The US government’s Anthropic models ban was never about an AI jailbreakThe Trump administration's decision that forced Anthropic to pull its latest cybersecurity models could be reactionary, retaliatory, or both, but the message is clear: The AI industry isn't immune from U.S. government interference.

A Song That Changed My Life: Cardinals on Aphex Twin’s “Avril 14thThe Band Members: Euan Manning; lead vocals, guitar, Finn Manning; accordion, vocals, Oskar Gudinovic; guitar, Aaron Hurley; bass, Darragh Manning; drums.

The Storyteller: Finn Manning

The Song: Delicate and unnerving, Aphex Twin’s “Avril 14th” hesitantly registers in the mind, allowing its beautiful four-chord piano arpeggiation to take hold. Its muted, ever-so-slightly held notes linger just long enough, signaling a melancholic and unsettling, as well as a sad and stunning sensation all at once.

The mesmerizing two-minute composition highlights how Aphex Twin (Richard D. James), one of the forefathers of drill ‘n’ bass and Intelligent Dance Music (IDM), operates —brilliantly balancing creepy, borderline disturbing sonic aesthetics with moments of minimalist beauty. Because of this subconscious duality, it inadvertently slid into the mainstream, from cinematic soundtracks to iconic hip-hop samples. Today, it pops up as a shortcut in classical crossover and ambient playlists, instantly cutting through digital clutter.

The Background: Hailing from the charming harbor town of Kinsale — the official starting point of the Wild Atlantic Way, a breathtaking 1,600-mile highway winding along Ireland’s rugged Western coastline filled with dramatic sea cliffs and lonely lighthouses — Cardinals eventually followed a beacon of light calling them to settle in the historic, St. Finbarr-guarded city of Cork. Answering to their internal fate, they let the weathered, siren songs of the winding city streets guide them toward crafting music that subtly leans into an abrasive, yet melancholic, alt-folk-rock landscape; a style that fully channels the poetic realism baked into the backbones of the classical Irish musicians and authors.

In due time, the Leeside five-piece garnered the attention of Fontaines DC Frontman Grian Chatten. After releasing their self-titled EP filled with post punk energy and a strange, somber vitality, they entered the studio for a second time — a session which culminated in the creation of Masquerade — a strikingly stark, structural dyad of songs bleeding out equal measures of “alcohol and ecstasy.”  This visceral duality found its physical home in the vinyl itself: a brighter, more romantic everyday clarity spun into Side A, balanced against the moody, dark-art styled descent of Side B.

The release is a modern sonic manifestation of the Claddagh ring. The left hand gripping the sharp, angular post-punk sounds, the right cradling the fraught poetic fragility; at the center lies the heart, absorbing it all, creatively balancing the contradiction into a distinct unified sound. It is an artistic tightrope that Finn Manning subtly credits to “Avril 14th” and the ghost in the machine guiding his creative process with the band.

The Story: Like so many listeners navigating the modern musical landscape, Finn Manning’s introduction to Aphex Twin’s “Avril 14th ” arose through rosy childhood retrospection.  Specifically, he was captivated by the parallel musical narratives in Kanye West’s “Blame Game” from 2010’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy — a striking intersection where a contemporary classical piano instrumental was sampled as an anchor for a maximalist rap production. Even at a young age, this phantom melody seemed to possess a melancholic, poignant air that felt entirely detached from the rest of the song.

Driven early on by an exceptionally acute ear for musical nuances, Manning became obsessed with the beautiful piano arpeggiation beneath the bravado, prompting him to dig through the digital and physical crates. What he uncovered beneath the rap framework was the source material: the delicate, unadorned skeleton keys of Aphex Twin’s “Avril 14th” and its subdued essence.

This realization served as the creative genesis for Manning’s approach to songwriting within Cardinals. His finely tuned mind recognized that a lyricless composition could tell an entire story on its own, leaving listeners to fill it with any mood desired. It is precisely this emotional shapeshifting that drew Manning in. He recalls being struck by the tactile physicality of the sound, the tangible human element felt within the recording itself.

“The chord progression on 'Avril 14th ' really interested me in how music was able to tell a story by itself,” Manning notes. “The production of the recording is so intriguing in its base. The clicking of the keys has this typewriter effect that almost reminds me of a noir detective film.”

