Music Life

Radiohead's Colin Greenwood talks with Robert Glasper, Caroline Polachek, and Tamino. They'll attempt to solve the riddle of how they keep the creative flame alive, overcoming the voice of the inner critic, and why you need a ‘get out' plan if you're a musician.

Colin Greenwood is the bassist with Radiohead, and the brother of fellow Radiohead member Jonny Greenwood. He's selected an awesome array of musicians to talk to, including: Belgian singer, musician, and model of Egyptian and Lebanese heritage Tamino; songwriter, producer, and singer formerly of Chairlift who's worked with the likes of Solange, Blood Orange, Travis Scott, and Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek; and Grammy and Emmy Award winning Jazz pianist, producer, composer, and arranger who's worked with Kendrick Lamaar, Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, J Dilla, Jay-Z and Anderson Paak, it's the legendary Robert Glasper.

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This one's for those with rhythm. Ezra Collective drummer Femi Koleoso and Dele Sosimi of Fela Kuti's Egypt 80 are joined on Music Life by two of the greatest drummers of all time - Billy Cobham and Tony Allen. Nigeria's Tony Allen passed away not long after this was recorded. With his band mate Fela Kuti he founded the Afrobeat sound, which led Fela to declare: 'without Tony there would be no Afrobeat'. Billy Cobham is a Panamanian-American jazz drummer who played with Miles Davis in the 60s and 70s, before forming the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He's gone on to play with Peter Gabriel, Quincy Jones, James Brown and many more. Dele Sosimi is a Nigerian-British musician who also played with Fela Kuti, playing keyboards in his Egypt 80 band, before forming Positive Force with Fela's son Femi Kuti.

Femi Koleoso gets to put questions to his musical heroes; the musicians he's looked up to which have made him the musician he is today, leading to his work with London jazz group Ezra Collective, Jorja Smith, and Loyle Carner.

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Front woman of the noise queens Savages, and now solo artist, Jehnny Beth leads the discussion with three thought-provoking and inspirational artists. Kelly Lee Owens is one of the most exciting DJs and electronic producers right now. A Welsh musician who's collaborated with the likes of St. Vincent, Bjork, Jenny Hval, and Jon Hopkins. Jessy Lanza is an electronic songwriter, producer, and vocalist from Ontario, Canada. A former music teacher she grew up playing piano and clarinet before going on to study Jazz, eventually finding her feet in the electronic music field. And finally, Tei She is a Colombian-Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer born in Buenos Aires, but now based in LA. She's jokingly described her work as 'mermaid music'.

Together, they discuss the history of the studio gear they use, positions they record vocals in the studio, watching films to get inspiration, and the difficulties in recording animals.

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This week, poet, artist, musician, rapper, model, and visual artist Kojey Radical is joined by: superstar saxophonist, Sons of Kemet and The Comet is Coming band leader, Shabaka Hutchings; the only Jazz artist on a UK major label, the up and coming pianist Ashley Henry; and the person who is “changing Jazz ? right now, the award winning saxophonist Nubya Garcia.

Led by Kojey they'll be discussing how you write about something you've not personally experienced, feeling accepted by your peers, and whether or not you need to be an outsider in order to be original.

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Laura Lee plays bass in Khruangbin, a trio from Texas who blend classic soul, with psychedelic and dub. Much of their influence comes from Thai music of the 1960s, and Lee was one of the founders of the group. She was learning Thai at the time, and her favourite word, Khruangbin which means aeroplane, became the name of the band.

Joining her is New York bassist Blu DeTiger, who's been a touring bassist for Caroline Polachek and Kitten. She released her debut single in 2019 and went viral by posting videos of her covering songs by Megan Thee Stallion, Prince and Janet Jackson.

Karina Rykman, also from New York, was a member of Marco Benevento's band before going solo. She's famously jammed on stage with Phish at Madison Square Gardens and has a debut album on the way.

And finally it's French-Caribbean singer, and of course bassist, Adeline. Adeline plays under the name Abi Oasis, releasing retro-futuristic soul and R&B. And she's recently collaborated with Chicago-based singer Jamila Woods.

with Laura Lee of Khruangbin, Blu DeTiger, Karina Rykman and Adeline.

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This week, Max Richter (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror, Ad Astra, Mary Queen of Scots) is hosting and asks the group how they got their starts in the music business, how they convey emotion through their work, and how it's actually quite difficult to create something simple.

Answering those questions is a man who really needs no introduction, Mr Hans Zimmer. He's scored over 100 films so far, putting his signature sound on everything from James Bond to the Dark Knight Trilogy via Thelma & Louise. There isn't a film that isn't vastly improved with Hans' work behind it. Also with Max is Icelandic composer, cellist and vocalist Hildur Guðnadóttir. She won the Academy Award for best score for the controversial film Joker, you can also hear her music-less score in the haunting TV series Chernobyl. And Puerto Rican composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Négron completes the line up and writes music for chamber ensembles, orchestras, film, theatre, robotic instruments, and toys no less. This is a meeting of minds that's not to be missed.

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This week's episode gets personal with musician, producer, and black belt in karate Nabihah Iqbal, who is joined by Khruangbin's Laura Lee, a singer of Turkish/Barbadian descent Nilüfer Yanya, and Turkish singer Gaye Su Akyol.

Led by Nabihah Iqbal, they'll be discussing strange fan encounters, dating as a musician, and using music as an escape.

