Music Life

Brìghde Chaimbeul, Rhodri Davies, Sam Amidon and Linda Buckley discuss the roles of tradition and place in music, and what they might think about when performing.Brìghde Chaimbeul is a Gaelic musician, composer and bagpipe player. Her music stems from traditional Gaelic material, particularly sourced from archival recordings, of songs, stories and music from the Highlands and islands of Scotland. It also explores wider musical influences, such as a variety of global piping traditions from eastern Europe, Cape Breton and Ireland. She has collaborated with artists including Ross Ainslie, Gruff Rhys, Martin Green, Carlos Nunez and Allan MacDonald. Last year she released the album Carry Them With Us in collaboration with Colin Stetson, weaving together textural drones, trance atmospheres and instrumental folk traditions.Rhodri Davies is a Welsh musician who plays harp, electric harp and live electronics, as well as building harp installations. He started playing the harp at the age of 7 and is classically trained on the orchestral pedal harp; he also plays harps from a range of different cultures, modifying their sounds with different techniques and pushing the boundaries of how the instrument can sound. He's released seven solo albums and regularly works with groups such as Hen Ogledd, Cranc, the Sealed Knot and Common Objects. Sam Amidon is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Vermont. He plays the fiddle, guitar and banjo, and is a member of the Icelandic music collective/record label Bedroom Community. He has released a string of acclaimed albums, ranging in theme from interpretations of traditional Irish fiddle pieces to old-time melodies and tales from traditional American folk history. His collaborators include classical composer Nico Muhly, experimental composer/producer Ben Frost, composer/violinist Eyvind Kang, guitar legend Bill Frisell and veteran jazz drummer Milford Graves.Linda Buckley is an Irish composer and musician who creates electronic and acoustic music working across many disciplines, most notably film, and drone and dark ambient music. She's worked in many collaborative contexts, including scoring films such as Nothing Compares by Kathryn Ferguson and To The Moon by Tadhg O'Sullivan. Recent collaborators include Liam Byrne and Crash Ensemble, Gudrun Gut and Andrew Zolinsky.

Caterina Barbieri, Kali Malone, Moritz Von Oswald and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe discuss the role limitations play in the creative process, and whether they can be a source for creativity, if working with limitations helps sharpen one's aesthetics and define one's unique artistic voice, and whether human imagination needs limits to become limitless.Caterina Barbieri is a composer and modular synth artist whose sound draws from electronic, experimental and dance music. Her work is informed by an education in classical guitar and electro-acoustic composition at the Conservatory of Bologna, as well as the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and its famed centre for sound art, Elektronmusikstudion. She has spent a decade since her debut release, Vertical, breaking the rigid structures of electronic music and exploring how sound can induce both metaphysical and psycho-physical responses. Her most recent project, Myuthafoo, further investigates her interest in time, space, memory and emotion, and the links between them.Kali Malone is a composer and organist based in Stockholm. Her compositions are rich with harmonic texture through synthetic and acoustic instrumentation. In 2016 she co-founded the record label and concert series XKatedral, together with Maria W Horn, in Stockholm. Over the last few years she has released the critically acclaimed albums The Sacrificial Code, Living Torch, and Does Spring Hide Its Joy featuring Stephen O'Malley & Lucy Railton.Moritz Von Oswald is a dub techno pioneer producer and percussionist hailing from Berlin. He is the co-founder of production duo and record label Basic Channel. Prior to becoming one of the leading figures in electronic music in the 1990s, he played in one of the last incarnations of Palais Schaumburg. In a career spanning more than 30 years, he has worked with many legendary artists including Juan Atkins, Thomas Fehlmann, Carl Craig and Tony Allen. Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe is a Brooklyn-based artist, curator, composer and multi-instrumentalist. In 1997, he joined the band 90 Day Men before releasing solo projects under the moniker Lichens from 2004. He has collaborated on projects or provided sound in a featured artist capacity for such films as End of Summer, Sicario, Arrival, Last and First Men with Johann Johannsson and It Comes at Night with Brian McOmber. More recently, Robert has scored Il colpo del cane for Fulvio Risuleo, Candyman for Nia DaCosta, The Color of Care for Yance Ford and Master for Mariama Diallo.

Ane Brun, Linden Jay and Sylvan Esso's Amelia Meath discuss collaboration, navigating between genres and lyrical inspirations.Ane Brun is a musician hailing from Norway but based in Sweden, who also runs the label Balloon Ranger. Her music is rooted in folk pop and she's released 11 studio albums; her most recent is Portrayals, which came out last year. It is a collection of covers, including a previously unheard version of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's Blue Moon, to celebrate 20 years since her debut album Spending Time with Morgan.Linden Jay is a Grammy-nominated musician and producer from London. In addition to releasing music as a soloist, he is one half of the band FARR, a transatlantic duo described as a crossover between soul and alternative pop. As a producer and songwriter, he has also worked with artists including Stormzy, Sampha, Kelis and Loyle Carner. Amelia Meath is a Grammy-nominated musician and dancer based in North Carolina. She sings in the electronic pop band Sylvan Esso and alt-folk group Mountain Man, and has collaborated with the likes of Real Estate and John Cale.

Bill Ryder-Jones, Anna Calvi and Poppy Hankin discuss the first piece of music that really affected them, how their writing has changed as they've grown older, and how much they're willing to give people control over their music.Bill Ryder-Jones is from West Kirby, Merseyside. He co-founded the Coral, playing as their lead guitarist from 1996 until 2008. Since then he's pursued a solo career, writing his own albums and film scores, as well as producing and playing on records for other artists including the Last Shadow Puppets, Graham Coxon, Paloma Faith, the Wytches and Hooton Tennis Club. He's recently released his fifth solo album Iechyd Da (which translates as "good health" in Welsh). Singer-songwriter and composer Anna Calvi is known for her operatic singing voice and virtuosic guitar skills. She's the only solo artist to have received three consecutive Mercury Prize nominations, going on to become a judge for the awards, and her other work includes everything from scoring seasons five and six of the acclaimed TV series Peaky Blinders to a stage production of the opera The Sandman. Vocalist and guitarist Poppy Hankin leads London-based indie-rock trio Girl Ray. Their sound has taken them on a journey from C-86 style indie-rock to uplifting pop music; their third album Prestige, released last year, sees them reclaim disco music as a celebration of sexuality and outsider culture.

