Interview

Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe have released twin albums Lateral and Luminal on Verve Records. To mark the occasion, the duo partnered with KCRW on Feeling of the Day, a new series of radio spots exploring words for emotions with no equivalent in English. The first segment introduces “ailyak,” a Bulgarian word for the art of going slow and enjoying the process. Between studio sessions, Wolfe and Eno answered questions from White Fungus editor Ron Hanson about their evolving collaboration.

Morton Subotnick is a name synonymous with the evolution of electronic music. In 1963, he began collaborating with inventor Don Buchla in San Francisco to develop what is widely regarded as the world’s first analog synthesizer. His groundbreaking 1967 album, Silver Apples of the Moon, was the first music commissioned specifically for the LP format. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Subotnick appeared on Paul Holdengräber’s podcast, The Quarantine Tapes, to reflect on his life, work, and how he was navigating the challenges of the time. The conversation is now available to read online.

Yao Jui-Chung is one of Taiwan’s most acclaimed contemporary artists. In this major 2020 interview with White Fungus editor Ron Hanson—conducted on the occasion of his mid-career retrospective Republic of Cynic at C-LAB—he reflects on coming of age after martial law, running a karaoke room during his Air Force military service, and Taiwan’s complex history and identity.

Sydney noise musician Lucas Abela, AKA Justice Yeldham, is one of the avant-garde's most electrifying performers. Playing music by orally manipulating mic'd-up shards of glass, he employs a range of unusual vocal and rhythmic techniques. His performances can be extreme, even bloody, but are also notable for the rich diversity of sounds he achieves through this rudimentary instrument. White Fungus editor Ron Hanson spoke to Abela about his unique musical trajectory and how a pandemic-enforced break from the stage altered his approach.

In the realms of Taiwanese noise, sound, and media art, no figure is more influential than Wang Fujui. As an artist, publisher, curator, and organizer, Wang’s contribution to establishing these fields in Taiwan has been indispensable. In 2014, Alistair Noble interviewed Wang about his artistic trajectory. The interview was first published in the 14th print issue of White Fungus but is now available here.

Nick Yeck-Stauffer talks to lead violinist and founder of the Kronos Quartet, David Harrington.