• Book (400g) 9780857862525£18.99
      In stockAdd to Bag

    How Music Works is David Byrne's bestselling, buoyant celebration of a subject he has spent a lifetime thinking about. Drawing on his own work over the years with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and his myriad collaborators - along with journeys to Wagnerian opera houses, African villages, and anywhere music exists - Byrne shows how music emerges from cultural circumstance as much as individual creativity. It is his magnum opus, and an impassioned argument about music's liberating, life-affirming power.

    Other Releases on

    In a quAre Time and PlacePost-Slavery Temporalities, Blaxploitation, and Sun Ra's Afrofuturism Between Intersectionality and Heterogeneity
    'In this book Tim Stüttgen considers the paradigm of (post-)slavery as an important epistemological break within predominantely white Gender and Queer...
      DJ Disciple & Henry KronkThe Beat, the Scene, the Sound : A DJ's Journey through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City
      A thrilling and tumultuous, behind-the-scenes account of house music in NYC. The Beat, the Scene, the Sound follows DJ Disciple and his behind-the-scenes...
        James Kaplan3 Shades of Blue : Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans & The Lost Empire of Cool
        1959 saw Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the other members of Miles's sextet come together to record the bestselling jazz album of all time:...
          Jane CholmeleyA Bookshop of One’s Own
          Shortlisted for the Indie Book Awards, Christopher Bland Prize and The People's Book Prize A Waterstones Best Memoir of 2024 An Independent and Stylist...
            Lorraine HansberryA Raisin in the Sun
            A revised Student Edition of Lorraine Hansberry's iconic 1959 play - the first play produced on Broadway to be written by a Black woman. Alongside the...
              Luke de NoronhaDeporting Black Britons : Portraits of Deportation to Jamaica
              Since the late nineties, the UK has deported thousands of people to Jamaica. Many of these ‘deportees’ left the Caribbean as infants and grew up in...
                Jacqueline CrooksFire Rush
                Yamaye lives for the weekend, when she can go raving with her friends at The Crypt, an underground club on the outskirts of London. Then everything changes....
                  Dr Maya AngelouI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
                  Maya Angelou's six volumes of autobiography are a testament to the talents and resilience of this extraordinary writer. Loving the world, she also knows...
                    Margo JeffersonNegroland : A Memoir
                    'Jefferson's eye for details yields some devastatingly honest and painful insights' The Times'Captivating... Charm is this book's watchword' Colin Grant,...
                      Kae TempestOn Connection
                      An authentically soothing, powerful, thought-provoker.'MATT HAIG'On Connection is medicine for these wounded times.'MAX PORTER'On Connection came to me...
                        Emanuele CocciaPhilosophy of the Home : Domestic Space and Happiness
                        A bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom - are these rooms all that make a home? Not at all, argues Emanuele Coccia. The buildings we inhabit are of immense psychological...
                          Jason OkundayeRevolutionary Acts
                          In this landmark work, Jason Okundaye meets an elder generation of Black gay men and finds a spirited community full of courage, charisma and good humour,...
                            Alex Haley (Author) , Malcolm X (Author)The Autobiography of Malcolm X
                            Malcolm X's The Autobiography of Malcolm X was written in collaboration with Alex Haley, author of Roots, and includes an introduction by Paul Gilroy,...
                              The Black Power Mixtape : 1967-1975
                              Featuring images recently discovered in the archives of Swedish television, The Black Power Mixtape shows the Black Power movement as never seen before....
                                Karl Marx, Friedrich EngelsThe Communist Manifesto
                                'The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.'Marx and Engels's revolutionary summons to the working classes - one of the most important and...
                                  Daft PunkWe Were The Robots: A Disco Pogo Tribute
                                  Featuring a new foreword by David and Stephen Dewaele, better known as Soulwax and 2manydjs. Daft Punk featured often in the formative years of Jockey...
                                    Woman Life Freedom
