‘Wide-ranging and insightful’ - Guardian (pick of the week, January 2024)
A show for anyone who has ever listened to, played, improvised, written, or just enjoyed music and wanted to know more about these mysterious sounds. Are they 'auditory cheesecake' as cognitive scientist Steven Pinker claims, or actually a fundamental part of what has made us into modern humans?
With an enormous variety of guests ranging from well-known musicians, producers and industry figures through to those for whom music is central but who rarely have a voice, this show is unapologetically broad in scope.
In 'entertaining noises', Steve has musicians explain and demonstrate their instrument, giving fresh perspective on everything from the piano to modular synthesizers, via lesser-known folk instruments from around the world.
And in the flagship 'genre tombola' section, Steve is assigned a randomly-chosen genre from the list of 1334 music genres on Wikipedia, which he then goes away and researches, often talking to an expert in that music, before frequently attempting to make some music in that style... Whether he succeeds or not, there's lots of fascinating stuff to learn along the way!
As fun as it is thoughtful, this show aims to help you hear and appreciate music in new ways.
http://www.originofthepieces.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
‘Wide-ranging and insightful’ - Guardian (pick of the week, January 2024)
A show for anyone who has ever listened to, played, improvised, written, or just enjoyed music and wanted to know more about these mysterious sounds. Are they 'auditory cheesecake' as cognitive scientist Steven Pinker claims, or actually a fundamental part of what has made us into modern humans?
With an enormous variety of guests ranging from well-known musicians, producers and industry figures through to those for whom music is central but who rarely have a voice, this show is unapologetically broad in scope.
In 'entertaining noises', Steve has musicians explain and demonstrate their instrument, giving fresh perspective on everything from the piano to modular synthesizers, via lesser-known folk instruments from around the world.
And in the flagship 'genre tombola' section, Steve is assigned a randomly-chosen genre from the list of 1334 music genres on Wikipedia, which he then goes away and researches, often talking to an expert in that music, before frequently attempting to make some music in that style... Whether he succeeds or not, there's lots of fascinating stuff to learn along the way!
As fun as it is thoughtful, this show aims to help you hear and appreciate music in new ways.
http://www.originofthepieces.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wilton's Music Hall show 30th April: use code PRETTYAPR25 for best available seats for £15
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Description:
To mark World Poetry Day, Steve drops a surprise bonus episode featuring writer, comedian, and poet Robin Ince, recorded live at Wilton’s Music Hall.
Robin performs a series of poems—some whimsical, some urgent—including one inspired by Steve’s conch bath performance at ALSO Festival. That performance also makes an appearance here in audio form, with seashells and electronics combining into something… well, unusual.
The episode closes with reflections on music, abstraction, and the emotional power of sound.
Timecodes:
00:00 – Intro: why this bonus episode exists
01:04 – Robin Ince at Wilton’s: poems and reflections
02:06 – Poem: The Conch Bath (plus excerpt from Steve’s performance at ALSO Festival)
09:00 – Poem: Not All Men
12:08 – Poem: Creation Envy
13:47 – Poem: Let Me Celebrate You Now
15:24 – Robin and Steve on the point of music
Watch the video version (including Robin onstage and Steve in the lake at ALSO Festival):
Extras and support:
🎟 £15 tickets for Wilton’s show on 30 April with code PRETTYAPR25
🌐 Website, mailing list, Patreon and more: originofthepieces.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.