The Vinyl District: Radar - The Podcast with Dylan Hundley

I recently spoke with Sally Timms, co-lead singer of The Mekons since 1985, the year she stepped into the band on their breakthrough album "Fear and Whiskey." The Mekons formed in Leeds in 1976 under Jon Langford and Tom Greenhalgh and have outlasted nearly every other band to emerge from that same British punk explosion, shapeshifting through country, folk, dub, and art-punk without ever settling...

Adi Newton is a founding figure of British experimental music whose work has shaped the genre for nearly five decades. Before founding Clock DVA and TAGC/The Anti Group in 1978, he was one of the original members of The Future, the project that evolved into The Human League. Clock DVA stands alongside Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire as a pioneer of late-70s and 80s experimental sound, with...

I recently spoke with Dave W. and Ego Sensation of White Hills. For nearly two decades, White Hills have been gifting us with a unique mix of neo-psychedelia, art rock, and post-punk. Their first release was shepherded by Julian Cope, you've seen them in Jim Jarmusch's sultry vampire romance Only Lovers Left Alive as the band in the Detroit club, and they've collaborated with Martin Bisi often. Th...

I recently spoke with Linda Perry, frontwoman of 4 Non Blondes and one of the most prolific songwriters and producers of the past three decades. After "What's Up?" became an era-defining hit in 1993, Linda stepped behind the boards and wrote and produced some of the biggest songs in pop music: Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," Pink's "Get the Party Started," Alicia Keys' "Superwoman," plus work wi...

Today on Radar - I recently spoke with Genre is Death, an uncompromising noise duo made up of Ty Varesi (guitar, vox) and Tayler Lee (bass, vox). They moved to NYC in 2023 looking for something beyond what small town Georgia had to offer. They hit the ground running. A chance encounter with 80s underground stalwarts Live Skull pulled them into the city's noise scene and into orbit with Lydia Lunch...

Midge Ure is one of the architects of the sound that defined a generation. As the frontman and creative co-architect of Ultravox, co-writer of "Do They Know It's Christmas?", and the producer behind some of the most enduring records of the new wave era -- including "Fade to Grey" and "Vienna" -- he shaped synth-pop and post-punk at the moment both genres were finding their footing. His fingerprint...

I recently spoke with Martin Bisi, the founder of BC Studio in Gowanus, Brooklyn — one of the most storied independent recording spaces in New York history. Martin engineered and produced records for Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Afrika Bambaataa, and countless others across the no-wave and post-punk underground. We got into Martin’s life views, the relevance of New York culture, and the perils o...

I recently spoke with Sergio Rotman. Composer, and saxophonist best known for his work with Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, the influential Argentine ska/rock band. With the Cadillacs he won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Performance for Fabulosos Calavera in 1998 — the first time an Argentine band received a Grammy. Outside the Cadillacs, Sergio led the long-running punk-rock group Cie...

I recently spoke with Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods—frontman, social commentator, author, and actor. Alongside the band’s thirteen albums, Jason has appeared in Peaky Blinders and stars in the new rave-era thriller Game, directed by John Minton and produced by Geoff Barrow (Portishead). We talk about drugs, therapy, breaking free from addiction, the birth of Sleaford Mods, artistic perspective...

I recently spoke with Godlis — the photographer whose images defined CBGB’s, the Bowery, and downtown New York in the ’70s punk scene. His iconic photographs of the Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, Blondie, Talking Heads, Richard Hell, and many more offered a window into that world that stays with us today. It’s an astonishing record. We talk about his college years in Boston and when he first pi...

I recently spoke with Martin Glover, AKA Youth — founding member and bassist of the legendary post-punk band Killing Joke, a pioneering producer, and one of the most influential sonic architects of the last four decades. Beyond his work with the band, he’s shaped the sound of artists across genres — from The Orb, The Verve, and Paul McCartney to Kate Bush, Crowded House, Gina Birch, and Pink Floyd...

I recently caught up with Tytti Roto, who’s been a big part of the Helsinki underground for years — you might know her from Rosettes, Modem, Plastic Tones, or Ty Roxy. I met Tytti back in September when we played the same Synthicide night, and I was completely blown away by her and her band Modem. They’re a synth-pop duo she started with Ville Valavuo in 2020, drawing on their shared love of the e...