Dot Allison, Andy Bell, Bishi and Charlotte Kemp Muhl discuss AI in music, the importance of music in education and finding your own creative voice.Dot Allison is a singer-songwriter and composer whose work has included film and TV scores such as Black Death, Triangle, The Devil's Double and Henry: Mind of a Tyrant. She began her career in Edinburgh in the early 90s with the band Dove/One Dove, before releasing her debut solo album Afterglow a decade later. She has since worked with artists including Massive Attack, Kevin Shields, Hal David, Paul Weller, Pete Doherty and Darren Emerson. In 2023 she released Consciousology, an album that provides an imagined voice of a conscious universe expressed through music. Andy Bell is a musician, producer and DJ hailing from Cardiff. He started his career in Oxford in 1988 as one of two vocalists and guitarists of the band Ride, helping pioneer the genre of shoegaze. He went to play in Oasis and Hurricane #1. His production work includes projects with The Kynd and the Swedish band Weeping Willows. In 2023, he joined the supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos along with Shaun Ryder, Zak Starkey and Bez. He also worked with Dot Allison on her album Consciousology last year. Bishi is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, multimedia performer, producer, composer and DJ. Born in London with Bengali heritage, she has been trained in both Hindustani and Western classical styles and studied the sitar under Gaurav Mazumdar, a senior disciple of Ravi Shankar. She has released three albums independently on her own label Gryphon Records. Her third album, Let My Country Awake, released in 2021, is a musical setting of a work by Bengali poet and social reformer Rabindranath Tagore. She is the artistic director and co-founder of WITCiH (‘The Women in Technology Creative Industries Hub'), a platform increasing the visibility of women at the intersection of music, creative technology and STEM. Charlotte Kemp Muhl is a singer-songwriter, writer, model, actress, director, Chimera label co-founder and multi-instrumentalist. She formed the band The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger in 2008 with her partner Sean Ono Lennon, best known for their 2014 album Midnight Sun. In 2009 she co-founded the label Chimera with Lennon and Yuka Honda. She later formed the group UNI and The Urchins in 2017 alongside Jack James Busa and David Strange, releasing last year the project Simulations.

Laura Misch, Suzanne Ciani, Madame Gandhi and Sian O'Gorman talk about their music practices, how they're entwined with nature and technology, the natural muses which inspire their creative process, and imagining futures in which music can have a reciprocal relationship with the environment it is played within. Laura Misch is a multidisciplinary artist and producer from London. She is a singer, songwriter and saxophonist, who also makes audio and video collages. She primarily has a loop-based saxophone practice, and her debut EP Playground was released in 2017. Since then, she has also become interested in including natural surroundings in recordings. In 2021, she composed an immersive outdoor installation in Epping Forest in the UK, eventually soundtracking large-scale tree projections mapped onto buildings in London. Her debut album Sample The Sky came out on October 13th, and it's an ode to care, connection and listening to the natural world. Producer, drummer, artist and activist Madame Gandhi's career has included collaborations with MIA, Kehlani, and Thievery Corporation, and she's also featured on the BBC's 100 Women list. Her activism includes combating menstrual stigma people face around the world, and she's a Harvard graduate to boot.Suzanne Ciani is a musician, sound designer, composer, and record label executive who has made incredible electronic music and sound effects for films and TV. She's worked with quadrophonic sound, and has been pioneering electronic music since the 1970s. Sian O'Gorman is part of the self-managed collective NYX,a collaborative drone choir and otherworldly electric chorus, re-embodying live electronics and vocal techniques. NYX will be recording their debut album later this year.

Chromeo, La Roux and Empress of discuss longevity in the music world, the future of music media and the shifting notions of taste and trends.David “Dave 1” Macklovitch and Patrick “P-Thugg” Gemayel make up electro-funk duo Chromeo. The pair met in the mid-1990s at college in Montreal, bonding over a love of hip-hop and vintage funk. After hearing records like Daft Punk's Discovery, they formed Chromeo in 2002, releasing their debut, She's in Control, in 2004. Their music combines funk grooves and pop hooks with analogue synth melodies, and they have just released their new album Adult Contemporary: a meditation on modern, mature relationships. La Roux is a bona-fide alt-pop star and Grammy Award-winning singer, whose debut album from 2009 dominated charts around the world with an unforgettable falsetto and unmistakable vintage sound. She came back in 2020 after 5 years with her third album Supervision, and recently collaborated with Chromeo on a new rework of her hit single Bulletproof. Empress Of is a singer and musical artist who creates introspective, self-empowering electro pop. She grew up on the music of Latin America and debuted with anonymous demos on YouTube in 2012. She's developed into an artist whose creativity knows no bounds, from the quirky and eclectic to the straight-up danceable. She will release her fourth album, For Your Consideration, on March 22nd through Major Arcana.

Joel Shadbolt, Dallas Tamaira, Anna Coddington and Allen Stone talk about how environments shape their sound, staying healthy and sane on the road, and the 70s soul sound.A lifelong musician from the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand, Joel Shadbolt studied music at polytechnic before joining L.A.B. as the singer and guitarist in 2016. Their distinct blend of reggae, rock, funk and soul has established them as one of the premier acts in New Zealand. L.A.B's sixth album, L.A.B VI will be out 23 February 2024.Dallas Tamaira is a singer and musician born in Christchurch, raised in Kaikōura and now based in Wellington, New Zealand. He's occasionally known by the alias Joe Dukie, but is best known as the vocalist for the internationally renowned urban pasifika and dub group Fat Freddy's Drop, which he co-founded in 1999. He's just dropped his new solo EP, Levels.Anna Coddington is a multi-award winning songwriter, singer and producer from Raglan, New Zealand, currently living in Auckland, who has released four critically acclaimed albums to date. She also has an MA in linguistics, is currently studying for a law degree, and is a 2nd dan black belt in kyokushin karate.Allen Stone is an American soul and R&B singer and musician, based in Spokane, Washington. He is a pastor's son who grew up on gospel music, and by the time he was 11, he'd picked up a guitar and written his first song. He has released five albums to date.

Ana Carla Maza, Lucas Santtana and Eliane Correa discuss the music of Cuba, women as producers and composers in Cuban music, and their creative process.Cuban composer, cellist and singer Ana Carla Maza grew up in the Afro-Cuban Guanabacoa district of Havana, Cuba, in the early years of the Buena Vista Social Club revival. She moved to Paris to train at the Conservatoire, and the city became the beginning of her solo and touring career. Although she's a classically trained cellist, she's always incorporated her Havana roots in her work, and her latest album Caribe is a reconnection to those roots, inspired by Afro-Cuban descarga jams of the 1950s. Lucas Santtana is a singer, composer and producer from Salvador, Brazil. He recreates the Brazilian guitar tradition, mixing up sounds from the 1950s, like João Gilberto and Dorival Caymmi, with mashups, samples and his own creations. Eliane Correa is a pianist, MD and composer based between London and Havana. She was the bandleader of the Cuban fusion project Wara, and has also worked with Eli & La Evolución, En El Aire Project and The World of Hans Zimmer. Her unique sound equally reflects her Latin heritage and London musical melting pot experience.

Composers Zubin Kanga, Jasmin Kent Rodgman, Laura Bowler and Neil Luck discuss the role of technology in their work, how their collaborators have influenced them and the technology they'd love to try.Australian-born pianist, composer and technologist Zubin Kanga moved to London in 2007, where he attended the Royal Academy of Music. Through his work he seeks to explore and redefine what it means to be a performer through interactions with new technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, biosensors and more. He's worked with some of the world's leading composers including Steve Reich, Shiva Feshareki and Alexander Schubert and has premiered more than 130 works across the world.Artist and composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman brings together contemporary classical, electronics and sound art to create powerful soundscapes and musical identities. She works across a variety of different art forms, including dance, word film and VR, and explores otherness, memory and narrative in her music.Composer, vocalist and artistic director Laura Bowler specialises in theatre, multi-disciplinary work and opera. She's been commissioned by orchestras and ensembles across the globe and as a soloist has performed and premiered works internationally. She's also a vocalist in contemporary music ensemble Ensemble Lydenskab in Aarhus, Denmark. Neil Luck's music explores the interaction between live human performance and multimedia. His work takes a range of forms, from music-theatre to concert works and radio, and last year he collaborated with Mimi Doulton on an EP titled Five English Folk Songs, a piece of work that explores traditional singing techniques that have been lost and buried.

