excuse the mess

In this final instalment you get a multitude of factoids about Anna’s critically acclaimed album, Fibs (2019). She draws a track name from a bowl at random and tells us the first thing that comes to mind. You’ll also be hearing juicy extracts of the tracks alongside these insider scoops.In the second half we talk about her 2018, BBC Proms commission Five Telegrams - if you aren’t familiar with the piece watch it here. It’s on a ginormous scale with incredible visuals projected onto (and inside) Royal Albert Hall.Finally, we talk about her experiences working with Bo Burnham on his award winning film, Eighth Grade.*another bad language warning, we just couldn't control ourselves*I hope that you’ve enjoyed this extended podcast episode, I’ve never released so much material from one guest. Testament to Anna’s generous insights - this was a hugely inspiring day for me, a pleasure to edit it all together and I hope you too have been inspired by her. Share around the episode and we’ll all be better for it!Here’s the best link to use: http://hyperurl.co/iqpldbThank you so much for listening to excuse the mess. Who knows when I’ll be back but at least you have 3.5 hours of Anna Meredith episode to work through (and all the previous episodes if you haven’t already). It goes without saying but a mountain of thanks to Anna, what an inspiration!Take care in your Covid-Bunkers, keep busy and be available to help those that need you!Much love Ben xxxFollow Anna here:Website | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Facebook | BandCamp Follow etm:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify excuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast and Anna's manager Rachel for all of her input. Tracklist:CalionLimpetKilljoyInhale ExhaleOrlokDivining ParamourSawbonesUnfurlRibbonsBeing... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here’s the first of hopefully many ‘Audience Questions’ episodes. It was really lovely to bring you into the conversation so thank you to everyone that wrote in with a question for Anna. We both really enjoyed going through them. Mentioned in the episode is a playlist Anna has on Spotify, here's a link to "Stuff I Like" Follow Anna here:Website | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Facebook | BandCampFollow etm:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify excuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Special thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast and Anna's manager Rachel for all the help!The track bookending this episode is Rhododendron. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This part of the podcast is where myself and the guest write a brand new piece of music on the spot, using just one instrument and electronic manipulations. We opted for the humble pesto jar as our instrument, why not!  You will hear the journey of the piece from the ‘blank page’ to the finished piece at the end. I had such a blast working with Anna on this track. This is a brilliant opportunity to discover how Anna’s razor sharp composition brain works in real time.  Partway through Anna draw’s one of her famous ‘Meredith Maps’ you find it at the bottom of this page on the etm website. *Credit where credit is due - the pesto jar idea I borrowed from friends of the performance/composer group Bastard Assignments - they’re worth checking out live when 'live' is once again a thing we can all enjoy* I hope you like the piece we made called ‘oopsloops’. Thanks for listening! Follow Anna here:Website | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Facebook | BandCamp Follow etm:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify excuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio. Tracklist:moonmoonsBubble Gunoopsloops (our etm co-composition) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna Meredith (ANNA MEREDITH!!) is guest #17 on excuse the mess. If you’re a new listener thanks so much for checking out the podcast. This episode is a 4-part epic, the director's cut! It’s testament to Anna’s dynamic, hilarious, inspiring podcast chat that I can release 3.5 hours worth of podcast recordings and be confident you’ll be entertained throughout. Whilst we’re all locked up in our Covid-Bunkers you might welcome this extended deep dive into the mind and music of this phenomenal composer. Let the music escapism commence... If you don’t know Anna’s music by the end of this you will but here’s a little context...She is one of the most celebrated composers in the UK (the nation even confirmed this by awarding her an MBE). She studied classical composition and has a vast amount of commissions under her belt. Her piece Five Telegrams opened the BBC Proms in 2018, it is one of the largest scale classical pieces I’ve ever seen, with visuals projected onto the Royal Albert Hall alongside her music performed by hundreds of musicians. Over the last 10 years (ish) she has been exploring a more electronic sound world and creating quite the storm. Her music is muscular yet warm, complex and direct. She was brought on as composer to the award winning film ‘Eighth Grade’ (dir. Bo Burnham) and the Netflix series ‘Living With Yourself’ (with Paul Rudd). There are 4 parts for you to digest:A • This one (CHAT 1)B • MUSIC MAKING - we make a track using a pesto jar and nothing else!C • AUDIENCE Q’s - questions from youD • CHAT 2 - More focus on Anna’s album FIBS, Five Telegrams and Eighth Grade In this part we have a good old fashioned podcast rambly chat. We talk vegan cakes, exercise, the importance of composer community (referencing the Camberwell Composer’s Collective she was part of), we discuss her technique for mapping out compositions and classical culture amongst many other things.