Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces

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Ciphers, Picks and the Art of the Jam
From the high lonesome sound of Appalachia to the flow of a Bronx cipher, this episode explores what happens when two traditions of storytelling and rhythm collide. Recorded at the WOMEX 2024 world-music gathering in Finland, Steve talks with Gangstagrass — the trailblazing American group fusing bluegrass instrumentation with hip-hop lyricism and beats.Expect fiddles, banjo and beats; live sessions that blur the line between folk jam and freestyle; and a conversation about community, curiosity and the shared language of groove. There’s even a spontaneous rap about Origin of the Pieces and a bus-ride performance that somehow turned into a cipher on wheels.In this episode:How Gangstagrass blend banjo, fiddle and MCs without losing the soul of either style.Why hip-hop ciphers and bluegrass picks are closer than you might think.The jam session as a universal language — connecting folk musicians, rappers and improvisers worldwide.How genre boundaries were drawn by history, and how artists can redraw them.A stripped-back version of Do Better plus a freestyle that plugs their UK tour entirely in rhyme.Gangstagrass UK Tour — November 2025Also in this episode, Steve launches the new Origin of the Pieces website — featuring full transcripts, an interactive world-map archive, the Darwin-trumpet T-shirt shop, and exclusive extras via Patreon.And don’t miss the upcoming Wilton’s Music Hall shows on 24 January 2026, including the first ever Origin KIDS matinee and an evening performance featuring new guests and experiments in sound.🎧 Listen, rate and share to help more musically curious ears find the show.💻 More episodes and extras at originofthepieces.com🪶 Patreon: patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Malawian Madalitso, Vampire Vamps & Sofa Songs
From living-room experiments to Malawian street stages — and a brief stop-off in Transylvania.This week, Steve explores what it means to sing what you see: making music that’s spontaneous, handmade and gloriously human. There’s a Halloween detour into his live Nosferatu score, a new Clip n Mix, and a look at the brilliant Madalitso Band from Malawi — two musicians whose home-built instruments and hypnotic grooves turn simplicity into joy.Plus: the mystery of a slightly windy theme tune proves that accidents can be the best kind of inspiration.👇 Full timestamps + links below!⏱️ Chapters00:00 – A suspiciously familiar theme02:30 – Living-room experiments & musical accidents06:40 – Clip n Mix – turning everyday sounds into music10:45 – Vampire Vamps: Nosferatu score (watch)16:30 – Introducing Madalitso Band (Malawi)22:00 – Homemade instruments & street recordings32:00 – Singing what you see44:30 – Finding beauty in simple sounds55:20 – Wilton’s shows, Patreon & Universe of Music tour🔗 Links & Extras🎧 Listen / WatchYouTube | Apple Podcasts | More platforms🎬 Nosferatu live score → Full video🎛 Support / Extras → Patreon🪐 Universe of Music Tour (with Chris Lintott)Corsham (20 Nov) | Cambridge (27 Nov) | Shoreham-by-Sea (15 Jan)🎟 Full info → universeofmusic.co.uk🎟️ Live at Wilton’s Music Hall – 24 Jan 2026👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 KIDS matinee (2 pm) – interactive family show🌙 Evening show (7 pm) – live podcast with guests & musical surprises💸 Code SPRETTY15 = £15 best available seatsBook Kids | Book Evening💬 Got a weird sound you’d like Steve to turn into music? Email [email protected] or comment with #ClipnMix.🙌 Like, subscribe & stay musically curious. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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RE-UPLOAD: Sampling Firepits, Feeling Flamenco, Finding Tonás
⚠️ Note: This is a re-uploadThe original episode was taken down due to a copyright strike on the theme tune — even though I wrote and produced it myself. While I sort that out, you’re treated to a gloriously bad placeholder version.Also, I’ve trimmed down the Clip n Mix segment — I was clearly having too much fun with firepits last time, and it got a bit… indulgent. This one gets to the good stuff faster.🔥 Can you make music from a campsite firepit?And what is Tonás — the raw, unaccompanied flamenco style with roots in secrecy, survival, and soul?In this episode, I launch a new segment called Clip n Mix, where I turn everyday sounds into music. This time? A campsite firepit. My son and I hit it with sticks, sample it using Ableton Note, and turn it into a crunchy little beat — which you’ll hear later in the episode.Then we dive into one of flamenco’s most haunting styles: Tonás. My guest is the brilliant Josie Sinnadurai, a flamenco dancer based in Seville, who helps unpack the history, sound, and emotional depth of this unaccompanied vocal tradition.👇 Full chapters and links below!⏱️ Chapters00:00 – Intro + why the theme tune sounds different02:20 – Clip n Mix: sampling a firepit in Dorset09:45 – What is Tonás?10:20 – Interview with Josie Sinnadurai34:50 – Why I didn’t make a Tonás track35:20 – Turning firepit samples into music49:15 – Sound, play, and curiosity54:25 – Live shows + Patreon + sign-off🔗 Links🎬 Watch the Tonás video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7vpU5zLl-A👣 Follow Josie Sinnadurai:Website: https://www.josielaurelflamenco.com/Instagram: @josie_sinna📱 Try Ableton Note (free app):iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/ableton-note/id1611814758Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ableton.note🎧 Download the firepit samples + Ableton Note session:https://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces🎟️ Live at Wilton’s Music Hall – 24th Jan 2026👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Kids show (2pm):https://wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-origin-of-the-pieces-kids/🌙 Evening show (7pm):https://wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-origin-of-the-pieces-2/💬 Got a weird sound you’d like me to turn into music?Drop it in the comments or email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Earwax, Echoes and Entropy
