The 100 episode of Synthetic Dreams features the fascinating and super talented American electronic musician and songwriter, John Grant. We talk about his forthcoming book ‘The Illustrated Lyrics’, which features lyrics from his previous albums, along with his own wonderful photography. The book is rereleased on 3rd October. We also discuss the making of his latest album ‘The Art of the Lie’, one of my favourite albums of 2024, as well as his love of comedy and British humour. John’s UK tour sta...
Sep 24, 2024•54 min
Graham Crabb from Pop Will Eat Itself joins me on the podcast this week. Graham discusses the early days of PWEI, playing iconic music show Top Of The Pops and his memories of touring with legendary hip-hop act, Run-DMC and Nine Inch Nails. The group, who formed back in 1986, still features much of the original line up. PWEI were way ahead of the curve, when they first burst into the scene, fusing punk rock guitars with hip-hop samples and electronic beats. Some great stories In this one! http:/...
Sep 17, 2024•29 min
Truly thrilled and honoured to be joined by Kathy Sledge from legendary group, Sister Sledge on the Synthetic Dreams podcast this week. Formed in the early 70’s, the group, which featured Kathy Sledge and her sisters Debbie, Joni and Kim, achieved massive, world-wide success during the height of Disco in 1979. Their breakthrough album "We Are Family' peaked at number three on the American Billboard charts and included the hit singles ‘We Are Family’ and ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’, both of which ...
Sep 12, 2024•32 min
Jonathan Donahue from Mercury Rev joins me on the podcast his week to talk about the making of the band’s wonderful new album, ‘Born Horses’ which comes out on September 6th via the always excellent Bella Union label. This is one of Mercy Rev’s best albums to date, a real joy to listen to. So many wonderful musical styles and textures. From the hazy sax on opening track ‘Mood Swings’ to the pulsating rhythm that drives, ‘There’s Always Been A Bird In Me’, which closes the record I really can’t r...
Aug 19, 2024•39 min
My guest this week is Paul Roberts from Electronic group, K-Klass K-Klass, who formed in Manchester back in 1991, enjoyed great success in the mid 90s, scoring five top 40 hits on the UK singles chart. After 36 years, group are still going strong, regularly performing live and DJing at various festivals and club nights. We discuss the making of K-Klass' biggest hit "Rhythm Is A Mystery”. Legendary Manchester nightclub, The Haçienda, where the guys met and what it was like recording music in a co...
Aug 08, 2024•31 min
This weeks episode of Synthetic Dreams features former Tangerine Dream and Steamhammer member, Steve Jolliffe Steve was an early member of legendary electronic act, Tangerine Dream and as well as playing, amongst other things, flute, bass clarinet, synthesizers, grand piano, electric violin etc, he also wrote the lyrics and provided vocals for the album ‘Cyclone' We discuss all manner of things, what it was like working with Edgar Froese, who was the founder of Tangerine Dream, his soundtrack wo...
Jul 31, 2024•45 min
Today’s episode of Synthetic Dreams features a fascinating conversation with singer, Jonathan Higgs and guitarist, Alex Robertshaw from the band, Everything Everything, who formed in Manchester back in 2007 Fair to say that music the band make is truly eclectic. A brilliant mix of catchy guitar hooks, funky bass lines and strong electronic beats, which sit perfectly with Jonathan’s wide ranging vocals. The band has released seven albums to date, including the brilliant ‘Mountainhead’, which came...
Jul 25, 2024•34 min
My guest this week is Fred Schneider, singer-songwriter and frontman of one of the most influential and successful groups of all-time. The B-52’s The original lineup consisted of Fred on vocals, Kate Pierson on vocals. Keyboards and synth-bass. Cindy Wilson on vocals and percussion. Ricky Wilson on guitar and Keith Strickland, who started out as the drummer, but switched to lead guitar following the death of Ricky Wilson in 1985. The B-52’S have enjoyed many hits including, ‘Rock Lobster’, ‘Plan...
Jul 09, 2024•28 min
Honoured to be joined by a true music legend on podcast this week. Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo frontman, artist and film composer. Mark discusses his beautifully designed mail-art book. ‘Apotropaic Beatnik Graffiti’, which features Mark’s wonderful drawings on small postcards. Mail art, also known as postal art and correspondence art, is an artistic movement centred on sending small-scale works through the postal service. This lifelong passion of Mark’s started back in 1969 and he now has over 700 r...
Jul 02, 2024•52 min
‘Deee-lited’ to be joined by one of my new favourite acts on the Synthetic Dreams podcast today, Nauti Siren, which features multi-talented musician, Jessie Evans and DJ Dmitry, co-founder of the seminal New York dance group Deee-lite. Nauti Siren’s music is a truly intoxicating mix of disco, reggae, new jazz and electro dub. Their excellent new single ‘Mermaid Of The Year’ is out now, with their debut album to follow. Jessie has worked with some amazing musicians, including the late and very gr...
