Midge Ure talks us through the making of Ultravox’s iconic Vienna
Ultravox’s stately powerhouse was an unlikely hit single - but its classically-inspired uniqueness was key
Artists
Hip-hop progenitor Afrika Bambaataa dies at 68
Although Bambaataa played a significant role in the development of hip-hop, his later life was mired by child sexual abuse allegations
Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan on her bad guitar habits: “I have so many!”
Finger and thumb placings are particularly tricky
It's MusicRadar's Quiz of the Week!
Starring all the action from the world of music and the last seven days of MusicRadar…
Could your next amp be Kurt Cobain’s stage-played Fender Twin? Nirvana’s Bleach-era touring backline goes up for sale
Black and silver panel Fender Twins loaded with JBL speakers – bring yer own Boss DS-1 and you're good to go...
“The story he’s never told — the band, the fame, the heartbreak, the healing. And yes, the astrology”: Tears For Fears’ Roland Orzabal writes his first-ever autobiography and it's an astrological memoir
Welcome To Your Life: Love, Death and Tears For Fears hits shelves on August 4th
When T. Rex opened the floodgates of glam rock with the riff-driven groove of Get It On
T. Rex's signature song was written and recorded while on a hectic US tour, and would be their only stateside hit
A fractured neck and "acute brain injury" leads to the Lambrini Girls pulling six weeks of US shows
Lambrini Girls frontwoman banned from flying and performing for six weeks
Cryptic VHS tapes mailed to fans hints at a Boards of Canada revival
“I’m 99.9999% recurring sure this is legit”: Youtuber MATTHS finds it increasingly harder to refute the connection between Boards of Canada and the cryptic VHS tapes that have been turning up randomly at customers of Bleep.com just a few days ago
Music Tech
MusicRadar deals of the week: We've found $200 off Fender, $160 off Epiphone, plus hundreds off keyboards and studio gear
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of Gibson, PRS, Yamaha, Fender and more
"It's the DAW you love, redesigned around the only thing that matters – your tracks": Reason 14 launches in public beta
Reason 14 marks the first major update to the software since Reason Studios was acquired by AI music company LANDR in January
“Easily one of the most inspirational and accessible Elektrons we've used”: Elektron Tonverk review
With a depth and flexibility you'll want to abuse…
"This is the beginning of a more ambitious journey": Elektron acquired by investment company Bonnier Capital
A statement from Elektron says that the "team, brand and product development focus" of the company will remain intact
DrumBot is an AI-powered chatbot drum machine that “listens, learns and talks back” – but who is it for?
This browser-based drum pattern generator claims to possess the "musical awareness of a live session drummer". We're not so sure
Gary Numan claims to be “90% deaf”
Electro-pop pioneer reveals that at the age of 68, he’s even been forced to stop flying
"There's something about it that you just don't get with soft synths": Jasper Tygner on why he loves his Moog Grandmother
We visited the rising producer and multi-instrumentalist in his South London studio to find out more about the making of debut album Blue
SampleRadar: 142 free yacht rock samples
Channel your inner Christopher Cross with this seaworthy pack of smooth yacht rock licks
“All I hear is ‘Auto-Tune sucks’ and 'drum machines have no soul'”: Flying Lotus on the backlash against AI music
FlyLo weighs in on Suno and talks us through the making of BIG MAMA, a chaotic speedrun of an EP that zooms through chiptune, breakcore and jazz fusion without looping a single bar
Guitars
"Danelectro’s finishing falls noticeably short of what the market now expects at this level": Danelectro Dan O. Cool 12 String
Plenty of Dano charm in the tone department, it's just a pity about the build
MusicRadar deals of the week: We've found $200 off Fender, $160 off Epiphone, plus hundreds off keyboards and studio gear
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of Gibson, PRS, Yamaha, Fender and more
Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan on her bad guitar habits: “I have so many!”
Finger and thumb placings are particularly tricky
Could your next amp be Kurt Cobain’s stage-played Fender Twin? Nirvana’s Bleach-era touring backline goes up for sale
Black and silver panel Fender Twins loaded with JBL speakers – bring yer own Boss DS-1 and you're good to go...