Through that same physicality, the different melodies in the song seemed to evoke different feelings. “I was particularly struck by the textures I was hearing.” Manning continues, “There’s a click and crackle where you can hear the physical keyboard itself working. I was mesmerized by how the left hand bass notes flowed and complemented the right hand at all points.”

Beyond the structural cleverness and unassuming delivery of the song, the track became a lifelong musical gateway. Manning leaned into classical piano, which eventually guided him toward artists who use atmosphere as the foundation of songwriting. “I went on to listen to a lot of classical music…and it led me to Brian Eno, and his album Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.”

Today, that old, fuzzy feeling when hearing “Avril 14th acts as a time capsule. Played on a modified Disklavier, the track’s mechanical imperfections heighten its beauty.  When Manning listens to it now, the music effortlessly flattens time and space together, transporting him back to how he heard it for the very first time — “lonely, optimistic, affecting.”

“The song has no lyrics, but the piece itself is incredibly emotive,” Manning reflects. “Still, today I can listen to it, and it can have a different feeling every time. I get different shades of melancholy, pride, hope, and nostalgia depending on what I am feeling.”

Photo Credit: Steve Gullick

The post A Song That Changed My Life: Cardinals on Aphex Twin’s “Avril 14th first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Nvidia’s $20 billion debt boom reinforces Bitcoin miners' AI pivotNvidia’s planned bond sale reinforces booming AI infrastructure demand, strengthening the case for Bitcoin miners pivoting toward AI data centers.

Ergonomic Mouse Gives Each Fingertip Its Own SaddleWant to make your own ergonomic mouse but don’t know where to start? Why not try [psudoku]’s Kotinos design?
It’s a scaffold-like fingertip shell that uses the internals of an HSK Pro mouse. Each fingertip gets its own little saddle-shaped nook, and things like hand size and paddle surface can all be configured by modifying the OpenSCAD scripts.
[psudoku]’s unit looks to us as though it was maybe made using multi-jet fusion (MJF) 3D printing, but it should be perfectly printable on hobbyist printers, whether resin- or filament-based.
Comfort of the contact surfaces is left up to the end user, but if your print lacks smoothness and sanding isn’t your jam, you might consider a layer of fabric tape to create a velvet-like surface on a 3D print. That’s a trick we’ve kept in mind ever since seeing it put to good use, cushioning the hardware in a DIY steam deck case.
Is the minimalist scaffold approach to a mouse not your style, or does your hand crave something less lightweight but a little more personalized? You might want to craft a truly custom-fitted mouse, for which clay is the way.

Analog Realism Sphinx 101Master bus processor with the world's first shared voltage rail. Three console topologies, four transformer models, multiband dynamics, EQ, stereo width, filters, and HF soft clipping (tube and solid-state modes) - all physically modeled at the component level. The core technology, TrueRail, connects all processing modules through a shared virtual power supply. When you push one module harder, every other module responds - rail sag, thermal drift, transformer saturation shifts, crosstalk between stages. Twelve analog mechanisms running simultaneously, just like real hardware. Each plugin instance loads with unique per-component tolerance variation, so no two instances sound exactly alike. Verified with 2,043 automated signal measurements across 9 test suites, zero failures. Full Plugin Doctor measurements published openly at https://analogrealism.com/pages/test-results.html Free demo available - fully functional with brief periodic silence. No subscriptions. Read More

Sir Lucian Grainge highlights global opportunity for Japanese artists ahead of Music Awards in Tokyo, where UMG artists Fujii Kaze and Mrs. GREEN APPLE win top prizesGrainge delivered remarks at an official gala for Music Awards Japan, according to UMG.
Source

PSPaudioware release PSP Levelizer PSPaudioware’s latest release offers automatic level adjustment and provides more detailed control than many traditional dynamic processors, as well as offering a quicker alternative to writing in fader automation. 

PSP Levelizer is a new auto-fader plugin that maintains consistent audio levels while preserving a track’s “natural musicality”Polish plugin developer PSP Audioware has unveiled PSP Levelizer, a new auto-fader plugin designed to help maintain consistent audio levels while preserving a track’s “natural dynamics, musicality and transparency”.
Designed for multi-application use – including everything from vocals, bass guitar and dialogue processing to full mix bus automation – the PSP Levelizer is also able to make a track follow an external signal, meaning producers can get creative with level-control techniques.

