Barbican Contemporary Music

This week’s podcast – spanning both the Cinema and Contemporary Music programme – delves into the musical world of the cult director’s compelling cinematic oeuvre, from whiskey-soaked Tom Waits to John Lurie’s No Wave Sax. Ahead of the Jim Jarmusch Revisited show here in September 2017 (http://bit.ly/2g7X2v9), we talk to musical fans including Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, David Coulter, Camille O’Sullivan, Mulatu Astatke, Jolie Holland and also to the journalist Karen Krizanovich.

Ahead of our Julius Eastman Memorial Dinner gig with Jace Clayton (AKA DJ/Rupture) we look into the saga of this most interesting of composers – a minimalist master and contemporary of Feldman and Cage – who died destitute and with many of his scores lost.

Following the release of his autobiographical 50 Song Memoir (with a song dedicated to each year of his life so far) and the live performance coming up in September, the idiosyncratic singer-songwriter talks to us about his music and his process.

‘I’m always a creative soul, looking for the next thing…’ In one of his favourite ever interviews, Ben speaks to the double Mercury-nominated singer and songwriter Laura Mvula about her life, music and the upcoming show here with the London Symphony Orchestra.

We spoke to the ex-Cocteau Twin about Bella Union, the record label he co-founded 20 years ago and still runs today and who’s nurtured the likes of Fleet Foxes, Dirty Three, Beach House and many more. We’re throwing the label a 20th birthday party this July, with gigs featuring Ezra Furman and Mercury Rev with Royal Northern Sinfonia. Find out more: http://bit.ly/2tJaib8

We speak to the legendary techno producer/composer, the founder of Underground Resistance, a recent recipient of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and probably one of the most influential electronic musicians of all time. Jeff takes up residency at the Barbican in June 2017, with From Here to There – a series of live music, film and dance experiences looking at themes of sci-fi: http://bit.ly/2rJidIB

The Northumbrian folk group unearth the wistful work of Molly Drake – Nick’s mother – who wrote and recorded a series of poems and songs on a tape set-up in the family home, which the group have re-worked and recorded.

Originally taking place in Santiago de Cuba last year, Manana//Cuba festival married traditional Afro-Cuban sounds with forward-thinking electronics. We spoke to festival co-founder Harry Follett as well as Cuban/Iranian act Ariwo and UK-based electronic duo Soundspecies about how they plan to bring the atmosphere of Santiago to the Barbican Hall on 26 May.

Ahead of playing his music live for the first time ever, here at the Barbican in May 2017, we spoke to the legendary producer and DJ about his musical upbringing, performing live and the Simpsons.

We delve into the four-hour minimalist masterpiece – one of the undoubted milestones of contemporary classical music – with three of the first musicians outside the Philip Glass Ensemble whom the composer has permitted to perform the piece: Bedroom Community pianist and organist James McVinnie, composer Timo Andres and pianist Eliza McCarthy.

To celebrate the 88th Day of the year and Nils Frahm’s international celebration of the piano, we get under the lid with piano-tuner-to-the-stars Ulrich Gerhartz to look at the science of the instrument, and also members of Piano Circus, James Young and Dawn Hardwick, and composer Angus MacRae.

Laying the foundations of what came to be known as Krautrock, Can became one of the most influential avant-rock groups of all time, and echoes of their work is audible in everything from Joy Division to Kanye West. We caught up with founding member Irmin Schmidt and his collaborator on this project Gregor Schwellenbach, as well as Can biographer Rob Young about the unique history of the band and adapting classic material for a full orchestra.

You could argue that all Pop stars are created, but not to the same extent as Hatsune Miku. Starting life as a vocaloid program created by Japanese developers, and evolving into a full-blown virtual Pop star and cyber celebrity with hit singles worldwide and sellout stadium performances, she comes to the Barbican in Still Be Here. We spoke to artists Mari Matsutoya and Darren Johnston about Hatsune, her back-story and the Barbican project, Still Be Here.

‘The most adventurous thing they’ve ever done.’ Crack Magazine Originally written for and staged in the eerie surroundings of an abandoned Cold War era Hospital in Copenhagen, Leaves - The Colour of Falling has been revived and reworked for the concert hall. We chat to Casper Clausen from the band, co-composer Karsten Fundal and famous soprano Lisbeth Balslev about how the project came together, the challenge of working with unfamiliar music and what might be coming next for the group.

Despite being one of the most important voices of the British Folk revival of the 60s and 70s – accompanying Alan Lomax on his renowned ‘Southern Journey’ trip recording songs through the American South, and working with everyone from Folk-rock group Pentangle to avant-garde guitarist Davey Graham, Shirley Collins was nearly lost to obscurity, when an illness in the 80s made it impossible for her to sing. We catch up with the singer and song collector at her cottage in Lewes about finding her voice again, recording her first album in nearly 40 years, and her upcoming Barbican performance with a host of special guests.

Visuals in electronic music sets may have become par for the course in recent years, but Berlin artist Robert Henke’s Lumière series takes this to a whole new level. Rather than simply creating a visual accompaniment to music, or a musical accompaniment to visuals, Lumière perfectly syncs glitching soundscapes with shimmering lasers to cast huge sculptures of light and sound, where music and visuals become inseparable from one another. We chat to Henke about creating work that places an equal emphasis on music and visuals, beautiful design, and preparing for the live performance of Lumière III.

Narrated by Kate Adie, and featuring a soundtrack by Field Music and Warm Digits, Esther Johnson’s moving documentary Asunder captures one city’s experience of the First World War – not through grisly images of war, but through the real stories of people who lived there. We chat to Warm Digits’ Andrew Hodson about working with Field Music on composing for the film.

Ahead of Alive! at the Barbican – a show that sees Steve Mason perform new arrangements of his music with an expanded ensemble, we chat to the singer and songwriter about the various twists and turns of his career.

We talk to Jóhann Jóhannsson about his fascination with film, and love of the voice as an instrument The Icelandic composer behind the brooding and beautiful scores for Arrival, Sicario and The Theory of Everything, Jóhann Jóhannsson blends elements of Classical music and electronica into something wholly his own. In this week’s edition of the Barbican Contemporay Music Podcast, we chat to the composer about Jean Cocteau, composing for film, and his interest in the voice as an instrument, ahead of his upcoming sold out performance at the Barbican with choir Britten Sinfonia Voices led by Eamonn Dougan.

40 years after their creation, we chat to composer Michael Nyman about his upcoming performance with his band - charting the journey from their inception, to their stunning soundtrack work for 'The Draughtman’s Contract', 'Prospero’s Books' and more, through to present day.