How do you make an album through personal upheaval? I spoke with rRoxymore about the process of making her third album "Juggling Dualities" – a work born from the ashes of emotional upheaval and creative block. When we sat down together, the genre-blurring producer opened up with remarkable candour about finding her way back to music through surrender rather than force."I couldn't produce any track of music that was satisfying for my standards," rRoxymore aka Hermione Frank confessed, describing the frustration that preceded her creative breakthrough. The turning point came when she abandoned expectations entirely – no planned album, no pressure to deliver a product, just pure exploration. What emerged was something she considers her most honest work, created in a surprisingly short timeframe with an authenticity that surprised even herself.The conversation ventured beyond the album into rRoxymore‘s journey as an artist – from her early days in France feeling constrained by rigid genre expectations, to finding freedom in Berlin's electronic music scene, to her recent move to a smaller city where she's embracing a slower rhythm of life. Throughout it all, she's maintained a fluid relationship with genre, using it as "a reference point that you'll avoid to go to" rather than a rigid framework to follow.Perhaps most striking was her deliberate disconnection from digital noise during this period of creation. "I deleted all the socials for a while," she shared, emphasizing the importance of asking fundamental questions: "What do I want? Who am I?" This return to essentials allowed her to follow her natural rhythm – a practice she describes as "maybe financially not as rewarding, but it's so satisfying."Listen to rRoxymore’s music: Bandcamp Artist Page – rRoxymore Listen to Juggling Dualities (pre-order available):Bandcamp – Juggling Dualities Follow rRoxymore on Instagram: @rroxymore 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, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen.Thanks also to this episode’s sponsor, Audio-Technica – makers of beautifully engineered audio gear. Check them out here: Audio-TechnicaWant to go deeper? Grab a copy of my book Coming To Berlin, a journey through the city’s creative underground, via Velocity Press.And if you’re curious about Cold War-era subversion, check out my BBC documentary The Man Who Smuggled Punk Rock Across The Berlin Wall on the BBC World Service.You can also follow me on Instagram at @paulhanford for behind-the-scenes bits, guest updates, and whatever else is bubbling up.
--------
44:59
Richard Fearless
Richard Fearless is a true lifer. The DJ, producer and Death In Vegas founder sits down with Paul to reflect on 30 years of musical evolution that has taken him from the hugely influential Heavenly Social to Mercury Prize nominations, a top ten hit about a serial killer sung by Iggy Pop to his current creative renaissance, working free from industry bullshit and producing his best work in years,Growing up in remote Zambia with music-loving parents, Fearless recalls connecting with music at an early age. His path would lead through the emerging London techno scene of the late '80s and '90s, where he cut his teeth as a resident DJ alongside contemporaries like Andrew Weatherall and The Chemical Brothers before launching Death in Vegas. The conversation reveals a pivotal moment when commercial success led to a crossroads rather than continued mainstream pursuit.What emerges is the portrait of an artist who deliberately stepped away from major labels, management, and industry expectations to craft a more authentic sonic identity. His riverside studio "The Metal Box" becomes central to this narrative – an analog sanctuary where tape machines, field recordings, and environmental sounds combine to create the stripped-back, trance-inducing techno of his current work. "I make my best music when I'm digging deep within myself," he explains.Perhaps most compelling is Fearless's admission that he feels more proud of his recent, independent work than the commercial hits that brought him fame. His collaborative ventures with friend of Lost and Sound Daniel Avery and new dub-inspired night "Holy" demonstrate an artist still pushing boundaries rather than retreating into nostalgia. "I feel as excited about DJing as I was when I was 20," he confesses, signaling that artistic liberation has reinvigorated his passion.Death Mask by Death In Vegas is out now. Listen on BandcampFollow Death In Vegas on Instagram: @deathinvegasmusicIf you enjoy Lost and Sound, I’ve got a little favour to ask: please 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, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen.Huge thanks to Lost and Sound’s sponsor, Audio-Technica – makers of vcry fine engineered audio gear. Check them out here: Audio-TechnicaWant to go deeper? Grab a copy of my book Coming To Berlin, a journey through the city’s creative underground, via Velocity Press.And if you’re curious about Cold War-era subversion, check out my BBC documentary The Man Who Smuggled Punk Rock Across The Berlin Wall on the BBC World Service.You can also follow me on Instagram at @paulhanford for behind-the-scenes bits, guest updates, and whatever else is bubbling up
