The Quietus Radio – Details, episodes & analysis

The last episode of our series made in collaboration with 20ft Radio explores music trends post-Maidan and being “a rhizomatic thing” during wartime. Why do we need labels nowadays, especially in Ukraine? Especially when the manufacturer pulps most of your vinyl debut release before it’s even left the factory? A good question, answered in part by the guests in the final Memory Leaks episode: Acid Jordan and Tofudj, from the “horizontally structured and ever-morphing” Pepe Gaffe collective in Kyiv.  Pep Gaffe release adventurous electronic music (but not only). They once stated they were “a collective of enthusiasts who are bound to devote their lives to the grand idea of developing a music community and aspire to create a platform for sterling interaction between artists and cultural operators.” According to Acid Jordan and Tofudj, the text was “a hoax, an in-joke, and we hated it. But it all came true.” Being music enthusiasts, producers, event curators and friends from way-back in Poltava, Acid Jordan and Tofudj are possibly the best guides you can find to the left-field sounds of contemporary Ukrainian music, and the pitfalls many currently encounter in just doing their thing. The pair talk of pulling off live events with war as a constant backdrop, and if alternative music organisations could be more decentralised, or is Kyiv still the magnet? Other topics include feeling isolated, and niche labels as “culture vortexes”, as well as the general, post-Maidan trends in alternative Ukrainian music. 

For this new episode, we’re thrilled to meet Jana Winderen, researcher and artist (Goldsmiths, university of London) with a background in mathematics, chemistry and fish ecology from the university of Oslo. Jana focuses her work around audio environments and ecosystems which are hard for humans to access, both physically and aurally. We will discuss her practice, and the environmental stakes it holds (underwater noise pollution) as well as technical topics (hydrophone, portable pre-amps, ultrasound, recording techniques). Nuts And Bolts is hosted, recorded and engineered by Jessica Sligter, with editing by Julia Reidy. This episode was made possible with the support of Norwegian Culture Fund and Komponistforeningen. Check out the Nuts And Bolts gear-tutorial videos, get there via our Instagram page @nutsandboltspodcast

For the first episode of our third season we chatted with electronic musician and sound artist Jessica Ekomane, French-born and Berlin-based. Ekomane, who recently released the LP Multivocal, explores psychoacoustics, rhythmical perception, and the interchange of noise and melody, in immersive, slowly shifting pieces, using Max/MSP. She is also an active radiomaker at Cashmere Radio. Nuts And Bolts is hosted, recorded and co-engineered by Jessica Sligter, with Julia Reidy as main engineer of this episode. Check out the Nuts And Bolts gear-tutorial videos, get there via our Instagram page @nutsandboltspodcast.  The series are partially funded with support of the Norwegian Culture Fund. Help them continue to make work by becoming our patron at patreon.com/nutsandbolts

Welcome to The Best Of Times... podcast brought to you by Lush and The Quietus. The Best Of Times... podcast is presented by John Doran. In this series he talks to people about some of the best and worst times they have been through and hopefully discovers how these experiences have made them who they are today. So far he has interviewed Sleaford Mods, The Specials, Kristin Hersh, Róisín Murphy, Mavis Staples, Kate Tempest and Cate Le Bon. Today’s guest is Geddy Lee. Geddy is a lifelong resident of Toronto, Canada. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to join Rush in 1968. They would eventually go on to become one of the most successful progressive rock bands in the world. They disbanded after 50 years in 2018. Among his many hobbies, Geddy is now an author, having just published the Big Beautiful Book Of Bass. This podcast was produced and engineered by Andrew Paine and co-produced by Heather Weil. The theme music is by Oh The Gilt. If you enjoyed it please subscribe, give us a star rating, tweet about us and tell your friends and family. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back soon with more Best Of Times.

