Tag Archives: Music

Bandcamp prohibits music made ‘wholly or in substantial part’ by AI

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Bandcamp has addressed the AI slop problem vexing musicians and their fans of late. The company is banning any music or audio on its platform that is "wholly or in substantial part" made by generative AI, according to its blog. It also clarified that the use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles is “strictly prohibited” by policies already in place.

Any music suspected to be AI generated may be removed by the Bandcamp team and the company is giving users reporting tools to flag such content. "We believe that the human connection found through music is a vital part of our society and culture, and that music is much more than a product to be consumed," the company wrote.

The announcement makes Bandcamp one of the first music platforms to offer a clear policy on the use of AI tech. AI-generated music (aka “slop”) has increasingly been invading music-streaming platforms, with Deezer for one recently saying that 50,000 AI-generated songs are uploaded to the app daily, or around 34 percent of its music. 

Platforms have been relatively slow to act against this trend. Spotify has taken some baby steps on the matter, having recently promised to develop an industry standard for AI disclosure in music credits and debut an impersonation policy. For its part, Deezer said it remains the only streaming platform to sign a global statement on AI artist training signed by numerous actors and songwriters. 

Bandcamp has a solid track record for artist support, having recently unveiled Bandcamp Fridays, a day that it gives 100 percent of streaming revenue to artists. That led to over $120 million going directly to musicians, and the company plans to continue that policy in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/bandcamp-prohibits-music-made-wholly-or-in-substantial-part-by-ai-130050593.html?src=rss

Retro iMac G3-style AirPods Max takes inspiration from Apple’s most colorful tech era

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Sure, the AirPods Max come in colors – but there’s something so cold and un-emotional about anodized aluminum. It grabs your eye, but then immediately lets your eye wander once your fingers have run past its cool matte surface. Aluminum’s only purpose was to help build devices that were sleek and thermally advantageous. The problem, however, is that the AirPods Max aren’t ‘sleeker’ than your average headphone. Again sure, the MacBook Air looks so much thinner than the other average laptop – but aluminum in headphones achieves nothing. It adds weight, makes the head feel heavy, and doesn’t even look as eye-catching as some of its plastic-based counterparts.

Saffy Creatives recognized this and decided to give the AirPods Max a rather fitting makeover. After reinventing the Apple Watch as a G3-inspired retro-dream, they’re back with a redesign for the AirPods Max that looks oh-so-gorgeous it makes me want to try licking the headphones – obviously in a non-creepy way.

Designer: Saffy Creatives

What Saffy Creatives did is clever because it doesn’t change the AirPods Max silhouette – just its material treatment. Fair warning, the images ARE made using AI, but to be honest, AI is used more as a rendering tool here than it is as an imagination aid. The device looks exactly the same, except the parts made from metal are now replaced with dual-tone transparent/translucent plastic. The headphones here adopt Apple’s iconic Bondi Blue color scheme, with the outer cans giving a look into the headphones’ inner mechanics (just as Jobs intended with the iMac G3). A cloudy white element breaks the transparent shell, adding almost a halo of sorts around the can while also meaningfully separating the materials that would be probably impossible to injection-mold otherwise.

The old colorful Apple logo also finds itself on both the outer cans – something Apple wouldn’t be caught dead doing with their metal headphones. Is the detail almost too distracting? Some Apple purists would probably say it is – but nobody buys headphones because they look boring. Every audio-lover worth their salt wants headphones that make a noise, whether it’s through audio drivers, or through visuals.

The rest of the headphone remains fairly the same. The cups stay exactly the way they originally were, with the 3D mesh we’ve come to love. Similarly, the headband retains its mesh cushion too, however, the outer plastic frame also gets translucent/cloudy white plastic treatment to match the overall vibe. The result is a pair of headphones that are as gorgeous as any of Apple’s turn-of-the-millennium products – when Jobs and Jony Ive probably had more fun than they ever had making products.

Obviously such a pair of headphones will never exist (and I do wish Nothing had done a better job with their transparent design), but if there’s some maverick YouTuber looking to mod the AirPods Max, this weirdly nostalgic build is definitely worth a shot. After all, it’s nothing a 3D printer could churn out in a few hours. You’re not really changing the geometry either – just the material.

The post Retro iMac G3-style AirPods Max takes inspiration from Apple’s most colorful tech era first appeared on Yanko Design.

CES 2026’s Loudest Flex: Brane Party Pro Hits The Bass Notes So Hard I Actually Got Goosebumps

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There’s a specific moment that happens when you first hear deep bass done properly. Your brain needs a second to process what’s happening because the sound doesn’t match what you expect from a speaker that size. I experienced that exact moment at CES 2026 while listening to Brane Audio’s Party Pro prototype, and for the sake of the rest of the hotel guests, Brane only limited the demo to 10 seconds and played its audio at 25% capacity. The sound is so thundering (especially the base notes), Brane had to quite literally hold its speaker back to avoid noise complaints.