Calling all guitarists! Guitar Center's legendary Guitar-A-Thon sale has finally dropped including up to $700 off a Gibson - here's 9 of the best deals selected by an expert
It's time to save big with one of the biggest guitar sales of the year over at Guitar Center
“We are about to do something insane”: Guitar Center is launching its own guitar brand “from the ground up”
CEO Gabe Dalporto wants to build a “a revolutionary guitar” and would like you to slide into his sub-Reddit with some ideas
“It’s easy to use, packs a tiny footprint and looks to counter two of the biggest drawbacks of going sans cable”: Blackstar AirWire i58 review
The affordable British brand enters the wireless market with an anti-intereference trick up its sleeve
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
"There isn't one correct answer": 6 things you need you need know about how to clean and condition your guitar fretboard
A string change is the ideal opportunity to get your 'board back to its best
What are the best online guitar lessons in 2026? I’m a professional guitar gear reviewer and these are my highest-rated lessons platforms
My expert pick of the best online guitar courses will supercharge your playing wherever you are, and whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player
How Tom Morello used his guitar to drill into the off-limits domain of the turntablist
The Rage Against the Machine axe-man’s most memorable moment saw him emulate a DJ scratch breakdown using a trick that few have fully mastered
With a massive 89% discount, $99 for a year's worth of Guitar Tricks online lessons is the best way to upgrade your guitar playing this Black Friday
Guitar Tricks is our number one online tuition platform for guitar players
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
With over 84,000 lessons at your disposal, this is one of the best value guitar tuition subscriptions online right now
Can you fix your guitar's frets yourself? We try three innovative approaches from MusicNomad to investigate how they might conquer a major cause of fret buzz
Uneven frets are a common issue with our guitars, but MusicNomad has come up with different ways to empower players to deal with it themselves
How to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
Learn the guitar style of the most expressive and accomplished playing The Beatle would ever commit to tape
Latest Tuition
"There isn't one correct answer": 6 things you need you need know about how to clean and condition your guitar fretboard
A string change is the ideal opportunity to get your 'board back to its best
How to pan like a pro and spread your mix across the stereo image
We help you broaden your mixing horizons with some useful tips for panning perfection
The difference between distortion and saturation and how to effectively get a gnarly sound
Adding small or even large amounts of saturation doesn’t have to be bad for you, as we explore how to singe your sonics
How to conjure the spirit of early techno and trigger your own retro zaps in software
How a sound design approach originally deployed for television effects became an electronic music staple - and how to make it yourself
How to replicate the trailblazing pulse of I Feel Love
I Feel Love’s innovative electronic rhythm section set the stage for pretty much everything that followed, and here’s how you can recreate its bewitching energy in your DAW
Improve the impact of your basslines by quickly learning the basics of bass compression
Creating the perfect foundation for your track begins just the right amount of compression for your bass - here’s how to not overdo it!
How Harry Styles brought the sounds of minimal techno to the world of pop with new single, Aperture
The former One Direction star’s latest effort is a far cry from his previous output
How close listening to Chic can teach us about the integral relationship between the kick and bass
If you want to add more punch to your production, start at the foundation of your track, with the kick and bass
How to emulate the sound of Gary Numan’s synth-pop classic Cars
We lift the bonnet on a foundational piece of synth genius, and demonstrate how you can achieve its distinctive sound yourself in your DAW
How unquantizing your tracks can make them stand out from the AI-dominated crowd
If your music is sounding a little mechanical, maybe it deserves a sprinkle of organic nurturing. We invite you to un-click the quantize!
Stuck for ideas? Here's how to create fresh basslines and melodies with Ableton Live 12’s MIDI tools
In our latest video tutorial, we explore how to use Live generative MIDI tools and hardware-inspired sequencers to create riffs and patterns
7 great house and techno tips from Don’t Be Afraid label boss Semtek (aka DJ Persuasion)
The producer, DJ and founder of one of the UK's most respected underground labels revisits a 2012 release to explore what he's learned in 15 years of releasing house and techno
Four big-name guitarists spill their recording secrets
With insight from Paul Gilbert, John 5, Adam Dutkiewicz and Marty Friedman on their approaches to the recording process
37 heavyweight bass production tips
More than three dozen priceless nuggets of bass recording and production wisdom
Creating chords for electronic music: 3 ways to generate more interesting progressions in Ableton Live 12
Let’s explore how Live’s MIDI effects can help us write better progressions
25 recording tips and tricks everyone should know
Get better takes in the studio and on the stage, with our essential advice for producers and DIY music-makers
Produce better music with our ultimate compression cheat sheet
Confused about where to start with compressors and dynamics effects? We'll guide you through the essential features and settings
Latest Reviews
"Danelectro’s finishing falls noticeably short of what the market now expects at this level": Danelectro Dan O. Cool 12 String
Plenty of Dano charm in the tone department, it's just a pity about the build
“It’s easy to use, packs a tiny footprint and looks to counter two of the biggest drawbacks of going sans cable”: Blackstar AirWire i58 review
The affordable British brand enters the wireless market with an anti-intereference trick up its sleeve
“Easily one of the most inspirational and accessible Elektrons we've used”: Elektron Tonverk review
With a depth and flexibility you'll want to abuse…
“It feels more like a DIY creator building something weird for themselves”: Beetronix Pollinator Hazee Delay
A modern throwback to the 'try anything' experimental days of the boutique pedal boom
“A stunningly creative and beautiful sounding synthesizer”: Korg miniKORG 700Sm review
They say great things come in small packages, but is Korg’s new miniaturised analogue synth just another victim of shrinkflation? We grab a microscope to find out
“If you are choosing one desktop mic to cover podcasting, streaming and clean home-studio voice capture, the PodMic USB makes a strong case”: Rode PodMic USB review
The flexibility of XLR and the simplicity of USB combine to create a versatile dynamic broadcast contender
“Rode spent the money where it counts, namely the preamp and conversion”: Rode NT-USB+ review
A sensible, well-thought-out USB mic with some clever tricks to elevate it above the competition
“Captures the essence of the U87 design and is ideal for a multitude of recording tasks”: Warm Audio WA-87jr review
A quality condenser is a must-have studio tool. Let’s see if this affordable option can actually deliver
