The Quietus Radio

The Quietus Radio

by The Quietus Radio

The Best Of Times… with Mavis Staples

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.

Nuts and Bolts S02 E03 – Jlin The Innovator

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.

The Best Of Times… with Róisín Murphy

Róisín grew up in Arklow, Ireland but moved with her family to Manchester, when she was 12. She formed the group Moloko with Mark Brydon in 1995, straddling the pop, art rock, trip hop divide, cementing their place in the popular consciousness with the tracks Sing It Back, The Time Is Now and Familiar Feeling. Her solo career since has provided evidence of a restless, creative mind, and she has released music ranging from the leftfield pop of Ruby Blue, made with tech jazz producer Matthew Herbert to a recent series of sumptuous deep house EPs (made in conjunction with Maurice Fulton). She has recently moved into film making and has a new single due out this Spring, made with Parrot from Sheffield electronic mainstays, All Seeing I.

Nuts and Bolts S2 E2 – Maria W Horn

Swedish composer and electronic musician Maria W Horn is our guest at Nuts And Bolts gear-talk podcast, episode #2. Horn works immersively with electronics; her main weapon of choice, Supercollider, is but one of many software and hardware tools that she interacts and experiments with to create and manipulate her compositions. From mechanical electronic beats to multidisciplinary installations, to textural conceptual works, Horn lets us in on some of her techniques and thoughts about gear. 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 NOPA and FoFoGoFo.

The Best Of Times… with Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave

Kristin is an American rock musician, songwriter and author and is probably best known for fronting the bands Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave. In the past she has talked candidly about the battles she has faced regarding her mental health which have run in parallel to her 35 year career as a musician. After a car accident at the age of 16 left her able to hear noise and music that no one else was able to discern, she received several misdiagnoses through her life including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; and has only recently been successfully diagnosed with PTSD and dissociative disorder. As well as fronting two bands she has released 11 solo albums, the most recent of which was Possible Dust Clouds on Fire records in 2018.

The Best Of Times… with Horace Panter and Terry Hall of The Specials

This popular punk-influenced rocksteady and ska band formed in Coventry in 1977 and went on to record one of the most highly rated British debut albums ever, The Specials in 1979. They rapidly became the epitome and gold standard in socially realist, anti-racist, politically progressive bands. They are back today with a new album 'Encore' and it feels like it’s not a moment too soon.

Nuts and Bolts S2 E1 – Andrea Parkins

Opening Season 2 of gear-talk podcast Nuts And Bolts, improviser and sound artist Andrea Parkins chats with host Jessica Sligter about synths, pre- and post-sampler life, glitchy Goldberg machines, and more. Andrea Parkins has traded New York for Europe, and is an established part of the improvised music scene on both ends of the ocean. With a background not only in improvised music but also art school, Parkins also makes installations and compositions. A force of nature, combining performance, technology and traditional instruments seamlessly. Nuts And Bolts is hosted and made by Jessica Sligter, co-produced by Anne Gerd Grimsby Haarr, with soundtechnical advice by Bridget Ferrill. This episode was supported by NOPA and FoFoGoFo. Photography by Mark Poucher

The Best Of Times… with Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods

Welcome to The Best Of Times podcast brought you by Lush and The Quietus. The Best Of Times is a new podcast show presented by writer and broadcaster John Doran and over the coming months he will be talking to people about some of the best and worst times they have been through, and in the process, find out how these experiences have made them who they are today. The podcast is produced and engineered by Andrew Paine and co-produced by Matthew Shaw. The theme music is by Oh The Gilt. EPISODE ONE: The Best Of Times... with Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods Jason is one half of the electronic punk band Sleaford Mods, along with Andrew Fearn. He started making this inimitable brand of music in 2007, which felt like it was just in time for the banking crisis and the band went on to capture the zeitgeist as it exists at street level. Sleaford Mods have become the true poet laureates of broken, austerity, Brexit Britain. They are just about to release their 11th album, Eaton Alive.

Neil Tennant Interview and Q&A

Neil Tennant joins Michael Bracewell at EartH in Dalston to discuss his new collection of lyrics, 'One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem', in front of a sold-out audience. In a wide-ranging conversation they discuss the lyrics that made Pet Shop Boys one of the most successful pop groups in British musical history, with over 50 million records sold over a 13 album and 30 year career. The conversation ranges from the personal to the political as it includes the terrible impact of the AIDS crisis, what makes good pop music, the inspiration gleaned from the former Soviet bloc, and the songs Tennant is most proud of. One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem is out now on Faber.

Nuts and Bolts #4 – Susanna

For the last episode of Season 1 of Nuts And Bolts, our podcast dedicated to female* musicans and their gear, Norwegian artist Susanna talks to host Jessica Sligter about recording, doing it yourself, and more. Something of an institution in her homeland of Norway, American songwriter Bonnie Prince Billy recently covered Susanna's entire 2007 album Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos, released as Wolf Of The Cosmos. Susanna's work is focused, elegant and gloomy, as her most recent releases, Go Dig My Grave and Triangle, confirm again. Nuts And Bolts is hosted and made by Jessica Sligter, and co-produced by Anne Gerd Grimsby Haarr and Susanne Christensen.

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