Jun 25, 2024•41 min
My guest this week is multi-talented musician, Jah Wobble We discuss, amongst other things, the making of his latest album ‘A Brief History Of Now’. A fantastic post-punk record, which I really can’t recommend enough. As well as his recent ambient album ‘The Bus Routes Of South London’ Jah was a member of legendary post-punk band Public Image Limited and in 2021 released ‘Metal Box Rebuilt in Dub’ which received great reviews We also talk about punk and the post-punk scenes of the late 1970’s, m...
Jun 20, 2024•56 min
Today’s episode features an in-depth and fascinating interview with Armenian-American vocalist, songwriter and composer, KÁRYYN KÁRYYN talks to me about the making of her latest three- track, EP Calm KAOSS! Which was co-produced by James Ford, one of the UK's biggest record producers, previous guest on Synthetic Dreams and one-half of Simian Mobile Disco. KÁRYYN also speaks about her time at Mills College in Oakland, where she was exposed to experimental music through teacher-composers like Paul...
Jun 13, 2024•55 min
Today's episode features the second part of an in-depth and fascinating conversation with electronic pioneer, Morton Subotnick.
Jun 07, 2024•1 hr 6 min
This week's exceptional episode of Synthetic Dreams features the legendary American electronic musician. Morton Subotnick. In 1967 he released the seminal album ‘Silver Apples of the Moon’ - a record that showcases the sound of the Buchla 100 invented by the late and very great, Don Buchla. This groundbreaking and hugely influential record was the first electronic composition composed exclusively for the album format This year sees the release of 'Subotnick - Portrait of an Electronic Music Pion...
Jun 03, 2024•50 min
Todays fascinating episode of Synthetic Dreams features Ivor Novello winning musician, producer and co-creator of popular electronic act, Goldfrapp. In 2005, Will formed The Will Gregory Moog Ensemble - a group of talented musicians, who all perform with analogue synthesisers. We discuss the formation of the Moog Ensemble and recording of their excellent debut album, ‘Heat Ray’ which is out on June 14th via Mute Records. Will also talks about his vast collection of analogue synths, his earliest ...
May 28, 2024•39 min
Today’s episode of Synthetic Dreams features electronic musician, DJ, producer, remixer and record label owner, Josh Wink Born and raised Philadelphia, Josh has enjoyed several hits, not only under his own name, but also with different aliases, including "I'm Ready" (as Size 9) "Don't Laugh" (as Winx), with his absolutely amazing and timeless track, "Higher State of Consciousness," which still sounds incredible today. We discuss, among other things, his more material, including the E.Ps ‘Ci-Deva...
May 21, 2024•51 min
My guest this week is musician, composter, writer and filmmaker, Barry Adamson. We discuss his excellent new solo album ‘Cut To Black’ which is out this Friday, 17h May. This is Barry’s tenth solo album. Barry, who has worked with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Visage and Finnish electronic act, Pan Sonic, also talks about his brilliant memoir ‘Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars’, which was published in 2021, via Omnibuspress press. It’s well worth a read! We also talk about his earliest mu...
May 13, 2024•48 min
‘Pioneer’ is a word that often gets overused in the world of music journalism, especially when describing this week’s guest, but that’s exactly what she is, a pioneer…a true pioneer of electronic music! Suzanne Ciani speaks to me about the time she met Don Buchla and her memories of him, as well as discussing her early career in new New York, making advertising jingles for huge companies like coca-cola. She also talks about the recording of ‘Golden Apples Of The Sun’ a collaboration with Parisia...
May 07, 2024•41 min
My guest this week is Boris Blank from hugely influential Swiss electronic act, Yello. Boris Blank formed Yello with Carlos Peron back in 1979. Charismatic singer and lyricist, Dieter Meier, joined shortly after. Boris and Dieter became a duo after Peron left the group in 1983 to pursue a solo career, and the rest, as they say, is history. During our conversation, which was recorded over telephone, we discussed, among other things, Blank’s third solo record ‘Resonance’. The twelve tracks that fe...
Apr 23, 2024•36 min
In this week’s episode of Synthetic Dreams I’m talking to DJ, and drummer, Anna Prior. Anna, best known for her role as drummer in hugely popular electronic act Metronomy, has just released the second single from her much-anticipated EP, ‘Almost Love’, which comes out on 13th June via House Anxiety records She also presents a monthly show called ‘Beat Palace’ on Soho Radio . https://sohoradiolondon.com/profile/anna-prior/ Anna recently collaborated with Tom Furse from The Horrors. Furse directed...