Brane Audio structured their CES presentation strategically, starting with the Brane X to establish their credibility against established competition. Then they unveiled the Party Pro, and the difference was staggering. The low-end reproduction didn’t just sound powerful; it revealed details in familiar tracks that had been buried under inadequate bass response for years. Only after the demo did they mention the kicker: we’d been listening to a single RAD2 driver at half capacity. The shipping version with two drivers will hit four times harder, which means this might legitimately be the first speaker good enough to make your neighbors consider moving.

Designer: Brane Audio

That single driver, the RAD2, is the whole story here. It’s the second generation of their Repel-Attract Driver tech, and the numbers are just absurd. They claim a 30-fold deep-bass advantage over conventional drivers, which sounds like marketing fluff until you hear it for yourself. The genius is in how it handles the lowest frequencies. Instead of just producing a generic boom, it articulates the bass, letting you hear textures and notes in the sub-100Hz range that are usually a muddy mess. You start hearing things in your favorite songs you swear were never there before, which is a wild and slightly surreal experience.

Closer look at the RAD2 Driver

The way it prepares for that bass is mechanically fascinating. The original RAD driver in the Brane X used a small air pump to create the necessary pressure differential. For the RAD2, they’ve engineered a system of small mechanical legs that physically push the driver cone outward to prime it before the music even starts. This pre-tensioning creates the pressure needed for its massive excursion without the lag or potential noise of a pump. It’s a clever bit of electromechanical engineering that solves a very specific physics problem, and watching it happen is almost as impressive as hearing the result. It’s a purely functional design choice that looks incredibly cool.

This level of mechanical control allows for some seriously smart audio processing. Brane’s team explained that the speaker’s internal DSP analyzes the incoming audio in real-time to identify the resonant frequency of each specific track. It then adjusts the driver’s behavior to perfectly match that frequency, essentially tuning itself to every song it plays. This is a huge leap beyond simple EQ presets. The speaker is actively collaborating with the music, ensuring that the bass response is not just powerful but also perfectly in sync with the artist’s original intent. It explains why the bass felt so integrated and clean, rather than being a loud, detached layer on top of the music.

So you take that resonant frequency matching, add the mechanical priming system, and then remember the demo was at quarter-power. The final Party Pro, with its two drivers, will displace a full 1000cc of air, which is an immense amount of sound pressure from a portable enclosure. Brane is essentially breaking Hofmann’s Iron Law, that old rule about deep bass, small boxes, and power efficiency being mutually exclusive. They’ve found a way to have all three. This technology is a new blueprint for how to generate low-frequency sound. I walked away from that demo feeling like I’d just seen the audio equivalent of the first flat-screen TV. The Party Pro will hit shelves later this year, with a price range between $1000 and $1500. You honestly may need to take permission from your Homeowner’s Association before you buy one!

The post CES 2026’s Loudest Flex: Brane Party Pro Hits The Bass Notes So Hard I Actually Got Goosebumps first appeared on Yanko Design.

Fender ELIE 6 Hands-on at CES 2026: Minimalist Nordic Design, 60W Of Serious Sound

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Fender made guitars and amplifiers legendary. Portable Bluetooth speakers seemed like an odd pivot until I saw the ELIE 6 at CES 2026. The design language reminded me immediately of brands like Vifa or Bang & Olufsen, that distinctly Nordic approach where simplicity becomes sophistication. A perforated grille, a wooden handle, clean geometric proportions. Nothing about it shouted “look at me,” yet I couldn’t stop looking.

Audio demos at trade shows rarely impress. Convention center acoustics murder nuance, and most companies crank volume to compensate. Fender’s team played it differently. They let the ELIE 6 perform at moderate levels, and the three-driver configuration with its dedicated subwoofer produced soundstage depth I didn’t expect from something this compact. The wood on that top panel carries particular meaning for anyone who’s held a Fender guitar. It’s actual fretboard wood, the same material musicians touch every time they play. That detail transforms a carrying handle into something that connects this speaker to decades of musical heritage while maintaining the almost-IKEA minimalism that makes it fit anywhere.

Designer: Fender Audio

That fretboard wood handle is such a clever, confident move. It signals that Fender understands its legacy without feeling trapped by it. Instead of slapping a vintage logo on a generic box, they integrated a core component of their instrument-making craft into a new product category. This approach feels so much more authentic than the retro-for-retro’s-sake styling we see from competitors. The tactile satisfaction of the physical volume knobs on top reinforces this. In an industry obsessed with pushing every control into a smartphone app, providing simple, direct interaction feels like a luxury. This speaker is built to be used, carried, and touched, not just administered from a screen.

Fender packed a dedicated tweeter, a full-range driver, and a separate subwoofer into this compact frame, which explains the audio fidelity. This three-driver setup is powered by 60 watts and, interestingly, a Waves system-on-a-chip. That SoC is the key to delivering higher output with minimal distortion, a common failure point for portable speakers when you push the volume. The battery life is rated for up to 18 hours, which is more than enough for a full day of use, and a quick 15-minute charge gives you another 90 minutes of playback. These are solid, practical specs that back up the premium design.