George Evelyn - AKA Nightmares on Wax - Corinne Bailey Rae, Theo Croker and James Lavelle discuss their creative relationship with music, the presence of social issues in music, and the pros and cons of the digital age.Musician, record producer and DJ George Evelyn, aka Nightmares on Wax was born in the city of Leeds, UK, and is now based in Ibiza. In his youth, he was greatly inspired by the likes of Quincy Jones and Curtis Mayfield, before discovering hip hop. He originally formed Nightmares on Wax in 1988 as a group project alongside John Halnon, with Kevin Harper joining later, but after one album it became solely his project. He debuted on Warp Records with A Word of Science in 1991, and has since released eight studio albums, various mixes and DJed countless gigs across the globe.Jazz trumpeter, composer and producer Theo Croker is known for his adventurous playing and determination to expand the horizons of jazz. He took up the trumpet around age 11 after being inspired by his grandfather, the legendary Doc Cheatham, and has released seven studio albums. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae shot to fame in 2006 with her self-titled UK number one debut album. She's known for her soul-rooted indie sound and has collaborated with everyone from Mary J Blige and Al Green to Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.Electronic musician, DJ and label owner James Lavelle is best known for his work under the Unkle moniker. He started the band in 1992, and in the same year founded the influential trip hop label Mo' Wax. As Unkle, he's released eight full length studio albums, most recently Rōnin II.

Galya Bisengalieva, Robert Ames, Actress and Claire M Singer discuss how instruments can affect composition, collaboration, and the relationship between music and its visual identity.Born into a musical family in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Kazakh-British musician Galya Bisengalieva won a music scholarship to study music in London, where she now lives. A classically trained violinist, composer and electronic musician, she released her debut solo EP in 2018, and debut album Aralkum in 2020. Her collaborators include Steve Reich, Laurie Spiegel, Sigur Rós, the National, Terry Riley and Thom Yorke, and she currently leads the London Contemporary Orchestra. She recently released her second album, Polygon.British conductor, composer, arranger and violist Robert Ames is the co-founder and artistic director of the London Contemporary Orchestra. His collaborators include Frank Ocean, Imogen Heap, Belle and Sebastian, Vivienne Westwood, DJ Shadow, Anna Meredith, Radiohead and Foals. His debut album, Change Ringing, came out in 2021.Innovative British electronic musician Actress released his debut single in 2004, and his debut album, Hazyville, followed in 2008. He recently released his seventh studio album, LXXXVIII, which he regards as the culmination of his career to date. Claire M Singer is a composer and performer of acoustic and electronic music, film and installations, known for her experimental approach to the organ. Her work draws inspiration from the dramatic landscape of her native Scotland. She released her debut album in 2016, and recently put out her fourth album, Saor.

Arthur Jeffes of Penguin Café, Johnny Borrell, Douglas Dare and Judi Jackson discuss taking your own music seriously when starting out, selling out, and whether it's OK to re-hash your previous work.Musician, composer and band leader Arthur Jeffes formed Penguin Cafe in 2009, bringing together a talented and disparate group of musicians initially to perform his father Simon Jeffes' legacy of world renowned Penguin Cafe Orchestra music, 12 years after his untimely death in 1997. Since then, they have continued to perform the music of Penguin Cafe Orchestra alongside their own compositions, and have released five albums to date. The most recent, Rain Before Seven…, came out in the summer.Douglas Dare's piano-led music creates an elegant minimalist sound. He released his debut album Whelm in 2014, which was made on a battered grand piano, then followed it up in 2016 with Aforger. In 2020, he released his third album, Milkteeth.British musician Johnny Borrell is best known as the frontman of the band Razorlight. The band have gone through several line-up changes, with him the sole permanent member. In between the band's activities, he released a solo album in 2013, and currently has a new project called Jealous Nostril.Singer Judi Jackson grew up in Roanoke, Virginia, playing piano and singing in the church choir. After moving to London, she released her debut EP, and in 2020 won vocalist of the year at the Jazz FM awards. Last year she released her full-length debut album, Grace. Her live show includes her own interpretations of songs from jazz greats, along with her original soul-infused music.

Faizal Mostrixx, Afrorack, Grove and Kaya Byinshii discuss pop music, musical cultures and the aftermath of live performance.Ugandan producer, dancer and choreographer Faizal Mostrixx was surrounded by music and dancing as a child and began his working life as a professional dancer, before deciding to focus on his other love, sound. After putting out EPs in 2019 and 2022, this year he released his debut full length album Mutations on the Glitterbeat label – an Afrofuturist manifesto from Uganda. Bristol-based producer and vocalist Grove draws on everything from dancehall and dub to hip hop and dance. Their latest album P*W*R PL*Y came out this year. Afrorack is a Ugandan musician who built Africa's first DIY modular synthesizer. Learning electronics and constructing an instrument that would have been impossible to buy in Uganda, he released his debut album in 2022, bringing together the first recordings with his new machine – a wonderful sound melding acid, techno, and African musicality. Born and raised in Rwanda, Kaya Byinshii strongly believes in the spiritual power of music. She released her debut EP Nyabyinshi in 2020 and her first full length album, Ukwiyuburura, in 2022.

Siavash Amini, Sarrsew, mHz and Mariam Rezaei discuss Tehran's experimental scene, and how geography and community can affect the creative process.Based in Tehran, Iranian musician and composer Siavash Amini has worked with the labels Room40, Hallow Ground, Opal Tapes and Umor Rex for the better part of the past 10 years. He's also collaborated with a wide range of international artists including Rafael Anton Irisarri, 9T Antiope and Zenjungle, and remixed tracks for Carl Craig, Bernard Szajner and the duo Arigt. This year he's released two albums, Eidolon and Eremos. Mariam Rezaei is a composer and genre-defying turntablist who's been honing her own unique style since starting DJing at 15. She previously led experimental arts project TOPH, TUSK FRINGE and TUSK NORTH, and in November 2022 received the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists in recognition of her contribution to music composition. She released her album BOWN earlier this year. Sara Bigdeli Shamloo, aka SarrSew, is a Tehran-born and Paris-based vocalist, lyricist and composer. She's one half of duo 9T Antiope, and also one half of the aternative/electronic Farsi duo Taraamoon. On top of her collaborative projects and solo releases, she's also produced creations for theatre and film and is an active performer and actor. Mo H. Zareei, aka mHz, is an electronic musician, sound artist, and researcher whose artistic practice covers a wide range from electronic compositions to kinetic sound-sculptures and audiovisual installations. After studying in Tehran and California, he now lives in Wellington, New Zealand, where he's a senior lecturer in composition and sonic arts. He also released the album Proof of Identity earlier this year

