Hanging Out With Audiophiles

Hi Ack. Not a great time. We've a delayed show coz I had the tummy troubles and now we should all be inside sheltering from this bastard of a global pandemic. Don't be stupid. Stay IN and wait this shit out please. We can break the curve if we stick together and hopefully antivirals will be along soon to mitigate the symptoms before the vaccine shows up. ANYWAY I don't need to add to the viral news. I'm sure you've all heard it all by now. Let's get .. on... with ...  The show! what is it ? For your entertainment and pleasure I bring you a chat with Norwegian artist Lido. Phone hangs are gonna be the way for a bit. He's an easy going follow of 27 and already has a lot under his belt. He's already worked with big names like Chance the Rapper, Banks, Disclosure and many more. Great drummer, keys player, singer, arranger, producer. He's a man with many hats. Big hats y'all! Great to have him on. He's got a new song coming 25th March called "Postclubridehomemusic" should be a goodie. ____________________ In the n

We go back me and Al. Yep, I was the producer on Allen’s 2019 album, Building Balance so we spent a long time in the studio making sounds and singing whee songs. It’s a pleasure to have him on the show to talk about something a little different. We explore advice to up and coming artists from his perspective. He explains his evolution from solo hard head into a team player and why that’s his preference for the long game. He’s been on the road and working super hard for many years now and he’s always thinking about how to keep it moving. Good stuff!  _________ I’m happy to have been a GUEST on another pod recently. The good fellows at ESOTERIC MODULATION had me on. Ben Wilson (div kid) and Ed Ball are excellent hosts. It’s a great show for those into the outer worlds of sound and art process. Most glad I made it on. Had a blast! Here’s a link to that episode:   https://www.esotericmodulation.com/episodes/016-an-audiophile-hangout   _________ Music for the show comes from France via an artist called Nacara. If

Welcome to 64. 128 weeks of the pod :) This time I'm in the company of two fifth of the band local natives. I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with these 5 fine fellows many moons ago, somewhere in Ireland. A bland, underwhelming festival that we both remember as such. We had afternoon slots. It was grey. The food was grey. So the contrast of this mini reunion was stark in the most pleasant ways.  Nestled in a secluded sanctuary, up a rambling incline somewhere in sunny LA, I caught up with Ryan and Kelcey.  It was on the 11th day of the 11th month of 2019 at 11 am! Triple 11s.  The chats took in the nature of extended band existence as we explore what it takes to play the long game. We chat of the mystical album making process in a satisfyingly deep yet jovial fashion and I can see that making music with these guys would be a blast.  Their last album was produced by friend of the pod, Shawn Everett. The master of play, the master of effort over convenience.  It’s a Shawn love fest after a spell and righ

We have Royalty on the pod.  Sometimes when I do this show I really have to pinch myself and this was a case in point.  As a teenager I only had one idol and only cared about one band. I ultimately ostracize myself from the vast majority of my schoolmates since nobody in Huntington Cambridgeshire cared about Prince and the Revolution. I just happened to be one of those people that was completely and utterly immersed in that sonic universe. Initially I just couldn’t take my eyes off the bright light of Prince and let’s be honest he was quite the supernova.  The thing is as a fan I couldn’t help but wonder why there was something so different about the output between 1984 - 1987. (Purple rain, around the world in a day, parade and sign of the times)  Why did that era Stand out so wildly from the rest of his work? Why were the arrangements more daring all of a sudden? Why was the sonic landscape more varied and Rich?  Prince could do so much on his own but with the BAND it just went to the blooming next level. 

EP 62 - TIGA Cosmic connection! Me and Tiga were born on the SAME day and the SAME year. PRETTY rare situation I’d say. Feels right to kick off the 2020 with a little happy coincidence ! Hello by the way. Who is TIGA? You kidding me? Well let’s break down the man in a timeline styleee. - He was born on an amazing day in an amazing year.  - He’s run a record store (I mean for YEARS) - He’s DJ’d all over planet  - He’s been in a movie with other great Canadians. - He’s a multi dad and he’s even a pod man like me :) First off here’s the details about the pod: “Last Party On Earth” is its name and it was launched in summer 2019 featuring chats with top folks such as  Annie Mac,  Pete Tong and  Carl Cox He promises more to come :) Tiga has made a load of music. Like 3 LPs and a ton of singles AND he’s remixed just about everyone and their dog! Here’s a taste of the levels:  LCD Soundsystem – "Beat Connection" (Tiga Edit) Cabaret Voltaire – "Nag Nag Nag" (Tiga & Zyntherius Radio mix) Depeche Mode – "Shake The

