Music Life

Caroline Polachek, Perfume Genius, Jlin and Oneohtrix Point Never discuss their links to poetry, and how they find harmony between competing elements in songs.

Caroline Polachek is a pop and avant garde musician, record producer, writer and singer, who broke through in 2008 with her band Chairlift. She’s now releasing music under her own name, and counts Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, and Taylor Swift as fans.

Mike Hadreas, better known as Perfume Genius, is an art-pop singer who addresses topics such as sexuality, domestic abuse, and his personal battle with Crohn’s disease in his music.

Experimental electronic producer Jlin has worked with the likes of previous Music Life host Max Richter, Holly Herndon, St Vincent and Björk, and her latest record deals with issues such as “history, mythology, imprisonment, culture wars, and a clash of civilizations”.

Finally, Brooklyn-based musician, soundtrack composer, and producer Daniel Lopatin works under the name Oneohtrix Point Never, and has collaborated with Iggy Pop, Anohni, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, and FKA Twigs.

Eliza Shaddad is joined by Oddisee, Gaidaa and This Is the Kit's Kate Stables to discuss working from home, where they now record, and how factors such as politics and heritage feed into the creative system.

Eliza Shaddad is a singer songwriter whose debut album Future came out in 2018, which she described as her “sonic journal”.

Oddisee is a Sudanese-American rapper and producer based in Brooklyn, originally from Washington DC. His first release was a collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff in 2002, and since then he has released a series of acclaimed mixtapes, EPs and albums, as well as founding the rap trio Diamond District.

Gaidaa is a Sudanese Dutch artist who grew up between Sudan and Eindhoven in Holland. Her debut EP Overture came out last year, firmly establishing her as a rising star in the spheres of neo-soul and R&B.

And Kate Stables is the creative force behind the band This Is The Kit. Their songs are said to “untangle emotional knots and weave remarkable stories”, and the band’s latest album Off Off On came out on Rough Trade last October.

Mike Lindsay of the pioneering folktronica band Tunng is joined by Falle Nioke, Hannah Peel, and JFDR to discuss the power of a concept album, disappearing music, and how it feels getting new gear for your studio. Plus Falle gives us all a lesson in percussion.

Liz Lubega, R-Kay, Intalekt and TINYMAN discuss the importance of community, the love of language and culture, and whether self-doubt has got in the way of creating.

R-Kay is a Ugandan producer and multi-instrumentalist from Brixton, South London. His sound blends hip-hop and jazz influences with his classical training, having studied cello from an early age before taking up piano. Last year, he composed the score for the documentary Damilola: The Boy Next Door, and released his debut album Ivory.

And the host this week is Liz Lubega. Born in East London and raised in Uganda for most of her teenage years, she’s worked and toured with the likes of Childish Gambino, Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Odell, and Stormzy.

Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton, Abby Anderson and Twinnie discuss issues around the country music industry, how they tell stories in their songs, and the importance of being yourself and speaking your mind.

Jimmie Allen is an artist from Southern Delaware, USA, who mixes country, rock, R&B, and pop. He released his debut album Mercury Lane in 2018, a tribute to the street he grew up on, which led him to be labelled “one of the hottest rising stars in country”. His latest EP, Bettie James, is a collaborative projective released last year.

South African artists BŪJIN, Desire Marea, Lynn Daphne Rudolph and Jackie Queens discuss why the collective experience of creating is better, their biggest failures, and getting into trouble.

She is joined by Desire Marea, a multi-disciplinary artist born in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. They’re one half of the music and performance duo FAKA, along with Fela Gucci, and at the start of 2020 they released their first solo album, Desire, on their label Izimakade Records.

Also joining them is one of South Africa’s leading classical violists, Lynn Daphne Rudolph. They switched to viola from the violin in 2014, and won the Mabel Quick prize for Best Instrumentalist in 2015. They studied performance at Nelson Mandela University and are part of the Alternative Orchestra SA. Jackie Queens is a South African songwriter and vocalist born in Zimbabwe. She makes Afro-house and tech and set up her own record label, Bae Electronica, which provides a platform to new and emerging artists through projects such as GIRLS and Women of House.

Jazz musician Sarathy Korwar talks to Nadine Shah, James Holden and Nubya Garcia about whether there is something inherently dysfunctional about being a performer, relationships with their voice or instruments, and what it means to control and own your own music.

Sarathy Korwar was born in the US, grew up in Chennai and Ahmedabad in India before moving to London. He’s a percussionist, drummer, producer, and bandleader who’s at the forefront of the jazz world right now, using both modern methods and pulling resources from his classical roots.

DJ and producer Eris Drew talks to Octo Octa, Jayda G, and Kate Pierson of The B-52's about who they’ve remixed recently, why it's hard to do DJ mixes and not be able to look at the crowd, why 1950s rock'n'roll is important for dance music, and the role positivity plays in their music.

Eris is a transgender DJ and producer, originally from Chicago, who started raving in the early 90s, eventually mastering the art of vinyl DJing. She now tours the world playing back-to-back with her partner in life and music, Octo Octa, the ecstatic House producer and DJ based in New Hampshire. They run the T4T LUV NRG record label together.

Also on the show is Jayda G, a Grammy-nominated Canadian DJ and producer now based in London, who has made a huge impression on the underground dance scene over the last few years. She released her debut album Significant Changes on the Ninja Tune label in 2019. She’s also a scientist, having studied environmental toxicology.

And finally, we have musical royalty with Kate Pierson. A singer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, and co-founder of one of the world's most famous rock'n'roll bands, the B-52’s. They defined rock through the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s with hits such as Love Shack, Roam, Private Idaho, and Rock Lobster.

Soul singer and producer Aloe Blacc talks to Gregory Porter, Kadhja Bonet and Chelsea Jade about the purpose behind some of their work, writing songs in planes under blankets, and what happens to the creative process after losing those closest to you.

Aloe Blacc is a soul singer and producer raised in Orange County, USA. He absorbed the sounds of cumbia and salsa from his Panamanian parents, before moving on to hip-hop, forming the duo Emanon. Then came his worldwide hit I Need a Dollar, and his life would never be the same again.

Experimental sitarist, singer, and producer Ami Dang is from Baltimore in the US. Her sound fuses North Indian classical with ambient electronics. She’ll be asking the group today all about the importance of not knowing where a song will end up, persevering with a project even when it’s not going well, and how relations with family can inspire stories of positivity and tragedy.