Watch the first part of a two-part doc portrait of the unorthodox Jazz piano great, featuring live performances at the Village Vanguard and intimate BTS footage of 1967 […]
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The genius keyboardist’s jazz-funk band was on fire – and a pro film crew captured the moment. In 1973, a restless Herbie Hancock, fresh from his cosmically free […]
“Nobody was willing to market the sound of Hindi New Wave.” The much-anticipated followup to Naya Beat’s critically lauded debut compilation South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983-1992 […]
There is no equality without access to comprehensive reproduction health care. Another dark day in America last Friday as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade eliminating the […]
Two legends of German music deliver nearly two hours of improvised bliss. In 1999, two towering figures of electronic music, Michael Rother and Dieter Moebius, stood onstage in […]
Recent favorites from Italy, Brazil, Leipzig, Memphis, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As music […]
Watch an ’80s tourist promo for the legendary open-air Ibiza nightclub that rivaled Studio 54. Summer has officially arrived, and in light of all this heat and sunshine […]
Tana Yonas speaks to the great Hailu Mergia before his June 24th performance at The Regent, Los Angeles. Haliu Mergia’s story started in an unassuming small village just […]
A selection of the best integrated amplifiers currently available from Rega, Yamaha, Cambridge Audio, Audiolab, NAD, and Iota. For this installment of “Best Right Now,” eCoustics Ian White […]
The founder of the famed loudspeaker company guides visitors through his lab and headquarters. For a while the Klipsch Speaker company in Hope, Arkansas not only built and […]
American-made floorstanding loudspeakers offer a taste high-end audio for under $2,000. I know I’ve been harping on “affordability” a lot recently on eCoustics. Boring. Yawn. I get it. […]
Watch the Throbbing Gristle cofounder’s innovative visual work of the ‘80s and ‘90s. “Evolution requires mutation,” wrote the late British musician, visual artist and “pandrogyny” advocate Genesis Breyer […]
Dive into seven essential tracks from Melbourne’s CS + Kreme ahead of their LA debut at ISC HQ on June 25th. The weird tunes world is more accessible […]
A short retrospective on the Twin Peaks crooner, along with some of our favorite recordings from the late dream-pop icon. Eerie, otherworldly, the epitome of ethereal, Julee Cruise […]
Watch a documentary on a pair of landmark product releases and the ways they upended global culture. In the relative scheme of things, it wasn’t too long ago […]
Part 2 on how the French singer “borrowed” from the Nigerian drum master. (Editor’s note: this is Part 2 of this Feature, read Part 1 here: https://insheepsclothinghifi.com/serge-gainsbourg-babatunde-olatunji/) Hailing from […]
Nikole Guzman in conversation with visual artist, singer-songwriter, and Prince collaborator Ingrid Chavez. Ingrid Chavez has always been undefinable. Among many other things, she’s a poet, songwriter, singer, […]
A living legend and one of the all-time great sonic explorers, Bill Laswell, needs our help. It is no exaggeration to say that we are huge fans of […]
The journey of a beat from Nigeria to New York to Paris to ‘New York – U.S.A.’ Long before he established a reputation as a clever songwriter who […]
A short documentary filmed in 1974 captures the Scottish folk guitarist in the studio. In the spring of 1974, Scottish guitarist Bert Jansch commenced recording sessions at label […]
Starting in 1963, the guitarist-oudist recorded three versions of his extended work. They will calm you down (and blow you away). Sometimes we all need to call a […]
Baltimore-based musician PJ Dorsey aka Tarotplane shares his five favorite Kosmische records. After giving up music for almost 10 years in the late 90s to mid 2000s, Baltimore-based […]
Ubiquitous on vintage audio marketplaces, the company’s flagship speaker outperforms fancier brands. Once upon a time at an estate sale in the middle of Missouri, two lucky gear […]
An ambient music exhibit featuring spatial audio works by Morton Subotnick, Patrick Gleeson, Craig Leon, Suzanne Ciani, and others. Dublab’s long-running Tonalism series is making it’s way to […]
Watch the 2011 film documenting the genesis of lover’s rock featuring interviews and footage of Dennis Bovell, Jean Adebambo, Janet Kay, and more. The Story of Lover’s Rock […]
Recent favorites from the Bay Area, Indonesia, London via Shanghai, Berlin, and Hungary. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As […]
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of their founding, an ode to Sade’s fifth album. Some artists transcend taste, are so naturally skilled at conveying universal emotion that their creations […]
Watch the seven-part surreal and transcendental TV opera by the American avant-garde giant. The complete seven acts of Robert Ashley’s celebrated visual work Perfect Lives have been uploaded […]
Before he died at 44 in 1998, the brilliant experimental player was a central figure in ‘80s and ‘90s New York avant-jazz scene. Next year will mark the […]
Step into the world of chillout pioneer Morris Gould aka Mixmaster Morris aka Irresistible Force. “The sampler changed my life,” the British DJ and producer Mixmaster Morris told […]
Though only a 7-inch single, the 1991 record offers a primal primer on the New Zealand experimental scene. Nearly 35 years ago, experimental guitarist Bruce Russell founded a […]
Derek Piotr interviews Nathan Salsburg, musician and curator for the Alan Lomax Archive. I was overjoyed to invite Nathan Salsburg to participate in this series; Nathan and I […]
Three modern sounding loudspeakers with an old-school aesthetic from Klipsch, JBL, and Wharfedale. Consumers and manufacturers love to wax poetically about “vintage” when it comes to loudspeakers and […]
Pachyman comes through with 5 selects prior to his appearance at This Ain’t No Picnic festival. Los Angeles-based musician, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and all around dub champion Pachy García […]
