Music Zines and Books Thread

#21

@pixi “Presets” is a very good and surprising book! Especially when you keep in mind, that so many people want to avoid presets at all and just want to build their own sounds … really enjoyed this :slight_smile:

#22

I ordered the Presets book from Forced Exposure, very excited to dig in, as an avid user of presets myself :slight_smile:

I also recently stumbled across the Swiss magazine Zweikommasieben, which focusses on “contemporary club culture”. Columns, photo essays etc. The latest issue features Terre Thaemlitz, Steve Hauschildt, Laurel Halo, and Nina, among others. Distro is practically non-existant in the US, but I ordered a few back issues from the shop. Really curious to check 'em out.

#23

this book has some very interesting thoughts by Francois Bonnet aka Kassel Jaeger (ina-grm director and i think he also directed those grm reissues for editions mego):


it’s sort of like post-schaeffer thought incorporating insight from ppl like barthes d&g foucault merleau ponty etc

#24

Got a couple of these and can recommend as well.

#25

Always wanted to read this. Also the antithesis of the rather tiring modular trend within recent techno.

#26

Is it an academic style book? Or more easy-to-read novel?
Looking to read more into music, but the thought of reading dense academic work puts me off.

#27

It is academic, but not dense as far as I know and structured around interviews with sound designers (I haven’t read it). Stefan Goldmann is a producer himself as well.

#28

picked up vols 2 and 3 of this a little while ago, shame vol 1 sold out

#29

It’s not hard to read, even for Germans like me.

#30

Really liked Kode9’s Sonic Warfare (Written as Steve Goodman). Also liked Kodwo Eshun’s more brilliant than the sun, but you have to get used to his style. Both books on politics & music
Just finished reading Stevphen Shukaitis’ Imaginal Machines. Though a bit overly heavy in his discourse, it had some interesting parts on music. here’s an interesting quote:

“Organizing to undermine the state, capitalism, and all forms of social domination does not mean that one is faced with a choice between the joys of dancing and reveling and the serious work of class struggle. Far from it, Indeed, if one wants to be a revolutionary, perhaps it is the dancing that one should take more seriously.”

Also just finished reading Mark Fischer’s Capitalist realism and some essays by him. He has a really light writing style and uses lots of more known examples and references. Really interesting stuff…

#31

Co-sign… This is probably my favorite piece of music writing ever. I was so sad he never did another book. Any recommendations for books in this vein?

https://www.versobooks.com/books/2342-more-brilliant-than-the-sun

#32

The kode9 one is definitely relevant then. It’s his doctoral thesis under the guidance of Eshun. It goes further in Eshun’s fashion but it’s more focused on the military-industrial entertainment complex as he calls it, if I remember correctly.
Fischer’s writing as K-punk is also nice I guess.

#33

Hi folks, Pitchfork’s Summer Reading List was published today, and not to toot my own horn, but among some other excellent titles, the list contains my book ‘MAD SKILLS’ — which is a history of MIDI and music technology in the 20th century. Of course I would love for everyone to read it.

#34

That was the only book that actually jumped out at me. Congrats, I’ll put it on my list!

#35

Ryan’s book is really good!

The music books I’ve enjoyed most in recent years are both about Southern hip-hop - a biography of Pimp C by Julia Beverly (Sweet Jones: Pimp C’s Trill Life Story) and Third Coast: OutKast, Timbaland, and How Hip-Hop Became a Southern Thing by Roni Sarig. The latter is from 2007 and as such is now a bit out of date, but it’s a great read on stuff like early crunk and 2 Live Crew etc.

images
images.jpg595x892 213 KB
bold
bold.png595x903 788 KB

#36

woofah2_ad1_522.jpg522x742 191 KB

IS337037-01-01-BIG.jpg700x973 137 KB

WOOFAH_4_600px.jpg600x850 227 KB

#37

I have been a subscriber of ZKS for some time now and the quality is astounding. You won’t regret your order!
Just received the latest issue today ah!

#38

I ordered all the back issues that were still available from ZKS, and you are totally right, the production spec on every issue is amazing! Layout / vibe / content all super impressive. The enthusiasm for experimenting with layout is wild. Every issue is like an artist’s monograph.

I wish I had ordered in time to include the newest one! Hopefully I will be able to find it from a retailer in the US.

#39

Bought Der Klang Der Famille based on the recommendations in this thread and really enjoyed it. a+