Electronic Music

As a tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto on the first anniversary of his passing, Caro C talks to Richard Barbieri, Natalie Beridze and Carsten Nicolai, aka Alva Noto, three musicians who were fortunate enough to collaborate with him. Here, they share some insights into his mindset and methodologies. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:44 - Richard Barbieri 09:04 - Natalie Beridze 19:45 - Carsten Nicolai / A...

Henrietta Smith-Rolla, known professionally as Afrodeutsche, gives Caro C insights into her musical journey, from her introduction to the music industry in Manchester, finding her sound, getting signed to Skam Records and becoming a BBC 6 Music DJ with a prime-time Friday evening slot. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:22 - BBC 6 Music 04:05 - Becoming A Musician 06:40 - Getting Signed To Skam 10:1...

Richard James Burgess is a man who wears many hats. In a career that spans over five decades, Richard was first and foremost a drummer. In the 1970s, he became a part of the London music scene as a session drummer, as well as with the ground- breaking band Landscape.  Richard combined his passion for music, drumming and electronics when he worked closely with Dave Simmons on the Simmons SDS-V drum...

In May of 1983, the world of synthesizers and electronic music as we knew it would change forever with the launch of the Yamaha DX7. To celebrate 40 years since its launch, Rob Puricelli spoke to Dr John Chowning, the developer of FM synthesis, Dave Bristow and Gary Leuenberger, sound designers for the original DX7 and Manny Fernandez, who has worked on all Yamaha’s FM projects from the Mk. II DX7...

In celebration of Delia Derbyshire Day 2023 and the 60th Anniversary of the Doctor Who theme, Caro C is joined by fellow devotees Mark Ayres, David Butler and Cosey Fanni Tutti to discuss the Delia Derbyshire Day archives and the importance of her contributions to the development of electronic music. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:26 - Delia Derbyshire Archive Mark Ayres 03:15 - Mark Ayres Intro...

DJ, Artist and Producer NikNak chats to Caro C about her route into immersive performances and turntablism, from her time as a student through to winning awards and launching her own albums, EPs and singles with the assistance of various funding organisations. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 02:12 - What Is Turntablism? 03:20 - Source Music 06:18 - Supportive Organisations 07:50 - Avoiding Copyright...

Bristol-based musician and songwriter Hazel Mills talks us through her impressive career, from working as a touring session musician, being a member of the Will Gregory Moog Ensemble, working with UDO Audio and releasing her debut solo E.P. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:30 - Working As A Keyboardist 03:12 - MIDI Controller Of Choice 04:04 - Live Arrangements And Sounds 09:36 - Working With A Mu...

Richard Evans has worked in the music industry for over thirty years in a variety of roles, including positions at London Records, Factory Records and MTV Europe. In 1998 he set up marketing consultancy The Fan Base and has been connecting musical artists with their audiences ever since. He is the founder of the This Is Not Retro website and record label and has worked for Andy Bell, Vince Clarke...

Alan R Pearlman was responsible for some of the greatest sounding and most intuitive synthesizers of the modern age, many of which are still highly sought after or emulated to this day. Inspired, as so many were, by hearing Wendy Carlos’s 'Switched on Bach', he founded Tonus in 1969, a company that would soon become ARP Instruments, and began producing synthesizers such as the legendary ARP 2500,...

Chris Clark, known professionally as just Clark, reveals how he got signed to Warp Records, his recording and production workflow and how Thom Yorke ended up as a guest vocalist on his latest album, Sus Dog. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:36 - Getting Signed To Warp Records 03:45 - Recording Workflow 05:08 - Updating Equipment 07:35 - Early Musical Influences 09:35 - Switching Over To Software 1...

Paul White takes us on a sonic journey as he explores the endless possibilities of sound design using a guitar as your sound source. Through the use of foot pedals and effects plug-ins he demonstrates the synth-like sound and textures it can bring to your electronic music. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 00:55 - Guitars As A Sound Source 03:55 - Sustaining Notes 06:10 - Using an EBow 07:09 - Adding...

Julie Campbell, known as LoneLady, is a musician, songwriter, singer and producer from Manchester, England. Here she tells Caro C about her writing and recording process and how she secured a deal with Warp Records. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:19 - Former Things 06:08 - Influences For The Album 08:55 - Curating The Ideas 12:19 - Touring The Album 15:21 - Warp Records 17:12 - The Album Cycle 1...