How a 4-hour drive between Midwestern cities transformed electronic beat music. It’s no coincidence that two of electronic beat music’s most important subgenres, house and techno, were born […]
Crates LA is back for another record pop-up this Saturday 1-7pm at In Sheep’s Clothing Records. In anticipation of the record sale this Saturday, Crates LA has sent […]
Derek Piotr interviews storm chaser / musician Hank Schyma aka Pecos Hank. For anyone with even a casual interest in extreme weather, Pecos Hank should be a household […]
A 1986 story by Barry Walters shined a spotlight on a new dance-floor sound. In 1986, the great music writer Barry Walters, who made his name covering underground […]
Baba Stiltz “In L.A.” is available now exclusively at In Sheep’s Clothing Records and Public Possession. Stockholm-based musician, singer, and producer Baba Stiltz is bringing it “home,” in […]
The extended composition’s best known version is 75 minutes long and features harmonizing by Tom Waits. In the early 1970s, the British minimalist composer Gavin Bryars had begun […]
Exploring the wild world of YouTube channel Are Sounds Electrik? It’s been about 50 years since the synthesizer began easing its way into the mainstream, and man were […]
The Mermaid’s Purse captures a brilliant group of uncategorizable musical explorers. Core member Wall Matthews recalls their work. To best introduce the work of the Entourage Music and […]
Ecoustics’ Jeremy Sikora shares his journey acquiring and restoring the rare Fisher 400 Tube Receiver. The Budget Audiophiler is going to begin this week with a little rant. […]
A look into the great Zulu Warrior, legendary dub soundsystem operator and producer Jah Shaka. “It’s something like seeing the Wizard of Oz for the first time; all […]
Hear a pair of revelatory versions featuring Brian Eno on “splintered” Minimoog. Last week two David Bowie tracks recorded during the Low sessions in 1976 showed up on […]
Six essential new releases to get you through the week. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As music freaks who […]
Buying tip: Aldo Ciccolini’s essential recordings are easily found, exquisitely pressed and helped define a musical movement. In 1956 at the dawn of the hi-fi age, the Italian […]
A new collection by U.K. label Matsuli Music explores the jazz-funk sounds of Club Pelican, a renegade spot in South Africa during the height of Apartheid. The liner […]
Peak Oil’s Brian Foote and Brion Brionson chat ’90s raves, indie rock, and faceless techno bollocks. In the early ‘90s, rave culture exploded across the United States. Generator […]
A book that “travels from the rainforests of the Amazonas to virtual Las Vegas, high in the Hollywood Hills to the megalopolis of Tokyo.” Earlier this week we […]
The best book on the rise of electronic dance music turns 25 next year. The introduction to Simon Reynolds’ essential book Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno […]
Pino, Blake, and Sam’s ‘Live at Sound City’ is out today via ISC Hi-Fi Selects. Generations apart, Pino Palladino, Blake Mills, and Sam Gendel are in many ways […]
Check out a video explainer on an instrument used by Eno, Bowie, Mark Mothersbaugh and more. The ad copy says it all: “Sound like a pro—make music instantly, […]
Looking for a pair of entry-level bookshelf speakers? Check this honest review from ecoustics on the Klipsch RP-600M. A lot of ink has been spilt about the Klipsch […]
Step into a world of North Carolina mountain singing with music archivist Derek Piotr. A series of recordings collected by Herbert Halpert for the Library of Congress in […]
An overview of one of the greatest drummers you’ve (likely) never heard. Let’s talk about Susie Ibarra, perhaps the greatest percussionist you’ve never heard. Across three-plus decades, the […]
Listen to highlights from an unsung legend’s early career. To get a sense of the ways in which Timmy Thomas’ music has seeped into contemporary culture, take a […]
Saigon rock & soul, Bollywood steel guitar, Khmer Folk and beyond… For the past 19 years the Seattle label Sublime Frequencies has been traveling the globe in search […]
In light of her recent passing, here is a short musical introduction to the funk pioneer, fashion icon, and bonafide Nasty Gal. Wholly unique, a force to be […]
Recent favorites from New York, Detroit, Akron, and Ukraine. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As music freaks who read […]
Brilliant footage of the Miles Davis Quintet at peak power. Between Feb. 1969 and Feb. 1970, Miles Davis released eight albums. Near the tail end of that amazing […]
In Sheep’s Clothing announces the first edition of our ISC Hi-FI Selects series. Back in 2018, Pino Palladino, Blake Mills, and Sam Gendel played one of the first […]
The prolific head of Tzadik’s sublime work mixes jazz, Hebrew melodies and genre-bending beauty. In 1995, the New York composer, saxophonist and visionary John Zorn embarked on a […]
A selection of restrained, melodic IDM from 1997. Twenty-five years ago, a barrage of wild, speedy albums came onto the market that propelled the subgenres drum ‘n bass […]
Five mesmerizing tracks by the Austrian experimental electronic producer and instrumentalist. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Hotel Paral.lel, the first solo album by Austrian experimental guitarist […]
Get the best sound from your turntable by upgrading its phono cartridge. Vinyl finds itself at an unexpected crossroads in 2022; a new generation of listeners has turned […]
A tipsheet on the trailblazing British duo, who formed after Throbbing Gristle’s early ‘80s breakup. Let’s talk about industrial music. Wait – come back! Not the relentless aggro […]
The producer born James Yancey changed the way hip hop could sound. Last week something wonderfully weird happened: A definitive biography of the great beat producer J Dilla […]
John Jones chats with Lifted’s Andrew Field-Pickering (Max D) and Matt Papich. Lifted is an ever-shifting music ensemble anchored by their two founding members, Andrew Field-Pickering (Max D) […]
