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Max Alper aka Peretsky is a composer, educator, and technologist. He holds an MFA in Sonic Arts from The Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College. There, he studied under David Grubbs, Morton Subotnick, Ben Vida, Marina Rosenfeld, and others.
He is the founder of Group Critique Fight Club, an online class for working musicians that is hosted via Patreon and YouTube, and is the co-host of the Critical Listening podcast with author Liz Pelly. Alper has held teaching positions at The City University of New York, The New York Film Academy, and Atlantic University of Puerto Rico. He has given lectures at New York University, Bard College, Berklee College of Music, The Royal College of Art of London, Robert Schumann Hochschule, SUNY Purchase, and many others.
He has released music of Whited Sepulchre Records, Deathbomb Arc, and through self-release. Alper has written for various publications including Viscose Journal, The Baffler, Klang Magazine, Hii Magazine, Media Commons, and The American Music Review. He currently lives in Hudson Valley, NY, where he runs a private teaching studio that is both in-person and online.
UPCOMING
TBA
A podcast covering the intersections of music, technology, and culture hell
with Liz Pelly and Max Alper.
GROUP CRITIQUE fight club
Join the twice weekly group critique seminar held on Sundays and Mondays, where we share our works in progress and talk about it in a civil and friendly environment. Join the class Discord for free to keep the conversation going throughout the week.
PUBLISHED WRITING
2026
“Deep Listening Materialism: Reflections of Field Recording Field Trips,” Tape Trade, January 2026.
2025
“Aesthetic Revisionism in the Age of the Vibe Zone,” Viscose Journal 08, Fall 2025
"Learning to Listen," The Baffler, January 2025.
2024
"The End of Audio: Speculative Fiction on the Death and Rebirth of Organized Sound, Chapter 2,” Klang Magazine, March 2024.
2023
"Monthly and Weekly Projects, Or the Importance of Routine," Klang Magazine, December 2023.
"For The Music Teachers" Klang Magazine, November 2023.
"Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student," Klang Magazine, July 2023.
"Ear Fatigue, the Shed, and Why You Gotta Take a Break Sometimes Buddy," Klang Magazine, June 2023.
"Parasocial Mentorship: This Is Your Life On Ryuichi Sakamoto," Klang Magazine, April 2023.
"Content vs. Context: Group Critique as Mutual Aid," Klang Magazine, March 2023.
"The End of Audio: Speculative Fiction on the Death and Rebirth of Organized Sound, Chapter 1," Klang Magazine, March 2023.
"The Synthfluencer Essay," Klang Magazine, February 2023.
"My Angel Boy Hudson Mohawke: On Memes and Music," Klang Magazine, January 2023.
"Sample Packing as Social Practice," Klang Magazine, January 2023.
2022
"AI Music Optimism in the Face of Dystopia," Hii Magazine, October 2022.
"Wellness Tech and the Utility of Ambient Music," mediacommons, October 2022.
“Pirates on the Sampling Seas: A Brief History of Plunderphonics,” Hii Magazine, June 2022.
“John Chowning, FM Synthesis, and the Invention of the Yamaha DX-7,” Hii Magazine, February 2022.
2021
"Sound Mapping Six Continents: The La Meme Young Found Sound Stories Project," Hii Magazine,October 2021.
“The Covid Soundscape and the Implications of the Global Quieting,” Hii Magazine, September 2021.
“The Nuanced Ethics of Sampling in the Age of (Audio) Information,” Hii Magazine, July 2021.
“When the Power Goes Out, the Radio Must Stay On,” Hii Magazine, June 2021.
“A Brief Sonic Ecological Survey of Tiktok Meme Culture,” Hii Magazine, June 2021.
2019
“Sonic Arts For All: Reaching New Students Through Music Technology,” American Music Review, Fall 2019
"The Oncoming Cacerolazo: Stories and Sounds from Puerto Rico’s Massive Protests," Soundfly, July 23, 2019.
2018
"Gang Gang Dance’s Brian DeGraw Says the Band’s Music Is a Book Without a Title," Soundfly, September 2018.
2017
"The Best Guitar Music in the World Is Coming from Agadez," Soundfly, November 2017.
"Alap Momin (Third Culture Kings, dälek) on Recording His Entire Album on An iPhone," Soundfly, September 2017.
2016
"Food and Hip-Hop: A Love Story for the Ages," Soundfly, November 2016.
"MoMA PS1’s Best Warm Up Season Yet Put Focus on Challenging and Diverse Bills," Soundfly, October 2016.
"Beyond the Boys Club: Striving for Diversity and Inclusion in Experimental Music," Soundfly, October 2016.
"A Short History of the Nearly Obsolete 1/8 Inch Headphone Jack," Soundfly, September 2016.
"Composer Erik Satie Was So Much Weirder Than You Realize," Soundfly, June 2016.
"Remixing Special Ed: Reaching Marginalized Students Through Music Technology," Soundfly, April 2016.
"5 Professional (and Pragmatic) Practices to Make the Most of Your Performances," Soundfly, April 2016.
“Sampling as Instrumentation: How Recorded Noise Found It’s Way Into Music,” Soundfly, March 2016.
"5 Innovative Things You Can Only Do With Vinyl," Soundfly, January 2016.
2015
"Pauline Oliveros Made Me A Better Listener," Soundfly, November 2015.