*just a swearing warning, this episode contains occasional effs and jeffs*I hope you enjoy this extended podcast - please dip in and out at your own pace and share with those who might like to hear.Much love & take care of yourselves and others,Ben xxxFollow Anna here:Website | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Facebook | BandCamp Follow etm:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oliver Coates Part 2 is here. We met in the bowels of the Southbank Centre in London to record this conversation. You’ll hear plenty of his stunning cello infused-electronic music alongside a plentiful conversation about his work.We talk about his previous albums Upstepping and Shelly’s On Zenn-La. Two incredible albums. There’s also talk of his current artistic practice, dubbed ‘cello slime’ which you would have got a sense of from last week's MUSIC MAKING episode. You’ll get an insight into how he got motivated to practice when he was younger and some of the music he was into, still inspiring him today, maybe now more than ever. We also talk about his collaboration with Mica Levi and their album Remain Calm. Olly’s cello sound design on his album Upstepping directly inspired me to make excuse the mess, so it feels like coming round full circle. It was a massive honour to get him onto the podcast, I think it's a fascinating and inspiring listen - hope you do too.Apologies for the practicing violinist next door, distracting. Subscribe to etm if you want to hear more podcasts. There are some exciting one’s to come and plenty to catch up on if you’re new to the podcast. Keep track of any Olly news and listen to more of his top drawer music:Website | Instagram | BandCamp | Spotify Follow etm:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Spotifyexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Special thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast and to Emily Moore.Tracklist (playlist on Spotify):Charlev (Shelly's On Zenn-La)Timelapse - Walrus (Upstepping)calm slime loud 1cutPath In, J Lover One, Yomi, Umbo (Decouple ][ Series)Barok Main Oliver Coates, Mica Levi (Remain Calm)Schoolhouse Oliver Coates, Mica Levi (Remain Calm)Another Fantasy Oliver Coates Remix (Bryce Hackford)Bambi 2046 (Upstepping)The Irish Book of Death & Flying Ships (Upstepping)Faraday Monument (Shelly's On Zenn-La)Prairie (Shelly's On Zenn-La)A Church (Shelly's On Zenn-La) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! Welcome to another excuse the mess music making episode, or more to the point ‘slime’ making.This episode’s guest is the cellist and electronic musician, Oliver Coates. I’ve been looking to get him on the podcast for quite a while and excitingly it happened! Lucky me and lucky you!! Back to ‘slime’. Olly is using his cello and electronic techniques to make something he calls slime which he will explain very eloquently, what that is in the episode. Then we make some ‘slime’ music - our track slime uk - we hope you like it.If this is your first listen to this podcast then thanks for checking out excuse the mess. Each episode features a different guest, not only do you hear a deep dive interview but you will also hear us co-write a co-write a track on the spot in the ‘music making’ episode. We do it all on the same day and only use one instrument and electronic manipulations of it.I’m releasing these episodes in reverse order - next week you’ll get the CHAT. Keep an eye out for that, I promise it'll bring you much inspiration.If you enjoyed what you heard here then please share with your like minded friends.Thanks for listening,BenPS Olly will be playing with Rafael Anton Irisarri on 22nd February at Kings Place, London. Tickets hereFollow Olly and listen to more of his brilliant music:Website | Instagram | BandCamp | Spotify Follow etm:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Spotifyexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Special thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another music making challenge on excuse the mess.Alev Lenz is my co-conspirator in this episode and she brings with her a pretty nifty instrument to make music with.The premise in this part of the podcast is to spontaneously create a brand new piece of music in an afternoon, and using only one instrument. In this episode we're entering uncharted territory for the podcast, Alev's instrument of choice is a sample library she created in collaboration with her record label (SA Recordings/Spitfire Audio). The library is built from elements of her album '3' which she released through SA late 2019 - the library is sold alongside the album which in my opinion is a pretty innovative idea. Check some links below