Today we take a look at the mighty eighty-plus pound broadcast turntable – Elektromesstechnik’s 927 and its compact kid brother, the EMT 930. Massive, industrial, monochromatic, and most […]
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, here are One Hundred Love Songs, a dive into Lesley Duncan’s seminal 1969 ballad and the endless covers that followed. If you’ve been […]
Post-Can selections from one of our favorite drummers – Jaki Liebezeit. There’s no mistaking the sound of Can drummer Jaki Liebewitz’s pound. Both sparse and complex, the late […]
It’s a composition that “scared the bejabbers” out of David Bowie the first time he heard it. Sometime this week when you’re feeling particularly sane, stable and able […]
The brilliant Brazilian singer, songwriter and political activist Caetano Veloso will turn 80 in August, and given his stature, influence and shimmering output over the past 60-plus years, […]
Recent favorites from Los Angeles, Melbourne, Munich, Dublin, and Algeria. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As music freaks who […]
Limited on space and budget? Check these great sounding bookshelf speakers from $318 and up. Most people love the idea of a pair of floor standing loudspeakers in […]
Instrumental magic from the Chicago underground. Though it’s always been a crucial music center, in the past half-decade a bunch of Chicago avant-jazz players have been commanding the […]
In celebration of his 82nd birthday today, here is a retrospective on Eberhard Weber, the eminent bass innovator, ECM mainstay, and ISC favorite. It’s hard to define the […]
Looking for a classic vintage power amplifier? The Dynaco ST-70 needs to be on your radar if you crave that classic EL34 tube sound. Not all vintage buys […]
Matt Marble’s podcast is a fascinating dive into the esoteric history of musical spiritualism. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you don’t need to be convinced […]
Key moments and tracks from On-U Sound’s premier dub group. You could spend the rest of the winter researching producer, musician and On-U Sound founder Adrian Sherwood – […]
Remembering the inimitable Jacqueline du Pré, widely considered as one of the greatest classical cellists of the 20th century. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Jacqueline du […]
Cosmic soul, breezy soft rock, and latin funk from Crates LA. Crates LA is a blog and music channel dedicated to uncovering obscure and unknown songs across a […]
Ecoustics’ Eric Pye (Audio Love NYC) shares his journey with two premium vintage turntables from the 70’s. In the early ‘90s I took the digital plunge, and I […]
The great Jeff Parker shares five diverse selections from psychedelic jazz to visionary hip-hop. Jeff Parker is a musician that deals in many worlds. Equally adept at soloing […]
Art Don’t Sleep’s jazz series is back at The Lodge Room on March 13 with The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra. If you’re a jazz fan in Los Angeles, […]
A fully comprehensive guide to buying vintage audio from ecoustics’ Budget Audiophiler. After reading the first two installments of my column, I’m sure it’s become obvious that I have a […]
Coffee, books, sandwiches, and dub! The year is finally coming to a close and boy, has it been one: Lockdowns, social distancing, vaccines, variants, worlds opening and closing […]
Join us New Year’s Eve for a special In Sheep’s Clothing set supporting DIIV. Shoegaze and dream pop have been making their way back into our collective consciousness. […]
Moog synthesizers, Roots Radics, vocoders, Arthur Lyman and other lesser-known Christmas sounds. There are Christmas songs they have not told you about. Songs that celebrate the season not […]
You love reissues. We love reissues. Here are some more favorites from 2021. From rare midwestern soul, cosmic jazz, Angolan funk and Swiss library music to Armenian disco, […]
Five crucial selections from Tokyo’s Toshihito “Dubby” Maeyama. Toshihito “Dubby” Maeyama is one of the most revered record collectors in Tokyo. Having worked at legendary record store Cisco […]
Another strange year in the books. In 2021, we finally begin to crawl out of this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. It hasn’t been a smooth transition by any means, but […]
For our next Art & Design: In Focus feature, we look into the psychedelic worlds of MC Escher. Ever feel stuck in your music discovery routine? After extended […]
Another installment of deep cuts, this time we take a look at an ISC patron saint, the enigmatic and genre-defying ~ John Martyn. Before what some consider […]
KLF, The Orb, Plastikman and more ambient classics from the 1990’s. At the beginning of the year, the essential Music from Memory label issued Virtual Dreams: Ambient Explorations […]
Klipsch, Altec Lansing, JBL, Advent, Acoustic Research, and more classics that won’t bust your budget. A great stereo system, the saying goes, is only as good as its […]
Part 3 of our series highlighting hidden gems from your local record store’s bargain bin. In the record collecting community, there’s an idea that to build a great […]
Synthesized Satie for home listening, the dance floor, and beyond. You’ve heard groundbreaking French composer Erik Satie’s slow, existential sounding pieces in numerous films, shows, animations, and documentaries. […]
A few selections from our favorite online archive of art, music, film, and all things esoteric. Though you’ve likely stumbled across a post or two from UbuWeb during […]
Nearing the holidays with more great new music from the UK, France, Switzerland, and Bay Area. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues […]
Seven vintage but affordable amplifiers to upgrade your listening setup. Here’s a scenario that virtually anyone who has entered the home listening game by investing in a vintage […]
“A fusion of sounds.” More selections from the Armenian Diaspora (1971-1982). Darone Sassounian is an Armenian-American DJ, selector, and producer in Los Angeles who spent three years tracking […]
