hanging out with audiophiles

• HOWA EP 136 - MATT ROSS-SPANG

  I met Matt Ross-Sprang thanks to Mark Rubel. Mark was an amazing knowledge and super generous chap who sadly died not so long ago. RIP to that legend. I'll never forget that trip to visit some of America's most amazing studios. We toured most of the iconic rooms in Memphis which is the city where Matt Ross-Sprang has always resided. We went to Sun where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Howlin’ Wolf all recorded and then on to Sam Philips recording service which Matt helped restore to its former glory. What a place! Just full of history and so beautiful both aesthetically and sonically. Matt has had quite the journey. He started interning at Sun Studios as a teen and now he has been awarded the key to the city of Memphis!  Somewhere in the middle of this wild ride is what we spend of our time chatting about in this pod. From humble beginnings to mixing Elvis, getting those Grammy’s and the key to the city of Memphis, Matt has seen and heard an awful lot of good stuff! ________________________   Music for this episode comes courtesy of Indy500 check it here: https://indy500.bandcamp.com/    ________________________   This episode is sponsored by the MLC or The Mechanical Licensing Collective. They’re a nonprofit organization that’s revolutionizing how creators get paid their mechanical streaming royalties from platforms like Spotify and Apple Music in the U.S. Every month, The MLC collects the streaming data and royalties from those platforms, matches the money to the creator who has earned it, and then pays out the royalties due. With over $2.5 billion in royalties distributed and more than 50,000 Members worldwide, The MLC is already making a huge impact. And the best part? Membership is completely free! Don’t leave money on the table — visit TheMLC.com today to sign up!        

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  1:45:05
• HOWA EP 135 - SUZANNE CIANI

  What a treat it was to speak with the absolutely wonderful Suzanne Ciani who’s really a unique and outstanding woman in the world of electronic music. We get into her early use of psychedelics and chat about spirituality and the inner “little voice” which is her guide in all things. We discuss eternal sounds, how her LP “Seven Waves” was constructed from a huge manuscript. We listen to her snoring cat and chat tennis. In fact there’s a lot of tennis talk here which is definitely a first and an area Suzanne is very passionate about. Of course we talk about the exceptional Don Buchla and some of the excentric ways in which his modules behave even from one unit to the next. We also explore his attire. It’s amazing to think of the time she came up in time when synthesizers were first emerging and nobody had heard these vast, pure and electric vibrations that were really unlike anything that had come before. In this day and age so much it’s taken for granted and yet it all returns in the end to the sea. To the ocean waves which of course she’s so known for coaxing in synthetic form so deftly. Im so glad I got to spend a little time with the brilliant Suzanne Ciani. ____________ Thanks to Ableton for their kind support. They are the show sponsors and I do a little nitty ad slot showing off the excellent MPE control possibilities of the Push3 when paired with a compact 7U modular rig via the expert sleepers ES10 ADAT to Euro 8 in 8 out module. Check the push at ableton.com And in fact they are offer a healthy discount to HOWA listeners. It’s a coupon code VALID TIL THE END OF FEB 2025 Use code HOWAP320 At checkout for 20% off the Push3 !!!    

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  1:22:31
• HOWA EP 134 - ROGER ENO

  YO ho ho ah.. it's a bit late for that. Sorry this WAS supposed to be a Christmas pod. The so called "escape pod" but I got struck with a brutal illness that is only just waning. I shan't linger on it as it's dull but I was down. Down, down, down like the pointer sisters are clearly singing about in "automatic". This pod is brought to you remotely from Sedona Arizona. It might sound a bit less polished as a result but it's the content that matters :) Welcome to this humble whee ramble with Roger Eno, who's had a long and successful career in the olde music game. He's left behind some mellow corkers. If you've never heard “An Ending (Ascent)”  from the album "Apollo: Atmospheres and soundtracks" for example... you simply must. It's a true timeless beauty. The kind of track that if you were to have made it, you'd be chilling for the rest of your days. Quite literally. There's something utterly magical about that one and it really feels like a unique sound only possible thanks to Roger's sensibility. Of course it was a collaboration with Daniel Lanois and his rather famous sibling. It must be strange to have a brother like Brian. As Roger mentions in this pod, if he's ever getting full of himself he reflects on Brian being Bowie's producer and it's all put into stark perspective. A silly thing to linger on of course and we dont get too into that for long but it's there. This pod chat is mostly about him waking up and getting into music and literally how to get out ones way to let that inner music rush forth. Damn good advice nestled in this one I reckon. Happy listening and see you in 2025! x    

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  59:01
• HOWA EP133 - TRENTEMØLLER

  Id often hear about this man during my stint in Berlin in the mid 2000s. Mostly that he had an amazing live show... who was this man? There was a sense in my mind that he was a gothic mystery, a dark figure that coaxed mystical melodies from the tarot and such but it seems like he’s a sensitive and passionate follower of his own North Star.  His upbringing in Denmark really captured my imagination. Partly just reflecting on the simpler times and remembering my own childhood in the sticks and how music was such an elixir to a world with a lot less demands on the modern, dwindling attention. T he power of radio to educate and mix it up, when things were all jumbled together a little would be one example of the way it was different then. We get into that and I think it’s actually a huge deal. I would argue it’s the reason we have the music of Trentemøller at all.  Anyway I’m running into a pool of the past here. I suppose sometimes that’s what a chat will do. Funnily enough I find his music to be exploring contrasts, paradoxes, and themes of reminiscence without nostalgia. Quite a challenge! There’s something familiar to the tones (especially the chorus which is a major sonic stamp on this music. It turns out Anders owns over 50 chorus pedals!!! I mean WHAT?) but the drums are fresh and the sound is vital in a refreshing way. Dare I say it almost feels light. Much lighter than I’d imagined it being. Also he’s a song writer first and foremost and although the tone palette is crucial, the song always ends up being the main event and I tip my hat to the man for this. It’s not easy! Lovely stuff. Hope you enjoy our rambles. ____ Music for EP133 comes from Clocks and Barometers. The music you hear peppered through the episode is from a record called “learning through investigation” Clocks and Barometers is a collaborative project between Dive Reflex Service and Lupo which began in the summer of 2023. Excellent stuff which I shall not try to describe seeing as they kindly provided me with a link so you can jolly well go and have a listen!! HERE is the link

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  1:25:51
• HOWA EP 132 - ERIC SLICK

  **** There is a wild 50% off strore wide sale for all my vinyl and merch until the end of the year! https://shorturl.at/FXgkf This was one of the most entertaining chats Ive had in ages tbh. I had no real idea who or what Eric was about before this and it turns out we would get along famously. Plus he lives here. Wild.  What a fun hang this was. I tell you what, a huge part of it was that it was in my studio and thus NOT on zoom and guess what? the human connection is WAY better without digital mitigation. Who would have thought? I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  He's a really badass musician and started very very young. His first main gig was with Adrian Belew !! I mean WHAT? I trust you know Adrian who plays in King Crimson and Talking Heads (Remain in Light anyone?? ooof!!!) He's the drummer of the excellent Dr Dog and he's worked with so many cool folks like Daniel Rossen, Nels Cline oh and you know Taylor Swift.... to name but a few. Wild knowledge of music and a bright mind.  Enjoy

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