Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces
Steve Pretty 42 episodes Nov 10, 2026
A podcast exploring music and why humans make it, hosted by Steve Pretty. It asks whether music is just 'auditory cheesecake' or a fundamental part of human evolution. Episodes feature musicians, producers, and industry figures, as well as people for whom music is central but rarely heard. Recurring segments include 'entertaining noises,' where guests demonstrate instruments, and a 'genre tombola' where Steve researches and attempts to create music in a randomly chosen genre from Wikipedia's list.
Episodes
Gig Faces, Zebra Finches and Acid Horn
Why can two people go to the same gig and have completely different experiences? Can a zebra finch help us hear something we have been missing? And does knowing more about music help us enjoy it, or just give us more things to worry about?This week, I compare notes with journalist Jo Caird before and after a Beirut gig, and try to explain my apparently miserable gig face. We talk about listening f
Dal:um: Korea, Strung Differently
Two Korean string instruments, two very different ways of shaping a sound. Dal:um’s Ha Suyean and Hwang Hyeyoung join me after their concert in Finland to explore the gayageum and geomungo, from delicate silk-string sounds to surprisingly powerful, percussive playing.We get close to the instruments: a bamboo playing stick, frets, pitch bends and movable bridges called “goose feet”. They explain ho
Never the Same Melody Twice with Akram Abdulfattah
How much can you change a melody before it becomes something else? Palestinian-American violinist and composer Akram Abdulfattah joins me to explore a tradition in which variation is part of learning the tune from the start.Recorded at WOMEX in Finland in 2025, this conversation comes with plenty of violin demonstrations. Akram explains why a maqam is more than a scale, introduces the expressive p
The Whole History of Music (More or Less)
How do you tell the entire history of music?If you're director and Cosmic Shambles co-founder Trent Burton, apparently you start with the Big Bang, interview more than 100 people around the world, and emerge four-and-a-half years later with a nine-part, 10.5-hour documentary.This week I'm joined by Trent to talk about For the Record: An Incomplete History of Music, the enormous new series presente
Voice, Power and the Big Machine: Opera Special
This week, I’m joined by bass Barnaby Rea for a longer-than-usual opera special I mean if we're doing opera, we've gotta go long, right?!), recorded backstage at the Royal Opera House, London.Barnaby is a British/Irish bass who trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the National Opera Studio. He was a Harewood Artist at English National Opera and a member of the Oper Frankfurt so
A Cave, A Conch, An Algorithm
A collaboration with What We Did Before on the deep history of music, from prehistoric instruments and ritual to place, technology and AI. A slightly different episode this time. Instead of the usual format, I’m sharing an interview I did for the excellent podcast What We Did Before. This particular episode, Before Music: Cave Rituals and Ancient Instruments | Steve Pretty explores where musi
Nathaniel Dye: Public Service Announcement
In this episode, I’m dedicating the show to Nathaniel Dye — musician, music teacher, brass band obsessive, ultramarathon runner, and one of the most quietly extraordinary people I’ve met. We begin with Nat performing his song “Public Service Announcement” (recorded live at my Wilton’s Music Hall show in November 2024) — a funny, furious, razor-sharp call to take bowel cancer symptoms seriously.Nat
A Clap, a Slap and a Stomp (with Aluá Nascimento)
Episode 37 - A clap, a Slap and a StompWhat actually is musical time? In this episode, Steve kicks off 2026 with the first four days of his “12 Days of Listening” mini-series — all about pulse, groove, and how our brains latch onto patterns (sometimes to our advantage, sometimes not).Then we jump to Wilton’s Music Hall (January 2025) for a live guest spot from Aluá Nascimento — Brazilian percussio
Five Notes, Maisy Mouse and a Sacred Flute
From a Colombian ritual flute heard backstage at Oslo Mela to a children’s TV theme tune played on a London school playground, this episode explores why pentatonic scales turn up everywhere — and why they feel so immediately playable, memorable, and emotionally direct. Along the way, Steve unpacks the thinking behind the theme tune he wrote for My Friend Maisy (also available on NOW), based on the
Mulatu Astatke, Ethio-jazz and Pentatonic Worlds
From Addis to the Barbican and back again, this episode dives into the sound-world shaped by Mulatu Astatke — the father of Ethio jazz. With Mulatu having recently completed his farewell tour, Steve goes back to a long, previously-unreleased interview he recorded with him during the making of Hackney Colliery Band’s Collaborations: Volume One. What emerges is a portrait of a true pioneer: a compos