Austin Brown shares his journey into sound system culture and deep listening with 5 recent favorites. Several years ago Parquet Courts cofounder Austin Brown started going to the […]
McIntosh announces an updated version of their classic power amp. More than 50 years ago, the hi-fi magazine Stereo Review opened its assessment of the then-new McIntosh MC-3500 […]
An eclectic selection of new favorites from Séance Centre, Warp Records, Club Romantico, Nothing But Net, and Into The Light Records. Each week the global listening community gets […]
The innovative vocalist and composer will premiere a new piece at Mills College in Oakland. Vocalist, composer, choreographer, artist, and ECM favorite Meredith Monk has a new piece […]
Essential tracks, collaborations, and productions from The Velvet Underground’s electric viola player, John Cale. A few weeks ago, “The Velvet Underground,” director Todd Haynes’ documentary on the influential […]
Join us as we continue to grow and build new listening experiences. In 2017, we set out to create a space where analog culture, including records and hi-fidelity […]
Downtempo and abstract electronica selections from one of the principal architects of modern Japanese pop music. It’s virtually impossible to find an individual as prolific and influential as […]
Fresh sounds from Zurich, Brooklyn, Russia, and British Columbia selected by your your friends at In Sheep’s Clothing. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new […]
For our next Art & Design: In Focus feature, we take a look at iconic New York free jazz label, Impulse! When Creed Taylor launched Impulse! Records in […]
The British shoegaze movement wouldn’t have existed without Alan McGee’s aesthetic in the years before the ‘90s explosion. Before bands including My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Slowdive, Swervedriver and […]
A look into some of our favorite audiophile bars around the globe, old and new, from Hong Kong to Miami. In recent years, hi-fi and listening bars have […]
Legendary Klipsch, McIntosh, Altec, Sansui equipment from the Grateful Dead go up for auction this Thursday. On Thursday, Sotheby’s will open bidding on a breathtakingly deep auction of […]
Suzanne Kraft joins us for an intimate live show at In Sheep’s Clothing HQ this Friday with friends. Earlier this summer, Los Angeles native Diego Herrera, aka Suzanne […]
From Yoshio Suzuki, Seigen Ono, to Ichiko Hashimoto, here are our essential releases from the cult minimalist imprint. Inspired by Erik Satie’s belief that music, just as beautiful […]
Our friends at Numero Group deliver a definitive tribute to gospel legend Pastor T.L. Barrett. In late 1960s Chicago, not long after bands like the Rolling Stones and […]
Younge hosted the last night of the ISC residency at Neuehouse, and this ARTFORM video shows a glimpse of his world and way of thinking. The In Sheep’s […]
Recent reissues and new releases shared by your friends at In Sheep’s Clothing. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As […]
Dive into a singular artist whose beautifully chaotic energy inspired us during the pandemic. Last year as the pandemic forced us all inside to isolate, the fantastic speaker […]
Rest in power Richard H. Kirk. We revisit 5 tracks from the electronic music pioneer’s multitude of projects. Richard H. Kirk, sadly, has passed at 65. Besides founding […]
Five new releases we’re extremely excited about. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As music freaks who read these missives […]
Exploring contemporary projects and shifts in a futurist utopia with releases from Arushi Jain, Brian Eno, Laurie Spiegel, and Kuniyuki Takahashi. Since its origin, ambient music has been […]
Revisiting a lost Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder collaboration recorded at George Martin’s AIR studio. Mention a Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder collaboration and most people will likely […]
New Tara Clerkin Trio, spiritual free jazz, Chinese dreamscapes, and more of that “Now Sound” selected by the team behind In Sheep’s Clothing. Each week the global listening […]
Katsumasa Kusunose, founder of the great Jazz Kissa publication, shares his fifteen favorite jazz kissas in Tokyo. Currently, about 100 jazz kissa and jazz bars are open in […]
Highly recommended vintage hi-fi reading from audiophile writer Hans Fantel. Though his name is nearly lost to time, starting in the 1950s the writer Hans Fantel was a […]
New releases selected by the team behind In Sheep’s Clothing. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As music freaks who […]
Amaro Freitas’ spiritual quest into the forgotten stories, philosophies and figures of Black Brazil. The Brazilian pianist Amaro Freitas drew the title of his exquisite new jazz trio […]
Building a system from the ground up? Start with the speakers. Some sage advice from a 1975 essay in High Fidelity magazine. The whole thing can be overwhelming, […]
Multi-instrumentalist, drummer (CMON, Drugdealer), and NTS radio host Josh da Costa shares five gems. CMON (Confusing Mix Of Nations) is the studio project of Josh da Costa formerly […]
“Not exactly a sporting selection” from hero Chee Shimizu. For anyone looking for some musical inspiration today, here’s a perfect playlist from our friend Chee Shimizu. Selected for […]
Introducing Cell Alpha, the world’s first Triphonic speaker. I wasn’t quite sure what to think when I first saw Syng’s Cell Alpha speaker. The clear, almost droid-like design […]
Khruangbin’s new record ‘Mordechai Remixes’ is out now. Tana Yonas sits down with the band to talk about the history of remixing and how vinyl collecting shapes their […]
Smiling C shares an intimate documentary on Mexican experimental jazz artist Germán Bringas. For the past few years, the Santa Cruz-based archival project (and one of our absolute […]
A quick dive into Brian Long’s influential ‘Excursions in Ambience’ compilation CD series. In 1993, Brian Long, a New York-based music freak who’d recently left Los Angeles and […]
