Send us a text 🎧 Listen on headphones 🎧 Some of this episode is recording in binaural audio. What does it really take to compose a work for a 12-piece post-minimalist ensemble—using vintage synths, robotic bells, and tape echoes? In this immersive episode of Girls Twiddling Knobs, we go behind the scenes of Time Loops, a bold and experimental project for Science Museum Group. Follow Isobel as she documents Shiva Feshareki and Sarah Angliss' compositional journey writing new commissions ...
Send us a text 🎙️ What if classical music wasn’t meant to stay in its box? In this episode of Girls Twiddling Knobs, we meet violinist, composer and loop pedal artist Rebekah Reid, who’s pushing the boundaries of what classical performance can be. Blending classical, jazz and electronic music, Rebekah uses live looping and improvisation to create layered, genre-defying performances that feel both ancient and futuristic. 🎻 We explore how she carved out her own artistic identity, the joy and vu...
Send us a text If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by music PR, you’re not alone! In this episode of Girls Twiddling Knobs, Isobel chats with Rachel White, music PR expert and founder of BRIC and House of DIY, to break down the real, actionable steps independent artists can take to promote their music effectively—without the stress. 🌟 Inside You’ll Learn: ✔️ What PR actually is and why it’s different from advertising ✔️ The biggest mistakes DIY artists make when pitching their music ✔️ A step-...
Send us a text What happened to jungle music? How did a genre born from Black British culture, reggae sound systems, and 90s rave scenes become dominated by white, male audiences—and where are the women who helped shape it? In this episode of Girls Twiddling Knobs, Isobel explores these questions with Julia Toppin, a lecturer, music entrepreneur, and self-proclaimed “Junglist Historian.” Julia takes us through jungle’s vibrant origins, its evolution into drum and bass, and the systemic challe...
Send us a text What does it really mean to be a producer, and why do so many women hesitate to claim the title? In this episode of Girls Twiddling Knobs, we sit down with Fran & Flora—an innovative violin and cello duo blending Yiddish, Romanian, and Transylvanian folk music with improvisation, electronics, and sound experimentation. We dive into their co-production journey on Precious Collection, navigating self-perception as producers, and the evolving landscape for independent artists....
Send us a text Are you an artist or music producer dreaming of releasing your music on vinyl? In this episode of Girls Twiddling Knobs, Isobel Anderson sits down with Jenn D'Eugenio, founder of Women in Vinyl, to uncover the fascinating process behind pressing music onto records. Jenn shares expert insights on preparing your audio and artwork for vinyl, tips for selecting the right pressing plant, and how to make your vinyl release more sustainable. Whether you’re an independent artist explo...
Send us a text Celebrating 100 episodes of empowering women in music, Girls Twiddling Knobs host Isobel Anderson takes listeners on a reflective journey through the evolution of the podcast, revisiting its top five most popular episodes, including conversations with Kate Nash, Orla Gartland and Victoria Witjeratne. Featuring listener Q&A, insights into key challenges for women in music technology, and plans for the future, this milestone episode highlights how the Girls Twiddling K...
Send us a text What do sound and knitting have in common? You’d be forgiven for thinking not much, but both have been constant companions across the life and career of sound artist and knitter, Felicity Ford also know as Felix. Join sobel as she visits Felix in her St Leonard’s home to talk about her journey into field recording, soundscape composition and using this skillset to document the process of wool production. Felix also shares her perspective on why celebrating domestic sounds is ...
Send us a text Feeling stuck in your music production journey? Struggling with self-doubt or tempted to buy more gear in the hopes it will transform your sound? This episode is for you. In today’s episode of Girls Twiddling Knobs, we’re exploring how visualisation—a powerful mental tool used by top performers—can help you: ✨ Unlock your creative confidence. 🎛️ Overcome the pressure to rely on expensive gear or others. 🎶 Take your production skills to the next level. What You’ll Learn: ✔️ The ...
Send us a text Luckily, there’s far more conversations happening about musicians’ mental health these days. But how might gender impact our experience of things like depression and anxiety? And how might this differ in a music technology setting, specifically? Because, while this is something that’s often touched upon in wider conversations around gender and music technology, it’s rarely fully explored in its own right. Inside this conversation, Isobel chats with musicians’ therapist and cou...