Merry Crimble one and all! Yo ho ho and so forth as we smoke some peace at Dave's house.  I hope you are all enjoying some down time and it's good hang. If not I call this one the escape pod so hopefully you can relax a little as we get into our hearty end of year ramblathon.  Dave is a legitimate legend at this point. His work speaks for itself. He's produced some heavy shit in his time. TV on the radio anyone? Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beyonce, Weezer... Liars. The list goes on and on and it's all crazy and plenty magic.  At one point Mr Sitek is chatting about the Jefferson starship guitarist. so here's a Jorma_Kaukonen link :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorma_Kaukonen We get into a lengthy one about the power of boredom, the inevitable struggles with loneliness in 2019/2020 and many a juicy topic.  In the nitty I make EVERYTHING sleigh.  Yep. That's right. Kind sponsorship comes from Dave's fave monitor folk ADAM AUDIO. makers of rather fine speakers. Dave has 2 pairs.  They are banging.

My son always reminds me that New Zealand is 8000 miles from Nashville. That number is etched in my head now but What could it MEAN? Surely being surrounded by that lush and splendid setting growing up must have a huge impact on ones sonic sense? I feel a ramble coming on! Yep we meander-chat about the wind, pavlova (important beef. Not beef Pav, the other kind of beef), the promise of 20% sax and the giddy power and cruelty of naivety in the world of Baynk. I had a good writing hang with him in LA sometime ago and was happy we found a sec to natter.  I realized this chat is showing it’s age now as we had this convo a year ago.  I was curious how things might have matured and settled for Jock in this time. He has kept the releases very controlled and high quality. Well worth a listen! His “Someone’s EP II” is superb and got a bunch of tasty remixes including one from Machine Drum, my guest on episode 40. Only a few days ago a new jam hit the webs, an instrumental mellow burn called “High”  Please welcome to t

Welcome Rodaidh McDonald  We met through our mutual pal Bobby Krlic (my guest on EP33) and got a brief chat in. I realized quickly that he’d working on the Sampha record that I really love called Process and I had so many questions. We get into that and oodles more in this face to face hang at Rodaidh’s brand new house in LA. He had literally just got his gear in the place and there were a bunch of boxes and dreams lying around so I was very grateful to be welcomed into that rather vulnerable scene.  He’s a creative force and has a stack of potent collabs under his belt.  To name drop a few:  Adele Bobby Womack The xx Damon Albarn King Krule Savages David Byrne Brian Eno… Yeah I mean he’s heavy.  It’s clear his calm manner and focused ways clearly help him to see things through to the end. The hallmark of a true producer.  It’s a pleasure to ramble though the timeline with him! ___________ nitty 59 explores the transformation of the PA mic feedback “issue” into a layer cake of pitchy joy. Tall order! No more

The noise annoys  Where would we be without John Peel ?   In a time of noise we need selectors! Yeah man.  We can all agree on something right?   I chat with DJ VJ Label boss Zen  Cyber punker Future surfer    Matt Black He’s seen a lot. A LOT   From making hit records in the UK (One that sat at the number 1 spot for weeks), to remixing Legends like Eric B and Rakim, INXS, Steve Reich, The Fall and James Brown (I mean what a list!)... from mulitmedia pioneering with everything from video art to software video performance instruments to the unknown sky.   Matt has had his fingers in many a tasty pie.    I was very lucky to catch up with him on the blower for a minute :)    we chat about the zen delay which is a great collaboration between ninja tune and Ericasynths. Check this link!   ZEN DELAY LAY LAY LAY LAY   _____________   Nitty today is all about the mysterious and musical world of the morph. Exploring the space in BETWEEN. I use a few methods to explore this. the obxa's portamento

Richard and I go waaaay back. Yep, we were touring America together back in 2002 and that was the first time I met him.  tWas a warp records tour with Mark Bell (RIP), Nightmares on wax, Prefuse 73, Luke Vibert and other nutters!  He was the guy fixing everyone’s laptops on the bus I recall. We were all busy getting wasted and he was onto something else. That pretty much explains the man. Super generous with his time and pioneering in his goals and accomplishments. Not a follower.  Indeed, not content with just making LPs, touring and all of that trad life, Richard’s made his own path and now his work represents the high bar for sound design across the board.  Whether working for Google, Yamaha or Jaguar Richard is the guy to figure out converting the unknown into the possible. A no to yes convertor.  We talk about his toughest sonic challenge, the cutting edge of sound tech in 2019 and where he is heading in terms of his AI aspirations.   We chat about the world of sound that lives above 20kHz. Why analog ??