What can a lump of whale earwax tell us about human history?What does the end of the universe sound like?And how do you play the sea like a synthesiser?This episode of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces goes from marine mammal physiology to cosmological heat death, taking in hydrophones, cultural transmission in humpbacks, the physics of underwater sound, and an improvised trumpet elegy for the end of everything.My guests are:Chris Lintott – astrophysicist, broadcaster, and co‑host of The Sky at Night. We open with a live extract from our Universe of Music show, performed at Gresham College — exploring what sound and music can tell us about the ultimate fate of the cosmos.Richard Sabin – whale expert and lead curator of mammals at the Natural History Museum, who shares sonic insights from the deep — including how 150 years of whale earwax is helping scientists track stress in marine life.We also:Hear vintage 78 rpm whale recordings, played on a £60k system at Audio GoldUse filters to “play the sea” like a scaleDrop a hydrophone into a water tank and see how sound behavesDiscuss echolocation, underwater acoustic pollution, and whale “culture”Recreate underwater acoustic effects via processing and pitch shiftingReflect on what it means to really listen — to whales or the cosmosRecorded live at the brilliant First Light Festival in a sweltering tent by the sea (thanks again to them for hosting us).🧠 Bonus content🎥 The full, uncut interview with Richard Sabin — including audience Q&A and extended hydrophone demos — is available on Patreon.👯 Mentioned in this episodeSonic Collaborations – project by Colin Riley & teamAudio Gold – London hi‑fi / vinyl emporiumNatural History MuseumFirst Light FestivalChris Lintott💌 How to support the showJoin the mailing list: www.originofthepieces.comBecome a patron: patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePiecesShare with a musically curious friendRate & review on Apple or Spotify — it genuinely helps 🎧 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Music therapy, Swedish standards and clinical improvisation
This week I speak to Kassandra e’Silva, a saxophonist, improviser and NHS music therapist. We caught up just before a gig at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival to talk about the power of music in care settings — from dementia wards and mental health clinics to the BBQ playlist at home.We cover:Baby‑wearing during soundcheck 👶Pre‑verbal communication in musicClinical improvisation and jazzWhether all music is a kind of therapyAnd why rhythm might be the most important bit—⏱️ Highlights00:00 – Intro – ALSO Festival, Nosferatu live score, and a conch bath update03:00 – Edinburgh Jazz Festival – A tribute to The Jazz Bar and Bill Kyle08:30 – Interview with Kassandra e’Silva – Backstage at the Spiegeltent10:00 – What music therapy is – Presence, trauma, and non-verbal expression13:30 – Lighting up the brain – Music as reconnection16:00 – Music at both ends of life – Parenting and dementia20:00 – Letting go of ‘good’ music – From jazz standards to egg shakers23:10 – Rhythm as anchor – Repetition, stability, and mental health25:40 – Creative expression – Instruments, blocks, and tambo-responsiveness29:40 – Teaching vs therapy – When learning becomes part of healing31:40 – Improvisation as diagnostic mirror – Sound as resistance34:40 – Participation matters – Why passive listening isn’t enough36:10 – What’s the point of music? – A beautiful closing answer—🎶 Check out Resounding, co-written with Nicole Cassandra Smit, on Hackney Colliery Band – Collaborations: Volume Two👉 Listen on Bandcamp—💬 Resource: Music in Dementia (NHS Lothian)Kassandra helped develop this practical guide for carers, families and practitioners.Includes activity ideas, playlists, and real examples from NHS care.🎵 Explore the guideNote: Kassandra’s views are her own, not those of NHS Lothian.—🎧 Support the show:💌 originofthepieces.com☕ patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces#musictherapy #jazz #musicanddementia #improvisation #originofthepieces #kassandraesilva #stevepretty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces

‘Wide-ranging and insightful’ - Guardian (pick of the week, January 2024)A show for anyone who has ever listened to, played, improvised, written, or just enjoyed music and wanted to know more about these mysterious sounds. Are they 'auditory cheesecake' as cognitive scientist Steven Pinker claims, or actually a fundamental part of what has made us into modern humans? With an enormous variety of guests ranging from well-known musicians, producers and industry figures through to those for whom music is central but who rarely have a voice, this show is unapologetically broad in scope. In 'entertaining noises', Steve has musicians explain and demonstrate their instrument, giving fresh perspective on everything from the piano to modular synthesizers, via lesser-known folk instruments from around the world.And in the flagship 'genre tombola' section, Steve is assigned a randomly-chosen genre from the list of 1334 music genres on Wikipedia, which he then goes away and researches, often talking to an expert in that music, before frequently attempting to make some music in that style... Whether he succeeds or not, there's lots of fascinating stuff to learn along the way!As fun as it is thoughtful, this show aims to help you hear and appreciate music in new ways.http://www.originofthepieces.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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