Since starting out in the late 90's, musician, DJ and label owner Adrian Younge's sound has borrowed from soul, funk, jazz and hip hop. His work includes scores for film and TV, including the Marvel series Luke Cage; a collaborative album with Ghostface Killah based on the comic book Twelve Reasons To Die; and productions for Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z. He founded the label Linear Labs, and is also co-founder of the Jazz Is Dead label with A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad. He's produced for greats such as Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Wu Tang Clan, and in 2021, he released The American Negro, an album that provides an unapologetic critique on the evolution of racism in America. Jean Carne is an incredible soul singer boasting a five-octave vocal range. She started her career in the early 1970s, with her 1978 solo single Don't Let It Go to Your Head becoming an R&B hit. She's also worked with Motown Records, the Temptations and Michael Jackson, and in 2014, she was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National R&B Music Society. She's worked with host Adrian through the years, most notably on the 1990 song Star Flower. Brian Jackson is a keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer, and producer who had a decades-long writing and producing partnership with Gil Scott-Heron, including the albums Pieces of a Man, Free Will, and Winter in America. He went on to work with Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder, and also has an extensive solo career, looking to both the present and the past for inspiration in order to honour the ancient tradition of the griot – the African troubadour of truth. Legendary jazz pianist and bandleader Lonnie Liston Smith joined Pharaoh Sanders's band in 1968, where he began to experiment with electric keyboards, and also had a stint in Miles Davis' band before forming Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes in 1974. In April this year, he released his first record in 25 years, called JID017.

Carlos Niño, Liv.e, Andre 3000 and Luis Pérez Ixoneztli discuss how their music is inspired by spirit, the feeling of creating sounds that are meaningful to them, and how they stay open to learning during their lives in music.Producer, percussionist and composer Carlos Niño started making beats aged 17 with Fabian Alston, before becoming a radio DJ in California. In 2008, he started Carlos Niño & Friends, and has worked with the likes of Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Photay and Kamasi Washington. His music blends orchestral arrangements and acoustic instruments with cutting-edge production techniques; in September of this year he released his new album, (I'm just) Chillin', on Fire. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, experimental R&B artist Liv.e is known for her hypnotic voice and eclectic musical influences. She was first introduced to music through the church ,but now draws inspiration from the likes of Lalah Hathaway and Wayne Shorter, as well as Dallas-based label Dolfin Records. In February of this year she released her critically acclaimed second album, Girl in the Half Pearl. Composer, ethnomusicologist and multi-instrumentalist Luis Pérez Ixoneztli is a hugely influential figure in Mexican music, who's dedicated years of research to the pre-Columbian instrumentation of Mesoamerica, travelling around the country to study the musical traditions of Mexico's native peoples. His music has been described as “perhaps the ultimate fusion of ethnic and modern music”; in 2013, his work was inducted into the Archive of Mexican Music, 32 years after it was first published. Andre 3000 is an American rapper, singer, record producer and actor who is best known for being one-half of hip-hop duo Outkast. He's sold millions of records around the world, with hit singles such as Hey Ya! and Ms. Jackson, as well as acting in series such as The Shield and films including All Is by My Side, a 2013 biopic about Jimi Hendrix.

Zach Condon, AKA Beirut, Blondie's Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields discuss the myth of self-expression as an artist, the influence your location, and particularly New York, has on songwriting, and what unexpected genres we might get musical influences from.Zach Condon, AKA Beirut, grew up in the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and from a young age absorbed a vast array of musical influences. When he was 14 his older brother moved to New York and left behind a strict musical education of minimal German electronica, hip hop and mix tapes of Neutral Milk Hotel. From ther,e he began recording little tunes with a trumpet, a drum machine, a synthesizer and his father's acoustic guitar. He was finally convinced to try playing a few concerts when he was around 17, and has since gone on to release eight studio albums and tour all over the world. His new album Hadsel came out this year and is named after a northern Norwegian island where he spent time in 2020. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephin Merritt is best known for fronting The Magnetic Fields, one of the most important indie rock bands of the last 30 years. He is renowned for his beautiful melodies and rich lyrics, meticulously crafting soundscapes using a variety of acoustic, electronic and improvised instruments. Debbie Harry and Chris Stein are members of one of punk and pop's most influential bands, Blondie. They formed in 1974 in New York and were pioneers of the city's new wave scene, going on to top the charts around the world with hits such as Atomic, Heart of Glass and Hanging on the Telephone. They've gone through many line-up changes over the years, but been held together by the two amazing musicians we have with us today.

Charlotte Adigéry, Bolis Pupul, John Carroll Kirby and Marie Davidson discuss second albums, having kids as a musician and collaborations. Charlotte Adigéry is a Belgian musician of Martinican and Guadeloupean descent, born and raised in Ghent. She's worked extensively as a solo artist and also as her punk alter ego WWWater. Bolis Pupul is a Belgian musician of Chinese descent who debuted in 2016 with the single Moon Theme / Sun Theme. They started releasing music as a duo in 2019 with an EP called Zandoli on Soulwax's record label DEEWEE. Last year, they released their debut album Topical Dancer, a multilingual 13-track project that explores themes of racism and misogyny. American pianist, record producer and composer John Carroll Kirby has a background steeped in jazz but with a signature sound that blends genres and styles. He's an in-demand collaborator who has worked with the likes of Solange, Frank Ocean, Miley Cyrus, Norah Jones and many more, and earlier this year he released his ninth album Blowout. Canadian producer Marie Davidson's hypnotic style combines analogue synthesizers and drum machines with vocals, leading to a prolific career both as a solo artist and member of creative trio L'Œil Nu.

Bloom Twins, Dorofeeva and Jamala discuss the influence of their Ukrainian identity in their music, how their music has changed since the war, and the advice they have for aspiring Ukrainian musicians. Bloom Twins are a pop duo made up of sisters Anna and Sonia Kuprienko, who are currently based in London. They're both classically trained multi-instrumentalists who use their platform to draw attention to issues such as mental health and freedom of expression, and whose brand of dark pop takes inspirations from the likes of Radiohead, Massive Attack and Ukrainian folk music. Singer and actor Dorofeeva first rose to fame in the duo Vremya i Steklo, alongside rapper Positiff. She is also a prominent fashion designer and blogger, and released her debut album сенси in 2022. Jamala is a singer and actor who is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Ukraine in 2016 with her track 1944. She made her first record at nine years old with an album of songs for children, and has since released 10 albums that straddle soul, jazz, funk and folk.

Country stars Charlie Worsham, Ashley McBryde and Jaren Johnston combining traditional bluegrass with new sounds in the studio, the importance of being a good songwriter in country music and the differences between live tracking a recording versus piecing it together remotely. Singer and songwriter Charlie Worsham grew up in Mississippi but moved to Nashville as soon as he could to pursue his dreams in Music City. He makes country music that's influenced by southern rock and bluegrass, and has just released his latest project Compadres, a collection of five collaborations with musicians such as Lainey Wilson, Kip Moore and Luke Combs. Ashley McBryde is a Grammy and CMA award-winning artist who has been making waves in Nashville for decades. She's particularly well-known for Lindeville, a concept album centred around the characters that appear in her songs and named as a tribute to songwriter Dennis Linde. She's also just released her latest album, The Devil I Know. Jaren Johnston is a multiple Grammy-nominated country and rock songwriter and producer who is one of the founding members of the Cadillac Three. He's worked with stars such as Keith Urban and Tim McGraw, and produced Charlie's most recent project, Compadres.