My guest today has been watched by so many people it’s hard to imagine all the eyeballs! Quite a harrowing image actually. 440 million eye balls!! Yes, that’s the amount that have viewed his now uber famous and ace youtube channel. An quick and undeniable word to describe Andrew might be prolific. I mean it FEELS apt since he’s made over 50 albums of original music.  It’s bonkers! The man must never sleep and yet he always looks so well rested! Many mysteries.. so many.  Many questions too.  I mean how to navigate the internet and win?  How are choices are amplified by the web? How to forge your own path? He’s a great teacher, formidable visual artist and musician and super positive hang :) It’s the wild west out there and Andrew has been riding his digital horse into unexplored towns for years now. He’s been around and seen a lot on his travels Let’s get into it Please welcome to hanging out with audiophiles   Andrew Huang   Check his amazing youtube channel : https://bit.ly/28SFrz8   His 30 day class is und

A man who I’ve heard of many times and yet never had a chance to meet. Gotta love the pod for this coz after my chat with Mr Vaderslice on Episode 51 I was introduced.  Mr Congleton is so fast. He’s quick witted and on point. He knows what he thinks and has clearly taken a long time to come to his opinions. You know where you stand with that kind of attitude. You can see the strength of his character quickly from his twitter feed where he is not afraid to tell it like he sees it. The fact there’s a quick way in with the man perhaps that explains how he’s been able to work with such a huge range of talent from a multitude of genres. Time for a quick name drop. Although he’s worked with hundreds and hundreds of great acts (many of whom are wonderfully unknown) a selection of his high profile gigs include working with: Lana Del Rey Angel Olsen St Vincent David Byrne My guest on episode 17 - Kimbra  Modest mouse  Swans  Erykah Badu And my guest from episode 16 - unknown mortal orchestra  There are so many more. I

Ello This is the commonwealth edition. Like the Ashes of Audio it’s UK vs Australia.  Justin Stanley FINALLY finds his way to the pod.  First and foremost Mr Stanley is my friend. We’ve been on some serious adventures in our times. We were on the road together in 2006, where we met touring with Beck.  I was opening and J.S. was in the Beck band and KILLING. Also he happens to be a prince of man. A TRUE legend. A humble badass and a VERY experienced audio king.  He’s worked with everyone from Leonard Cohen to Prince and even a little Lidell along the way. Husband of the wonderful Nikka Costa and Dad to two incredible young humans, Justin is just a joy.   So happy to have him on.  He surprised me by driving us both over to Barefoot in LA. It’s owned by Eric Valentine. WHAT a place. We sat and played on the piano Stevie used on Songs in the Key of Life, Talking Book and so on.  I mean COME ON!  It was all too much. Such a sweet surprise that’ll stay with me for ages.   Here’s to you Justin! You’re a class act.  

HOWA EP 53 - BRAD COOK      I was listening to Larry Klein on a recent mix with the masters explain this idea that a producer is someone that sees the spark of uniqueness in an artist and tries to amplify that.  That is a noble process and so nuanced that it takes years to know when to speak, when to encourage, when to call it a night, when to listen and so on. Brad knows aaaallll about aaaallll of this ! He’s an excellent energy in the room and so many musicians can benefit from his touch.  I’ve only been privy to his vibe in a session on two occasions but his presence is both large and also magically effortless.  I think it’s the fact that you know he gets it. He knows a real moment and he’s in it for the depth, not the racking up of medals and the shallow status games.  The first time I met him, he was rather high and laughing at a bass. It was a gathering with Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) and a large crew of players in Nashville where I ended up shouting into a mic with the other members of the collective

RJD2 lives in Ohio! That was NEWS to me I often find myself there for family occasions since my in laws live in Columbus. I never knew. I mean I would NEVER have guessed but isn’t that always the best somehow?   Plus have you EVER met a man named Ramble?  So many firsts on the 52 :) Welcome! let us delve into schmod cast! ______________________________ First off I’d like to invite you to invite to take part in a competition to win a badass Radial EXTC SA. Yes the kind folks at Radial Engineering are running a giveaway to a random player so jump in and WIN this thing :) Here’s the info you need!   Click this (before September 15th 2019)   http://bit.ly/2MRRUd1   WINNNNNN!!!! ______________________________   I’d like to thanks Rob Hurd for the music you’ll find on the show. It’s all from an EP called “Digital”  Here’s the bandcamp link if you dig the mood!   https://speckofdust.bandcamp.com/album/digital ______________________________   In the nitty I try to make a digital nakamichi with plugins    do I win?  

