The Wire’s review of the last 12 months in underground music and audio culture, with 30 pages of charts, essays and reflections from critics and musicians guiding you through the releases, trends and debates of 2014

Rie Nakajima Object lessons from the Japanese sound artist. By Abi Bliss

Unplugged Serbia’s last leaf players. By Nick Cain

Mette Rasmussen The Danish saxophonist joining forces with Chris Corsano. By Daniel Spicer

Divine Styler The return of the psychedelically inclined rapper and producer. By Joseph Stannard

Global Ear Bratislava The ZVŮK festival in Slovakia puts sound art in unlikely settings. By Jakub Juhás

Cross Platform Emeka Ogboh The field recordist tunes into the chaotic frequencies of Lagos. By Clive Bell

Invisible Jukebox Alasdair Roberts The folk singer and songwriter is left reeling by The Wire’s mystery record selection. Tested by Stewart Smith

The Inner Sleeve Bob Stanley on Marianne Faithfull’s Come My Way

Epiphanies Memory, loss and the passing of time are evoked in sound for Renée Green

Print Run New music books: 90 Degrees Of Shade edited by Stuart Baker; The History Of Rock ’N’ Roll In Ten Songs by Greil Marcus; Splitting In Two: Mad Pride And Punk Rock Oblivion by Robert Dellar; Peter Christopherson Photography by Peter Christopherson; Bright Lights And Cats With No Mouths: The Art Of John Balance by John Balance, edited by Liam Thomas and Thighpaulsandra

On Screen New films amd DVDs: pirate radio film Drowned City and Eddie Prévost’s Blood

On Site Recent exhibitions: The Mechanical Garden And Other Long Encores and Sound :: Gender :: Feminism :: Activism

On Location Recent festivals, gigs and clubs: Shabazz Palaces, Brighton, UK; Glassfest, Bristol, UK; Unsound, Krakow, Poland; Abdullah Ibrahim, London, UK; Hassle Fest VI, Somerville, USA

Soundcheck A–Z Gilles Aubry Laura Cannell Chemotex Madou Sidiki Diabaté Maxmillon Dunbar Einstürzende Neubauten Sidsel Endressen & Stian Westerhus Chris Forsyth & Nate Wooley Frisk Frugt Ghostface Killah James Ginzburg & Yair Elazar Glotman Gong Peter Gordon Milford Graves & Bill Laswell Jonny Greenwood Itasca Junko Large Unit Monopoly Child Star Searchers My Cat Is An Alien And Cédric Stevens Anthony Naples Noveller Roberto Opalio Michael Pisaro Rezzett Alasdair Roberts Shintaro Sakamoto Akira Sakata Tom James Scott Sleater-Kinney Wadada Leo Smith & Bill Laswell Andy Stott David Sylvian DJ Spider & Marshallito tētēma Various Banko Ghodo Various Mitha Bol Various Live At Amarras Desert Music Festival Various The Unofficial Countryside Nate Wooley/Dave Rempis/Pascal Niggenkemper/Chris Corsano Bernie Worrell Wu-Tang Clan The Actor Francis Bebey Bourbonese Qualk John Coltrane Roberto Gerhard Peter Jefferies Bruce Lacey Hailu Mergia And The Walias Luigi Nono Various Disco: A Fine Selection Of Independent Disco, Modern Soul And Boogie 1978–82 Various Lead Kindly Light: Pre-War Music And Photographs From The American South Various Music From The Tudorfest: San Francisco Tape Music Center 1964 Various Parchman Farm: Photographs And Field Recordings 1947–1959 Wilco