Lene Lovich is an American-born, British-based new wave artist whose wild originality helped define the late-’70s post-punk sound. After moving from Detroit to London, she immersed herself in the art scene, writing lyrics for Cerrone’s “Supernature” before breaking out with her 1978 debut Stateless. Its single “Lucky Number” became an instant classic—off-kilter, infectious, and unlike anything els...

I recently spoke with Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker. Raised in a film family (his mother is Hayley Mills), Crispian grew up on music and cinema where he has spent his life as an artist & filmaker. He formed Kula Shaker in 1996; the debut, K, became one of the UK’s fastest-selling debuts of the ’90s. The band's sound mixes 60s psychedelia with elements of Indian music. The name, suggested by Mi...

I recently spoke with Daniel Ash, musician, songwriter and singer. A founding member of Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, and Love and Rockets.  Daniel and I talk about his electromagnetic tendencies, the formation of Bauhaus, his love of solitude & city, chrome, gear, how he first discovered the EBow, music he loves and the Ashes and Diamonds album. The new band consists of Daniel in his usual roles br...

Bob Bert is a musician, photographer, and zine publisher known for his drumming in influential bands such as Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Bewitched, Chrome Cranks, Knoxville Girls, Jon Spencer and the Hitmakers, and Lydia Lunch Retrovirus.  Bob, also an artist, zine publisher, and photographer, spent many years working for Andy Warhol, producing silk screens until his death. He has been a passionate...

Gina Birch has been creating groundbreaking sound and images for nearly five decades. Best known as a founding member of the pioneering post-punk band The Raincoats, Birch helped shape a musical vocabulary that was raw, self-determined, and unconcerned with the rules. Formed in 1977 with Ana da Silva while at Hornsey College of Art, The Raincoats became a touchstone for artists from Kurt Cobain to...

Natasja Alers is the co-director of Grauzone Festival , a multidisciplinary event in The Netherlands that brings together post-punk, experimental music, visual art, and film. She’s also a sculptor, DJ, and painter with a background in ceramics, installation, and collage. Grauzone alumni include Echo & the Bunnymen, Lebanon Hanover, Anja Huwe (Xmal Deutschland), A Place to Bury Strangers, DAF a...

Joe Concra is a painter, a builder, and the CO+ founder of the O+ Festival, based in Kingston, NY. O+ is a community-rooted organization that connects artists and musicians with health and wellness care through a radical exchange model that started with an annual music & healthcare exchange festival and has expanded into year round care. In this episode, we talk about how it all began, what it...

I recently sat down with my old friend John Adams. John is an artist, songwriter and filmmaker. I first know him from his punk party band Banana Fish Zero that was based here in NY. You all may know him more from his incredible work as a filmmaker with his family, Adams Family Films. They have made eight features since 2012 including 2021’s Hellbender which is also the name of the family's super c...

I recently sat down with my partner in music & life, Pablo Martin. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pablo is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, engineer and master mixer. He’s been making music since he was sixteen years starting with Argentinian goth heroes El Corte.  We spoke about his early musical life &  journey to New York. First working with R&B icons like Mary...

I recently sat down with my former bandmate and friend, Jay Mumford. Jay’s career as a session and touring drummer has paired him with artists across multiple genres. From Hermanos Gutierrez, to Danger Mouse; Lulu Lewis; Adrian Quesada; Vampire Weekend; Just Blaze; Dan Auerbach; Greyhounds; Madlib; Michael Kiwanuka and many more. He’s also co-founder and shares producer and songwriter duties with...

Suzi Ronson is stylist, writer, musician and the woman who helped shape one of the most iconic eras in music first by co-creating David Bowie's groundbreaking look for Ziggy Stardust. Her memoir Me and Mr. Jones describes this along with the wild & interesting journey she shared as a part of the core group of people who propelled Bowie & themselves into history without expecting it. Suzi a...

I recently spoke with producer William Garrett. William is probably best known for his work as lead producer of Spotify Singles where artists re-recorded one of their original songs alongside a cover of their choice. Over the course of this project, he recorded an amazing array of artists. The list is wild. I’ll just shout out some of my favorites because it would be too lengthy to list 750 of the...

Mona Kayhan is the owner of The Bridge, a large room recording studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A stunning space devoted to making exceptional recordings in a manner that has become less common and is upholding the tradition of sonic excellence. The new tradition that should also be celebrated here is that this space is a woman-owned commercial recording studio. Mona and I talked about her traini...