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Sound Science · Music History · Music Theory · Origins & Oddities · Genre Tombola · Entertaining Noises
Follow a musical thread: Five notes, many musical worlds.
Episode 35 — Mulatu Astatke, Pentatonic Worlds and Ethio Jazz
Mulatu Astatke — the father of Ethio jazz — joins me in a long-lost interview recorded during Hackney Colliery Band’s Collaborations Vol. 1 sessions. We dig into pentatonic worlds, the Derashe tribe, unusual scales, and how Ethiopian traditions shaped global music.
There’s also a trip through the physics of sound, a live Barbican recording of “Derashe”, and reflections on Mulatu’s incredible collaborations from Duke Ellington to Talib Kweli. A deep, warm, gently mind-bending episode.
Episode 28 - Jeremy Deller, 303s and Knitting
Artist Jeremy Deller joins Steve to talk Acid Brass, TB-303s, knitting, and how art, brass bands and dance music collide — with Manchester threads throughout.
Episode 24 — Vocal Coaching, Twanging and Matters of Life and Death
Live with vocal coach Juliet Russell at ALSO Festival: twang, resonance, breath and the warm-ups that actually help. Plus a closing tribute to Nathaniel Dye and the making of his album, Matters of Life and Death.
Episode 21 — Oud, microtones and underwater soundscapes
Live at Wilton’s with Hackney Colliery Band and harpist Valeria Clarke, plus a deep-dive with Syrian musician Nawar Alnaddaf into the oud, the ney and the emotional power of microtones — with a sea-soaked soundscape in between.
Episode 19 - Narco music, Ola Onabulé and turf wars
Studio time with Ola Onabulé, AI-anxious soul grooves and a corrido-fuelled look at narco music, diss tracks and musical turf wars.
Episode 17 — Sound balancers, Bowie's favourite studio and Debussy
Inside Maida Vale with BBC sound balancer Martin Appleby, plus Debussy's Arabesques and an AI challenge — an episode about how recordings really work and where musical nuance still wins.
Episode 16 — Double bass, planetary resonance and jam
Exoplanet harmonies at Wilton’s and an in-depth session with bassist Charlie Pyne — an episode about resonance, low end and how the bass quietly runs the show.
Episode 9 — Naked gigs, choral musings and Filament Choir with Hackney Colliery Band LIVE at Wilton's Music Hall
Naked conch shells at Hacknaky, Filament Choir's massed voices and a live Origin of the Pieces x Hackney Colliery Band takeover of Wilton's Music Hall — an episode about risk, community and shared sound.
Episode 5 — Nordic creativity, grand pianos and AI emo
Northern Norway workshops, young players taking charge of their own music, a Fazioli grand piano up close with Birk, and a Genre Tombola deep dive into emo pop with LK Francis and AI-assisted angst.
Episode 1 — Hearing music in new ways
Shells, bone flutes, Darwin mugs, a chaotic shed tour and a rant about what music theory really is — Episode 1 lays out the Origin of the Pieces mission to help you hear music in strange, deeper, more joyful ways.