READ MORE: Legendary DJ Carl Cox awarded an OBE

The plugin also features an integrated sidechain EQ for focusing the detector on specific frequencies, with three reaction modes: Sharp, Normal and Smooth, catering to “everything from fast transient control to gentle, natural gain riding”.
It also features adjustable response timing and action characteristics, plus multiple lookahead ranges for precise level management, and a high-quality brick-wall output limiter, with adjustable drive, ceiling, and release settings and stereo linking options.
“PSP Levelizer is suitable for live sound, recording, mixing, and mastering applications, with lookahead controls that can be optimised for each situation,” the brand says.
PSP Levelizer is available now at an introductory price of $49 until 30 June, 2026, after which it will rise to its regular price of $69.
Learn more at PSP Audioware. Get yours at Plugin Boutique.
The post PSP Levelizer is a new auto-fader plugin that maintains consistent audio levels while preserving a track’s “natural musicality” appeared first on MusicTech.

Buchert Audio releases The Double Wide FREE stereo width plugin for macOS
Buchert Audio has released The Double Wide, a free one-knob stereo width plugin for macOS. The Double Wide is a simple utility for narrowing or widening a stereo signal. It’s almost too easy, but also super useful. You turn the knob left to make the source narrower or turn it right to make it wider. [...]
View post: Buchert Audio releases The Double Wide FREE stereo width plugin for macOS

Legendary DJ Carl Cox awarded an OBEEach year, the King’s Birthday Honours List recognises those who have made longstanding contributions to specific fields, including the arts, science, and medicine.
This year’s list has arrived, and included is legendary British house and techno DJ Carl Cox, who has been awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for his enduring impact on the world of dance music culture.
Elsewhere, Judge Jules – another veteran British dance DJ – has been named Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). In terms of ranking, OBE ranks higher than MBE.

READ MORE: Anyma’s first-ever solo show was at Printworks – now he’s returning to the UK capital with his most spectacular show yet, ÆDEN

“To receive this honour for doing something that has brought me so much joy is truly humbling,” Cox says in a statement obtained by Mixmag.
“Music has been my life for as long as I can remember and I’ve been fortunate to do what I love and to connect with so many amazing people through the power of music. This recognition is not mine alone – it belongs to everyone who has been part of the journey.”
He goes on: “To the fans who have supported me throughout the years, the artists who have inspired and collaborated with me, the promoters, crews and teams working tirelessly behind the scenes, my family, friends and the wider electronic music community: thank you!”
Elsewhere, in the rock world, Black Sabbath guitarist and heavy metal pioneer Tony Iommi has also been awarded an MBE. “What an unbelievable honour to receive an MBE!” he writes on Instagram.
Last year, MusicTech caught up with Carl Cox to find out why he’d decided to go all-in on live electronic sets.
“I didn’t want to come out of COVID and just continue to DJ,” he said. “I [like to] dive into the machines, swim around in all their components, and find out all these wonderful things that can come out of them that turn a corner on people’s expectations.”
He added: “If you stick most DJs in front of [a live setup], they’ll just walk away. I feel there’s laziness to that, because when you go in the studio to record, you use these machines. You use a drum machine. You use synths. You use keyboards. So why don’t you do what we’re doing in the studio, and then create that live?”
The post Legendary DJ Carl Cox awarded an OBE appeared first on MusicTech.

Oram Awards 2026: Open call announcement The Oram Awards have returned for 2026 to celebrate the unusual, unique and unfiltered creative worlds of women and gender-diverse artists experimenting with sound, music and technology.

“We’ve learned what schools, teachers and students want – and we’ve gone further than ever to deliver”: BandLab for Education 2.0 brings new learning tools, streamlined project management and more[Editor’s note: BandLab and MusicTech.com are both part of the Caldecott Music Group.]
BandLab Technologies has introduced a sweeping update for BandLab for Education – its award-winning music creation platform for schools and educational institutions.
Built around BandLab Studio – the highly popular DAW used by over 100 million creators worldwide – BandLab for Education 2.0 is the result of “more than eight years of work with educators worldwide” and sees a number of technical optimisations in order to run lighter and faster across the technology already used by schools.