Laura Lee, former maths teacher turned bass player, started her musical journey 8 years ago in the three-piece band Khruangbin, who have gone on to achieve huge success all around the world. The band have toured with the likes of Bonobo, Father John Misty, Massive Attack, Leon Bridges and are known for blending global music influences, classic soul, dub and psychedelia. London-born singer-songwriter of Turkish and Barbadian descent Nilüfer Yanya started writing songs at the age of 6, and has since toured alongside The xx, Interpol and Mitski. Last year she released her debut album ‘Miss Universe', a semi-conceptual project that blends rock, pop, electronica, R&B, and soul. And Turkish singer, songwriter, producer and audio-visual artist Gaye Su Akyol rounds off the panel. She blends traditional Turkish melodies and structures with psychedelia, surf rock and grunge.

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Planningtorock is the stage name of Jam Rahuoja Rostron, who's originally from Bolton and now lives in Tallinn, Estonia. Their electronica features lyrics that explore their personal experience of queer love. Powerhouse, released in 2018 and their most recent album, features the touching and danceable single Beulah Loves Dancing, which is a paean to their sister's love of house music.

Joining them is Peaches AKA Merrill Nisker from Toronto in Canada. She broke through with her electro-punk epic The Teaches of Peaches back in 2000. Since then, she's released four more albums and has been touring extensively.

Next up, it's American artist and composer Colin Self, who's based in New York and Berlin, and works across multiple disciplines and practices. They use voices, bodies and computers as musical tools interfaced into software. In 2019 they released their EP Orphans, which was a follow up to the album Siblings, and most recently their remix featured on Max Tundra's Remixed EP.

And finally, it's Hard Feelings, AKA Joe Goddard of Hot Chip and Amy Douglas (DFA Records). Their debut album has been described as ‘an opera of sad bangers'.

First broadcast on BBC World Service.

with Planningtorock, Peaches, Colin Self, and Joe Goddard and Amy Douglas (Hard Feelings).

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Born in Washington DC to Iranian parents, Rostam was a founding member of Vampire Weekend, and is now an in-demand producer and musician. He has worked with the likes of Haim, Solange and Frank Ocean, as well as releasing music under his own name.

Lykke Li is a Swedish singer and songwriter who has perfected the art of the sad song that you can't help but dance to. Since 2007, she has released five studio albums blending elements of indie, pop and electronic music.

Hatis Noit is a Japanese vocalist with an impressive range. Originally from Hokkaido but now based in London, her influences range from classical Japanese music to Bulgarian and Gregorian chanting, avant-garde sounds and pop music.

Barrie is a singer-songwriter and producer based in Brooklyn, New York, who makes lush, wistful art-pop.

with Rostam, Lykke Li, Hatis Noit and Barrie.

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Caroline Polachek is a Pop/Avant Garde musician, record producer, writer, and singer who broke through in 2008 with her band Chairlift. She's now releasing music under her own name and counts Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, and Taylor Swift as fans. Joining her is Mike Hadreas, better known as Perfume Genius. He's an Art-Pop singer who addresses topics such as sexuality, domestic abuse, and his personal battle with Crohn's disease in his music. Next up is experimental electronic producer Jlin. She got her start in the ‘Footwork' scene before pushing the boundaries of what's possible with sound creation. She's worked with the likes of previous Music Life host Max Richter, Holly Herndon, St Vincent, and Bjork, and her latest record deals with issues such as “history, mythology, imprisonment, culture wars, and a clash of civilizations ?. And finally, Brooklyn based musician, soundtrack composer, and producer Daniel Lopatin is here. He works under the name Oneohtrix Point Never and is one of the greats of our time. He's collaborated with the likes of Iggy Pop, Anohni, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, and FKA Twigs.

First broadcast on BBC World Service.

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Some of the biggest names in Alt-Rock come together to discuss how much they care about their live shows sounding like the record, and that awkward moment when you forget the words to your own song - ¦ live on stage.

Stuart Braithwaite is a guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist in Scottish post-rock band Mogwai who have released 10 studio albums since forming in 1995. Their most recent record - ˜As The Love Continues' went to number one in the UK earlier this year, and marks 25 years since their debut single. Stuart's guests include friend and collaborator Rachel Goswell, best known as the vocalist and guitarist in shoegaze band Slowdive. She's also a member of The Soft Cavalry and supergroup The Minor Victories, alongside Stuart. Joining them is David Pajo, famed for his guitar shredding in US post-Rock band Slint. He's also collaborated with the likes of Interpol, Stereolab, and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, he thinks he's part of around 20 bands. And Beth Jeans Houghton is an artist who makes music under the moniker Du Blonde. Her latest record - ˜Homecoming' came out earlier this year. She's also directed music videos for the likes of Ezra Furman, LUMP, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and recently angered her local Post Office trying to post 2000 records.

Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite talks to Rachel Goswell, David Pajo, and Du Blonde.

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Along with hearing lots of the group's music, they'll discuss feeling the pressure to do something different, what American identity is and how it shows in their work, and whether they make music to make people think, or move their feet.

St. Vincent is an artist, songwriter and producer from Texas, now based in LA. After playing with the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, she formed her own band in 2006. She's since released six albums including ‘Love This Giant', a collaboration with David Byrne, and she completely shreds on the guitar! Vagabon is a Cameroonian-American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and producer described as an “indie rock game changer ?. She started uploading tracks to Bandcamp in 2014 before releasing her debut album ‘Infinite Worlds' in 2017. David Byrne is one of the planet's most engaging and prolific creators. He formed new wave band Talking Heads after dropping out of art school before becoming one of the most influential bands of the twentieth century. Recently he has been working with Spike Lee on a film version of his Broadway show ‘American Utopia', which has been described as ‘The Best Live Show of All Time'. And our host this week is Ahmed Gallab, also known as Sinkane, who's a Sudanese-American musician and singer based in New York who blends Funk, Jazz, Dance, and Pop. His latest album ‘Dépaysé' is about self-discovery as an immigrant in the USA.

First broadcast on the BBC World Service.

This week's host, Sinkane, welcomes Talking Heads' David Byrne, St Vincent, and Vagabon.

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