Our host this week is American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Andrew Bird. His recordings combine the violin with loops and effect pedals, whistling and vocals. He started out playing in jazz acts before forming his own swing ensemble. In 2003 he released his first solo album Weather Systems and since then has produced 16 studio albums spanning swing music, indie rock and folk. His most recent album, Inside Problems, came out in the summer. He is joined by Meshell Ndegeocello, a German-American singer-songwriter, rapper and bassist who played a pivotal role in kickstarting the neo-soul movement in the 1990s. Her biggest hit was Wild Night, a duet with John Mellencamp, which went to number three in the Billboard Charts in 1994. She fearlessly used her music to make statements about sexuality and queerness, and continues to do so today. And joining them is Juana Molina, an Argentine singer-songwriter known for her unique ‘folktronica' sound. Drawing influences from her home country and the Parisian culture she was surrounded by in her adolescent years, her music blends elements of ambient, electronic and folk. Together they discuss musical process, ego in composition and analysis versus intuition. In the second half of the programme, Meshell Ndegeocello takes us through a playlist she has called Sonder, a collection of songs which celebrate that everyone of us has our own story, featuring tracks from Parliament, Womack & Womack, Jeff Parker and more. (Image: Juana Molina (L), Credit: Alejandro Ros; Andrew Bird (C), Credit: Alec Basse; Meshell Ndeogeocello (R), Credit: Charlie Gross)

Our host this week is artist and musician GAIKA - he was born in London and raised in the city's night clubs. He released his debut mixtape Machine, in 2015 and since released a string of projects including BASIC VOLUME and Seguridad. He has collaborated with some of the most renowned names in contemporary music, including 3D of Massive Attack, Dean Blunt, Kelela, Mike Skinner, Mykki Blanco and SOPHIE. Alongside his music he has also created a number of art installations and has just released his new album Drift. Joining him are a group of artists whose music incorporates hip-hop, dub poetry and experimental pop – plus lots of spaces in between. First is British rapper Speech Debelle, who released her debut album Speech Therapy in 2009, which went on to win the coveted Mercury prize. She released two further albums in 2012 and 2017. In June the self-confessed food lover shared her latest album Sunday Dinner On A Monday. Next up is a singer-songwriter, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Lucinda Chua. Based in South London, she primarily uses her voice, a cello, and an array of effects units to create her music, and released her debut album Yian in March. Finally, South London-born poet and musician James Massiah, a wordsmith who has built a reputation for his literary voice. His collaborators include The xx and Massive Attack. He released his Natural Born Killers EP in 2019 and at the end of last year shared the latest in his New Poems series, Volume 4. Together they discuss their song-writing process, whether they are led by words or music, and the psychological effect of creativity. In the second half of the programme, Speech Debelle takes us through a playlist called Music Is Good Food, featuring tracks from Black Uhuru, Prince, Kelis, plus more.

MC Yallah, Catu Diosis, Chrisman and Debmaster, four members of Uganda's Nyege Nyege collective, talk about working remotely, managing your time between touring and the studio, and staying true to yourself. Born Yallah Gaudencia Mbidde in Kenya and raised in Uganda, MC Yallah has been involved in East Africa's rap scene since the 90s, when she was inspired by American hip hop and the Ugandan artists Young Vibes. She was a host on NewzBeat from 2014-2018, which was a TV programme that skirted Uganda's censorship laws by rapping about current affairs and controversial topics. At NewzBeat she met Derek Debru and Arlen Dilsizian, and is now part of the collective Nyege Nyege. She rhymes in Luganda, Kiswahili, English, and Luo, and in 2019 released her debut album Kubali. This year sees the release of her second album Yallah Beibe. Catu Diosis is a Ugandan DJ and producer who's been making waves across Kampala's underground electronic scene since the age of 16. She's one half of the DJ & producer duo БŁΛϾК SłS-ТΛЯZ and a co-founder of Dope Gal Africa, which supports and nurtures female producers across the continent. Chrisman is a DJ and producer from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He began his music career as a sound engineer and member of the hip hop band Young Souljah Empire. His work skilfully blends traditional African rhythms with electronic beats and experimental textures. Debmaster is a French-born Berlin-based electronic producer, also known as Julien Deblois. Back in the early 90s, aged 11, he started off as a punk drummer in the north French countryside. He's a key part of the Nyege Nyege collective and Hakuna Kulala camp, and a longtime collaborator of MC Yallah.

Anoushka Shankar, Arooj Aftab, Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Nadine Shah talk about the role of spirituality in their music, what their sound gives the audience, and share thoughts on being women of colour in the music industry. Born in the UK, Anoushka Shankar spent her younger years in London and Delhi before moving to California. She began learning the sitar aged 9 with her father, the legendary Ravi Shankar, and made her professional debut at 13. Since then has been nominated for nine Grammys, played everywhere from the Barbican to Carnegie Hall, and worked with a wide range of artists including Herbie Hancock, Patti Smith, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Jules Buckley and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Her latest project, a mini-album titled Chapter I: Forever, For Now, comes out in October. Arooj Aftab is a Grammy award winning Pakistani-American singer, composer, and producer whose musical styles cover everything from jazz to minimalism. She's performed at Coachella, Glastonbury, and the Montreal Jazz Festival, and is also an Emmy winning documentary editor. She also produced Anouska's latest album. Lisa-Kaindé Diaz is one-half of multilingual French-Cuban duo Ibeyi, whose work fuses jazz with beats, samples, and traditional instruments. They've released three studio LPs, appeared on Beyoncé's groundbreaking visual album Lemonade, and have collaborated with Chilly Gonzales, Kamasi Washington and Jorja Smith. Nadine Shah is a Mercury Prize-nominated British singer-songwriter who has performed at Glastonbury and London's Barbican. She's supported Patti Smith, Depeche Mode and Suede, recently made her acting debut in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and is currently working on her fifth album.

Steven Wilson, Roland Orzabal, Lucy Rose and Andy Partridge talk about the effect of fan expectations on the creative process, whether the world needs any more new music, and if “retro mania” is stopping rock music from evolving. Born in London and raised in Hemel Hempstead in the UK, Steven Wilson developed an interest in music as a child and was heavily influenced by Pink Floyd. His dad built him a multi-track tape machine when he was 12, which allowed him to start experimenting with sound. He formed two bands in 1986, No Man and Porcupine Tree, both of which came to define much of his career. His music covers everything from rock, to ambient, to electro pop, and he's worked with Elton John, Guns N' Roses, XTC, Pendulum, Yes, Marillion, and Black Sabbath. He's just released his seventh solo album, The Harmony Codex. Roland Orzabal is a British musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. He is best known for co-founding of one of the most influential bands from the 80s, Tears for Fears. British singer-songwriter Lucy Rose started out performing with indie act Bombay Bicycle Club before becoming a successful solo artist in her own right. More recently she's worked with Paul Weller, and she's just finished her new album. Andy Partridge is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who, as a founding member of cult rock band XTC, many call the godfather of Britpop.