                                    Jina Mahsa Amini’s death at the hands of Iran’s Morality Police on 16 September 2022 sparked widespread protests across the country. Women took to...
                                      Michael E. VealLiving Space
                                      Examines John Coltrane's "late period" and Miles Davis's "Lost Quintet" through the prisms of digital architecture and experimental photography Living...
                                        Alice ColtraneMonument Eternal
                                        Alice Coltrane wrote this documentary on her spiritual life entitled Monument Eternal, which tells of her spiritual initiation, revelations, and austerities....
                                          Kyle PrueHow to Piss Off Men
                                          Have you ever been badgered by an annoying pick-up artist at the bar? Ever felt a burning desire to emotionally torture a friend's boyfriend in an act...
                                            Steve McQueenResistance
                                            Resistance presents a century of activism, from the radical suffrage movement in 1903 through key moments including the Battle of Cable Street, the Black...
                                              The princess of 72nd StreetBy Elaine Kraf
                                              Ellen is a single artist living alone on New York’s Upper West Side in the 1970s. She is beset by old boyfriends, paint pigment choices, and, occasionally,...
                                                All Foursby Miranda July
                                                SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTA BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS PICKA BEST SUMMER...
                                                  No Logo: An insightful examination of advertising's impact on society and youth cultureBy Naomi Klein
                                                  By the time you’re twenty-one, you’ll have seen or heard a million advertisements. But you won’t be happier for it. This is a book about that much-maligned,...
                                                    Alayo AkinkugbeReframing Blackness
                                                    Since the inception of mainstream art history, Blackness has been distinctly ignored. In Reframing Blackness, art historian and founder of @ABlackHistoryOfArt,...
                                                      Dread, Poetry and Freedom: Linton Kwesi Johnson and the Unfinished Revolution
                                                      What is the relationship between poetry and social change? Standing at the forefront of political poetry since the 1970s, Linton Kwesi Johnson has been...
                                                        Mystical MushroomsDiscover the Magic and Folklore of Fantastic Fungi
                                                        Mystical Mushrooms defines the beauty of mushrooms by focusing on their magical connections and symbolic meanings through folkloric tales and superstitions...
                                                          Jess Sah BiJesus-Christ Ne Deçoit Pas
                                                          Jesus-Christ Ne Deçoit Pas is Jess Sah Bi’s first and only gospel album. Fortunately, fans responded with enthusiasm: widespread radio airplay and concerts...
                                                            The Tribul'zationsMelody Babylon
                                                            The Tribulizations are a Brighton UK-based reggae vocal harmony duo living the rocker's life style! We pay homage to uk style lovers rock and spiritual...
                                                            • – Melody Babylon
                                                            • – Freedom Fighter
                                                            • – Politicians
                                                            • – Fade Away
                                                            • – Without You
                                                            • – One Step Forward
                                                            • – Just Let It Be
                                                            • – Fever
                                                            • – Social Riot
                                                            • – Rest In Love
                                                            Andy WarholFame
                                                            The legendary sixties New York pop artist Andy Warhol's hilarious and insightful vignettes and aphorisms on the topics of love, fame and beauty.

