PIVOTAL SLICE: on writing & composing

Jade and David talk about transmutation, the innovative writing of ‘The Pitt’, and holding characters accountable in stories. Listen to 'Grat' (unreleased demo) at the end of the episode.  Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon   Find us on Instagram Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Macke...

David and Jade share the tools that help them stay motivated and keep showing up for the creative process.  Listen to 'Cleaning Bathrooms' at the end of the episode.  Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon   Find us on Instagram Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Mackenzie

Jade and David discuss The Twilight Zone, cultural taboos in music, and Kundalini awakenings.  Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon   Find us on Instagram Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Mackenzie

David shares what he has learned from doing a deep-dive into modern pop music. Listen to 'Dead Rocks' at the end of the episode. Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon   Find us on Instagram Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Mackenzie

Jade and David talk about the lies biopics sell us about the art life. Jade shares how she approached writing about being working class for her latest essay, ‘The Retreat’. Buy a copy of ‘Bread Alone: What happens when we run out of working class writers?’ here (or wherever you get books). Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon   Find us o...

David and Jade discuss films they have been watching lately.  Listen to ‘Dead Rocks’ at the end of the episode.  Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon   Find us on Instagram Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Mackenzie

Jade and David discuss writing groups, feeling other people’s feelings, and dreams about cats. Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon   Find us on Instagram Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Mackenzie

David and Jade discuss dreams from the ‘higher self’. They talk about the importance of rest in managing neurodivergence and chronic pain, and how it helps open space for ideas. Read ‘No Bad Parts’ by Richard C. Schwartz for more information on IFS (Internal Family Systems) and working with parts. Listen to ‘WhatFormat?’ at the end of the episode. Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND...

Jade and David share the practices, rituals and tools that have helped them grow into better artists. Listen to ‘Heldd FJG’ at the end of the episode. Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon   Find us on Instagram Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Mackenzie

David talks about mastering his album. Jade talks about learning how to have fun with writing.  Listen to ‘Sleeping Subway’ at the end of the episode. Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon   Find us on Instagram Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Mackenzie

Jade and David discuss how competitive reality TV has shaped our perception of artists, and the abuses of power that can happen in creative contract negotiations. They share their own experiences with dodgy contracts, and explore how to advocate for yourself. Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon for exclusive content and 1:1 artist suppo...

David and Jade talk about autism, doing too much, and the power of animals for managing burnout. Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon for exclusive content and 1:1 artist support. Find us on socials:   Instagram Facebook TikTok Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Mackenzie

We’re talking about the AHA! moments we’ve had with art, and how these moments shaped us. In this episode David talks about discovering Aphex Twin and learning something new about identity and creativity.  Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon for exclusive content and 1:1 artist support. Find us on socials:   Instagram Facebook TikTok Em...

We’re talking about the AHA! moments we’ve had with art, and how these moments shaped us. In this episode, Jade talks about a moment in Singin' in the Rain that unlocked a new facet of her sexuality. Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon for exclusive content and 1:1 artist support. Find us on socials:   Instagram Facebook TikTok Ema...

It's every composer's worst nightmare. David shares how he lost a year’s worth of work on his album when his computer died. He talks to Jade about his addiction to the creative process, and the lessons learned from death and rebirth. At the end of the episode you can hear the only track that survived the catastrophe, ‘A Place You Know’. Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND...

Jade talks about the panic attack she experienced while watching Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance . Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon for exclusive content and 1:1 artist support. Find us on socials:   Instagram Facebook TikTok Email us at pivotalslice@gmail.com Follow your hosts, Jade Green and David Mackenzie

Jade sits down with Denise Santos and David Mackenzie to talk about their recent collaboration on a new piece of music, ‘Transition’, which you can hear at the end of the episode. They discuss drawing on emotional experiences, balancing work with mental health, and how the story of the music came together during the making of the piece. Support the track on Spotify . Find out more about Denise’s w...

Jade and David discuss the art of storytelling through writing and music. They talk about: How stories can be made into a somatic experience Understanding character motivation and creating ‘real’ people The perfectly ambiguous ending of Twin Peaks: The Return How we can make stories that will change the world for the better ‘The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.’ Read The Speed of Darknes...

Jade talks to writer Eva Aldea about living a creative life while managing the impacts of neurodivergence. They also discuss the ‘brand’ Eva has built on Instagram, where she is posing nude as a way of querying aging, masking, and perceptions of the female body. Eva Aldea is a writer, lecturer and editor. Her first novel Singapore (Holland House Books 2023), and her book in progress, Stockholm , e...

David and Jade talk about the uses of trauma in the creative process. They explore:  how we are reflected in the art we make and consume the inner journey of the artist  using creativity to surrender control how trauma transforms us, for better or worse Music and production by David Mackenzie FOLLOW AND SUPPORT US Buy us a coffee or join our Patreon for exclusive content and 1:1 artist support. Fi...

David chats with musician, composer, researcher and sound explorer Dolores Catherino about her mission of expanding musical consciousness. They discuss: Finding your unique voice through exploration, not imitation How AI is impacting the landscape of music Dolores’ research and development into a new ‘pitch colour’ system Uses of meditation and intuitive practices to study music  Find more of Dolo...

Jade speaks to writer Inés G. Labarta about her latest novel, The Three Lives of Saint Ciarán , and how she develops stories from identity, place and intention. They discuss: -          Rewriting myths from a queer, immigrant perspective -          The process of publishing and dealing with rejection -          The role of ego and mental and spiritual health in writing Find out more about Inés on...

Content warning for strong language. Jade and David talk about their recent cinema experiences, including Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Challengers’, and try to get to the bottom of why so many stories are emotionally immature.  They discuss:  -          The role of open-mindedness in creativity  -          Depicting healthy relationships in film -          How we ‘project our demons’ into what we create - ...

David sits down with renowned music producer, composer and writer Michael Beinhorn to discuss his unique approaches to collaboration and the creative process. Michael has worked with legendary artists including Herbie Hancock, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Hole, and it’s an honour to have him on the show. David and Michael discuss: - The power of creative visualisation  - Somatic techniqu...

Jade speaks to David and his collaborator Martin Coat about their Arts Council funded development project ‘MonoMyth’. Martin and David set out to deconstruct sound, from its physical qualities to its effect on brain waves. We discuss: - How to approach research and set an intention for a large project - The impact of our sonic environment on mental and physical health - Uses of the human voice - H...