Ian Preece

Softcover | 15.88 x 5.33 x 23.5 cm | 720pp

Onmibus Press | 2020 | 9781785586309

If there's a cultural artefact capable of withstanding the vagaries and fickleness of the digital age as well as the printed book, it's the vinyl record...

In Listening to the Wind, Ian Preece sets out on an international road trip to capture the essence of life for independent record labels operating in the twenty-first century. Despite it all - from algorithms and streaming to the death of the high street and the gutting of the music press - releasing a record to serve its 'own beautiful purpose', as 4AD's Ivo Watts Russell once said, is a flame that still burns through these pages. With countless labels, albums and artists to be discovered, this book is for those who share that inextinguishable love for music.

Features extensive, original interviews with the likes of Analog Africa, Light in the Attic, Thrill Jockey, International Anthem, Dust-to-Digital, Pressure Sounds, Heavenly, Touch, Mississippi, Sublime Frequencies and more.

'Appearing at a time of pandemic and privations, when the futures of those who make and sell records are so uncertain, Listening to the Wind is an unexpectedly moving valentine' - THE WIRE

'Comfort food for the heart and mind. For all the soulless Geffen-worthy wrongs of this world, there are people in the real world honouring a pristine love for music, musicians and fellow music heads. These are the stories Preece went looking for . . . moving onto the next chapter soon becomes a time-consuming pleasure.' - SHINDIG!

'If we did a Book Of The Week this is what it would be. It feels a little like a Trouser Press Guide and has that casual authority. Super impressive' STEPHEN & TARA, MONORAIL MUSIC, GLASGOW

'Delightfully overwhelming in the amount of music to investigate... a late-night voice if I ever heard one' GIDEON COE, BBC 6 MUSIC

Music Business

Rock On: How I Tried to Stop Caring about Music and Learn to Love Corporate Rock

Listening to the Wind: Encounters with 21st Century Independent Record Labels

Going for a Song: A Chronicle of the UK Record Shop