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XLR MAG

Crack Magazine

25 stories

Crack MagazineScenesAbleton announces Live 13 with new Step Sequencer, devices and Push 3 features The latest version of Ableton Live adds ARA 2 support, new sound design tools and expanded mixing capabilities. Ableton has announced Live 13 , set for release in early 2027.

Crack MagazineScenesRALLY announces first names for 2027, led by Kelela The first acts have been revealed for next year’s edition, which returns to London’s Southwark Park on Saturday, 28 August.

Crack MagazineScenesDownload the live set of Hiroko Yamamura’s new track Weight of It Chicago DJ and producer Hiroko Yamamura discusses club culture, music production and her new track Weight of It in a new interview with Ableton.

Crack MagazineScenesJoshua Bullen appointed as Designer In Residence at A COLD WALL Bullen’s first collection will debut in Paris for AW27. Four Marketing, the owner of A COLD WALL , has announced the appointment of Joshua A. Bullen as the brand’s first Designer In Residence.

Crack MagazineScenesCrack and Apple Music launch photography opportunity for The Warehouse Project’s 20th anniversary season We’ve teamed up with Apple Music to offer emerging photographers the chance to capture The Warehouse Project’s 20th anniversary season, putting aspiring live music photographers behind the lens at…

Crack MagazineScenesMumush Festival announces 2027 edition Mumush Festival returns to the secluded valley of Adrianu Mare, Transylvania, Romania, from 18–23 August 2027 for its seventh edition. A limited number of early bird tickets are now available.

Crack MagazineScenesWake The Tiger’s Absurd City opens at Westfield London The team behind Wake The Tiger and Boomtown Festival has created Europe’s largest immersive art experience, featuring more than 100 spaces across 80,000 sq ft.

Crack MagazineScenesRenato Grieco explores sound and scent in new Naples installation, Brucialacrime Opening at Fondazione Morra Greco on 15 October, the composer and artist’s new work draws on four years of research into the sounds and landscapes of the Mediterranean.

Crack MagazineScenesV&A East Museum announces new DJ line-up for free Thursday night series V&A East Museum has announced a new line-up of DJs for upperground , its free Thursday night music series, which has been extended until 17 December 2026.

Crack MagazineScenesVillage Underground reveals AW26 programme Alewya, MGNA Crrrta, Batu and Thaiboy Digital among the artists set to appear at the Shoreditch venue over the coming months.

Crack MagazineScenesPrimavera Sound Barcelona announces line-up for 25th anniversary Doechii, Phoebe Bridgers, Fontaines D.C., Massive Attack and more will play the Barcelona festival from 3–5 June 2027.

Crack MagazineScenesADE marks 30 years with 1000+ events across Amsterdam Amsterdam Dance Event returns to the city for five days of electronic music, club nights, live performances and its annual industry conference.

Crack MagazineScenesJames Dillon, Rebecca Saunders, Radical Polish Ansambl and more announced for hcmf// 2026 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival has announced its 2026 programme, featuring more than 70 premieres across 10 days of contemporary and experimental music.

Crack MagazineScenesMUBI Fest is coming to London this November The three-day film festival will take over Hackney Picturehouse from 13–15 November. MUBI is bringing its film festival to London for the first time this November, with three days of screenings…

Crack MagazineScenesEartH announces AW26 programme Dalston venue EartH has unveiled its programme for the rest of 2026, spanning experimental electronic music, club nights and live performances.

Crack MagazineScenesCharli xcx, Burna Boy, Troye Sivan & more announced for Apple Music Hall’s debut programme Apple Music’s new Battersea Power Station music venue will open next week, kicking off with a performance from Elton John.

Crack MagazineScenesBristol’s Simple Things completes 2026 line-up The Bristol festival unveils its final additions, including guest-curated programmes from Cobrah, Squid, Shabaka and Jeremy Deller.

Crack MagazineScenesBoards of Canada reissue Hi Scores for 30th anniversary Boards of Canada are marking 30 years of Hi Scores with a new reissue via Warp Records. First issued by Skam Records in 1996, the six-track release was the Scottish duo’s first record to receive wide…

Crack MagazineScenesDrumsheds announces AW26 season Skream & Benga, Kim Petras, COBRAH and Basement Jaxx are among the names heading to the London venue.

Crack MagazineScenesFRAMELESS is running immersive art sessions until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays The Marble Arch venue combines digital art, music and its latest wildlife photography residency for an after-hours alternative to the usual pub or club.

Crack MagazineScenesApple to open Apple Music Hall, a brand new live music venue in Battersea Power Station Apple has revealed plans to open a state-of-the-art, 600-capacity music venue at Battersea Power Station.

Crack MagazineScenesLe Guess Who? Announces full programme for 20th anniversary edition New names include Shadia Mansour, Okkyung Lee, Eris Drew b2b Octo Octa and DJ Danifox b2b DJ Lycox. From 5–8 November, Le Guess Who?

Crack MagazineScenesThe Warehouse Project adds XXL, Kneecap, The Haçienda, Eat Your Own Ears and Silva Bumpa to WHP26 The four newly announced Manchester dates join a 20th anniversary season that kicks off this month. The Warehouse Project has added four shows to its 20th anniversary season programme, with XXL…

Crack MagazineScenesSOMBR announces debut UK arena show at The O2 The artist will play the London venue in June 2027 as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations. SOMBR has announced his first UK arena show, set to take place at The O2 in London on 22 June 2027.

On the calendar

· Trade shows and launch events, this week's stories from each corner of the industry, and what its press is covering.

On view

This week, from that corner the newest stories from the corner of the industry you picked

The wire their own posts, translated

How records get made in 2026 from the industry's own reports

Sources

Fetched every six hours, linked to the original

About

Three pins, and nearly every signal in this business passes through them.

The magazine is named after the cable: the microphone in the booth, the line to the desk, the DMX run that fires the lights. Studio, stage and rig share the same cable. Most magazines pick one of the three. This one covers all of it, because the people we read do too — the engineer mixing a record on Tuesday is on front of house by Saturday.

More than three hundred sources, in sixteen languages: makers and their release notes, reviewers who put a hand on the thing, studios and touring crews, the producers and collectives surfacing this month and the scenes they came out of. Synths and modular, plugins and DAWs, guitars and drums, microphones, monitors, PA and lighting. What the trade is talking about is counted and plotted. The editor's letter has just started; it will find its rhythm.

For each story: a headline, a short excerpt, one picture and the link out. We never reprint the article, and the picture belongs to the maker or the photographer. A German review appears in German and a Japanese one in Japanese, as the writer published it; the link goes to the original.

Nothing is sold on this site. When a link leads to a shop, it is the maker's shop, not ours.