The real surprise is the four-channel input capability. This is where Fender’s deep understanding of musicians and creators becomes obvious. You can connect and mix audio from four different sources simultaneously. Think about the practicality: a guitarist can plug in and play along to a backing track from their phone, or a small group can mix a mic, an instrument, and a laptop for a small performance. This feature elevates the ELIE 6 from a passive listening device into an active creative tool. It’s a thoughtful, useful function that you simply do not find on other Bluetooth speakers in this category, and it makes the $299 price tag feel entirely reasonable.

Fender Audio could have taken the easy route by making a speaker that looked like a miniature amplifier. Instead, they built something that respects contemporary design while embedding their DNA in a subtle, meaningful way. The ELIE 6 feels like a complete thought. It balances a sophisticated Scandinavian aesthetic with robust audio engineering and genuinely useful features born from a deep understanding of how people create and interact with sound. It’s a strong first step into consumer audio, and it proves Fender is thinking about its future, not just coasting on its past.

The post Fender ELIE 6 Hands-on at CES 2026: Minimalist Nordic Design, 60W Of Serious Sound first appeared on Yanko Design.

Samsung Music Studio 5 and 7 hands-on: Unique speaker designs debut at CES 2026

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In addition to its annual soundbar updates, Samsung debuted two new home speakers at CES 2026. The Music Studio 5 and 7 are Bluetooth and Wi-Fi units designed to blend in with your home decor thanks to their minimalist look. They certainly don’t look like your typical speakers, and Samsung has packed them with features that it says will ensure optimal sound quality from each one. 

The Music Studio 5 has a four-inch woofer and two tweeters, and a sound profile that’s optimized by AI Dynamic Bass Control. The design is an interesting interplay between a circle and a square, but the speaker delivers crisp, clear sound — even in the roar of a CES demo area. The Music Studio 5 will also come in a smattering of colors, which could lend a pop to a bookshelf. Controls line the top edge, including one-touch access to Spotify.

Samsung Music Studio 7
Samsung Music Studio 7
Billy Steele for Engadget

If you’re looking for something more robust, the Music Studio 7 is a 3.1.1-channel unit that’s capable of four-direction spatial audio and high-resolution listening. Samsung says you can enjoy tunes at up to up to 24-bit/96kHz and the speaker can be used as part of a turntable setup. The sound here is more robust as I heard noticeably more bass from the 7 than on the 5. The various control buttons are up top here as well, positioned near the front of the speaker for easy access.

You can also use up to four Music Studio speakers as a surround sound setup in your living room. I listened to a brief demo where Samsung was using four Music Studio 7 units in a makeshift home theater. This combo provided great immersion, with lots of detail in the directional sound in the clips being broadcast on the connected TV. Samsung also says you can use up to 10 Music Studio speakers for audio only.

The company didn’t announce any pricing details yet, but that’s likely to come just before the Music Studio speakers are available for purchase. That date is TBD as well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/samsung-music-studio-5-and-7-hands-on-unique-speaker-designs-debut-at-ces-2026-052009007.html?src=rss

This Grand Piano Has a 20″ Touchscreen, and a Design Worthy Of A Supercar Showroom

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The grand piano has remained visually unchanged for generations, its familiar silhouette a fixture in concert halls and living rooms worldwide. Mohammad Limucci saw this consistency differently. Rather than accepting the traditional form as immutable, he recognized an opportunity to evolve the instrument’s aesthetic while preserving its acoustic soul. His creation, the Porochista Piano, applies automotive design principles to classical craftsmanship.

Measuring 8.7 by 6.2 feet, Porochista combines glass, metal, and matte black composites in flowing organic shapes reminiscent of Luigi Colani’s biomorphic philosophy. The rear section appears to float, creating visual tension between sculptural ambition and structural stability. A large integrated touchscreen offers digital functionality without compromising the acoustic purity professional pianists demand. This fusion of old and new earned recognition at the A’ Design Award, where judges appreciated its ability to attract modern design enthusiasts while respecting the instrument’s heritage. Porochista suggests what tradition might become when filtered through contemporary vision.

Designer: Mohammad Limucci

Designers slap touchscreens onto everything from refrigerators to bathroom mirrors these days, usually with results that make you question basic decision-making processes. A grand piano sporting what looks like a 20-inch display sounds like exactly that kind of misguided thinking. But Limucci clearly studied how supercar manufacturers like Pagani and Koenigsegg integrate function into form, where every curve serves both aerodynamic purpose and visual drama. That swept-back lid with its silver trim could’ve been lifted from a hypercar’s active aero system. The base, with its angular cutouts and geometric voids, solves the eternal design problem of making something massive feel light without actually compromising structural integrity. The solution here involves actual engineering rather than visual tricks.