Hello! It’s Jamie and John in Echo Park time :) Yeah, I sat in my Air B and B and chatted with Mr Vanderslice on Feb 4th 2019. What a treat. I’d met him years before in Australia but I’d completely forgotten I was reminded of that by him during the interview which could have potentially been embarrassing … But John is not that guy. No no no He has a delightfully animated persona, running on 100 the whole time and there’s lots of honesty and enthusiasm that hits you like a vinagerette. A lot of f bombs too so those with sensitive ears get ready to panic! Who is J.V.?? Well…for one thing, he’s been at it as long as I have!  Potted history: Part of the MK Ultra a waiter at Chez Panisse owner and provider of studio magic at Tiny Telephone Studios in the Bay Area AND he is incredibly prolific.    John’s worked with Spoon, the Mountain Goats, Okkervil River, Death Cab for Cutie, Tune-Yards and hundreds (maybe thousands more!) We get into chatting about tour life a little in pod and he tells me of the living room sh

I’m happy to welcome grammy award winning musician/producer Adrian Quesada to the 50th Episode of the show!  Let’s just jump into the big list of collaborators he’s rocked with to get a quick taste of the caliber of this gent! How about Shawn Lee?! Yeah! as well as Ocote Soul Sounds,  Martin Perna of Antibalas… so so many more He’s performed on the Late Show with David Letterman as well as twice on PBS' historic Austin City Limits TV Show.  He has also worked with Prince, GZA (Wu-Tang Clan), Bernie Worrell, Daniel Johnston, Israel Nash, Alex Maas (The Black Angels), Larry Harlow, Quantic and many more.  As a producer Quesada has worked on albums by Daniel Johnston, The Sword, Natalia Clavier, Karl Denson, Toy Selectah, Wild Child, Graham Reynolds and Ian Moore, among others.  I mean that’s not the HALF of it!  We catch up as he’s deep in the mix at his superb Austin based studio, Electric Deluxe Recorders.  He’s coming out for an air break so we literally hear a rare sonic glimpse of the local wildlife outsid

  Hello !   Greetings from the SONIC RANCH in El Paso! Woe. I’m in another world right now Massive thanks to Dave Sitek for inviting me out into space. I’m blown away. The people here are so great and the studios are just absolutely bonkers. Most importantly it’s a totally secluded zone. The head expands. Almost as many cats as people and WAY more pecan trees! Ha   Welcome to Episode 49. I met this Frank (Bink Beats) when we did a show together in Amsterdam recently. I was sitting in with him on a couple of songs. Side note : one of the numbers we did is a new track that I hope finds the light of day! We had a pretty hectic day of practice in the venue followed by show but nevertheless we snuck in a quick chat.   Frank is a serious badass. A player of a million objects and a hell of a signer to boot.  Great to have him on :)   In the nitty I explore the sonic ranch’s amps a little and send all sorts of stuff into speakers. Some shall be spinning and some just spaced and weird. Check it!   Music for EP 49 come

Hello Amȯn Tȯbin! He was Born in Brazil, but as you can hear from this interview he’s got a distinctively English twang having spent yonks in the UK. I don’t want to give away the details of the chap’s timeline just yet as we get into all of that in this FaceTime chin wag. Might I say at this point though that I feel mightily chuffed to have Amon on the show.  He’s truly one of the outstanding living talents in Electronic music and that’s really not an overstatement. He’s made a stack of cracking albums for London label 9Bar Records and of course the marvelous Ninja Tune. A relationship that kicked off way back in 1996.  The boy doesn’t stop! Now he’s busy as ever with his own label Nomark.  He’s got hard drives and aliases up the wazoo and he’s making crazy shit every day and by the sounds of things a lot of new music is coming soon.  The man has a masterful grasp of sound collage, from the wildest found sound and manipulated field recordings to the risky dark lands of additive synthesis and into modular mad

47 brings the bonkers talent that is Ariel Rechtshaid!  He’s had an incredible run of success with artists like Adele, Usher and of course Vampire Weekend (to name but three from a list of hundreds!) This interview was conduced slightly before Vampire Weekend put out “Father of the Bride” to much critical and chart joy. We got to chatting about that process and how they’ve become very solid friends over the years. The music they make comes from a deep trust and adventurous spirit which is something of a common thread in the stories you’ll hear on this pod. Ariel’s got a strong point of view but a humble demeanor. He’s a true lover of many genres of music and can wear many hats: Playing, tracking, mixing and producing at a top level.  A seriously hard working chap, he’s the real deal and I’m really chuffed to have him on the show. He gave up a couple of hours to me to have me ramble with him at his spot in silver lake and it was a trip to hear it all from the horse’s mouth! Cheers Ariel! ______________________