--------
54:31
Lyra Pramuk
We’re living in fractured times. What can art really offer us? Lyra Pramuk’s powerful new album Hymnal might just offer a clue — not through escapism or easy answers, but by embracing contradiction and carving out sonic spaces where new ways of being can start to take root.I visited Lyra at her studio in Berlin to talk about the making of what could be one of the most bold and affecting records of the year. Building on the foundation of her acclaimed 2020 debut Fountain, she’s taken things somewhere even more unflinching — a place of dissonance, grief, ritual, and surprising beauty. Hymnal isn’t here to soothe; it mirrors the complexity of the world around us, while still offering room to breathe and imagine something different.What’s remarkable is how central collaboration is to this work. There’s Berlin’s Sonar Quartet, whose strings thread through the record with a kind of aching elegance. But perhaps most unexpected is her partnership with a slime mold — yes, a slime mold — whose movements across poetic maps helped shape the flow of her vocal improvisations. It’s as wild as it sounds, and just as moving.Our conversation drifts through everything from the spiritual and physical labour of music-making to the poetic logic of electronic sound. Lyra shares thoughts on technology as an extension of our bodies (think spiders sensing the world through their webs), the limits of Cartesian mind-body dualism, and why electronic music can hold radical potential — not just as art, but as a way of reimagining how we live together. Where techno-capitalism demands hierarchy and separation, Hymnal offers something else: a kind of sacred entanglement between people, nature, and machines.Listen to Lyra Pramuk’s music: Spotify – Artist | BandcampListen to Hymnal (2025): Spotify – Album Hymnal | Bandcamp – HymnalFollow Lyra Pramuk on Instagram: @lyra.pramukIf 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, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen.Thanks also to this episode’s sponsor, Audio-Technica – makers of beautifully engineered audio gear. Check them out here: Audio-TechnicaWant to go deeper? Grab a copy of my book Coming To Berlin, a journey through the city’s creative underground, via Velocity Press.And if you’re curious about Cold War-era subversion, check out my BBC documentary The Man Who Smuggled Punk Rock Across The Berlin Wall on the BBC World Service.You can also follow me on Instagram at @paulhanford for behind-the-scenes bits, guest updates, and whatever else is bubbling up.
--------
1:15:06
Bradley Zero
Bradley Zero simply has that rare fusion of global success and grassroots authenticity. From humble beginnings as a teenage bar back in Leeds to becoming the founder of Rhythm Section International, what makes Bradley's approach so refreshing is his unwavering commitment to community. During our conversation, he reveals how finding his tribe in Peckham transformed his understanding of creative collaboration. "I was part of something," he reflects. "It wasn't networking... it was people somehow congregating around a small geographical area with an insane amount of creative energy." This foundation informs everything he touches – from his NTS radio show to Jumbi, his one-turntable hi-fi bar that draws inspiration from Jamaican sound systems and David Mancuso's legendary loft parties.The pandemic proved pivotal for Bradley, creating space for reflection on his role within the industry, leading him to launching Future Proof – a mentorship initiative aimed at demystifying the often secretive workings of the music industry. His observations about discovering the lack of diversity at upper industry levels led to this mission of opening doors and creating change "one step at a time."If you’ve ever danced to one of his sets or tuned in to his NTS show, you’ll know that Bradley's musical philosophy defies easy categorization, embracing everything from jazz and broken beat to minimal techno and 90s piano house. Add to this rock solid DIY ethics, where "balancing micro and macro," help him keep check in on where he‘s at, helping