Longform Editions, a Bastion of Experimental Sounds, Is Shutting Down

Andrew Khedoori has this quirk: When he’s in the car driving around the streets of Sydney, Australia, he needs to hear meditative music. No lyrics. Nothing too busy or too noisy. Which means he often turns on something from the Longform Editions catalog, which he’s built up alongside cofounder Mark Gowing over the last seven years. During that time, they’ve released four pieces of music every few months, by modern experimental luminaries like Claire Rousay, KMRU, More Eaze, and Cole Pulice; indie vets like Steve Gunn and Sam Prekop; and up-and-comers from Australia and beyond. True to the project’s name, each digital-only release features one piece of music that’s at least around 20 minutes long—otherwise, artists have complete freedom to explore and expand. “My kids understand that when I’m driving the car, it’s daddy music,” Khedoori tells me. “Sometimes they’ll be like, ‘Yeah, I want daddy music.’ And then sometimes they’re like, ‘I want the Frozen soundtrack.’”

On February 12, Longform Editions will put out their final quartet of releases. That group includes a gorgeous 24-minute piece by Christian Fennesz, “The Last Days of May,” that marks the ambient legend’s longest single composition to date. Talking about why he’s ending the project, Khedoori says, “We started Longform Editions with the idea to present music in a way that encouraged you to sit back and take time—especially with all of the digital clutter and algorithms dominating our lives—and now we just need to literally take that time for ourselves.” His daughter is 5 and his son is 4, and he wants to be able to dedicate more brain space to them, too.