Native Instruments and Ableton have had incredible success with their custom MIDI controllers that integrate with their DAWs (digital audio workstations), Maschine and Live, respectively. Native Instruments' Maschine (yes, it's the name of the hardware and the software) and Ableton's Push are pretty much the gold standard for integration between music-making software and hardware. Serato is hoping it can capture even a sliver of that magic with its pairing of Slab and Serato Studio.
1. Cowell is chasing a new direction Simon Cowell: The Next Act, which hit Netflix on Wednesday, follows Cowell in his bid to put together the next One Direction, and do his bit to reassert western dominance in the only sphere that matters: the pop charts! There hasn't been a boyband from the UK or America who I think is as exciting as these K-pop artists, Cowell declares. But while he's convinced of the ginormous opportunity for a male version of the Spice Girls, the six-part docuseries has been widely panned, with reviews describing it as anachronistic and even bleak.
Lighting it up since 1975, San Francisco celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first giant public menorah outside Israel, a landmark Bill Graham project that went on to inspire thousands of menorahs around the world. This year's eight-night festival brings music, community gatherings, and nightly ceremonies honoring leaders and traditions across the Jewish community. Union Square Menorah Lighting Schedule 2025 December 14-22, 2025
Traditional wooden cellos and violins are exquisite but fragile. They crack in dry weather, warp in humidity, and require constant environmental monitoring. A professional instrument can cost tens of thousands of dollars, yet one bad flight or unexpected temperature change can cause irreversible damage. This vulnerability has long kept quality instruments out of reach for traveling musicians, students in varied climates, and performers who need reliability above all else.
"The song is rarely asked out for a dance, and I have always loved table tennis," he wrote. "Now there seems to be a real buzz about the film. Although I have it in my Academy pack we are waiting to see it on the big screen in the Christmas holiday. On tour we always have a table backstage for any of the crew or band to jump on."
Toys That Kill, one of the many beloved, long-running bands led by cult DIY punk hero Todd Congelliere, will release their first full-length album in a decade next year. It's called Triple Sabotage, and first single "Backwash Me The Antidote" finds Toys That Kill doing what they do best, churning out raw, revved-up garage punk with sweet melodies wrapped in steel wool.
Judging by mainstream music in 2025, humankind is not in a particularly creative place. The year's main storylines included the rise of AI slop and cartoon K-pop. A number of once-lively hitmakers churned out forgettable product. The most-streamed tracks came out in previous years; the songs of the summer sounded like winter. An escape from the malaise was simple: listening more broadly for new music. The best albums of this year were strange and personal.
I'm being a little facetious, but rock and even punk has has been steadily climbing its way back to the mainstream and we felt that more this year than we have in a while. Still, the vast majority of great punk bands are still occupying niche underground spaces, so you might have had to dig a little harder to see it but 2025 was an incredible year for music in and around the world of punk.
"Damascus" is a briskly-paced, uptempo groove that features Souleyman singing proudly throughout. Filling in the space between the drums and soaring vocals is Bey, rapping a refrain that drips potent imagery. "Navigating the waves in the dark, no map/ Stars in the heavens and the breeze on my back," he raps, extremely close to a chant.
Hercules & Love Affair have followed up 2022's dark, gothy and decidedly un-dancey In Amber with a return to the club. Andy Butler, who is H&LA, made the Someone Else Is Calling EP with Quinn Whalley of DECIUS and Paranoid London and Icelandic vocalist Elin Ey aka Hips & Lips. Whalley is an inspired collaborator, and the EP throbs with deep house bass, dashes of techno / acid house, and tons of attitude.
Announced just a few days prior to its release, 21 Savage's new album, What Happened to the Streets, documents the subtle maturation of an unblinking Atlanta rapper whose deadpanned threats are a prickly veneer around a grief-stricken survivor mentality. Tracks like the somber "Big Stepper" delve into the pain under the pomp, detailing struggles animating the put-downs we expect to encounter in this work.
It's a brisk November afternoon in the village of South Brent in Devon and, in a daffodil yellow cottage, two women are singing me lullabies. But these aren't the sort of lullabies that parents sing to their children. They are songs written and sung for terminally ill people, to ease them towards what will hopefully be a peaceful and painless death. We are at the home of Nickie Aven, singer and leader of a threshold choir.
Each episode of 'TikTok In The Mix' sees Jack Coyne of Trackstar sit down with a different artist for a candid chat about their work, their world, and the TikTok trends they've helped ignite. Expect sharp insights, plenty of honesty, and the kind of behind-the-scenes anecdotes that make TikTok today's home of music and culture.
What do you want to express that you feel you can't in everyday life? That's the question composer and producer Max Cooper posed to his audience in hopes of unearthing some of the hidden parts of our shared emotional landscape. In return, he received more responses than expected, many of which tapped into passionate displays of pleasure and pain. "It was like finding a secret window into our collective psyches," he writes.
Bruno Mars continues to electrify audiences with his long‑running Dolby Live at Park MGM residency on the Las Vegas Strip, which first launched in 2016 and has become one of the city's most in‑demand concert experiences. As of now, Mars has special New Year's Eve performances scheduled for December 30 and 31, 2025, both of which are sold out due to high demand and limited availability.
The cherished annual tradition was created by Walt Disney himself in 1958 as a way to thank the local community and leaders for their support. Today, it is a magical celebration of the season showcased in a stage production with a live orchestra, sprawling choir, and celebrity narrator. This year, I was lucky to experience the very special tradition for myself. Here's what it was like.
Billed as the "Runaway Again Tour," the band, led by co-founding guitarist and singer David Freiberg, will launch the tour with a show in Bensalem, Pennsylvania on January 31st alongside the Marshall Tucker Band. They'll continue by heading west for shows in Mesa and Sante Fe (also with the Marshall Tucker Band), followed by an appearance on the 2026 Rock Legends Cruise alongside The Guess Who, Gene Simmons Band, Blue Öyster Cult, and many more.
Portland has an incredible jazz scene. Always has, hopefully always will. From the historically Black Albina district to KMHD Jazz Radio, Montevilla Jazz Festival to the Jack London Revue, The 1905 jazz bar to Albina Music Trust-the Rose City's cup runneth over with world class jazz music. Champion of the genre, the Portland Jazz Festival has been bridging the gap between inter/national jazz musicians and local artists since 2003.
After 24 days of burning, his entire life looked different. Between tours, the famed DJ and dance music producer, born Ryan Raddon, spent the majority of his time at Palisades hot spots like the Village. Now he frequents Santa Monica and Brentwood by force. Of the 30 families in his church, only four of their houses remain standing, including his. Unfortunately, his brother's house was lost to the fires.
The second one questions how much money he made from the aforementioned gig: "I made 10k the other night at that show. My cut was not that much over a thousand $. Split between me and 3 other band members, does that make any sense mathematically? Anyways, Thank you for all your support everybody. NOAH WEILAND - OUT." The third message is the most concerning, with Noah writing, "I'd rather be dead... then [sic] live the same way my father did. Regardless of all this, it's been a long journey. Can't wait to see him again, and thank you for all the support along the way. Won't ever forget this."