The industry of ready made commercial soundtracks of the ’70s and early ’80s thrived in Europe, but composers in Italy were in a world of their own. The […]
Softly psychedelic folk, soul, rare groove from the Hawaiian islands. Few labels are as committed to uncovering old and new sounds from their local scene than Honolulu-based Aloha […]
Five “fingertracks” from Andrew Hogge aka Lovefingers. It is without exaggeration to say that Andrew Hogge, aka Lovefingers, is one of our absolute favorite selectors. His pre-social media, […]
The newly formed Fresh Hold imprint teams up with fellow Melbourne-based label Efficient Space to present a long-lost jazz grail. Michael Kucyk’s always reliable Efficient Space has teamed […]
An introduction to aural therapy with two artists exploring the healing qualities of sound. Have you noticed that days without music tend to be the low-energy days? If […]
Obscure psychedelic folk, cosmic soul, and crooning AOR from the label behind Belong to the Wind. Los Angeles reissue upstart Forager Records got off to a strong start. […]
In conversation with Nishant Mittal, founder of archival Indian music page Digging in India. Better known by his Instagram handle “Digging in India,” Nishant Mittal’s unique perspective and […]
LA based music archivist and investigator Sonrisita shares iconic records from her life and collection. Melissa Dueñas aka Sonrisita joined us as a guest selector at our ongoing […]
A round up of 10 performances from the great Brazilian singer/guitarist. It was no accident that Brazilian singer and composer Gal Costa was born to enrapture audiences around […]
Abstract, experimental electronic music from one of our favorite local labels. Shimmering. Foggy. Warm. Hypnotic. These are all words that have been used to describe the abstract electronic […]
A new “electronic travelogue” full-length from Toronto-based C.R. Gillespie arrives today via Séance Centre. We’ve been closely following the introspective, highly conceptual sonic works of Colin Roy Gillespie […]
Charlotte Renaud’s incredible essay on the celebrated Swedish auteur’s devotion to classical music. ‘If I was forced to choose between losing my hearing or losing my sight, I […]
Maximalist experimental jazz from four heroes of the genre. For eight years starting in 1986, the searing free jazz quartet of Sonny Sharrock (electric guitar), Peter Brötzmann (sax), […]
Thousand-year-old Mongolian music traditions meet folk and jazz on Squama Recordings’ latest. An undeniable magic inhabits the melodies and sounds of our youth. Lullabies, folk songs, the music of […]
Music from the 12th Isle via Glasgow’s underground. Glasgow’s 12th Isle has been steadily releasing some of our favorite genre-bending electronic works since 2016. The label takes a […]
From June 23 – September 25, the team behind In Sheep’s Clothing will host a series of dedicated listening sessions four nights a week at Neuehouse. After more […]
A deep dive on our favorite dollar bin jazz man, aka the professor of cool, and a selection of essential songs from his decades-spanning career. When you’re in […]
A recent doc showcases unsung female electronic pioneers including Delia Derbyshire, Pauline Oliveros, Laurie Spiegel, Suzanne Cianni + a few of our favorites from these legends. In case […]
The jazz world mirrors the suppression of women in most areas of mid-century society. Val Wilmer made sure they would never be forgotten. When focusing on and appreciating […]
The ingenious novelty of playable vinyl stamps from the Bhutan postal agency. It’s no wonder that the so-called “happiest nation in the world” found a way to make […]
A timeless synth played by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Alessandro Cortini, and Wendy Carlos. Introduced by Bay Area synthesizer innovator Don Buchla’s company in 1973, the Buchla Music Easel […]
Ten absurdly beautiful plinth designs. The physical experience of playing vinyl helps listeners rationalize elaborate customizations, from record shelves to speaker stands. One of the most gratifying, and […]
A list of kid-friendly holy grails, including two of the most sought-after LPs of all time: Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop and The Langley Schools Music […]
Footage of Durutti Column performing in Kaivopuisto Park in their early Factory Records days and a few other rare appearances. Vini Reilly of Durutti Column was the first […]
How “Scratch” inspired John Martyn’s 1977 classic proto trip-hop recording ‘One World.’ Truly a “worlds collide” pairing, in 1976 UK folk musician and ISC patron saint John Martyn […]
A few basic concepts to get the best sound out of your listening room. With all the time, money and effort spent buying and putting together the hi-fi […]
Tracing the impact of seminal kraut rock bands like Tangerine Dream, Harmonia, Ash Ra Temple, and more. As a generation of youths of came of age in 1960’s […]
Our recent favorites from NTS, dublab, Bar Part Time, and XLR8R. Music discovery has always been a central mission of In Sheep’s Clothing. Whether among staff, patrons, or […]
ISC sits down with Condesa Electronics founder Mehdi El-Aquil to talk mixers, how Condesa came to be, and the future of rotaries. Based in Adelaide, Australia, Condesa Electronics in […]
An ISC deep dive into the leftfield, intimate, and dreamy pop sounds of one of Belgium’s finest labels and our personal highlights from their diverse catalog. Translated as […]
Ambient selections from the deep discography of influential Japanese electronic producer Susumu Yokota. Where to start with Susumu Yokota. When asked about his mission in making music, the […]
Andy Beta interviews Brazilian singer/composer Priscilla Ermel. “Dear Mr. Eno, I would like you to know about our work, we work with tapes and sounds of Nature.” So […]
The musical world of psychedelia in Brazil is so profound and prolific it often drowns out contributions from the rest of the continent. We highlight some of those […]
“The asymmetric relationship between those who give orders & those who must obey is always demonstrated by who controls access to the soundscape.” Our friends at Radio Alhara […]