to discover more or even better listen to the CHAT part of Alev's excuse the mess visit.We hope you like the music!Keep track of Alev's creations:Website | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | BandCamp | Facebookexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.A light read - Alev interview with Music Tech Magazine (on the sample library)Outro track - After Every Winter Must Come Spring Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The next decade is upon us and I'm chuffed to be releasing my first podcast of the new year, accompanied by one very brilliant Alev Lenz.Alev is first of all, podcast gold - you'll love hearing from her all about her music in this episode.She is an expert builder of atmospheric sound worlds with song & storytelling at its heart.We discuss a track of hers featured on the hit TV show Black Mirror (i'm sure you're all familiar), a turning point in her career and how that triggered a small series of events that shaped her recently released album '3' on SA Recordings. It's an incredibly powerful album and it heavily features the pioneering vocal ensemble, Roomful of Teeth.You can get hold of the album here if you like what you here (hint: the vinyl comes in a lovely blue)There is an unusual dimension to the release of this album, it can be bought alongside a sample library that is built from the DNA of the album itself, find out more within the pod.Alev has collaborated with the internationally celebrated sitarist and composer, Anoushka Shankar over a number of years. In recent days they've been writing and releasing new music which you will hear about towards the end - they make a good team.Have a great listen and please do share the episode to any Alev fans to-be.Links:SA Recordings '3' Album/Sample Library BundleSpitfire AudioFree The WorkWNYC New SoundsKeep track of Alev's creations:Website | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | BandCamp | Facebookexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Tracklist:Splendid SoldierFall Into Me (Roomful of Teeth cover, WNYC Recording from New Sounds Live/Ecstatic Music Festival 2017)May The AngelsThe ChairAimee MannThe RunnerCigarettes & BlowBright Eyes (Anoushka Shankar & Alev Lenz)I Am Winter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was a supreme honour to work with Mr Elliot Galvin on a new track. We used his most portable of piano’s, his beastly Toy Piano.Elliot is an ideas machine so this one came together quite quickly. If you don’t know the excuse the mess rules. We use only one instrument (we can manipulate further electronically), we can’t pre plan anything and we only have an afternoon to make our brand new piece. Listen to it all unfold within.We hope you like! (If you do you're more than welcome to tell your friends about excuse the mess)Here’s where to keep up with any Elliot gigs and releases:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Spotifyexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Tracklist:Ism - Elliot Galvin TrioToy Guns (excuse the mess original) - Elliot Galvin, Ben CorriganGhosts - Elliot Galvin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Take a trip with me into the labyrinth-mind of my good friend Elliot Galvin. A jazz pianist & improviser, composer & electronic musician. He is often compared to the likes of Django Bates, although with the caveat that Elliot only sounds like Elliot.We discuss his influences, his last two trio album Modern Times and The Influencing Machine, his soon to be released solo piano record AND his improvised duo album with saxophonist Binker Goulding. We covered much ground!It was an honour to get Elliot on mic. I hope you enjoy the episode!Here’s where to keep up with any Elliot gigs and releases:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebookexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Tracklist:Bikini Island - Elliot GalvinPeriodical Cicada - Elliot Galvin TrioTime And Everything - Elliot GalvinAeturnum Vale - Elliot Galvin, Binker GouldingCat And Mouse - Elliot GalvinMonster Mind - Elliot GalvinRed and Yellow - Elliot Galvin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This music making process was one of my favourites so far - the track that Anne and I made is wacky and wonderful (and kinda funny).We used a Casio VL Tone as our instrument (we only get to use one instrument), Anne has owned this beastie little keyboard since she was a child.As with every one of these music making processes, we only have a few hours to start and finish the piece, we can't preplan anything and then we only use one instrument.We hope you like what we made, we like it! A massive thank you to Anne for being part of the podcast.Huge thanks for checking out excuse the mess - more episodes coming soon!Here’s where to follow Anne news:Twitter | Spotify | WebsiteVisit etmpodcast.comexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Many, many thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anne Nikitin is a very busy woman - a film composer with an extensive lists of credits, check out her IMDB page.In this episode we mainly discuss two of her scores. Her Ivor Novello nominated score for American Animals (dir. Bart Layton) and a more