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 session
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
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
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
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 musi
Access, ancestry and a flute made from a leg
This week, Steve shares a powerful, surprising, and often jaw-dropping conversation with musician, composer and activist Jono Enser.Jono is a gifted multi-instrumentalist and a member of Nubiyan Twist, but he’s also a disabled artist whose recent experiences as an amputee have sparked a radical rethinking of performance, access, and the body as instrument — quite literally. Together, they explore:
Jeremy Deller, 303s and knitting
❤️ Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces📬 Join the mailing list + explore the archive: https://www.originofthepieces.comWelcome back to your favourite podcast for musically curious ears! This week, I’m talking to the brilliant Jeremy Deller, Turner Prize-winning artist and creator of the now-legendary Acid Brass project — a bold collision of working-
Eurovision Special with Frances Ruffelle
In this Eurovision-week bonus episode, Steve Pretty is joined by actor, singer, and former UK Eurovision contestant Frances Ruffelle, recorded live at Wilton’s Music Hall.📺 Watch Frances’s Eurovision performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXtXpj2FGF8🌐 Visit Frances Ruffelle’s website: http://www.francesruffelle.com❤️ Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOrigino
World Poetry Day Special! Robin Ince, conch baths and BRIAN BLESSED (kind of)
Wilton's Music Hall show 30th April: use code PRETTYAPR25 for best available seats for £15Mailing list: sign up for special offers, news and morePatreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies and to be part of a growing musically-curious communityDescription:To mark World Poetry Day, Steve drops a surprise bonus episode featuring writer, comedian, and poet Robin Ince, recorded live at W
Re: a wake, a sample, a rebirth
Wilton's Music Hall show 30th April: use code PRETTYAPR25 for best available seats for £15Mailing list: sign up for special offers, news and morePatreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies and to be part of a growing musically-curious communityIn this special 25th episode of Steve Pretty on the Origin of the Pieces, Steve takes a moment to reflect, celebrate, and introduce something
Vocal coaching, twanging and Matters of Life and Death
Wilton's Music Hall show 16th January: use code PRETTYJAN25 for best available seats for £15Wilton's Music Hall show 30th April: use code PRETTYAPR25 for best available seats for £15Mailing list: sign up for special offers, news and morePatreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies and to be part of a growing musically-curious communityIn this episode of 'Steve Pretty on the Origin of
Ass-haling, skateboard zithers and golden audio
Wilton's Music Hall show 30th November: use code STEVEPRETTYF for best available seats for £15Wilton's Music Hall show 16th JanuaryMailing list: sign up for special offers, news and morePatreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies and to be part of a growing musically-curious communityA typically eclectic episode this, with a fascinating demonstration of and discussion about throat si
Rock n roll defibrillators, bierhall melodies and tech trance
Wilton's Music Hall show 30th November: use code STEVEPRETTYF for best available seats for £15Mailing list: sign up for special offers, news and morePatreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies and to be part of a growing musically-curious communityIn this (yet again) slightly delayed episode - this time due to computer meltdown in the middle of some major deadlines, which is FUN - St
Oud, microtones and underwater soundscapes
Mailing list: sign up for special offers, news and morePatreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies and to be part of a growing musically-curious communityWilton's Music Hall show 30th November: use code STEVEPRETTYF for best available seats for £15Hackney Colliery Band Earth show 8th October: use code ORIGIN! for £5 offIn this episode, Steve chats about recent adventures and musical
Afro-joik, arctic ukuleles and 'Big Boobies Is A State Of Mind'
Mailing list: sign up for special offers, news and morePatreon: sign up for FREE for all manner of bonus goodies and to be part of a growing musically-curious communityWilton's Music Hall show: use code STEVEPRETTYF for best available seats for £15In this arctic special, Steve heads to northern Norway to meet a whole variety of fascinating musical characters.First up, it's the turn of the Bitch Bi
