Reactive Records
The Periodic Table of Music
118 elements. Eight genre families. Each artist is pressed as a record and labelled like a bottle of medicine — active ingredients, uses, side effects and a warning. Click an element to develop its label.
Browse the collection
Eight genre families
The Lab
Drag two artists in. React.
Click an element to read its label · drag two into the Lab flasks to react them
Genre key
Metal & Hard Rock
Alkali & Alkaline Earth Metals
Drawing parallels between the reactivity of alkali metals and the explosive nature of metal and hard rock, these sections vibrate with raw energy and power.
Rock
Transition Metals
Just as transition metals form the backbone of the periodic table, rock forms the heart and soul of modern music, linking genres and generations.
Jazz & Blues
Basic Metals
Fundamental and timeless, much like the basic metals in chemistry, jazz and blues offer a foundational tone.
Folk & Country
Semimetals
The semimetals, with their diverse properties, mirror the rich tapestry of folk and country tunes — a genre that weaves stories of love, loss, and life.
R&B, Soul, Funk & Reggae
Non-metals
Characterized by the profound power of voice and soul, these genres resemble non-metals: essential elements that form the building blocks of our universe.
Electronic
Noble Gases
Noble gases light neon signs and modern electronics, pulsating with the same energy that electrifies electronic beats.
Punk, Grunge & Alternative
Lanthanides
Rare and often underground, these elements align with the undercurrents of punk, grunge, and alternative — stories of resistance, change, and evolution.
Hip Hop & Rap
Actinides
Dynamic, dense, and transformative: the actinides carry the beats of hip hop and rap, telling stories of resistance, change, and evolution.
Additional pressings
Six further works from the series that sit outside the 118-element grid.
