1980s

Page 2

Synthesizer
The analog synthesizers of Isao Tomita programming fresh sound for all-time classics

Japanese composer Isao Tomita was one of the first to explore analog synthesizers in search for new sounds that would…

July 10, 2019
Band
The low-end sound of Morphine trio cut short by Mark Sandman's tragic death while on a stage

Twenty years have passed since Mark Sandman’s tragic passing of a heart attack during a 1999 live performance with the…

July 7, 2019
Band
Tinariwen: 40 years of nomadic desert music driven by Ibrahim Ag Alhabib's guitar

Formed by Ibrahim Ag Alhabib in the late 1970s, the African band Tinariwen always had a clear mission to preserve the…

June 19, 2019
Band
Emotion over meaning: the enigmatic lyrics of Cocteau Twins in the languages of glossolalia

Having first appeared in religious practices, the term glossolalia referred to the ability of a believer to…

June 5, 20192 comments
Collaboration
Robert Fripp & Toyah Willcox: the prog family who proclaimed Sunday All Over the World

One of the brightest collaborations of the late 1980s arose after the wedding of postpunk singer Toyah Willcox and…

May 5, 2019
Piano
Zawinul incited his electric piano to report the jazz weather

European jazz pianist Joe Zawinul is best known for his founding the iconic band Weather Report which is highly…

March 8, 2019
Film
The necessity of undramatic humanity in Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch

A set of 11 short stories collected in the film Coffee and Cigarettes depicts the nostalgic era every older smoker…

January 8, 2019
Songwriter
The smoky alto of Chabuca Granda elevated the Creole waltz to the international level

Chabuca Granda is the single most important figure in the history of Peruvian music. Though identified with the city of…

December 3, 2018
Songwriter
Voice of Wassoulou preserves the ancient roots of West Africa

Oumou Sangaré is a Malian singer regarded as the greatest female voice in modern African music. She began her career as…

August 21, 2018
Piano
Abdullah Ibrahim created his African music of peace in exile

The works of South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, born Adolph Johannes Brand, fuse the melodic sounds of his…

August 3, 2018
Contemporary Composer
North Indian classics introduced into Californian underground thanks to Terry Riley

Minimalist pioneer Terry Riley remains among the most revolutionary composers of the post-war era. Famed for his…

July 27, 2018
Film
Star Wars meets Baroque classics

The long-spanning Star Wars saga is embedded into our consciousness not only with its visual motifs but also its iconic…

June 14, 2018
Songwriter
MTV and EMI did not appreciate the concept of Kate Bush's iconic Running Up That Hill

Running Up That Hill, initially titled A Deal with God, is no doubt the most iconic work of Kate Bush which came to…

May 21, 20181 comment
Film
The Blues Brothers' greatest gamble becoming one of their most enduring hits

The Blues Brothers were once the stars of their era, listed among the most popular groups of the late '70s. Vocalist…

May 17, 2018
Collaboration
World musicians Kronos Quartet destroy the shackles of genre

Since its founding in '70s, the Kronos Quartet has become the foremost herald of chamber music, successful at breaking…

April 10, 2018
Guitar
The irony of Cuban love song in the work of trova-musician Compay Segundo

Chan Chan was written in 1987 by Cuban singer Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles, known as Compay Segundo. The song…

April 9, 20181 comment
Violin
The timeless sadness of Shigeru Umebayashi

One of the most distinguished and fruitful composers of our time, Shigeru Umebayashi is credited with more than 50…

March 22, 2018
Songwriter
The Snows They Melt the Soonest survives through folk tradition

The Snows They Melt the Soonest is a British folk song dating back to at least as far as 1821. It was mentioned, along…

March 15, 2018