Xefer, Apashe, Kovacs and Raja Kumari discuss singing in English or their native languages, overcoming obstacles due to where you live, and how to evolve as an artist through songwriting. Xefer was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and her journey in music started on YouTube where she would upload covers of herself performing songs in English of the likes of Bruno Mars, Jessie J and Paramore. She released her first single, Judge, in 2016, followed by her debut album, Uncaged, in 2017. Since then her style has changed and evolved, writing hit singles in Bengali such as Nei Proyojon, Jhumka and Harbo Na. Apashe is a Belgian electronic music producer who is known for his bass-heavy anthems and expert sampling skills. His cinematic sound blends electronic music with elements of orchestral and classical music and has soundtracked the trailers for blockbuster films including John Wick: Chapter 2 and Fast & Furious: Hobbes and Shaw. He's also currently touring the world with a live brass orchestra. Kovacs is a singer from the Netherlands who spent her early years performing at open mic nights and wowing audiences with her powerful yet vulnerable sound. Her debut single, My Love, became a number one hit across Europe in 2013 and this year she released her album Child of Sin. Indian-American rapper and singer Raja Kumari originally trained as an Indian classical dancer before discovering hip-hop through the Fugees' album The Score. She's since become a star in both the US and India, collaborating with everyone from Gwen Stefani to Sidhu Moose Wala, headlining huge festivals and founding her own label, Godmother Records.

Devendra Banhart, Phil Elverum, Jenny Hval and Bedouine discuss eating on tour, how art is intimacy exposed, and what can be learned from terrible shows. Devendra Banhart, was born in Texas and raised between Venezuela and California, where he attended the San Francisco Art Institute. After dropping out in 2000, he started moving around different cities, experimenting with songwriting and busking as he went. When he released his second album, Oh Me Oh My, in 2002 ,he signed to XL Recordings, and has since released nine albums and collaborated with artists like Anohni, Beck and The Strokes' Fabrizio Moretti. His new album Flying Wig has just come out and was recorded in a Topanga cabin once owned by Neil Young. He's also a visual artist, and has had pieces featured in galleries including San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art, MOCA and Brussels' Centre for Fine Arts. Phil Elverum is a singer-songwriter, producer and visual artist from Washington state. Best known for his musical projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie, he almost exclusively uses analogue recording equipment to make music and tends to compose as he records. His output spans more than 40 albums. Norwegian singer-songwriter, producer and novelist Jenny Hval's avant-garde music has a heavy focus on sexuality and politics. Her debut EP Cigars was released in 2006 and was nominated for a Spellemannprisen (the Nowegian Grammys). Since then, she has released music under her own name, Rocket to the Sky and collaboratively with Laura Jean as Lost Girls. Bedouine is a Syrian-American folk musician whose sound is beautifully reminiscent of 1960s North America. Born in Aleppo, Syria, she grew up between Saudi Arabia and Texas before settling in Savannah to study sound design. Since then, she's released three studio albums and toured with the likes of Fleet Foxes, Michael Kiwanuka and Jose Gonzalez.

Lea Salonga, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Gerard Salonga and Daniel Edmonds discuss the process of working through a piece that isn't going well, what drives them when starting a new project, and the most important things they look for in a performer of musical theatre. Lea Salonga has done everything from playing Kim in the original production of Miss Saigon, to playing Fantine and Éponine in Les Misérables. She has also released 12 of her own albums. Claude-Michel Schönberg is a French record producer, actor, singer and musical theatre composer with a prolific career in music. He is best known for his collaborations with lyricist Alain Boublil and has scored some of the biggest works in musical theatre including Les Misérables, La Révolution Francaise and Miss Saigon. Gerard Salonga is a Filipino conductor, composer and arranger who is currently the resident conductor of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in Kuala Lumpur. He started playing piano at the age of five and sang duets with Lea, his sister, for her first album, Small Voice, before going on to study at Berklee College of Music. He's conducted orchestras across the Philippines and has worked with distinguished conductors and composers across the world. Musical director, composer and arranger Daniel Edmonds has written music for both screen and stage. He was the musical director of the musicals King Kong, Strictly Ballroom and Dream Lover, as week as the award-winning show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He's also worked closely with Lea on various projects, such as writing the music for her 2020 single Dream Again, which was released to raise funds for Covid-19 charities.

Jeff Mills, Neue Grafik, Prabhu Edouard and Knoel Scott talk about improvisational performance, rhythms as a form of communication and how technology is overtaking the artist. Jeff Mills started out on the Detroit techno scene in the 1980s before founding Underground Resistance with ‘Mad' Mike Banks in 1989. He left Detroit for New York in 1991 (via a residency at Berlin's mighty Tresor), to pursue a solo career and set up his own label, Axis. Since then, he's released a number of projects, including two volumes of Waveform Transmissions for Tresor; 2005's Blue Potential, a live album recorded with the 70-piece Montpelier Philharmonic Orchestra; and a new soundtrack for Fritz Lang's 1926 film Metropolis in 2000. In 2018, he set up the Afrofunk-electro-jazz ensemble Tomorrow Comes The Harvest with the late Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, and has been making music and performing with the collective ever since. Neue Grafik is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist making a truly unique sound. Blending hip-hop, jazz and house, his music draws a map between his African heritage, time in Paris and love of London's grime scene. Forming the Neue Grafik Ensemble at an after-hours jam session at London's Total Refreshment Centre, he's established himself as formidable force in the world of jazz. Indo-French percussionist and composer Prabhu Edouard is recognised as one of the most versatile tabla players of his generation. A student of the legendary Pandit Shankar Ghosh, he's collaborated with artists from around the world including Jean-Pierre Drouet and Laxmi Shankar, and is part of the afrofunk-electro-jazz ensemble Tomorrow Comes The Harvest. Knoel Scott is an American saxophonist and composer best known for his time with jazz collective Sun Ra Arkestra. With a career spanning more than 40 years, he's worked alongside jazz greats including Lou Donaldson and Leon Thomas. Most recently, he's released his first major studio album, Celestial with long time collaborator Marshall Allen.

Eyedress, Homeshake, Na'Kel Smith and María Zardoya discuss the difficulties of re-capturing a moment, pushing everything else away when going through a creative block, and the importance of controlling your own visual identity. Eyedress is a singer, rapper and producer who grew up in the Philippines but moved to the USA with his family at the age of six. He grew up playing in punk bands, before moving back to Manila in 2005, where he formed garage pop band Bee Eyes. Meanwhile, he was pursuing his own project which would eventually become Eyedress, a name he originally came up with for his Twitter account. His music takes inspiration from everything from shoegaze to bedroom-pop, and last year he released his fifth album, FULL TIME LOVER. Canadian musician Peter Sagar, AKA Homeshake, is known for his unique brand of R&B influenced indie-pop. Originally part of Mac DeMarco's touring set-up, he uses synthesizers and drum-machines to accompany his guitar-playing and soft vocals, creating a relaxing, ethereal sound. Na'Kel Smith is a rapper, actor and skater who was originally one of the non-musician members of alternative hip-hop group Odd Future. After debuting with a powerful, emotional verse on Earl Sweatshirt's DNA and teaching himself how to record, engineer, and make beats, he's evolved into an experimental, lo-fi artist who embodies the spirit of DIY music. Puerto Rican singer María Zardoya fronts American indie-pop band The Marías. They create a dreamlike fusion of jazz, psychedelia and funk music, drawing inspiration from the band's diverse musical backgrounds and singing in both English and Spanish. Their debut album Cinema was released in 2021, and they've since gone on to collaborate with the likes of Bad Bunny and Cuco.