Narco music, Ola Onabulé and turf wars
Introduction (0:00:07 - 0:14:55):Steve kicks off the episode with updates on his live shows, including upcoming recordings at the Into the Wild Festival and a special event at Wilton's Music Hall on 30th November. He encourages listeners to join his Patreon for discounted tickets and exclusive offers.Steve then recaps highlights from episode 18 before diving into an engaging interview with Ola Ona
Serpents, shanties and shells
In this episode of "Steve Pretty on the Origin of the Pieces," host Steve Pretty chats with Jeff Miller, a specialist in early brass instruments. They explore the origins and evolution of low brass instruments, particularly the serpent, and its historical significance. The discussion covers the cultural and physical aspects of music, the unique characteristics of various instruments, and the unive
Sound balancers, Bowie's favourite studio and Debussy
Episode SummaryIn this episode, Steve Pretty embarks on a sonic journey with Martin Appleby, a seasoned sound engineer with over nearly four decades of experience at BBC's Maida Vale studios. They delve into Martin's illustrious career, exploring his role in capturing live music for prestigious BBC programs and his the challenges and opportunities of live recording. The episode further explores th
Double bass, planetary resonance and jam
Steve invites jazz double bassist/singer Charlie Pyne to the studio for a fascinating chat about all things bass. As well as a tour of her beautiful, historic instrument (affectionately named Claude), Charlie talks about the role of the bass in jazz and swing, and we hear some incredibly soulful playing. Charlie is so warm and joyful, and this reallycomes across in her music, which she gives us a
Spirited Away, modular expression and mild despair
In a specially-extended episode, Steve has a detailed conversation with some of the creative team behind the smash hit stage version of the Oscar-winning Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. Director John Caird, co-adaptor Maoko Imai and Musical Supervisor/Orchestrator Brad Haak tell Steve how the show came to be, and give some absolutely fascinating insights into composer Joe Hisaichi's work, includ
Eliza, a cello made of U boats and Igbo flow
In another varied episode, Steve talks to soul singer Eliza about revealing her pregnancy live on stage, cellist Verity Simmons demonstrates her beautiful cello (and explains how it's partly made from a German U boat), and then Steve breaks down the fascinating genre of Igbo Rap in the Genre Tombola, including an in-depth transcription of some of the brilliantly complex rhythms.Sign up for the Pat
Worldwide Washboard Registry, autistic art, rockets and zydeco
To celebrate Autism Acceptance Week, Steve has two brilliant autistic artists on the show - poet Maddi Crease and musician Robyn Rocket. They talk autistic art, inclusive gigs, autistic joy, space trumpet and much more.And in between Steve takes us back to New Orleans for an interview with one of the world's leading exponents of the musical washboard! Alex Macdonald has made his living from playin
Frank Turner, Trumpet Mafiosi and not talking about Jimmy
A bit of an interview special this time, with TWO incredible guests - Grammy-winning trumpet player Ashlin Parker and number 1 UK singer/songwriter Frank Turner.Steve asks these brilliant guests about the point of music, the history of hardcore punk in the UK, the challenges and opportunities of working as a musician in New Orleans, and how angry hippies and neo nazis can sometimes find themselves
Lofi hip hop, Zigaboo grooves and New Orleans explorations
In this first episode since coming back from New Orleans, Steve discusses the importance of that city to the history of music, and, with his guest, New Orleans resident (and former London-based musician) Hannah Davis, examines its present, from the community nature of music making, through to the idea of music as a 'service industry' and what this means to both musicians and audiences.He also feat
Down in New Orleans
Steve finds himself in New Orleans for some on-the-ground research into Deep Funk (check out last episode if this doesn’t make any sense to you!), and more interviews, gigs, chats and music than you could shake a big voodoo stick at. Episode 11 will be along soon, but meanwhile check out the first 10 episodes for a pretty broad variety of weird, curious and fun musical shenanigans, and sign up to
East Anglian cowpunk, trombone marathons, the 'i' word and reverb