The Colani influence runs deep, and anyone familiar with the German designer’s work will spot it immediately. Those seamless transitions between surfaces, the way hard edges soften into organic curves, the sense that this object could achieve flight velocity if you just gave it a runway. Colani designed everything from trucks to cameras using the same biomorphic language, always asking why objects should have corners when nature abhors them. Limucci applies that thinking to an instrument that’s been geometrically rigid since the 1700s. Production apparently requires CNC machining and molding techniques borrowed from automotive manufacturing, which makes sense given the compound curves involved. You can’t slap veneer on particleboard and achieve forms like these.

The touchscreen integration could’ve gone full sci-fi nightmare, all glowing edges and pulsing LEDs, but instead it sits flush and purposeful. The digital features (recording, playback, animated notation display) address actual pianist needs rather than adding gimmicks for marketing bullet points. There’s even a hidden compartment up top that slides out to hold sheet music, activated by touching a specific spot. That level of detail suggests someone actually thought about how musicians interact with their instruments over hours of practice, not just how the thing photographs for Instagram. The matte black finish with those copper-toned pedal details visible through the base cutouts gives it presence without screaming for attention, which is harder to achieve than it sounds.

Tehran to Zagreb doesn’t seem like an obvious design pipeline, but apparently that’s where this concept gestated. Whether it ever reaches production remains the question nobody’s answering yet, though the A’ Design Award recognition certainly helps with credibility. The manufacturing complexity alone suggests this won’t be competing with Yamahas at your local music store. Still, seeing someone finally treat piano design with the same innovative energy that automotive and consumer electronics enjoy feels overdue. Professional musicians deserve instruments that fit contemporary spaces without looking like props from period dramas.

The post This Grand Piano Has a 20″ Touchscreen, and a Design Worthy Of A Supercar Showroom first appeared on Yanko Design.

What we listened to in 2025

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If streaming services’ year-in-review campaigns have shown us anything, it’s that we’ve spent a staggering amount of time drowning out the hum of everyday life with music, podcasts and audio series. And with some incredible new releases this year, we were really eatin’ good. Here are some of the Engadget team’s favorite things we listened to in 2025.

Spiritbox - Tsunami Sea

I became aware of Spiritbox in late 2024 shortly before the band dropped its latest album, Tsunami Sea. At the time, I was in a deep Sleep Token phase, and I don’t remember how I stumbled upon Spiritbox, but I’m sure glad I did. Not knowing anything about the band, I initially thought it had two singers: one for clean vocals and another for the harsh, guttural screams. 

Well, I was wrong. Vocalist Courtney LaPlante handles it all, and she is a force of nature. After learning of a new band, I do what any self-respecting music nerd does: I looked up live videos of them on YouTube. The way LaPlante seamlessly transitions from airy, ambient singing to some of the best growls you’ll hear in metal music is effortless. And after seeing Spiritbox live in person earlier in December, I can attest to her ability to consistently nail both vocal styles for the entirety of an hour-long set. 

My infatuation with Spiritbox isn’t just with the vocalist though. Guitarist Mike Stringer, LaPlante’s husband, also has a lot of unique abilities to offer. Stringer’s use of noise and whammy effects in his riffs create a signature style, not to mention his mix of nu-metal, djent and metalcore sensibilities. He also has some of the thickest guitar tones I’ve ever heard live, and I was mesmerized for the full set. Stringer’s guitar work on Tsunami Sea is a prime example of a  unique musician at the height of his powers. 

Tsunami Sea takes you on a ride. The first two tracks are all-out ragers, and after a slight respite in “Perfect Soul” and “Keep Sweet,” the album’s best song comes fifth. I’ve heard LaPlante dedicate it to “all the people I love to fucking hate,” and it’s clearly written about her enemies. It’s also the perfect example of what this band is capable of. It’s three minutes of LaPlante’s screams interlaced with plenty of Stringer’s trademark guitar work. 

The rest of the album showcases the band’s ability to blend dynamics, with “No Loss, No Love” and “Ride The Wave” providing the highlights on the back half of the record. The album’s title track is a great vehicle for LaPlante’s clean vocals, serving as the introduction to the album’s second act. If you’ve been enamored with Sleep Token this year like I have, give Spiritbox a go — you won’t be sorry you did. — Billy Steele, Deputy Editor, Reviews

Bandsplain

I didn’t discover Bandsplain in 2025, but I definitely listened to it more than any other podcast in terms of total time spent. Sure, that’s because most episodes are over three hours long, but I digress. Host Yasi Salek does a deep dive on “cult bands and iconic artists” to… ahem, bandsplain why people love them. There’s a deep catalog of back episodes, so there’s sure to be an in-depth analysis of a band you’re familiar with. But even if you think you know an artist, I’m willing to bet Salek will divulge parts of the story you weren’t aware of. 

Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity is a top 5 all-timer for me, and Salek had plenty to offer about the narrative around that album I didn’t know. Her grunge series from 2024 was a history lesson I wish I’d had in middle school when I first discovered Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and the rest of the lot. An older episode about Nine Inch Nails served as the primer for me seeing the band live for the first time in September. And that’s the thing about the show: the back catalog holds up. If you’re waiting for the next installment to drop, there’s certainly something in the archives you’ll enjoy. 

No shade to Salek’s colleagues at The Ringer, but the best episodes of Bandsplain are when the guest is a musician. Thursday front man Geoff Rickly was excellent on that Nine Inch Nails episode, and Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard had me on the edge of my seat when he was on to discuss The La’s — a band I’d never heard of before. I’d also highly recommend the episodes on Oasis and the more recent one on Alanis Morissette. But, really, you can’t go wrong starting from anywhere on the episode list. — B.S.

Lucy Dacus - Forever is a Feeling 

I remember being a teenager and hearing from an adult that they did not religiously seek out, research, evaluate and introduce new bands and songs into their lives as if all existence would cease without the life-sustaining energy of new music. I was confused, concerned and damn sure that wouldn’t happen to me. 

You know where this story goes: Job. Kid. House. Spouse. Pets that will die if I don’t feed, walk, play with and/or medicate them. I allow the algorithm to feed me new songs but rarely does something stick, so I end up listening to tracks I bonded with in my teens and twenties. 

This year, Blossom & Bones, a three-day music festival in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, managed to push through the churn and lodge new music into my brain. Along with my kid and some friends, I camped among some of the most beautiful landscapes imaginable and ambled over to the stage each evening for performances by Santigold, Ani DiFranco and about a dozen more. 

Lucy Dacus, one third of the indie group Boygenius, did a one-hour set with plenty of songs from her latest album Forever is a Feeling. Hearing the songs for the first time, I felt like I’d been listening to them for years. Lilting harmonies and layered strings create a lovely backdrop for Dacus’s velvet voice, but there’s a sharpness to her observations about relationships, rejection and sex. I’ve been looping the album ever since. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter, Buying Advice

Blanco White - “So Certain” (single)

Early on the last concert of the day at that same festival, Blanco White took the stage. People were aimlessly milling about and the sun hadn’t yet set. Kids were playing on the lawn and the smell from the food trucks was intense, but I was enrapt by the four people on stage. The sad violin and strummy guitars floated with the hand-beat drum out into the red hills. The music sounded like I felt: rooted and wrapped in the harsh beauty of the desert and I was really glad to take that home with me. — A.S.

Martian Revolution 

If you're as big a nerd as I am, you might know that Leo Tolstoy didn't consider War and Peace to be a novel. The story is what most people read for, but in the author's mind, all the drama was a parable to illustrate his grand theory of history.

Over the last year, history podcaster Mike Duncan has accomplished a similar feat using a medium Tolstoy never imagined. Duncan's Revolutions podcast has covered ten different revolutionary upheavals across history, starting with the English Civil War and ending with the Russian Revolution. After wrapping up the Bolsheviks, Duncan took a few episodes to suggest a grand theory of how revolutions unfold. For a while, it seemed like that was all we'd get. Then, in the middle of 2024, he started posting original sci-fi — without any indication that this tale, which followed future Martians revolting against their corporate overlords on Earth, was in any way different from the previous ten seasons.

Part of what makes the Martian Revolution so excellent is Duncan's deadpan delivery. He never once breaks character. He rattles off lists of fictional sources, apologizes for inaccuracies in prior episodes, and introduces made-up historical figures with the same gravity he once used to mention George Washington or Simon Bolivar. If you're a fan of Revolutions, you'll have a blast recognizing character archetypes. (Mabel Dore is the Liberal Noble! Timothy Werner is the Man of Blood!)

But the podcast is great even if you've never listened to an episode of Revolutions. It has an excellent grasp of character and a sense of inevitable tragedy, but with moments of joy leavened throughout. I certainly hope we don't wind up in the megacorp-ruled future of the podcast, but if we do, it'll be a great consolation if it eventually turns out the way Duncan imagines. — Sam Chapman, Senior Writer

Ron Gallo - Checkmate 

My favorite artists are ones that surprise me, and Ron Gallo is a master of reinvention. He's dabbled in absurdist punk, psychedelia, garage rock, Beatles-tinged pop and, now, stripped-down acoustic music. This is not a genre I am typically a fan of, Elliott Smith withstanding, but Checkmate is something special. His lyrical prowess is off the charts here, trading his usual wordplay for simple and emotionally-gutting truisms about life, love and, well, the end of the world. 