READ MORE: Wondering if your playlists contain AI-generated music? Deezer’s new free tool can tell you

The sprawling new update brings an all-new BandLab for Education file format, through which teachers can more easily create, manage and reuse assignments. As BandLab explains, teachers can now build an assignment with starting materials and instructions, and then package it as a single file that can be distributed to students via existing systems, like Google Classroom, shared drives and email.
Elsewhere, BandLab for Education 2.0 now gives students access to professional creative tools, including BandLab AutoPitch for vocal tuning, as well as a wide range of samples, loops and one-shots from the BandLab Sounds library.
Utility tools like BandLab’s Metronome and Tuner are now available as standalone tools outside of BandLab Studio, making it easier for teachers and students to quickly open them for lessons and rehearsals.
“The tools to make music should be in the hands of everyone, everywhere, and nowhere does that matter more than in a classroom,” says Meng Ru Kuok, CEO and Co-Founder of BandLab Technologies.
“Since launching BandLab for Education in 2018, we’ve learned what schools, teachers and students want, and with 2.0 we’ve gone further than ever to deliver it. Our goal is and always has been to empower the next generation of music makers with everything they need to set them up for success on their creative journey, wherever it may take them.”
Other new features for BandLab for Education 2.0 include a simplified classroom setup – whereby teachers can create a classroom and share a join code for students to instantly join – and the ability to attach notes and reference materials directly to projects.
The update also expands BandLab for Education’s compliance flexibility. In addition to the platform’s existing COPPA and FERPA support, 2.0 now accommodates the dedicated data privacy agreements required by many US states, districts and other schools around the world.
BandLab for Education 2.0 is also priced for access, at just $2.50 per student per year.
Institutions already using BandLab for Education will remain fully supported, while schools that want to move to 2.0 will have migration support from the BandLab team.
Learn more at edu.bandlab.com.
The post “We’ve learned what schools, teachers and students want – and we’ve gone further than ever to deliver”: BandLab for Education 2.0 brings new learning tools, streamlined project management and more appeared first on MusicTech.

Mercurial Tones releases Dagon FREE resonance control plugin
Mercurial Tones has released Dagon, a free resonance control plugin for macOS and Windows. Dagon sits in the same broad category as plugins like oeksound soothe2 and Baby Audio Smooth Operator. It basically lets you detect resonances, harsh notes, and level spikes in context, then pull them down without flattening the whole track. Similar to [...]
View post: Mercurial Tones releases Dagon FREE resonance control plugin

Startup CEO Charlie Javice is reportedly angling for a Trump pardonJPMorgan can't be pleased by any of this.

discoDSP Discovery Pro Ronei Leite DimensionsRonei Leite Dimensions — Sound Bank for Discovery Pro discoDSP teams up with Ronei Leite da Silva (aka Spectro Senses) — São Paulo–based producer, mix and mastering engineer with over 20 years in the electronic music scene, and a leading name in the progressive psytrance and psytrance worlds (releases on Alien Records, Iono Records and beyond). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAza6BtmXtw Full Presets Showcase https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTHhtqOSqq4 Dimensions is a 128-preset collection built to push Discovery Pro into deep, cosmic, dancefloor-ready territory. From acid lines, rolling psytrance basses and hypnotic plucks to evolving pads, lush choirs, classic-synth emulations and otherworldly FX — every patch is mixed by a producer's ear and ready to drop straight into a track. What's inside (128 presets) 11 Synths (SYN) — TB-303 emulations, FM textures, formant voices and stereo-wide leads. 10 Arps (ARP) — acid lines, chord clavs, FM runs and velocity-driven sequences. 10 Bass (BS) — psytrance, rolling FM, sub and elastic wobble basses. 10 Choirs (CHO) — celestial vox, cathedral spaces and dreamy trance-gate atmospheres. 10 Distortion (DISTO) — gritty, saturated and aggressive lead tones. 10 Keys (KEY) — characterful keyboards, morphing tones and acid keys. 10 Leads (LD) — Goa acid, hyper-unison supersaws, melodic zaps and screaming acid guitars. 10 Noise (NOISE) — rhythmic, modulated and organic noise textures and step machines. 10 Pads (PD) — cosmic, celestial and evolving atmospheres for breakdowns and intros. 10 SFX — risers, sweeps, lasers and morphing sci-fi transitions. 9 Emulations (EXP) — Juno, Jupiter, Prophet, Oberheim, Korg MS-20, TB-303, Virus TI and more. 9 Plucks (PLK) — tight, percussive and phased plucks for hypnotic sequences. 9 Zaps (ZAP) — punchy, formant and reverse zap hits. Highlights Full modulation depth — LFOs, S&H, gate sequencing and morphing all put to work, showcasing Discovery Pro's engine in real productions. Links Buy: discodsp.onfastspring.com Spectro Senses: spectrosenses.com Read More