Kicking off 2026 with a bang

Congrats to my Emmy winning guests Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein for their epic work as the band Survive and notable of late for making the many hours of music that score the rather popular show Stranger Things which just wrapped for the last time with its season finale.

Great to peek behind the curtain as it were as we get into the pure substance of their process. Unlock the clues in this episode and you too will certainly be up for an Emmy if you're as tireless and talented as them !

Thanks to Ableton for sponsoring this episode

I get into the MOVE in a rare nitty.

I took the box the climbing gym to do a little against the clock action

here's a link to the move. I can really recommend it

https://www.ableton.com/en/move/

Oh and

HAPPY new Year !!

Let's get on with the show :)

!!!!!!!!!

You lot can use this code at checkout for 20% off Ableton Move, valid until January 31, 2026.

Really happy to share this chat with Luke as a celebration of the NEW RELEASE of our LP

https://surl.li/fqimbs

"A companion for the spaces Between Dreams"

There are digital and physical copies

YES both vinyl and cassette I'm happy to say!

This music was made crafted here in my studio in Nashville, it's a guide for those liminal spaces you may find yourself in so to speak and it's been a real treat to put together

Luke is a special one and it was lovely to get a focused time to sit and chaat.

We had a nice jam too and generated loads more amazing sound.

Feels like such an easy thing for us to get on the same page.

We get into how Luke found his path and along the way he mentions a lot of amazing pedal steel players

I thought I'd best compile them for reference as they are pretty special !

Cheers y'all

Weldon myrick pedal steel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LjxPOdRnJ0&list=RDEMuPD_UFE0zk-WjCWb0iisKQ&start_radio=1

Buddy Emmons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0fk2KkBc2M&list=RDp0fk2KkBc2M&start_radio=1

David Lindley lap steel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4Q-447zVPY&list=RDV4Q-447zVPY&start_radio=1

Greg Leisz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-oPe13gzM&list=PLuxRYQaerlLJ4_QCkkpCY53EQnmswvOy4

Hayden Pedigo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn5wfH_erZ0&list=RDXn5wfH_erZ0&start_radio=1

Anthony philips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAm7WpjK6tk&list=RDEMS7XhuggzWddIhmF3utkRVQ&start_radio=1

North Americans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBq4Qfh_diI&list=RDxBq4Qfh_diI&start_radio=1

Jeff Newman - Luke watched these tapes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LcpIBJUCbI&list=PLGaigx75v1m8tYNIcSy_TYYUoxzDtS9yi

Ralph Mooney

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nn8T2AEy50&list=RD3Nn8T2AEy50&start_radio=1

Lloyd Green and JayDee Maness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqQ7CMJypPg&list=RDDqQ7CMJypPg&start_radio=1

Charley Pride featuring Lloyd green

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef61bmiiC44&list=PLM_I2E3hMy7Om7HwI-WfowvinWs5smIAE&index=2

As you know, I've been rather obsessed with the music of Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and that obsession doesn't seem to be fading anytime soon.

So you can imagine my delight when I discovered that Tim Story, who joins me on this episode of the podcast, played a major role in creating the remarkable record that's captivated me lately — 90.

To make that album, Tim sifted through over 100 hours of unreleased material from Roedelius's archives — a monumental effort that resulted in this stunning compilation of tracks. I was fascinated to hear about the process behind it all, and equally happy to speak with Tim himself — a wonderfully charming and generous man, as well as a longtime friend and collaborator of Roedelius.

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Music for this episode comes from Europe in Flames, whose new album One is out now. You can find it on Bandcamp — here's the link.

https://europeinflames.bandcamp.com/album/one

Was a mighty pleasure to chat with the alchemical Lucrecia Dalt.

She's playing with THOSE forces. Sculpting the slippery into sound.

Both primal and refined. This is not free noise by any means, it's a crafted and highly tuned set of worlds that all feel both intimate and deliberate at the same time.

Wonderful music. Wonderful art. In your face and unapologetic. Bravo!!!

Her new album is called "A Danger to Ourselves"

Out Sept 5th

Here's a Bandcamp link.

Hightly recommend you check it out. It cuts deep.

https://lucreciadalt.bandcamp.com/album/a-danger-to-ourselves

** Shout out to Dana Wachs for the intro here. She's doing sound for Lucrecia during her live dates and she's opening too. Love to see it

Lovely to catch up with Kaitlyn to get a behind the scenes breakdown of the process that went into creating her latest LP "Gush"

I was not expecting it to be made this way. Nope. I had no clue. I loved being so utter wrong about it!

I challenge you to listen fist to the music and then guess how she pulled it off. Utterly wild.

Love it.

She tells me of the sonic coffee (what resets her ear palette)

The inspiration of Lex ishimoto the dancer

and reveals a secret as to who she'd like to sound like when singing.

Again

I was shocked!

This was recorded in Feb 2025.. err.. sorry! took me ages

If you dont know her work you're in for a treat. She has a very unique and delightful harmonious take on the construction and presentation of electronic sound that is quite a singular take. So rare to find someone that really found their own way through. She's never repeating herself it seems. There's a great range in the catalogue which to me is always the key to a truly great artist. A true seeker.

Welcome Philip Weinrobe the optimist.

It's downright infectious to hang with this chap. His bright-eyed, freewheeling attitude is not something that can be put on. Well at least, I feel you know when it's an act. In Philip's case it's interwoven into his worldview. What I'm saying is.

He's really that guy and it's a wonderful thing!

