What’s this about?

zensounds is a music and culture newsletter covering

  • experimental music – ambient, jazz, electronic, drone, noise-/post-rock, indie rap, leftfield pop and more

  • culture – books, films, media and technology

  • personal essays – off-grid life, spirituality and philosophy

Who are you?

I’m Stephan Kunze, a writer and culture journalist, as well as the former editor-in-chief of Juice magazine (Germany) and a former Senior Music Editor and Global Editorial Lead at Spotify.

For more than two decades, I’ve mainly covered music and culture for German-speaking media. In recent times, I’ve been publishing in English and writing for publications from the UK and the United States.

I’ve also worked as a copywriter and editorial consultant for labels, brands, media and tech companies. My non-fiction book Zen Style was published in 2021 by Arkana/Penguin Random House.

I am based in Berlin, but spend many months of the year with my family in a tiny village in rural northeast Germany, living off the grid.

Read about my story

Why should I subscribe?

A paid subscription is the best way to support and value my work.

I offer a sliding scale with 3 paid subscription tiers:

1. The regular subscription

As a paid sub, you will

  • get all free posts,

  • additional paywalled articles,

  • exclusive access to the full archive of posts,

  • and be actively supporting an independent ecosystem for music and culture journalism.

A subscription is only €5/month or €50/year.

2. The 20% discount

If you want to get a paid subscription but your economical situation feels too tense, the link below will get you 20% off for the first 12 months.

No questions asked.

Get 20% discount for 1 year

3. VIP status

If you’re well-off and enjoy what I’m doing, you can become a VIP member and receive full paid sub status plus extra karma points.

Just fill in the sum you would like to pay for one year. Even if it’s just a few bucks above the regular subscription price, I really appreciate it.

Become a VIP member

Can I pitch music to you?

Sure, but please note I can’t reply to pitches or give feedback to music due to sheer volume.

Make sure to include with your pitch:

  • relevant infos on the artist/project including release date

  • download link for current press images

  • HQ music download (Bandcamp codes preferred)

How do I reach you?

zensounds [at] posteo [dot] de

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newsletter for experimental music and culture

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Writer and book author with a focus on experimental music, culture and spirituality.