recent release Untouchable: The Rise and Fall of Harvey Weinstein (dir. Ursula Macfarlane). Both scores are brilliant and we dig into many aspects behind each score.We get an insight into her nomadic upbringing, touch upon brexit troubles and get some brilliant top tips for budding film composers; Anne highlights the work ethic needed and some of the ways people get into the industry.This episode was great fun to make, I loved hanging out with Anne and I'm very grateful she was able to make a bit of time for me in her very busy life.Don't forget to listen to the music making part of our episode, it was a lot of fun, I think you'll like it!Here’s where to follow Anne news:Twitter | Spotify | WebsiteVisit etmpodcast.comexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Many, many thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Music Making time! In each episode I write a brand new piece with each guest - Galya is one of the most sought after violinists working in the UK - what an honour to get to write something new with her.The excuse the mess writing process demands that:we don't pre plan anythingwe only have that day to write our piecewe can only use one instrument that the guest brings with them - electronic manipulations are allowed!We ended up writing a very dark, disorientating, droney track - the three D's. We hope you like it.Give the excuse the mess writing process a go - i'd love to hear what you come up with. Send your etm tracks through to ben@etmpodcast.com and maybe I can include them in an episode or share on the website, or something... Anyways, just follow the above rules.Thanks so much for checking out excuse the mess.Links for keeping up with Galya news:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebookvisit etmpodcast.com for pictures from the day and more episodes.excuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Many, many thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 3rd instalment of series two features one hell of a violinist and experimental composer, Galya Bisengalieva. She has worked with some of the biggest names in music and is now making large and dangerous waves with her original compositions - violin led music injected with a potent amount of electronics.In 2018 she released EP ONE and this year released EP TWO. She commissioned some utterly brilliant composers to write and collaborate with her: Claire M Singer, Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, Shiva Feshareki and CHAINES. We discuss the thinking and processes behind each pieces in detail and you'll hear some chunky extracts of each; as well as two clips of music from composer Edmund Finnis.Galya is also the orchestral leader of the London Contemporary Orchestra - a role in the classical world that was a bit of a mystery to me so I asked this very qualified person what it entails.Thanks so much to Galya for bringing her wonderful words and energy to excuse the mess and thanks to you for checking it out.Ben (host & creator of etm)Links for keeping up with Galya news:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebookvisit etmpodcast.com for pictures from the day and more episodes.excuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Many, many thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hannah and I make a sparkling piece of music using only her famous music box - a series of tuned metal bars housed in a resonating wooden box, a hole punched reel of paper is drawn through it and triggers the bars to sound, it's lovely!Hannah gained much fame with her music box covers of classic songs, 'Tainted Love' being a prime example; which was used to great effect on many TV shows including American Horror Story.Anyways, we're really happy with how our creation came out, we've called it 'Unbox' and we hope you like following us on the journey of writwriting themusic.Thanks so much for checking out excuse the mess!Here’s where to keep up with any Hannah news:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Spotifyexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Many, many thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If this guest was a top trumps card she’d win in every round. An Emmy nominated composer, electronic musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, conductor, arranger (….and on the list goes) - it’s Hannah Peel!We discuss the process behind her Emmy Nominated score to Jeanie Finlay’s official Game of Thrones documentary, ‘The Last Watch’. Her latest album Chalk Hill Blue, an entirely improvised album, a perfect marriage between electronics and poetry with her collaborator, poet Will Burns. I hope you enjoy this deep dive into just a few of the recent project Hannah has been involved with. If you want more from Hannah you can check out the ‘extra mess episode’ we made back in November 2018 where we discuss some of her other fantastical projects. Stick around to the very end for a cosmic pondering with the help of physicist Carlo Rovelli.Enjoy yourselves and do spread the word of excuse the mess!Here’s where to keep up with any Hannah news:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Spotifyexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Many, many thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're a Gold Panda fan you're in for a treat. In this episode you'll hear us write a new brand new track together on the spot.Derwin gets into a bit of a Gold Panda flow so this an amazing insight and a bit of a Gold Panda masterclass to be honest. We use the three vinyls bought earlier in the day to get our samples.In every episode of excuse the mess I write a track with the guest but we have to follow three rules:we can't pre plan anythingwe only have that day to make the trackwe can only use one instrument and electronic manipulations of itListen to how that composition process unfolds in this episode.I hope you take away lots of wisdoms from hearing Derwin in action and thank you for checking out this podcast.ENJOY!Derwin links:Twitter | BandCamp | Facebook | Fan Websiteexcuse the mess websiteexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Many, many thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast - great to be aboard! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

excuse the mess is back and I'm pretty damn chuffed to be launching series two with one of my all time favourite electronic artists,Gold Panda, DJ Jenifa & Selling are just three of the many artist names attached to this spectacular maker of electronic music, Derwin Dicker. If you’re new to this podcast here’s the deal…In each episode I spend a day with a different music maker. We chat about their process and then in the afternoon we make a track together using only one instrument - you can hear the whole process unfold in the Part B of each episode.You’re invited to join us on a stroll to a nearby vinyl shop. We’re buy some records to take back to Derwin’s studio, to sample and make a brand new track. It’s our ‘instrument’ and they’re all we can use.Don't forget to listen to the music making part where we use the three vinyls we bought.A huge thanks to Derwin for coming on to the podcast. When I first discovered electronic music his album Lucky Shiner was one of the things I was heavily listening to.Thanks so much for checking out this podcast, enjoy listening!Derwin links:Twitter | BandCamp | Facebook | Fan Websiteexcuse the mess websiteexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and iZotope Audio.Many, many thanks to Acast for hosting this podcast - great to be aboard! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the music making part of the podcast. In only a few hours Matt and I make a new track from scratch using nothing but his shiny new resonator guitar and Ableton manipulations. Listen to it unfold.If you’re an Ableton user this is a good one for the likes of you - Matt knows what he’s doing, I learned loads of useful tricks so hopefully you will too.I had a blast making this piece with Matt, he’s one of my favourite guitarists and composers - it’s possibly the most ‘electronic’ sounding track so far in the series.Subscribe to etm for more music chat and music making.Final word. Check out Matt's album Typewritten HERECheers! Ben Matt links: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Spotifyetm links: Website | Twitter | Instagram | FacebookAbleton Simpler (slices) Tutorial Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here it is - the final episode of Series 1!! What an incredible bunch of months it has been and I'm excited to bring you this jam packed, final episode featuring none other than guitarist, composer and electronic music wizard, Matt Calvert. Three Trapped Tigers, Strobes, Heritage Orchestra, Ma & Evil Ex are all projects you’ll see his name attached to and these are some of the most progressive music outfits around today (many of them favourites of mine). You’ll hear interludes of this great music along with some more in depth chat about Three Trapped Tigers, how Matt approaches writing for that band and why Brian Eno is a fan of TTT. The main focus of this episode is something new and exciting - some fresh sounds. Matt will be releasing his debut solo album, Typewritten (Truant Records) on 12th October. It’s a beautifully crafted album that has been a long time in the making. It’s also a step in a new direction for him, completely acoustic but sitting amongst a body of work that is rather electronic heavy. However, the electronics have left their mark in different ways. Have a listen and learn how.The album will be launched at SET in Dalston, London on 15th October. Info HERE***The album is now out and can be heard HEREA huge thank you to Matt for helping me round off series one, giving up his time to talk and make music. I learned many lessons in this one and I’m sure you’ll find some thought-food for yourself.Thanks to you for downloading this episode and for listening to etm throughout the series. I hope you've got something from each guest. If you're new to the podcast then do go back and check out the rest of series one. Benexcuse the mess is gratefully supported by iZotope and Noted Fellowship.Matt links: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Spotifyetm links: Website | Twitter | Instagram | FacebookRelevant Links:Obique Strategies AppBlood and Biscuit 10th Birthday Gig (Oct 6th/7th): London  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.