Welcome to The Best Of Times... podcast brought to you by Lush and The Quietus. The Best Of Times... podcast is presented by John Doran. In this series he talks to people about some of the best and worst times they have been through and hopefully discovers how these experiences have made them who they are today. So far he has interviewed Sleaford Mods, The Specials, Kristin Hersh, Róisín Murphy, Mavis Staples and Cate Le Bon. Today’s guest is Kate Tempest. Kate grew up in South London and first performed as a poet at an open mic night at the age of 16. Since then, exemplifying a fearsome work ethic that she has become well known for, she has become a playwright, a novelist, a band leader, a rapper, a published poet and a spoken word artist. She has won the Ted Hughes Award and been nominated for the Mercury Prize. This month sees the release of her most accomplished album to date, The Book Of Traps And Lessons, recorded with Dan Carey and produced by Rick Rubin. This podcast was produced and engineered by Andrew Paine. The theme music is by Oh The Gilt. If you enjoyed it please subscribe, give us a star rating, tweet about us and tell your friends and family. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back soon with more Best Of Times.

Season #2 of gear-talk podcast Nuts And Bolts comes to an end with a fourth episode, where host Jessica Sligter meets Maja S. K. Ratkje, at her home in the Norwegian woods. A prolific performer, improviser and composer, technology is a part of Ratkje’s practice across the board.  Chance versus control, working versus broken, throwing away versus fixing. Also oscillators, cassettes, making contact mics, tailor-made plugins, and more, where woven together with many impromptu demonstrations. A dense conversation, fuelled by skill and play. An immenselysatisfying experience to end our season with.Before season #3 hits, Nuts And Bolts will be publishing their first video-series of artist portraits and gear-tutorials. Seek us out on Instagram and Youtube, and stay tuned! Nuts And Bolts is hosted and made by Jessica Sligter, and co-engineered by Bridget Ferrill. This episode was supported by NOPA and Norsk Kulturfond.

Musician Cate grew up in rural Carmarthenshire, Wales and she sings in both Welsh and English. After an early tour with Gruff Rhys Of Super Furry Animals and a collaborative role in his Neon Neon project, she went on to release a series of inimitable records as a solo artist. Staking out a sound that’s as much influenced by folk and prog as it is by psych and krautrock, she neatly sidesteps the hackneyed sound of most modern indie while still making timeless pop. She recently spent some time in the Lake District, where she divided her time between songwriting and learning how to make solid wood furniture. The music eventually became her new album Reward which is released later this month by Mexican Summer records.

Welcome to The Best Of Times... podcast brought to you by Lush and The Quietus.  The Best Of Times... podcast is presented by John Doran. Over the coming months he will be talking to people about some of the best and worst times they have been through and hopefully find out how these experiences have made them who they are today. So far he has interviewed Sleaford Mods, The Specials, Kristin Hersh and Róisín Murphy.  Today’s guest is living legend Mavis Staples who was born in Chicago in 1939 and from an early age was the voice that pushed The Staples Singers, the world’s most successful gospel group, to international fame. From the late 50s onwards the group started incorporating hard hitting social themes into their songs and from 1963 they were essential figures in the American Civil Rights movement.  In a long and storied career she has sung for Barak Obama at The White House and has worked with Prince, Curtis Mayfield and Jeff Tweedy. Her new album, called We Get By, is produced by Ben Harper and is out on Anti- records in May shortly before her 80th birthday.  This podcast was produced and engineered by Andrew Paine and co-produced by James Shakeshaft. The theme music is by Oh The Gilt. If you enjoyed it please subscribe, give us a star rating, tweet about us and tell your friends and family. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back soon with more Best Of Times.

Straight from Steel Town, we talk to Jlin The Innovator on the third episode of Nuts And Bolts Season #2. Growth and health in music production: it's not just about the skill, but also about the spiritual, says Jlin. Creating layered, propelling compositions, Jlin shares with us her tips on working on the road, affordable gear, and more. Jlin caught everyone off guard with her thrilling albums Dark Energy and Black Origami. She has collaborated with amongst others choreographer Wayne McGregor, and musicians Holly Herndon and William Basinski. Nuts And Bolts is hosted and made by Jessica Sligter, co-engineered by Bridget Ferrill, and co- produced by Anne Gerd Grimsby Haarr. This episode was supported by Norsk Kulturfond.