Part 2 of our series highlighting low budget music videos with that perfectly endearing DIY 80’s aesthetic. At the beginning of the 1980s, music began to pursue and […]
Paintings, installations, light works from ten musicians who ventured into the visual arts. Thanks to recording technology, music has now become the most consumed art form in the […]
An intro to the surreal and funky world of “library records,” the assembly-line-produced albums designed to soundtrack film and television. It’s hard to sum up the “library record.” […]
Classic advertisements and illustrations from the cassette age. When Lou Ottens, who invented the cassette tape, died in March, a host of stories celebrated the life of a […]
Shibuya-kei. Beck. Yellow Magic Orchestra. Three decades of Keigo Oyamada aka Cornelius. One of Japan’s foremost musical ambassadors, Keigo Oyamada aka Cornelius has played a leading role in […]
Whether pitched up, down or at the wrong rpm entirely, sometimes the wrong speed on a turntable can completely transform a song — for the better. You’re well […]
Capturing the 70’s hi-fidelity craze in illustrations. If you were lucky enough to be a music freak who could also illustrate, in the 1960s and ‘70s you could […]
Was Rahsaan Roland Kirk the coolest person who ever lived? Rahsaan Roland Kirk unapologetically rode the edge of absurdity his entire life and regularly left audiences gobsmacked in […]
All hail the Thorens TD-160, an easily modified and uniquely designed classic turntable. History The famed Thorens TD-160 is pretty much unparalleled when it comes to classic vintage […]
Hidden gems, one trackers, and undervalued full listens from the world of bargain bin New Age. Considered one of the most “uncool” genres of the past few decades, […]
Beautiful Japanese designs from the golden age of record players. Portable technology has always been an essential part of humanity. Whether a stone tool or cellular phone, there’s an […]
Classic Marantz, Klipsch, JBL, and Garrard advertisements from the peak Hi-Fi era. Fifty years ago when magazines were the dominant source of information on listening and hi-fi culture, […]
Introducing Deep Listening Tips, a new series inspired by Pauline Oliveros’ deep listening guide. Shhh, listen. You hear that phrase a lot in life. Shut up, too. Be […]
Another installment of deep cuts, this time we take a look at the dearly beloved ~ Prince. His Royal Badness. The High Priest of Pop. The Artist Formerly […]
Celebrity sound systems featuring Garrard, Tannoy, McIntosh, Thorens, and custom hi-fi equipment. News alert: Celebrities are very much human like the rest of us, despite that popular culture […]
The next part in our intro to hi-fi series focuses on used marketplaces and how to find deals on vintage gear. Finding a killer vintage amp or turntable […]
Exploring the vast catalog of jazz records pressed in Japan with a selection of our favorite OBI’s. If you have records in your collection with an OBI, you […]
Sublime deep listening works from the founder of seminal electronic label Kompakt. In the early 1990s, Germany was a country undergoing a profound transition. The wall that separated […]
A brief history of compilation albums, the trajectory of this multi-artist concept, and of course, a list of some ISC favorites. The Compilation. Some purists may cringe at […]
New reissue label Naya Beat focuses on uncovering rarities and oddities from the subcontinent and South Asian diaspora. Co-founder Ragz shares five picks from his collection. Raghav Mani, […]
Celebrating the great Japanese vocalist, songwriter, arranger with a retrospective on her works across city pop, disco, latin jazz, and dub. With city pop mania at an all […]
Our favorite rarities from the queen of smooth soul jazz and one of the most iconic singers from the 1980s and 1990s, Sade. Born in Ibadan, Nigeria to […]
A new series highlighting low budget music videos with that perfectly endearing DIY 80’s aesthetic. At the start of the 1980s, music began to pursue a new form: […]
In conversation with Justin Gage, founder of the long-running, eclectic audio journal Aquarium Drunkard. For the past 15 years, Aquarium Drunkard has provided a home for music heads […]
Fish scales. Video Stores. Jazz. The multi-layered world of Munich-based label Squama Recordings. Martin Brugger is a producer and bass player for the modern jazz quintet Fazer. Max […]
Background When committing to hi-fi audio gear you’re going to have a lot of choices, and among the most crucial is whether you’ll be looking for a tube […]
More “CD Age” selections from two of Japan’s most respected diggers. If you haven’t yet listened to Music from Memory’s newest release Heisei No Oto – Japanese Left-field […]
Punk, disco, hip hop and experimental. A look into the seminal New York City ‘No Wave’ label. New York City in 1980 was at a musical crossroads: the […]
A brief primer on Ikutaro Kakehashi, the revolutionary engineer who built the world’s most widely used electronic equipment. At 28, a young engineer named Ikutaro Kakehashi began a […]
Cats don’t seem to care much for music, but musicians certainly care about cats. Cats. They’re not only beloved fixtures of domesticity, but also have a rich history […]
A look into the most prolific years from the genre-defining dream pop label. The great British label 4AD was co-founded by Peter Kent and Ivo Watts-Russell, the latter […]
After 21 years, Beats in Space will be “taking a break.” Though it may not be the end, here’s a tribute to one of our favorite radio shows. […]
Background When Jonathan Weiss first laid eyes on the old stone Oswalds Mill building in the wilds outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania in New Tripoli, he knew it was […]
An intro to the production duo who brought jazz and funk together with artists like Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, and Marvin Gaye. Before the Mizell brothers, the cultures […]
A look into the genius singer-songwriter who explored northern soul, “new folk sounds” and jazz, while always flying just below the radar. Terry Callier seemed destined to play […]