In maybe the most varied episode yet, Steve speaks to Nathanial Dye about how terminal cancer reinforced his passion for music (and running the London marathon whilst playing the trombone), then, via a brief foray into the importance of reverb (as performed at Wilton's Music Hall on 20th January), finds himself making a cowpunk song set in East Anglia, with the help of his trusty AI lyricist.Show
Naked gigs, choral musings and Filament Choir with Hackney Colliery Band LIVE at Wilton's Music Hall
Steve talks about and plays some music from recent live gigs (including one with a rather special dress code), and we hear a beautiful performance and fascinating chat from Filament Choir. No genre tombola this time, so strap in for an exploration of Cowpunk next episode…Steve's website: http://www.stevepretty.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces Hosted on Acast. S
Samplers, orchestras and fancy dress harpists
Steve kicks off 2024 in typically contrasting style by celebrating the London Symphony Orchestra's school outreach program, and getting lost in a world on samplers and synthesisers as he sets out to create a UK Hardcore version of the podcast intro, courtesy of the genre tombola...Wilton's Music Hall tickets for 20th January: https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/854-steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-o
End of year space and slides special, with Chris Hadfield, Rosie Turton and 1201 Alarm
To close out the year, in this bumper Space Special, Steve is joined by astronaut Chris Hadfield, trombonist Rosie Turton and composer Steve Thompson - all of them trombonists with a number of additional skills in their portfolio!Steve Thompson tells us about his project 1201 Alarm and how his album Hello World will be the first album on the moon! Then trombonist, composer and stalwart of the rece
A (Space) Christmas Carol, with Chris Hadfield
In a little Christmas gift to the listeners, Steve offers us a little taste of the forthcoming interview with Commander Chris Hadfield, astronaut, musician and author, but most of all an incredibly generous and wonderful individual.Chris performs a song which he wrote and originally recorded whilst he was commander of the International Space Station (ISS), orbiting earth and looking through his wi
Festive phasing, guitar percussion and Nitin Sawhney
Christmas is coming, so of course we had to have a little look at Christmas music, but not quite in the way you would expect, unless minimalist classical composer Steve Reich is a kind of santa figure for you. Steve performs a festive version of Reich's piece Clapping Music, and is nearly driven completely mad as a result.But then the day is saved by legendary composer and music producer Nitin Saw
Nordic creativity, grand pianos and AI emo
This episode sees Steve recording in not one but TWO idyllic studios in Norway, where he's been working with some incredibly talented young people, helping them to compose and create music to support a forthcoming Hackney Colliery Band tour there. We hear some of the things he's been up to, as well as chatting with some of the musicians in question about creativity, how to overcome blank page synd
Harmonic remembrance, blues shouting and deathgrind taxonomy
In the most varied episode yet of this podcast helping you to hear and understand music in new ways, musician Steve Pretty uses a moving experience performing at a Remembrance Day service to talk about musical harmonics, before learning about blues shouting, whistle tones and microphones from singer Nicole Cassandra Smit (including a brief appearance by Jamie Cullum and the Hackney Colliery Band),
Pubs, flutes, township rhythms and tape delay
Steve Pretty helps you to listen to and understand music in new ways, looking at where music comes from, why it exists, and what it is.This episode, in a bonanza of interviews, Steve speaks to landlords helping to keep the grassroots music scene alive in the UK, invites renowned UK musician and composer Tamar Osborn into his studio to talk about and experience the beauty of flutes, big saxophones
Tiny trumpets, harps, jazz and Robbie Williams
In the second episode of this new podcast helping you to hear music in new ways, Steve talks about the challenges of going on holiday as a musician, introduces his friend, harpist Valeria Clarke who makes some entertaining noises both angelic and demonic, gives a little demonstration of how jazz works and how it’s not as scary as you might think, and plays his new, Robbie Williams-inspired pop roc
Hearing music in new ways
For the first episode of this brand new podcast, musician Steve Pretty starts to explore the origins of music, stopping off to blow into conch shells, have a binaural audio adventure in his studio (headphones on!), discuss the limitations of music theory and start his mammoth attempt to explore every one of Wikipedia's list of over 1300 music genres, including nearly 60 varieties of metal...A show
