Kicking of 2026 on Lost and Sound with a composer who treats architecture as an instrument and refusal as a creative decision. I sat down with experimental composer Lea Bertucci to explore how spatial sound, politics, and process collide in work that feels both ancient and urgent.

Lea’s most recent work, The Oracle, is a voice-led album shaped by site-specific acoustics and a climate of Trump-fuelled propaganda and fatigue. We get into the dynamics of spatial sound – how the resonances from recording in a post rainstorm cave in upper New York or in a grain silo in Buffalo can become part of the crerative process —less “reverb plugin,” more duet with geology, history, and weather.

Lea also came off Spotify recently, and we go into why coming off this platform was important to her. We talk DIY survival, the role of class in curation and gatekeeping, and how to move between basements and concert halls without losing the hope and humanity that makes scenes thrive.

If you enjoy Lost and Sound and want to help keep it thriving, the best way to support is simple: subscribe, leave a rating, and write a quick review on your favourite podcast platform. It really helps others find the show. You can do that here on Apple Podcasts or wherever you like to listen.

Huge thanks to Audio-Technica – makers of beautifully engineered audio gear and sponsors of Lost and Sound. Check them out here: Audio-Technica

Lea Bertucci on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/lilbertucci/?hl=en

Lea Bertucci on Bandcamp:

https://leabertucci.bandcamp.com/

My book Coming To Berlin is a journey through the city’s creative underground, and is available via Velocity Press.

You can also follow me on Instagram at @paulhanford for behind-the-scenes bits, guest updates, and whatever else is bubbling up.