him in nurturing local scenes while thinking globally.Whether discussing the challenges of festival versus club DJing or offering wisdom to his younger self about enjoying the journey, I loved having this chat.Follow Bradley Zero on Instagram @bradley_zeroExplore Future Proof, his emerging‑artist mentorship programme at Rhythm Section: Future Proof 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, Spotify, or wherever you listen.Lost and Sound is sponsored by those good people at Audio‑Technica – check them out here: Audio‑TechnicaIt’s that time of the year where if you‘re looking for a beach read about Berlin and you‘ve not done so already, grab a copy of Coming To Berlin, my journey through the city’s creative underground, via Velocity Press.And if you’re curious about Cold War‑era subversion, check out my BBC documentary The Man Who Smuggled Punk Rock Across The Berlin Wall on the BBC World Service.You can also follow me on Instagram at @paulhanford for behind‑the‑scenes bits, guest updates, and whatever else is bubbling up
--------
57:30
Nicola Cruz
Talking with Nicola Cruz feels a bit like tuning into a different frequency—the producer and DJ has spent the last decade helping redefine perceptions of South American electronic music through a series of transcendental releases and live appearances. Based in Ecuador, Cruz doesn’t give many interviews, so I was super happy to have this rare conversationHe talks about his approach to DJing, where instead of scanning a crowd, he locks into the energy of one or two people and lets that guide the set. It’s a more intimate, slower way of connecting, sometimes taking hours, and sometimes never quite happening at all. But when it works, it shapes everything.We also get into his field recording work—using geophones to capture the movement inside glaciers, recording whale sounds deep underwater. These aren’t just sonic experiments; for Cruz, they’re a way of exploring how we relate to the parts of the world we can’t usually hear. His new album Kinesia lives in this space—somewhere between the physical and the imagined.At the heart of it all is a deep belief in creative freedom. Though he’s formally trained, Cruz talks about the importance of unlearning, of breaking structures down in order to build something new. If you’re interested in where electronic music, listening, and inner exploration overlap, this one’s worth your time.Listen to Nicola Cruz’s music: Spotify | BandcampListen to Kinesia: Spotify | BandcampFollow Nicola Cruz on Instagram: @nicola_cruzIf 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, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen.Thanks also to this episode’s sponsor, Audio-Technica – makers of beautifully engineered audio gear. Check them out here: Audio-TechnicaWant to go deeper? Grab a copy of my book Coming To Berlin, a journey through the city’s creative underground, via Velocity Press.And if you’re curious about Cold War-era subversion, check out my BBC documentary The Man Who Smuggled Punk Rock Across The Berlin Wall on the BBC Sounds app.You can also follow me on Instagram at @paulhanford for behind-the-scenes bits, guest updates, and whatever else is bubbling up.
Lost and Sound is a podcast exploring the most exciting and innovative voices in underground, electronic, and leftfield music worldwide. Hosted by Berlin-based writer Paul Hanford, each episode features in-depth, free-flowing conversations with artists, producers, and pioneers who push music forward in their own unique way.From legendary innovators to emerging mavericks, Paul dives into the intersection of music, creativity, and life, uncovering deep insights into the artistic process. His relaxed, open-ended approach allows guests to express themselves fully, offering an intimate perspective on the minds shaping contemporary sound.Originally launched with support from Arts Council England, Lost and Sound has featured groundbreaking artists including Suzanne Ciani, Peaches, Laurent Garnier, Chilly Gonzales, Sleaford Mods, Nightmares On Wax, Graham Coxon, Saint Etienne, Ellen Allien, A Guy Called Gerald, Jean Michel Jarre, Liars, Blixa Bargeld, Hania Rani, Roman Flügel, Róisín Murphy, Jim O’Rourke, Yann Tiersen, Thurston Moore, Lias Saoudi (Fat White Family), Caterina Barbieri, Rudy Tambala (A.R. Kane), more eaze, Tesfa Williams, Slikback, NikNak, and Alva Noto.Paul Hanford is a writer, broadcaster, and storyteller whose work bridges music, culture, and human connection. His debut book, Coming to Berlin, is available in all good bookshops. Lost and Sound is for listeners passionate about electronic music, experimental sound, and the people redefining what music can be.
UK