Hak Baker, Benjamin Zephaniah, Celeste and Baxter Dury talk about writing whilst living in London, their view of success in their careers so far, and the impact of family and cultural history on their writing. Hak Baker was born in Luton and raised on the Isle of Dogs, in London. At a young age he was exposed to everything from reggae and dub to classic pop, R&B and soul via friends and family. His first introduction to performing was as part of the Southwark Cathedral choir, before moving towards grime and MC-ing at his local community centre. Later he learned to play guitar, and started writing songs about his experiences and those of the people around him, digging deep into everything from toxic masculinity to social inequality, identity and unity. This year he released his debut album World's End FM, which is presented as a pirate radio broadcast transmitting from the edge of the apocalypse. Benjamin Zephaniah is a novelist, playwright and musician, and one of the UK's best poets of the last 50 years. Born in Birmingham, he is influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and writes about race, politics and social injustice. He's recorded numerous reggae records and has worked with the likes of Sinead O'Connor and The Wailers. Celeste is an American-born British singer who has established herself as one of the finest soul singers in the UK right now. After winning the Brit Award Rising Star of 2020, she released her critically acclaimed debut album Not Your Muse, becoming the first female British solo artist in five years to reach number one with a debut album. Baxter Dury is a singer and musician known for his gritty vocals and witty, observant storytelling. His sound brings in influences from hip-hop to new wave, and in June of this year he released his new album I Thought I Was Better Than You, written with his teenage son Kosmo during lockdown.

British folk musicians Kathryn Tickell, Laura Cannell, Amy Thatcher and Ruth Lyon discuss their musical and personal identities, the music they made when they were younger, and whether or not place affects the music they create. Kathryn Tickell is from the North Tyne Valley of Northumberland and comes from a musical family of pipers, singers, fiddlers and accordion players. She took up the Northumbrian small pipes at the age of nine, and began learning tunes from old shepherd friends and family. Her work has evolved to traverse jazz, and music from around the world, to large-scale orchestral works. She has released 15 of her own albums to date, and has recorded and performed with Evelyn Glennie, the London Sinfonietta, Sting, and many others. In 2015 she was awarded an OBE for services to folk music. Laura Cannell is a composer and violinist whose music straddles the worlds of experimental, folk, chamber and medieval music. She came to prominence with her debut album, Quick Sparrows over the Black Earth, and is known for her compositions that draw on the emotional influences of landscapes, and explore the spaces between ancient and experimental music. She's also the founder of independent record label Brawl Records, and is curator of the Modern Ritual performance series. Amy Thatcher is one of the UK's leading folk accordionists, who's based in the North East of England. Her first album, Paper Bird, was recorded when she was just 16 years old, and she released her first album proper, Solo, in 2019. She's worked with the likes of the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Sting. Ruth Lyon is a folk and chamber-pop artist who has established herself as a key member of the music scene in Newcastle, UK. She grew up in the countryside of the North York Moors, inheriting a love of the outdoors as well as a sense of melancholy from the landscape, something that is instilled in the music she creates. Her most recent EP, Direct Debit to Vogue, showcases her soulful vocals and her witty, raw lyricism, expressing the power in fragility and the beauty in imperfection.

Busiswa, DJ Lag, Karen Nyame KG and Scratchclart talk about the impact of the pandemic on amapiano and gqom, what it was like getting back to the clubs when things opened up again, and the global rise in popularity of these genres. Busiswa is a singer and poet from South Africa. Her music career began when she featured on Sir Bubzin's track Syaphambana in 2011, and she's since gone on to feature on DJ Zinhle's global hit My Name Is, as well as Beyonce's My Power as part of The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack. She's released three studio albums, and her most recent single Lagos came out late last year. DJ Lag is a prolific DJ and record producer who is widely recognized as the king of gqom music, a genre of electronic dance music from Durban in South Africa. His bass-heavy, minimalist sound has pushed him into the upper ranks of the global electronic music scene, and last year he released his debut full-length album, Meeting with the King. Karen Nyame KG is a producer, DJ and broadcaster who has been one of dance music's true innovators of the last decade. She's been dubbed the Goddess of Rhythm, and is known for her energetic, polyrhythmic sound that is lighting up the clubs of London and beyond. Scratchclart is an electronic musician, DJ and record producer who is part of the fabric of grime music and UK funky. He's the head of the highly respected DVA Music label, and in recent years he's been building bridges between music scenes in the UK and South Africa, in particular with his DRMTRK series and his new EP Beyond Gqom & Grime.

Nitin Sawhney, Tim Burgess, Nainita Desai and Ayanna Witter-Johnson discuss how their family and cultural history impacts their creativity, being conscious of who they're representing when creating, and how their output is a reflection of their changing identities. Producer, composer, and DJ Nitin Sawhney grew up studying the piano, guitar, sitar and tabla, and released his debut album Spirit Dance in 1993. Since then he has scored music for theatre, dance, video games and cinema, including the BBC TV series Human Planet. He's also produced albums for the likes of Helene Grimaud and Anoushka Shankar, conducted and composed for the London Symphony Orchestra, and had his own BBC classical Prom. He's also DJed at world-renowned London nightclub Fabric and has worked with Paul McCartney, Nelson Mandela, Joss Stone, Annie Lennox, Sting and Mira Nair. His new album Identity will be coming out this year on October 13th. Tim Burgess is a singer, musician, and record label owner, best known as the frontman of influential English rock band the Charlatans. He's enjoyed an incredibly successful career in music, from releasing hit singles throughout the 90s to exploring the fabric of pop and rock in his books, as well as his ever-popular Tim's Twitter Listening Party events on social media. Nainita Desai is an award-winning composer of film, television and video game music with a background in sound design. She creates powerful, emotive scores, and moves seamlessly from working with orchestras to using her collection of custom-made instruments. Some of her recent projects include The Reason I Jump, an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity, and the Oscar-nominated documentary For Sama. Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a composer, singer and cellist whose music crosses the boundaries of classical, jazz, reggae, soul and R&B. She's toured with the likes of Anoushka Shankar and Courtney Pine, recorded with Akala, and composed for the London Symphony Orchestra, effortlessly straddling different musical worlds.

Sampa the Great, Thandiswa Mazwai, Emmanuel Jagari Chanda and Mag44 discuss music standing the test of time, African music, and the new generation of musicians. Sampa the Great was born in Ndola in Zambia and became interested in music from a young age, writing poems and singing from the age of 9, spending time in both Zambia and Botswana. She released her first mixtape in 2015 whilst at university in Australia, and created a sound influenced by everything from classic hip-hop to Zamrock. Her latest album, As Above So Below, was released last September and came about after returning home to Zambia during the early days of the pandemic. Thandiswa Mazwai is one of the most influential South African musicians around today. She has been at the forefront of change in South African music since the late 90s with her politically-conscious lyrics and stunning vocals, both as a solo artist and lead singer of ground-breaking trio Bongo Maffin. Emmanuel Jagari Chanda is a founding member of the Zambian rock genre known as Zamrock, which blends rock with funk and African rhythms. He was the leader of the band Witch (We Intend to Cause Havoc) who were the first band to record a commercial record in Zambia in the 1970s. Magnus Mando, AKA Mag44, is a rapper and music producer who has expanded Zambia's musical horizons. He started singing and rapping in church, before writing his own lyrics which gave birth to his career. He also co-produced Sampa the Great's latest LP.