Of course, the lyrics wouldn't work if the songs weren't good. The songs are very good. The title track is just about the perfect love song, with a primary hook that gets lost in your head for weeks. Other tracks offer hints of Mac DeMarco, Dan Fogelberg, Kevin Morby and just about everyone else who has crafted great songs on an acoustic guitar. It's fitting that Gallo has found a home on the label Kill Rock Stars, which released so much of Elliott Smith's work back in the day. As an aside, Gallo regularly posts songs about current events on TikTok and other social media platforms, which are worth checking out if you like stuff like Jesse Welles. — Lawrence Bonk, Contributing Reporter

De La Soul - Cabin in the Sky

There have been hip-hop albums that explored the finality and tragedy of death, but not many that truly tackled spirituality and long-term grief. De La Soul has done just that, following the passing of founding member Trugoy the Dove. This album serves as a final testament of sorts for Trugoy, as he's heavily featured throughout. In that way, Cabin in the Sky is reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest's 2016 masterpiece We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, which followed the death of rapper Phife Dawg. 

Like Tribe's modern classic, Cabin in the Sky is filled with absolute bangers. It features standout beats by DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Trugoy, Jake One and others. The rhymes are great and all three primary De La members are given time to shine. Guest rappers like Common and Nas got the memo, delivering some of their most memorable verses in years. Heck, even Giancarlo Esposito is on board as the narrator. Some reviewers have dinged this album for being too long but, come on, that's like complaining there's too much pizza. It's De La Soul. — L.B.

FKA twigs - Eusexua

This was a really good year for new music IMO, so much that I've been finding it pretty difficult to think back and settle on my favorite releases. But, FKA twigs' Eusexua undeniably did some heavy lifting for me, pretty much carrying me through the first six or so months of the year without much competition, and I've circled right back to it as the year closes. It's an album that somehow seems to meet every vibe. It'll have you in club mode and ready for a night of sweaty, filthy dancing in under three minutes, or feeling bright and upbeat like a midday walk on the first day of spring — yet it still hits when you're having a good ol' car cry. 

"Girl Feels Good" is for sure one of my most-played songs of the year, followed closely by "Eusexua," "Perfect Stranger," "Keep It, Hold It" and "Striptease." If ever I can't decide what I'm in the mood to listen to, I throw this album on and it doesn't disappoint. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor

Faetooth - Labyrinthine 

Faetooth's sophomore album, Labyrinthine, is face-melting, melancholic perfection. The band describes its sound as "fairy doom," but don't let that first word fool you into thinking it isn't heavy as hell. Labyrinthine goes unbelievably hard, and will have you feeling like you're eternally wandering a cursed bog, surrounded by the wailing of the unfortunate souls who came before you. Don't believe me? Put on "White Noise." This is really an album that should be enjoyed in its entirety, though, and I can't individually name half the songs on it because I tend to just keep the whole thing playing on rotation. — C.M. 

Orville Peck - Appaloosa 

This EP is truly a testament to my ability to run my obsessions into the ground, because it only came out in mid-November and somehow landed on my most-listened wrapup for the end of the year… which was released some two weeks later. It's front-loaded with its strongest songs, a powerful and kind of haunting trio that just flows beautifully from one into the other: "Dreaded Sundown," to "Drift Away" into "Atchafalaya" (ft. Noah Cyrus). As a fan of musicals, I also loved the inclusion of "Maybe This Time," a cover from Cabaret, especially since I was pretty bummed to have missed Peck's stint as the Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway this summer. — C.M.

Case 63 

I got into an audio series kick this year, and dove into shows like Unicorn Girl, Stalked! and more. But none of the dramatized fiction I listened to in 2025 had me hooked like Case 63. Setting aside that it’s voice-acted by A-listers Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac, which is a phenomenal pairing that won me over on star power alone. The best thing about Case 63 is its storytelling. 

Moore stars as a psychologist, meeting Isaac for the first time in a prison interview. Isaac has been claiming to be a traveler of sorts, and through recorded sessions and voice notes, we hear his side of the story, as well as her reactions and ultimate involvement in the adventures. Every step of the way, particularly in the beginning, there is clear explanation as to why the exchange is being recorded. It isn’t necessary, but it’s helpful in my buying into the realism of the story. 

It isn’t just the method and technical aspects of the storytelling, of course. Narratively, Case 63 is a gripping ride, and thanks to its short episodes, it’s easy to binge really quickly. There is certainly a generous use of cliffhangers to help speed things along, but I found myself eager to devour the entire series in one commute. The story continued to linger in my mind days after I finished both existing seasons, and I’m hoping the new one drops soon. If you’re looking for a quick and easy sci-fi audio series, do not miss Case 63. — Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor

Secure Love 

I spent a lot of time this year trying to learn more about my attachment style and how it shows up in all the relationships in my life. Between Stephanie Rigg’s On Attachment podcast, the TV show Couples Therapy and all the books on the topic of attachment styles, trauma and more, I’ve consumed them all. And while they’ve all been helpful in different ways, one podcast stuck out to me this year. It’s hosted by Julie Menanno, MA, LMFT, LCPC, creator of the @TheSecureRelationship account on Instagram and the author of Secure Love: Create a relationship that lasts a lifetime. 