Apr 04, 2024•42 min
Delighted and honoured to be joined by Jonathan Moore on the podcast today. Jonathan is one-half of hugely influential electronic act, Coldcut, which he formed back in 1986 with Matt Black. Coldcut are often refereed to as pioneers of pop sampling in the 1980s We discuss, among other things, the recording of Coldcut’s first album. His memories of working with the late and very great, Mark. E. Smith from post-punk band The Fall and Jonathan tells a great story about the time Coldcut remixed a tra...
Mar 26, 2024•37 min
Multi-talented Danish musicians, Lisbet Fritze and Louise Foo, otherwise known as Glas, recently spoke to me about the making of their highly anticipated debut album, ‘Kisses Like Feathers‘ The album, which was self-produced by the duo and mixed by Anders Trentemøller, a previous guest on the podcast, is out now via Hamburg’s hfn music. All lyrics, vocals and instruments were performed by Glas, and recorded in their studio. It was great to speak to one of my new favourite bands about their excel...
Mar 21, 2024•34 min
Thrilled and honoured to be joined by Grammy award winning musician, composer and producer, Jan Hammer. Jan started his career as the keyboardist with the fusion group, The Mahavishnu Orchestra. He went on to release several critically acclaimed solo albums and has collaborated with renowned musicians like the late and great, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Neil Schon of Journey and Mick Jagger. In 1984, Jan began composing the score for Miami Vice, one of the most iconic TV shows of the 1980s. Jan d...
Mar 12, 2024•32 min
Delighted to be joined by guitarist Neal X on the podcast today. Neal was a member of 80s new wave band, Sigue Sigue Sputnik. I loved their mix of electronic sounds with punk-rock guitars. And their outrageous looks. Always thought they looked and sounded like they were from another planet. Since his days in Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Neal has gone on to work with some amazing musicians, including former Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock, Adam Ant and Marc Almond. Neal discusses the making of "Love Missile F1-...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr
Delighted and honoured to be joined by Sian Evans on the Synthetic Dreams podcast today. Sian is the front woman and singer-songwriter of the band Kosheen- one of my favourite electronic acts. Kosheen enjoyed a string of hit singles from their brilliant debut album ‘Resist’, most notably ‘Hide U’, ’Catch’ and ‘Hungry’. The band went on to release four more great albums. Sian talks about the forthcoming UK shows, which feature a live orchestra and celebrate 25 years of Kosheen. We also discuss th...
Feb 29, 2024•39 min
Joining me on the Synthetic Dreams podcast this week Australian musician, Karen Vogt. Karen’s experimental and ambient solo works are based around improvisation, often manipulating her vocals to add layers of emotional depth to her works. Vogt, who is based in Paris, spoke to me about the recording of her wonderful, improvised record ‘Waterlog’, which deals with the grief she experienced following the death of her beloved cat. It's a truly wonderful album, that’s full of depth and emotion, yet u...
Feb 27, 2024•42 min
Delighted and honoured to be joined by multi-instrumentalist, Brendan Perry on the podcast this week. Brendan, who is one half of seminal 4AD band, Dead Can Dance, talks to me about his first band The Scavengers and the early punk rock scene in Aukland, New Zealand. His love of Bowie and early musical influences and the recording of Dead Can Dance’s self-titled debut album, released back in 1984. So many great stories in this one! Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bio Dead Can Dance...
Feb 20, 2024•54 min
Delighted to be joined by guitarist, producer and bandleader, Kevin Armstrong on the podcast today. Kevin talks to me about his memoir, ‘Absolute Beginner’ and time working and performing with David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Thomas Dolby and gothic rock band, Alien Sex Fiend. Kevin collaborated with Bowie on the soundtrack for the hit film Absolute Beginners and performed at Live Aid with him. He also played on Mick Jagger’s and Bowie’s cover of ‘Dancing On The Streets, which charted at number one back i...
Feb 16, 2024•30 min
My guest this week is Sal Solo from legendary new wave band, Classix Nouveaux. Last year, after an absence of over 40 years, the band released a new album called ‘Battle Cry’ on Cherry Red records. Classix Nouveaux, who were part of the New Romantic, formed out of the ashes of punk band, X-Ray Spex. During a six-year career, Classix released three well received albums and eleven singles; the most successful of which was the single "Is It A Dream" reaching No.11 in the UK singles chart.
Feb 13, 2024•39 min
My guest this week is York based electronic musician, Anton Witter, whose music I discovered on Bandcamp, a few years back. If you enjoy listening classic synth artists like Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream and early Numan, then you'll certainly love Anton Witter's music - highly recommend! We discuss, among other things, his creative process, his musical passions growing up and our mutual love and respect for Mr. Gary Numan. It seems like musical talent runs in the family too, Anton's brother...
Feb 05, 2024•36 min
