Latest articles by Jim Ottewill
We catch up with Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor to discuss the making of his new solo record
The bespectacled frontman of one of the 2000’s most influential synth-pop acts continues to pursue fresh sonic frontiers on new solo record, Paris in the Spring
“Some people think writing songs is like drawing from a well. It’s more like a muscle you work out”: Avalon Emerson on Written Into Changes
From the DJ booth of Berlin’s Panorama Bar to the Balearic synth-pop of the Charm, Avalon Emerson is embracing the freedom of a borderless musical landscape
My Bloody Valentine’s sound engineer on wrangling the shoegaze pioneers’ huge live setup
Sound engineer Marc Carolan shares the challenges and excitement of helping bring My Bloody Valentine's first headline tour in over a decade to life
Furby organs, lightsaber theremins and the 1000-oscillator synth: Look Mum No Computer on his 7 craziest musical inventions
UK Eurovision entrant Sam Battle talks us through seven of his most absurd and extraordinary musical machines
Apparat tells us how he regained his creative demon to make his first album in seven years
Producer and composer Apparat reveals the creative process behind the making of his latest record and first in seven years, A Hum of Maybe
“I didn’t know garage very well, so I made a slightly skewed version of this sound”: MJ Cole on the making of UKG classic Sincere
Producer and UK garage legend MJ Cole charts his journey from classical music to the club and unpicks the production behind the genre-defining Sincere
Electronic producer and artist James Adrian Brown on how his synth obsession fuelled his debut record
Experimental electronic artist James Adrian Brown unpicks the making of his debut album and how it was inspired by the illuminations and arcades of Blackpool
We speak to Dry Cleaning about the making of the Cate Le Bon-produced Secret Love
Post-punk indie futurists Dry Cleaning have set the bar high for 2026 albums with their masterful third album Secret Love. They tells us how they created it in cahoots with acclaimed producer Cate Le Bon…
“It can act as a kind of scaffolding for the nervous system”: Mastery Studio and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith on electronic music, sound healing and its potential for positive minds
With Mastery Studio releasing its new Quantum Sound album aimed at “redefining sonic meditation”, we explore the potential of electronic music to enhance our wellbeing
How Massive Attack set a new benchmark for the future of sustainable live music events
We discover how Massive Attack's climate activism has seemingly set a new green blueprint for the live industry…
How TEED went back to basics with a bedroom set-up and a borrowed synth for third album Always With Me
The artist formerly known as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs dives into the making of his latest project, driven by a desire to keep things simple and find joy in the creative process
We catch up with the man who rewired the charts in 1979 - and is now blowing up on TikTok - with Pop Muzik
Songwriter, producer and creative artist Robin Scott is the man behind M and the huge hit Pop Muzik. Over 40 years later, he shares the story of the iconic track and why he’s brought this moniker back on his new album
How innovative minds are developing new technology to support music makers with disabilities
Issues of accessibility present ongoing challenges for disabled music-makers, but a range of different organisations, artists and innovators are aiming to bring about industry-wide change
We speak to the artist who has just made an album with dangerous plants
Oram Award-winning electronic artist Helen Anahita Wilson tells us how she generated the music for her new album from poisonous plants and hallucinogens
“To my knowledge, no one else has tried a project like this”: Reinier Zonneveld is playing B2B with an AI clone of his “musical brain”
The Dutch DJ/producer is reimagining the future of live electronic performance with his R² AI technology. We find out how he does it
Electronic polymath Daniel Avery on the genre-blurring magic of new album Tremor and remixing the Cure
Now on his sixth studio album, we speak to Daniel Avery and hear how he mixed the distorted with the ethereal to create the sonic universe of Tremor
How the Avalanches gradually constructed the stunning follow-up to Since I Left You over 16 years
Lifting the lid on the lost years, creative blocks and colossal sample-clearing process that resulted in the immaculate Wildflower
How Trevor Horn’s anonymous electronic group - the Art of Noise - revolutionised sample culture
Discover how studio and music production was redefined by an unlikely group of Trevor Horn-led English synth geeks
“We never became so famous that we hated each other”: Saint Etienne on longevity and their final album
The alt-pop icons delve into the making of their final record and explain why now is the moment to call time on their career after 35 years of music making
“I’d urge anyone wanting to make music to avoid waiting around for others to give you permission”: Eli Keszler on staying true to yourself as an artist
The Grammy-nominated composer, percussionist and producer talks fusing drums and electronics, the inimitable sound of classic samplers and the magic of decades-old DSP
Emma-Jean Thackray: "Ableton is great for making tracks, Pro Tools is great for mixing. For me, Logic is great when you do both"
Born out of grief, Thackray’s new album Weirdo is her most heartfelt concept yet. Here, she delves into the record’s creation and how the process of putting it together helped her reclaim her sense of self
“Every time we go to the modular we lose hours in the studio - it’s a wormhole!”: Sasha on his neoclassical second act
The original superstar DJ drops some essential advice for aspiring producers and talks us through his ambitious Dolby Atmos score for the immersive Da Vinci Genius exhibition
LP Giobbi on remixing Taylor Swift: “I love throwing everything out other than the vocals and coming up with something new”
Producer, DJ and classically trained pianist LP Giobbi unpicks the creative strands that have made her and the workings behind new album, Dotr