                                                              People also bought

                                                              Life After DarkA History of British Nightclubs & Music Venues
                                                              Nightclubs and music venues are often the source of a lifetime's music taste, best friends and vivid memories. They can define a town, a city or a generation,...
                                                                Pigs Might FlyThe Inside Story of Pink FloydAurum
                                                                NEW UK PAPERBACK 50% Off original Price £5 Bargain! Mark Blake’s superbly comprehensive and engrossing history of the group, rightly...
                                                                  FactoryThe Story Of The Record LabelVirgin Books
                                                                  NEW UK PAPERBACK Over 50% off original price!Factory Records' fame and fortune were based on two bands - Joy Division and New Order - and one...
                                                                    Young Soul RebelsA Personal History of Northern SoulPolygon
                                                                    Stuart Cosgrove's Young Soul Rebel sets up a compelling and intimate story of northern soul, Britain's most fascinating musical underground scene, and...
                                                                      Split Decision Band Watchin' Out Athens Of The North
                                                                      BACK IN PRINT!!!!! Holy Grail deep disco from Des Moines, Iowa! Solid unforgiving driving funky disco, flipped with a crazy Funkadelic style stoner funk...
                                                                      • – Watchin' Out
                                                                      • – Dazed
                                                                      BileoYou Can WinAthens Of The North
                                                                      Back in stock! KILLER, ultra rare, super loud disco two-sider from the brilliant Athens of the North label.
                                                                      • – You Can Win
                                                                      • – Let's Go
                                                                      Weldon Irvine I Love YouAthens Of The North
                                                                      LONG OUT OF PRINT!!!! BACK IN PRINT!!!! 100% ESSENTIAL SEMINAL cut from Weldon Irvine featuring DON BLACKMAN's truly soulful vocals. Essential, conscious...
                                                                      • – I Love You (feat. Don Blackman)
                                                                      • – What's Going On?
                                                                      Painel De ControleRelaxAthens Of The North
                                                                      BACK IN PRINT! Two slices of Brilliant Brazilian Disco - 'Relax' is a straight up boogie monster, well known to deep disco & boogie heads flipped with...
                                                                      • – Relax
                                                                      • – Malandrinha
                                                                      Marcos ValleMarcos Valle (Half-Speed Mastered Edition)Mr Bongo
                                                                      Mr Bongo reissue the classic, self-titled 1983 album by Brazilian music legend, Marcos Valle. Features the essential disco/boogie track co-written with...
                                                                      • – Estrelar
                                                                      • – Fogo Do Sol
                                                                      • – Samba De Verao
                                                                      • – Para Os Filhos De Abraao
                                                                      • – Naturalmente
                                                                      • – Tapa No Real
                                                                      • – Tapetes, Guardanapos, Cetins
                                                                      • – Dia D
                                                                      • – Mais Que Amor
                                                                      • – Viola Enluarada
                                                                      TapesSummer Jam / SalavereEM Records
                                                                      SOTU favourite Tapes flips the script again, returning with two fresh slices of heavy, digital dubwsie business via the excellent Japanese label, EM!
                                                                      • – Summer Jam
                                                                      • – Salavere
                                                                      Pure EssenceThird RockAthens Of The North
                                                                      Untouchable disco funk of the highest order! Pure Essence's classic 'Third Rock' - essential!
                                                                      • – Third Rock
                                                                      • – Wake Up
                                                                      MYTHPlay with MeAthens Of The North
                                                                      Athens Of The North return with a monster-stomping boogie 45! MYTH's 1985 rarity 'Play With Me' was originally available on a sought-after 12", now getting...
                                                                      • – Play with Me
                                                                      • – In Action
                                                                      Space GhostFree 2 BApron Records
                                                                      Space Ghost's album of mid-80s style, electronic soul has won us over here at SOTU - absolutely loving these slow jams, lysergic funk cuts and neon lit...
                                                                      • – Juno Fantasy
                                                                      • – Prayer For U
                                                                      • – Feelin Real Good (Vocal)
                                                                      • – Mystery Angel
                                                                      • – I'll Be Yours (Vocal)
                                                                      • – Girl U Hypnotize Me
                                                                      • – Love Beam
                                                                      • – Feelin Real Good (Instrumental)
                                                                      • – I'll Be Yours (Instrumental)
                                                                      24 Hour Party PeopleThe Story Of Tony Wilson and Factory RecordsChannel 4 Books
                                                                      Really funny and great book by the late Tony Wilson, founder of Factory Records. The story was later made into an equally funny and great  film of...
                                                                        The HaciendaHow Not To Run A ClubPocket Books
                                                                        Peter Hook, as co-founder of Joy Division and New Order, has been shaping the course of popular music for thirty years. He provided the propulsive bass...
                                                                          Last Night A DJ Saved My LifeThe History Of The Disc JockeyHeadline
                                                                          To celebrate 100 years of DJing, Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton have expanded and updated their classic account of the history of the disc jockey.The...