You can probably tell from that introduction what Menanno’s work is all about. Relationships, from the lens of attachment styles. The Secure Love Podcast doesn’t just re-deliver the same information we’ve seen published across various media and platforms, though. Each season of the podcast (it’s partway through the second as of this writing) sees Menanno work with one couple through their negative cycles, using somatic practices to help each partner understand their emotions, triggers and reactions. Because we’re listening to real people talk about real-life happenings, it’s not only easy to relate, but listeners often see themselves in these scenarios. At the start of each episode, too, Menanno reads out or plays notes from the audience, and you can see how fellow listeners have reacted. 

This season, for example, my friend and some other listeners seemed to really dislike Brian, the anxious male partner in this season’s pair. While I’ve certainly found some of Brian’s ways of speaking borderline offensive, I had a lot more sympathy for him as I started seeing his traits in my loved ones. I also started to identify with his partner Bethany, who Menanno typed as having an avoidant attachment style. 

As I listened to Bethany and Brian describe the reasons they got into fights and explain where they were coming from, suddenly it felt like the world made sense. I saw similar patterns and reasonings in my own relationship, as well as those of my parents, relatives and friends. 

It is slightly voyeuristic to listen to something so intimate, of course, but Menanno makes it all educational rather than just entertaining. She gently interrupts parts of each episode to tell the audience why she asks certain questions or what she’s attempting to achieve by asking Brian or Bethany to sit with their difficult feelings. 

I found her method familiar, as I recently started working with a somatic coach whose approach is similar to Menanno’s, which is rooted in emotion-focused therapy (EFT). Staying with uncomfortable feelings makes me want to jump out of my skin, but being able to endure them, question why they arise and then understand where they come from is crucial to helping uncover the thinking that causes them. Sometimes they’re the result of flawed logic, catastrophic thinking or a simple lack of context, but often they’re very reasonable reactions. 

If you’re looking to understand yourself and your emotions a bit better, or just want to get an idea of what EFT or couples therapy sounds like, I can’t recommend The Secure Love Podcast highly enough. — C.L.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/what-we-listened-to-in-2025-201308584.html?src=rss

This concentric turntable with a CD player is the ultimate Hi-Fi system for newbie audiophiles

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Revival of the vinyl records and CD players was inevitable, as we’re seeing a swarm of physical media players that bring the invincible charm of analog music with the twist of modern design and technology. The rich and warm sound of record players is unmatchable, and the resurgence of physical audio is not going to tone down anytime soon.

Mixx Audio, known for their affordable turntables, wants to spice up the audio accessories market with a turntable that lets you have the best of both worlds – CDs and vinyl record players. Driven by the need to create a player that fits modern homes, the Analog Plus 2-in-1, fully automatic vinyl turntable has a built-in CD player. That means you don’t have to buy separate players for both to enjoy your vinyl records and CDs.

Designer: Mixx Audio

Design takes precedence here as the concentric turntable makes judicious use of the space below the platter for fitting in the CD player. The idea is to make it simple for listeners who want to enjoy both their vinyls and CDs with minimum fuss. Analog Plus is inspired by the industrial design of the 80s hi-fi components that weighed heavily into the sharp angular visuals. On the inside, it gets the Audio Technica AT3600L moving magnet cartridge, capable of playing 7-inch and 12-inch records at 33/45 rpm. Apart from this, you can enjoy your digital media as well, since there’s Bluetooth 5.3 and aux output. The included remote makes it convenient to toggle tracks, volume, or other player options.

The physical controls are mounted on the front for ease of use, alongside the small display that shows the current track progress and the mode selection buttons. The CD player of the turntable has a top-loading mechanism at the center. You can play normal CDs, or audio CDs, and RW discs as well. The audio quality output from these digital audio files is quite good, as it plays MP3 and WMA at up to 16-bit/44.1 kHz, and WAV files at 48kHz. Of course, the delivered audio will depend on the audio equipment you hook it to via the RCA audio outputs. That way, you can connect it to traditional hi-fi systems or modern speakers.

Mixx Audio has chosen the minimalist white and black color options for the record player that should go well with any interior. Analog Plus 2-in-1, priced at £299 (approximately $400), is a good starting point for budding audiophiles who want to ease into the hobby. The added convenience of loading your CD into the platter is another big advantage that goes a long way for music lovers.

The post This concentric turntable with a CD player is the ultimate Hi-Fi system for newbie audiophiles first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Engineer Built a 9-Instrument Orchestra From Vintage Computers

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You know that moment when someone takes something impossibly complicated and makes it look like the most natural thing in the world? That’s exactly what happens when you watch Linus Akesson perform Maurice Ravel’s Boléro on nine homemade 8-bit instruments. And honestly, it’s the kind of thing that makes you stop scrolling and just stare.

Akesson isn’t your average musician or engineer. He’s both, which is probably the only way a project like this could exist. The Swedish creator has spent years building custom electronic instruments from vintage computer parts and retro gaming hardware, and this 15-minute performance might just be his magnum opus. We’re talking about a piece that required nearly 10 hours of footage and 52 mixer channels to capture. This isn’t just a fun weekend project. It’s a full-blown technical and artistic achievement.