Continuing our intro to hi-fi series with a look at one of the most important components of the sound system – the phono cartridge. When considering the sound […]
For the next piece in our Art & Design series, we’ve decided to take a slightly different approach. Instead of focusing on a particular designer, artist or style, […]
While most architects and designers were busy developing the future of everyday things, a few made the foray into hi-fi and had stunning results. Aiming to add simplicity […]
A look into the producer/engineer behind classics like Joni Mitchell’s Blue and Judee Sill’s Heart Food. We’ve touched on Henry Lewy’s work in the past, but even then […]
A list of our favorite Paul McCartney rarities and a closer look at the broad scope of one of pop music’s best. There’s no real need for any […]
Celebrating 40 years of On-U Sound with selections from the label’s catalog of groundbreaking post-punk meets dub productions. Emerging during a time in the UK when racial tensions […]
A primer on Japanese experimental masters EYE, Yoshimi, Seiichi Yamamoto and the hypnotic mess they’ve made. The Boredoms aren’t an easy group to nail down. One of the strangest-ever […]
A look into the label behind the iconic ORIGINAL MASTER RECORDING. If you’ve stepped into a reputable record store or stereo dealer in the past 30 years, you’ve […]
Tana Yonas explores the 7″ format with music writer Elizabeth Owuor and former Island Records exec Danny Holloway. Many record collectors who focus on albums or 12-inch singles […]
Fresh Bread is out now on Leaving Records. Sam Gendel walks us through five records in his current rotation. If you’re not yet familiar with Sam Gendel’s work […]
Surprisingly affordable, powerful integrated receivers with warm, clear sound. Background: Maybe it’s the nostalgia. Perhaps it’s the distinctive stainless steel look, with its warm golden glow emanating from […]
Folk, blues, minimalism and beyond. Selections from John Fahey’s seminal Americana label Takoma Records. It’s difficult not to think about Takoma Records without John Fahey’s name coming up. […]
Tana Yonas speaks to Blue Note’s Joe Harley on his history with jazz and the upcoming releases in their Tone Poet hi-fi series. Blue Note’s recent Tone Poet […]
A look into New York’s longest-running sound installation created by influential minimalist La Monte Young and multi-disciplinary artist Marian Zazeela. “The daddy of us all” is a direct […]
The Lounge Lizards, Fishing with John, Stranger Than Paradise, Painting with John: ISC celebrates a singular artist. To continue the celebration of John Lurie’s new introspective HBO series, […]
A new full length-album from G.S. Schray arrives March 5th on Last Resort. We’ve been closely following Akron musician G.S. Schray ever since his album Gabriel was released […]
For the first piece in our new gear series, we take a look at one of our all time favorite speakers, the Klipsch Heresy. Background: First introduced by […]
Jocelyn Romo shares five essential selections that go beyond the preconceptions of what prog can be. The very word makes any number of music fans recoil: Prog. The […]
Post-punk and dub selections from the originator of lovers rock. The British reggae and dub producer Dennis Bovell is best known for his work producing sweet, swinging post-roots-reggae […]
Love songs from our friend Dakota Johnson. Dear Love Songs, You are my sweet companion. You break my heart. You make me fall in love with love. You […]
Hidden gems in the Don Cherry catalog including collaborations with Sun Ra, Terry Riley, and Alejandro Jodorowsky. The “organic music” of free jazz trumpet player Don Cherry has […]
This cinematic movement centered around the black experience gave legends like Roy Ayers and Barry White their first shot at scoring films. The American civil rights movement in […]
Tana Yonas speaks to the Dark Entries label boss on Patrick Cowley and the importance of archiving. Music archivists and researchers often work in the shadows. For some, […]
Early electronics and computer music, new opera, experimental vocal albums: A guide to the influential Bay Area label dedicated to the American avant-garde. Since its founding in 1978, […]
Tana Yonas speaks to Discogs’ Aub Driver and Christopher Masagatani on the company’s history and how they are adapting amid a global pandemic. The vinyl community shifted with […]
A look into the influential BBC Radiophonic Workshop composer who arranged the electronic opening theme of Doctor Who. Delia Derbyshire’s fascination with electronic music started when she was […]
Interested in vintage audio gear? The team behind ISC HiFi takes you through the basics and shares a few of their favorites. It’s a hotly debated topic when […]
Five iconic tracks from the 80’s featuring Dave Smith’s legendary Prophet-5 synthesizer. American synthesizer company Sequential Circuits recently announced a brand new compact desktop version of their iconic […]
Celebrating 50 years of Mwandishi with a retrospective on the albums beyond the group’s legendary trilogy. Herbie Hancock’s electronics-heavy free jazz group Mwandishi has in recent years attained […]
ISC HiFi releases 20 new (( ROOM RECORDINGS )). Bryan Ling reflects on the inspiration behind these sessions. The room recordings on the ISC website are meant to […]
Although some of its artists also used electronics, the American label Windham Hill pioneered new acoustic music to such an extent that during its peak years the label […]
Archival scans of the rare sci-fi graphic novel included with Haruomi Hosono’s Making of Non-Standard Music. Included with the complete package of Haruomi Hosono’s Making of Non-Standard Music […]
Jazz’s evolution over the decades has begat a series of subgenres: be-bop, post-bop, free-jazz, spiritual jazz and fusion, to name a few. But by the end of the […]
The unbelievable story of the Incan princess who made timeless exotica with Les Baxter. Yma Sumac had a supernatural hold on her audiences. When she walked on stage, […]
