The Wire 175. September 1998

Global Ear: USA When NZ guitarist Dean Roberts went looking for America, he didn’t find the dream, but he did see a sound artist dismantling illusions in LA, before landing dream dates with Sonic Youth in Chicago and New York Invisible Jukebox: Ken Kesey The Merry Prankster and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest blows his mind trying to identify sounds by Jack Kerouac, Tom Waits, Terry Riley, The Fugs, Timothy Leary and more. Tested by Edwin Pouncey 100 Records That Set The World On Fire Our antidote to everyone’s ‘Best Of The Century’ lists. We polled our writers to vote for the 100 records that should have ignited the world’s imagination - but somehow got forgotten along the way Grooverider With the long-awaited album Mysteries of funk, one of Jungle’s original dons is expected to galvanise a lethargic drum ‘n’ bass scene, but can he talk the talk? The Sound Of Utopia When David Toop was asked to soundtrack an aquatic extravaganza at Lisbon’s Expo 98, he high-dived into the deep end of site specific sound art. In this blow-by-blow account, he recalls the peaks and the pitfalls Coil What if you open the doors of perception and don’t like what you see? Coil have never recoiled from darkside experiences - their electronic alchemy transforms horror into illumination. By David Keenan