Designer: Linus Akesson

Ravel’s Boléro is one of those classical pieces that you recognize even if you don’t think you know classical music. It’s hypnotic and repetitive, building slowly over 15 minutes with the same melody cycling through different instruments until it reaches this massive crescendo. It’s also notoriously difficult to perform because of how exposed every musician is. There’s nowhere to hide when you’re playing the same pattern over and over. Now imagine tackling that with a collection of beeping, blooping 8-bit computers that you built yourself.

The instruments in Akesson’s arsenal include things like the Chipophone, an organ-like device that uses old computer sound chips, and the Commodordion, which is essentially a Commodore 64 turned into an accordion. Yes, you read that right. These aren’t instruments you can just buy off the shelf or even find in some obscure music shop. Akesson designed and built them from scratch, combining his deep knowledge of electronics with a genuine love for the aesthetic and sound of vintage computing.

What makes this performance so compelling isn’t just the technical wizardry, though there’s plenty of that. It’s the way Akesson treats these humble, squeaky sounds with the same reverence you’d give to a string section in a concert hall. Chiptune music, the genre that emerged from early video game soundtracks, often gets dismissed as novelty. But in Akesson’s hands, it becomes something genuinely moving. The piece still builds, still swells, still commands your attention the way Ravel intended.

There’s something deeply satisfying about watching someone honor both the past and the present in the same breath. Akesson isn’t trying to prove that 8-bit sounds are better than traditional orchestras, and he’s not making a joke out of classical music. He’s finding a middle ground where nostalgia, craftsmanship, and artistry all meet. It’s retro without being kitsch. It’s technically impressive without being cold or showy.

The video itself is a treat for anyone who loves behind-the-scenes peeks at creative processes. You see Akesson switching between instruments, his workspace cluttered with wires and vintage gear, every sound painstakingly triggered and mixed. It’s a one-man orchestra in the truest sense, except the orchestra is made of machines that were obsolete before many of us were born. In a world where we’re constantly told to upgrade, to move forward, to embrace the newest and shiniest technology, there’s something quietly rebellious about what Akesson does. He takes the discarded, the outdated, the supposedly useless and turns it into art. And not just functional art or conceptual art. Beautiful art. The kind that makes you feel something.

If you’re someone who gets excited about the intersection of design, technology, and culture, this project is basically catnip. It’s proof that limitations can breed creativity, that old technology still has stories to tell, and that sometimes the best way to appreciate a classic is to reimagine it completely. Akesson’s 8-Bit Boléro doesn’t replace the original. It sits alongside it, offering a new way to hear something we thought we already knew.

So do yourself a favor and watch it. Turn up the volume, let those retro beeps wash over you, and marvel at what one person with vision and skill can create. It might just change how you think about what’s possible when art and engineering collide.

The post This Engineer Built a 9-Instrument Orchestra From Vintage Computers first appeared on Yanko Design.

Pirate group Anna’s Archive says it has scraped Spotify in its entirety

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Anna's Archive, the open-source search engine for shadow libraries, says it scraped Spotify's entire library of music. The group acquired metadata for around 256 million tracks, with 86 million actual songs, and is just under 300TB in total size.

"A while ago, we discovered a way to scrape Spotify at scale. We saw a role for us here to build a music archive primarily aimed at preservation," the group said in a blog post. The pirated treasure trove of music represents over 15 million artists with over 58 million albums.

The group intends to make all files available for download for anyone with the available disk space. "This Spotify scrape is our humble attempt to start such a “preservation archive” for music. Of course Spotify doesn’t have all the music in the world, but it’s a great start," the group wrote. The 86 million songs that the group has archived so far represent about 99.6 percent of listens on the platform. This only represents about 37 percent of the total and the group still has millions left to be archived.

The open-source site is normally focused on text like books and papers, which it says offers the highest information density. The group says its goal of "preserving humanity's knowledge and culture" doesn't distinguish between media types. Of course none of this is exactly legal, and the sharing or downloading of all these files is flagrantly in violation of IP protection laws.

Anna's Archive contends that current collections of music, both physical and digital, are over-indexed to the most popular artists or composed of unnecessarily large file sizes due to collectors' focus on fidelity. The group says that what it's amassed is by far the largest music metadata database publicly available. The music files will be released in order of popularity in stages.

“Spotify has identified and disabled the nefarious user accounts that engaged in unlawful scraping,” a spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. “We've implemented new safeguards for these types of anti-copyright attacks and are actively monitoring for suspicious behavior. Since day one, we have stood with the artist community against piracy, and we are actively working with our industry partners to protect creators and defend their rights.”

Update, December 22, 2025, 10:45PM ET: This story has been updated to add Spotify’s statement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/pirate-group-annas-archive-says-it-has-scraped-spotify-in-its-entirety-211914755.html?src=rss