As part of Japan, Richard Barbieri soon became the thinking person’s synthesist, famous for his rich and textural electronic backings that beautifully complemented the work of other band members to forge what is still a unique sound to this day. Disbanding at the height of their fame, Richard went on to work on a wide array of projects, some with fellow members of Japan, one of which introduced hi...

Graham Massey talks us through his early days with the formation of 808 State and improvising with electronic instruments, through to current collaborations and favourite creative tools. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 02:02 - The Beginnings Of 808 State 11:54 - Developing A Polished Production 14:56 - Musicality And Arrangements 17:29 - Incorporating Improvisation 20:09 - Performing Live 24:09 - In...

Mike Lindup is best known as the keyboardist and co-vocalist for Brit-Funk legends, Level 42. Mike has blended traditional keyboard instruments, such as the piano and Fender Rhodes, with a myriad pieces of cutting edge music tech over the years. We caught up with him ahead of his new solo release, Changes 2. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 00:52 - What were your influences? 04:21 - Stevie Wonder 06:...

The following is a short piece of audio that was edited out of the original podcast interview with Don Lewis back in November 2020, where he discusses his time programming the Yamaha DX7’s factory sounds. In the wake of Don’s passing we decided to publish this excerpt, along with a tribute on the website. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 02:29 - Yamaha DX7 and DX9 Demo 03:02 - The Beginnings Of FM Sy...

Martyn Ware has been at the forefront of the British synth-pop scene since its inception, founding the hugely influential Human League with Phil Oakey and Ian Craig Marsh. Martyn and Ian went on to establish the British Electric Foundation from which Heaven 17 emerged, along with work as a producer for the likes of Tina Turner and Terence Trent D’Arby. Martyn has since ventured into the world of i...

Part electronic visual music artist and part software developer as co-founder of Ableton, Robert Henke delves into the overlap between artist and engineer and how software needs to be accessible in order to encourage and not hinder the creative process. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:12 - Current Projects 03:23 - Lumière - Working With Lasers 06:49 - Building The Performance Software 08:54 - The...

Susanne Kirchmayr, also known as Electric Indigo, is an Austrian music producer, Techno DJ and founder of the female:pressure, an international network of women in the electronic music industry. Here she chats to Caro C about her career beginnings through to her current projects. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:02 - Ferrum 7 music track 02:09 - Starting Out As A DJ 08:55 - Becoming A Music Produc...

Michael Whalen is a two-time Emmy Award winning, Grammy-nominated composer with over 30 years experience composing for film and television, as well as being a recording artist in his own right, with over 800 million streams since 2015. Here he talks to Rob Puricelli about performing his latest instrumental album ‘Imaginary Trains’ to a live audience at the EMEAPP museum, using their extensive coll...

A tribute to the life and works of composer and synth pioneer Peter Zinovieff by James Gardner, featuring interviews with co-workers and collaborators. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:04 - Collaborations 04:13 - Replacing Tape With Digital 06:29 - The Move Into Computers 08:03 - The Launch of EMS 14:31 - Running A Studio From Home 16:16 - Working In Raasay 18:19 - The VCS3 And Synthi 20:05 - Copi...

Richard Norris tells Caro C about his early break into the music industry, success with The Grid in the 90s, plus his many collaborations, remixes and unexpected career turns. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:34 - Defining Career Moments 08:31 - The Gear Used By The Grid 10:27 - Musical Trajectory 20:35 - Favourite Equipment 25:58 - Interesting Collaborations 32:04 - Immersive Audio 35:51 - Future...

Chiara Luzzana is a Sound Designer and Composer, known for her use of Zoom field recorders. A personal project sampling Swatch watches eventually became the official Swatch theme which then led on to similar commissions from several global brands. Caro C talks to her about her journey into corporate sound design. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:31 - Sound Artist And Soundtrack Composer 02:58 - Wo...

As part of Trevor Horn’s team of technological wizards in the 1980s, JJ Jeczalik emerged as the pre-eminent Fairlight programmer of the day, primarily as one fifth of the art-pop collective, Art of Noise, but also in projects ranging from ABC & Dollar to Yes and Malcolm McLaren. Describing himself as a not a keyboard player, JJ brought his programming skills and talent to bear on a wide range...

Hannah Peel, composer, producer and broadcaster, talks to Caro C about her solo record career including the shortlisted 2021 Mercury Music Prize electronic album, scoring music for Game Of Thrones and her many other diverse projects. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:45 - Musical Path 06:48 - Using Electronic Instruments 07:55 - Favourite Synths 09:14 - Software and Hardware 10:08 - Projects and No...