Phil Cho speaks to the artist behind dublab’s new Quadraphonic Universally Accessible Resource Kit (QUARK). Kamran V builds bridges between technology and artistry. He’s a producer, sound artist, […]
Next up in our Art & Design: In Focus series, Tana Yonas takes a look into the plants behind your favorite album covers. There is something endlessly fascinating […]
Essential productions from one of the major architects of modern Japanese pop music. To find an individual as prolific and influential as Haruomi Hosono is almost impossible in […]
Marty Sartini Garner reflects on the healing power of ambient and metal during darkened times. The first new album I fell in love with in 2020 was Leo […]
Essential lockdown viewing and the perfect gateway into “cool jazz” legend Chet Baker. Let’s Get Lost, Bruce Weber’s monochromatic masterpiece on “cool jazz” great Chet Baker, is a […]
Like many people around the world, we’ve been heavily listening to and remembering Daniel “MF DOOM” Dumile through his music over the last few days… One of the […]
Reissues. We love them. But can there be too many? Surely not, so here are 11 reissues and archival recordings that you might have missed during this tumultuous […]
The pandemic. George Floyd’s murder and the furious protests that followed. The election. The isolation and its physical and mental tolls. Brilliant creators like Harold Budd, Charley Pride, […]
One common language issue among serious listeners and the writers who pander to them has to do with the adjective heavy and the ways in which it is […]
Prolific Swedish electronic producer Tom Wolgers is a heavy favorite around ISC. The under-the-radar artist, who moonlighted as a fashion model, issued a series of records starting in […]
Introducing Soundsystems, an in-focus feature series on the Hi-Fi equipment of the past, and the notorious clubs and DJ’s that used them. An absurd amount of precision, fine-tuning […]
Here’s one of our absolute favorite documentaries. Alan Greenberg’s directorial debut Land of Look Behind is a beautifully honest and intimate look into the people and culture surrounding […]
Andy Beta reflects on the close and unknowable music of Ethiopian jazz pianist Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou. Last week, I visited my local coffee shop. Most days, the soundtrack […]
It’s no secret that In Sheep’s Clothing focuses on active listening and the depths to be explored within the grooves of great records. We sell and recommend physical […]
Holger Czukay, Michael Karoli, Jaki Liebezeit, Irmin Schmidt: The core members of visionary Krautrock band CAN released timeless experimental rock music over the roughly ten years that they […]
In 1958, RCA Victor introduced to the world a new technology under the banner “Living Stereo.” Focused at first on standard repertoire classical music, the vinyl imprint went […]
ISC Staff Michael Friedman steps into Wes Katzir’s elegant, industrial Downtown Los Angeles showroom. It doesn’t get any more ‘state of the art’ than this, and one could […]
For many vinyl obsessives, not being able to dig for records in person due to pandemic restrictions can be tough… That feeling of finding a gem after hours […]
We had a discussion on which Aphex Twin album to feature first as a part of our collection at ISC HiFi, and went with Drukqs in part because […]
Collaborating with Brian Eno is like having your very own alchemist in the studio. Almost everything he touches turns to gold. In the interest of keeping the In […]
Tana Yonas dives into how one small country developed the brilliantly colorful sound of electrified “funana” music. The Cape Verdean Island of Santiago — where funana music was […]
Larger-than-life dub heroes. For our second Art & Design: In Focus feature, ISC staff Phil Cho traces the origins behind the iconic comic book style album cover in […]
If you hung out at In Sheep’s Clothing during daylight hours, before we lit the candles and weren’t primarily pouring whiskey, you may have noticed another collection. Yes, […]
Earlier in October the New York-based concern Oda unveiled a first-generation speaker and performance system that was years in the making. Though envisioned and prototyped long before the […]
Introducing a new series where we highlight the hidden gems, one trackers, and undervalued full listens found in your local record store’s dollar bin. In the record collecting […]
Jorge Ben didn’t need a hit in 1974. The Brazilian singer-songwriter’s Ben, released two years earlier, had capped a run that definitively established him as one of the […]
Pop quiz: name the famous jazz trumpeter that got his start in bop and yet continued on to greater success for decades after? Who was the trumpeter responsible […]
The decision to sell records at In Sheep’s Clothing came naturally. Music discovery has always been central to In Sheep’s Clothing’s DNA. A year after we opened the […]
Bryan Ling recounts his trip to Johannesburg record shop Afrosynth Records and revisits a few choice selections from store owner DJ Okapi. We only had a couple free […]
Music discovery has always been a central mission of In Sheep’s Clothing. Whether among staff, patrons or record fair-goers, our physical space was aimed at introducing people to […]
Here is a fun throwback to 1920 – a newspaper advertisement for the new Edison Phonograph and its proclamation of “Supreme Realism.” Like a magician showing the audience […]
It’s been almost two decades since Sun Ra, the enigmatic artist who reported Saturn as his birthplace, left our planet and yet – the cosmic jazz pioneer’s Afrofuturist […]
Interested in setting up a hi-fi audio system in your home but not sure where to start? The team behind In Sheep’s Clothing hi-fi takes you through the […]
In Sheep’s Clothing was built out of necessity. Once there was a pizzeria that was looking for a home and found one in the Art’s District of Los […]
Notice anything in the recordings in our audio player? Maybe Alice Coltrane’s World Galaxy hums differently than on vinyl or streaming platforms? Perhaps it sounds a little more […]