I was happy to learn of his wigglesome ride through this thing called life that led him work with some of the modern greats like

Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief), Tomberlin, and Theo Katzman (Vulfpeck)

______________

Dipping into the Phil links:

Don ellis was mentioned in the chat. I wasn't aware. He was the real deal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf8kfgJ_ZBk

Phil teaches - sonic scoop walk through of a mix. So much to learn here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ-Fc_Nm_H8

Alanis Morissette made an ambient record :) Phil was involved

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Storm_Before_the_Calm

____________

music that you hear peppered through the show comes from David Carlisle

You can find the music here and directly show some support:

https://davidcarlisle.bandcamp.com/

His instagram is: davidbloodyhaynes

______________

During the intro I float the idea of sharing my latest studio experiments on Samply to you at the Patreon hub. Interesting ?

My new album

PLACES OF UNKNOWING has arrived

link to LP (release date July 18th 2025)

https://lnk.to/placesofunknowing

WOO!!

Let's get on with the show! Meet Pascal :)

What a treat it has been to welcome this man into my life

Not only did he give me confidence and skills to play the piano for the first time in my life,

he toiled to transcribe my vocal multitracks and save them from dying on the hard drive.

He sat with me and the recording crew in the studio for 5 hours to assist our cellist as this same song took shape

With patience and encouragement that's very rare and deeply contagious.

Speaking my language just as fluently as the classic players

He's been the bridge to many lands

This new LP - Places of Unknowing that's OUT July 18th 2025

Would not have existed without Pascal. It's as simple as that.

He set the ball rolling and helped me so so much along the way.

I was watching the live show footage last night.

The concert of the record that was performed in Nashville March 2025 with a wonderful group of musicians.

Some of them were professional like Rob Burger, Ethan Jodziewicz and Lee Vinson but many students joined from Blair college of music.

Pascal was working at the school at the time and drummed up interest, found us a room to practice in and kept it all together with so little time.

He not only found all these great players but he then remade arrangements from the album for woodwind

Beautiful arrangements.

I was in tears last night. Just thinking of that night and all the time leading up to it

It took so long and so much energy to pull it together.

Life has moved from that time and now Pascal is leaving to MIT in Boston with his wife and kids

I couldn't be happier for them !!! I mean come on. MIT!!!

He really is one of the most inspiring people I've met and I'm so happy to get to share this pod and the window it opens to his world.

With one grammy under his belt already, watch out for him

This will not be the last time you hear about Pascal.

He's the real deal. Im very lucky to call him a friend x

____

I thought it might be useful to share some links to musicians Pascal references in this chat as many are new to me and maybe to you too :)

LINKSSSSS!!!

https://miguelzenon.com/videos/

https://www.daniloperez.com/video

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geri_Allen

https://www.aaronparks.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Mehldau

https://www.kurtrosenwinkel.com

https://milestilmann.bandcamp.com/album/3d-concepts

Thomas Adès: In Seven Days

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2B4KOGyTTk

https://www.donnachadennehy.com/discography

Louis Andriessen - Hoketus (1977)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=palDwGpg3ME

He lives across the street and happens to be one of my fave musicians ever. Sometimes life is just like that right?

He's played in so many rolls over the years both as a solo artist and film composer and as a player backing the heaviest like Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull, John Zorn and this bloke Jamie Lidell

Yep, he's opened me up to so much great music and is one of the best improvisers I've ever heard. Just flowing with the music. He sits at the piano and he's away. With the muses that circle him.

Great to present this audiobook length chronology for the archives.

Rob has been such an important part of my musical world here in America.

He's all over my upcoming album "Places of Unknowing" and throughout this chat I play excepts from the record that were played by the man himself.

here we go!!!

ITS OUT!!!

YES!!!

It's hard to believe tbh after all this time but indeed the first song from my long talked about LP "Places of Unknowning" is OUT

There's a vinyl pre-order (and digi pre-thing) for the full album and links to stream this early track the "The Center" here:

https://todo.ochre.store

Video from the live performance of The Center here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxxUxtHkE1

You might be curious how it all came to be....

Where are these wild and powerful words coming from for example?

Well I'm glad you asked since I got to sit down and record a chat with my delightful wife Lindsey Rome who wrote this record with me.

Specifically, she wrote the words and I set them to music. A marriage of it's own!

She's A lady I adore

A lady I am constantly inspired by.

A lady that has no end to her creativity.

She's written a lot of material with me at this point and it's always been super rewarding to work in this way but I will say that NOTHING I've made with her has ever been like this.

I felt like I was handed these precious truths and intimate revelations to try and merge with the realm of music.

The fact I know her so well and care so deeply was both the only way to make this so rich and potent but also proved to be quite a challenge to get right.

Needless to say Im mightily excited finally get to share the fruits of our collaboration at long last.

It really was a team effort between the two of us and all the more sweet to send it off as a document of this time

Hope you enjoy hearing how it all came to be from my

best friend and true love

Lindsey Rome

I got hip to Cristobal's work thanks to my recent TV addiction.

I inhaled all 3 seasons of the white lotus and I think I was only able to get so greedy because of the EXCELLENT music.

I usually get repelled by TV scores tnh. I feel like I know the tricks and the tones and the emotional devices and I end up paying attention to them in a bad way.

My agitation stops me from getting swept up and carried away. Not so with this man's work.

I just felt like it was so deeply connected to the lands and the mystery and power of our animalistic shadows that ride in the narrative. I was taken aback and taken away.

It's been a long time since I found myself loving a soundtrack. I had to know more and thankfully Cristobal (I butcher his name in the pod btw to my shame!) has been fantastic to chat with. I reached out, we set a date to chat and it just flowed. I love that.

Hope you enjoy the fascinating insights he shares. He's so humble about his ways but he clearly is no pushover, knowing what he believes in and fighting for that.

I loved this hang. Hope it gets to all to at least buy a shaker if you don't own one!