Indonesian musicians Rara Sekar, Sandrayati, Ugoran Prasad and Rully Shabara discuss music and social change, trying to thrive as musicians in the age of social media, and whether or not all musicians have an equal opportunity to succeed. Rara Sekar's career in music began as the vocalist for folk group Banda Neira, as well as a member of Daramuda. In 2020 she began her solo project hara, in which she creates a musical fusion inspired by folk, ambient and post-rock music. She is also an anthropologist, having completed a master's degree in cultural anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington. Sandrayati is a Filipino-American singer who grew up in Java and Bali, whose music explores the pain and beauty of uprooting and planting yourself somewhere else. She possess a light, dream-like singing voice and has recently released Safe Ground, an album created in Iceland alongside Olafur Arnalds. Ugoran Prasad is a renowned Indonesian fictionist, dramaturg and musician who is perhaps best known for fronting modern rock band Majelis Lidah Berduri. Their restless, exciting sound has made them one of Indonesia's most important indie bands over the last few decades, and they are currently working on their fourth studio album. Rully Shabara is an Indonesian artist and vocalist whose main musical interest lies in exploring the human voice as a medium of creation. He's a genre-bending musician whose duo Senyawa are pushing the boundaries of experimental music in Indonesia.

Gina Birch, Kathleen Hanna, Mark Moore, and Stephen McRobbie how their teenage years influenced their path into music, how it felt to be doing something creative and combative for a living, and being at peace with themselves later in life. Gina Birch was inspired to form post punk band the Raincoats after seeing the Slits in 1977. They recorded their self-titled debut album that same year, and went on to record three further albums, the last of which was released in 1996. She is also a film-maker and painter, and staged her first solo show last year. After around 45 years in the business, she recently released her debut solo album I Play My Bass Loud. Kathleen Hanna is an American singer, musician and pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement. She co-formed punk band Bikini Kill in 1990, and went on to form Le Tigre in 1998, and The Julie Ruin in 2010. She's currently on tour with Le Tigre. Mark Moore is a British dance music record producer and DJ. In 1998 he topped the UK chart with his pioneering dance act S'Express and their legendary track Theme From S'Express. He is engrained in the history of UK club culture and is hugely influential to both UK dance and pop music. Stephen McRobbie is the frontman and founder member of the cult Glasgow indie rock band The Pastels. They formed in 1981, have released 5 studio albums, and are cited as influences on everyone from The Jesus and Mary Chain to Primal Scream, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and Nirvana.

Perera Elsewhere, Fever Ray, Paula Temple and Maral discuss how the space you're in affects the music you write, the importance of mistakes or ‘curating errors', and the significance of technology, particularly when music production software reaches new countries. Perera Elsewhere was born in London and grew up between the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia. She played guitar and trumpet as a child and was really influenced by pirate radio. Now based in Berlin, she's part of the band Jahcoozi, and DJs as Mother Perera. She's played shows at iconic venues including Berghain, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Hamburg Philharmonic. She performs in extraordinary stage outfits, and her music has been described as "doom-folk". Swedish singer-songwriter and record producer Karin Dreijer, aka Fever Ray, was one half of the electronic music duo The Knife, and released their debut solo album in 2009. They love to use masks, body paint and intricate costumes when they perform live. The UK's Paula Temple is one of Europe's most in-demand techno artists. She's a self-proclaimed “noisician” known for making awe-inducing techno, and co-runs the label Noise Manifesto. She's a regular on the festival circuit, having recently performed at Time Warp, DGTL, Awakenings, and Extrema Outdoor. Maral is an Iranian-American DJ and producer. She takes snippets of Iranian folk music and poetry, and repurposes them as glitchy sound experiments to bring the Persian classical repertoire to the dancefloor, something she describes as "jamming with my ancestors". Her musical creations are driven by artful experimentalism, and last year she released her third album, Ground Groove.

José González, Vashti Bunyan and Erlend Øye discuss what draws them to create quiet music, how they approach playing it live, and its universal and trans-genre appeal. José González was born in Gothenburg in Sweden to Argentinian parents, and grew up listening to Latin folk and pop music. In 2003 he released his debut solo album ‘Veneer'. It featured a downtempo cover of The Knife's ‘Heartbeats' which became an international success after being featured on a TV ad campaign. He's celebrating the album's 20th anniversary with a run of shows this year. Vashti Bunyan is an English singer songwriter who began her music career in the 1960s. She left London for the Outer Hebrides, travelling in a wagon drawn by a black horse called Bess, and wrote an album about the trip called Just Another Diamond Day. It was released in 1970, but had little commercial success. Vashti withdrew from music for 30 years, but by 2000, the album had acquired a cult following, and the second phase of her musical career began. Erlend Øye is a Norwegian best known for being one half of the indie-folk duo Kings of Convenience. He's also front-man for the band The Whitest Boy Alive, is the co-founder of the independent label Bubbles Records, and plays extensively with trio La Comitiva.

Floyd Lavine, Lakuti, Coco Em and Desiree discuss where their inspiration comes from, the challenges of being an African artist trying to tour, and the Afro boom. Floyd Lavine's sound takes in influences from his childhood listening to Kwaito, soul, jazz and South African house, alongside the house and techno club sounds of London, and his adopted home town of Berlin. He runs his own label NomadiQ Music, and produces for international labels like Murmur and Lower East. Lakuti is a DJ born in Soweto in South Africa, who since the early 90s has organised underground parties around the world. In 2007 she founded Uzuri Recordings, and later Uzuri artist Management. She's also a resident at Berlin's legendary Panorama Bar. Coco Em is a photojournalist turned DJ who was born in Kenya. She's the founder of the Nairobi-based femme collective Sim Sima, which is also the name of her label. Last year she released her debut EP, Kilumi. Johannesburg-based DJ and producer Desiree's been making waves with her impeccable selecting skills and eclectic tastes. She co-founded Boys Club, an electronic music events movement which seeks to empower femme DJs. She released her debut EP, Femme Tech, last summer.

Melike Şahin, Kutiman, Dijf Sanders and Ah! Kosmos discuss combining lyrics with music, working with others over long distances, and their favourite parts of the collaboration process. Melike Şahin was born in Istanbul, and developed a great interest in music as a child. After university she worked with Turkish psychedelic group Baba Zula, before beginning her solo career in 2017. Her sound navigates across Middle Eastern and Anatolian pop, and she collaborates with musicians from all over the world. Kutiman is an internationally revered producer, composer and animator from Israel who is constantly creating. He's known for his dance and groove-orientated style, and prolific productions. He's also responsible for the Thru You series, in which he mashes together unrelated YouTube videos to create original tracks. Dijf Sanders is a Belgian multi-instrumentalist and composer who specialises in experimental music and field recordings. Previously a member of synth-pop bands Teddiedrum and The Violent Husbands, his sonic universes explore electronica, jazz and psychedelia, enriching his sound with influences from across the world. Turkish composer, producer and performer Başak Günak, also known as Ah! Kosmos, uses polyrhythms and electronic composition to build immersive, mystical worlds of sound. Her works and sound installations have featured in festivals and institutions across the world, and as a performer she's supported the likes of Sigur Rós, James Holden, and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood.