao Takahata passed away on 5 April. Karl Smith commemorates the legendary director, screenwriter, and producer with a personal reflection on grief through Takahata's first film Grave of the Fireflies, released thirty years ago this year
In a record both timely and timeless, Franklin Fisher, Ryan Mahan, Lee Tesche and Matt Tong have tapped into something both immediate and primal. Their most politically-drenched record to-date, The Underside of Power, Karl Smith argues, is also proof of their quality as musicians
In a record both timely and timeless, Franklin Fisher, Ryan Mahan, Lee Tesche and Matt Tong have tapped into something both immediate and primal. Their most politically-drenched record to-date, The Underside of Power, Karl Smith argues, is also proof of their quality as musicians
In Ryuichi Sakamoto's first solo album in eight years, and first since his recovery from throat cancer, Karl Smith finds a record concerned with the varied states of human life and a sprawling piece of music less fixated on the task of world building than the more daunting prospect of penetrating the complexities of our own universe
In Ryuichi Sakamoto's first solo album in eight years, and first since his recovery from throat cancer, Karl Smith finds a record concerned with the varied states of human life and a sprawling piece of music less fixated on the task of world building than the more daunting prospect of penetrating the complexities of our own universe
At this year's edition of Borealis festival in Bergen, Karl Smith finds both a city uniquely positioned to take up the mantle of experimental music capital of Norway and an expertly curated run of performances and events that testify to the vitality of progressive music
At this year's edition of Borealis festival in Bergen, Karl Smith finds both a city uniquely positioned to take up the mantle of experimental music capital of Norway and an expertly curated run of performances and events that testify to the vitality of progressive music
Ahead of the release of her third album under the Pharmakon moniker (and appearance at the Rewire Festival), and a decade since she first began the project, Karl Smith speaks to Margaret Chardiet about the unique power of noise, the peculiar vulgarity of human existence and the meaning of contact
Ahead of the release of her third album under the Pharmakon moniker (and appearance at the Rewire Festival), and a decade since she first began the project, Karl Smith speaks to Margaret Chardiet about the unique power of noise, the peculiar vulgarity of human existence and the meaning of contact
In the sixth release from Jaime Fennelly's Mind Over Mirrors project, expanding from a solo effort to a collaboration on five fronts, Karl Smith finds a work of folkloric mythology both saturated with history and necessary at our present moment
In the sixth release from Jaime Fennelly's Mind Over Mirrors project, expanding from a solo effort to a collaboration on five fronts, Karl Smith finds a work of folkloric mythology both saturated with history and necessary at our present moment
Taking in science fiction and science fact, Karl Smith speaks to the Lithuanian producer, one of SHAPE Platform's selected artists for 2017, about false distinctions between the digital and natural words and the cyclical homogenisation of art
Taking in science fiction and science fact, Karl Smith speaks to the Lithuanian producer, one of SHAPE Platform's selected artists for 2017, about false distinctions between the digital and natural words and the cyclical homogenisation of art
At the sixth edition of CRACK magazine's Simple Things – amidst performances from Karen Gwyer, Kano, and Death Grips — Karl Smith and Danny Riley find a festival both reflective of and feeding on the conditions 2016 has provided, and rallying against them. (Photographs by Perry Gibson, Ro Murphy and Rebecca Cleal)
At the sixth edition of CRACK magazine's Simple Things – amidst performances from Karen Gwyer, Kano, and Death Grips — Karl Smith and Danny Riley find a festival both reflective of and feeding on the conditions 2016 has provided, and rallying against them. (Photographs by Perry Gibson, Ro Murphy and Rebecca Cleal)
With the imminent release of his score for Arrival, the latest in a now thriving partnership with Denis Villeneuve that will see him take on Blade Runner next year, the Icelandic composer shows traditional reluctance in crafting a list of defining albums and opts instead of 13 works that exemplify a philosophy of minimal gestures with maximum impact
With the imminent release of his score for Arrival, the latest in a now thriving partnership with Denis Villeneuve that will see him take on Blade Runner next year, the Icelandic composer shows traditional reluctance in crafting a list of defining albums and opts instead of 13 works that exemplify a philosophy of minimal gestures with maximum impact
Live in London, at a show made necessary purely by an outpouring of love, Karl Smith finds Björk delivering both a manifesto for ferocious empathy and proof that respect and mutual reciprocation is powerfully transformative. (Photographs by Santiago Felipe)
Live in London, at a show made necessary purely by an outpouring of love, Karl Smith finds Björk delivering both a manifesto for ferocious empathy and proof that respect and mutual reciprocation is powerfully transformative. (Photographs by Santiago Felipe)
At the third edition of Milan's Terraforma, Karl Smith finds a festival on the brink of discovering something brilliant in itself, a sun-drenched reenactment of Harmony Korine's neon epic, and a powerful vote for substance over scale. (Photos: Michela Savino)
At the third edition of Milan's Terraforma, Karl Smith finds a festival on the brink of discovering something brilliant in itself, a sun-drenched reenactment of Harmony Korine's neon epic, and a powerful vote for substance over scale. (Photos: Michela Savino)
Listening to Gold Panda's Japan-inspired fourth studio album Good Luck And Do Your Best, Karl Smith finds not only a more sensitive, atmospheric reflection of the country's cultures than some in recent memory, but also a dream-like landscape that points toward a second source of inspiration
Listening to Gold Panda's Japan-inspired fourth studio album Good Luck And Do Your Best, Karl Smith finds not only a more sensitive, atmospheric reflection of the country's cultures than some in recent memory, but also a dream-like landscape that points toward a second source of inspiration
Sign up for a weekly delve into the tQ archives.
