Not The Same Old Songs

If you're looking for new and unusual music, scanning your radio's FM dial can be a tiresome and fruitless exercise. But an escape from audio banality is at hand: Turn off the radio and log onto the Internet. With thousands of internet radio stations streaming music from every corner of the planet, every sound, from mambo to extreme metal, is at your fingertips. Tuning in is simple. All you need is a broadband connection, a good sound card (most new computers have one built in), a set of speakers and some media-playing software, such as RealPlayer (www.real.com), Winamp (www.winamp.com) or Windows Media Player (www.microsoft.com). These players can be downloaded for free and come loaded with a select list of Web stations. Here's a pick of the Web's best broadcasters of the offbeat and seldom heard:

www.somafm.com This San Francisco DJ collective specializes in underground and alternative sounds. SomaFM streams seven radio channels from its website, including the dance-oriented Cliqhop and Secret Agent, a seductive blend of '60s and '70s movie soundtracks (expect plenty of scores from Dirty Harry composer Lalo Schifrin) and contemporary lounge classics.

www.resonancefm.com Log onto this London station, run by the experimental London Musicians' Collective, and you might well hear four hours of German machine music and industrial soundscapes, long-forgotten Appalachian folk songs or the soothing sounds of birdsong.

www.africanhiphop.com Fed up with overproduced, unimaginative rap? African Hip Hop blasts out sounds from all over the continent, and its website details everything you'd want to know about Africa's vibrant rap scene.

www.wwoz.org Broadcasting from the heart of New Orleans, local community station WWOZ plays the finest cuts from the city's rich musical heritage. The station opens and closes most days with trad and modern jazz, and serves up a simmering sonic gumbo of Bayou blues and Cajun in the afternoons and evenings.

www.radiocubik.com Immerse yourself in the diverse and vibrant music of Latin America. The Radio Cubik Network streams three tropical channels: Bossa Brazil covers the carnival sounds of Rio, Radio Tango the traditional dance of Buenos Aires, while Radio Salsa blasts out more contemporary rhythms from the Spanish-speaking Americas.