Send us a text In a world that’s always online, how do we stay true to ourselves as artists? This week on Girls Twiddling Knobs, we tackle this question with the fiercely original electronic music producer Maria Uzor. Growing up as a Black artist in a predominantly White area of the UK, Maria often felt like an outsider. But she turned that feeling into a sound that’s bold, raw, and unmistakably hers. Join us as we explore how Maria channels her unique experiences into a blend of basement gri...
Send us a text What unique facets of our existence and identity does sound allow us to explore as women and gender diverse artists? This is one of the big questions that emerges inside this conversation with three of the five 2024 Oram Award winners. Whether it be through choreography, performance art, hacking or design, Lola De La Mata, xname and The Silver Field are all artists who have come to sound through alternative pathways. Inside this episode, you’ll learn about the role that sound ...
Send us a text Join Isobel for all the juicy details on what you can expect to find inside of Season 06 of the podcast, dropping on October 24th. Listen and subscribe to the podcast: https://femalediymusician.com/podcast And share the podcast with a friend so we can spread the word, and making music technology a better place for women and gender diverse people. Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist t...
Send us a text Join us for the first ever Live Girls Twiddling Knobs episode, recorded at Towner Gallery on August 2nd, 2024. inside, Isobel talks with sound and lino artist, Daisy Stewart-Darling about her new project Lino Waves: Soundscapes of the Living Coast, which documents the changing East Sussex coastline through field recordings and large scale lino works. We touch on critical acoustic ecology, recording non-human voices, combining sound with visual mediums and how to present this...
Send us a text Following last week’s epic binaural finale episode, Isobel is back for one last music tech chat to bring Season 05 of Girls Twiddling Knobs to a close. This final wrap up episode is the perfect way to get a whistle stop tour of any episodes you might have missed and glean any final little golden nuggets from the last few weeks. This season, we've had some of the most amazing guests including NYX, DJ Paulette, Cathy Lane, Josephine Zwaan and many more, and they've all shared t...
Send us a text Ready for a binaural sound adventure? We’re wrapping up S05 of Girls Twiddling Knobs with an extra-special episode where, together, we take an immersive binaural deep dive into the ecosystem that is NYX. NYX are often described as an electronic drone choir and are a group of women and non-binary vocalists and non-vocalists who use music technology to create dense, musical creations and performance experiences with artists such as GTK alumni Gazelle Twin, amongst many others. ...
Send us a text Have you ever questioned the way that music technology software is designed? And how the tech tools and gear we use might look and feel completely different if they were designed by different humans (i.e. not just predominantly white, cis, heterosexual men living in the West). Well, this question didn’t just bother today’s guest, producer and researcher, Josephine Zwaan. It led her to write a masters thesis that totally reimagines how a DAW could behave through the lens of Afri...
Send us a text Feeling overwhelmed by all the recording software choices? Been using the same DAW for a while and feel like it’s time to switch it up? Haven’t started recording your music because you don’t have the right gear? If so, this episode is a MUST LISTEN because we’re breaking down the pros and cons of a variety of recording softwares and demystifying this often overwhelming decision. If you’re curious what software Isobel uses, you also won’t be disappointed because inside you’ll le...
Send us a text It’s not easy growing a career in the arts but it’s down right tough if you’re living with a disability too. In this episode, Isobel is joined by journalist, digital producer and disabled rights activist Meg Fozzard to discuss the challenges disabled artists can face, the things the industry can do better and strategies Meg has developed over the years to grow her career whilst having a disability. Inside, you’ll gain some really practical knowledge on things like access riders...
Send us a text If you’ve ever wondered what music mastering is, how to get your music mastered or even get into mastering yourself, this podcast episode is for you because Isobel is joined by Weird Jungle mastering engineers Katie Tavini and Izzy McPhee. Between them, they’ve racked up credits with We Are Scientists, Bloc Party, Frankie Morrow, Ash, Waverly, Arlo Parks and so many more. But what’s also interesting about Katie and Izzy is that they met through the amazing Saffron studios...