Music tech, innovation and music gear

Martyn Ware
“In a secular society this is the new religion”
Martyn Ware (Heaven 17 / Illustrious Company) speaking about Immersive experiences, at the New Sounds New Styles conference

Thomas Howard
“We have our own machine park and start every project by learning with our hands. We design something and leave it on a table for the engineers to look at; it’s an organic process. We are all super geeks, we can’t but help to build, it’s this hacker attitude. There is this impatience to keep the momentum going, everyone is soldering, painting, cutting.” Thomas Howard, Head of Mechanical Engineering, Teenage Engineering talking at Prototypa. Full report.

Helen Leigh
“I’ve spent Saturday morning fixing my robot unicorns and making breadboard synths”
Helen Leigh, CEO, Do It Kits

Zali Krishna
“It doesn’t have to make sense: it needs to boogie.” Zali Krishna on creating breath-controlled instrument The Spacehorn. Full feature

Samantha Bennett
“One thing that’s always pissed me off about guitars is how they are 100% designed for men. I practice and rehearse sitting down and there’s this dimension - the point between your thigh/torso and chest where the guitar sits. My Bullet and Jaguar always crushes my right tit, so we worked on a more scooped out cutaway and a smoother, more angled cut out at the back of the guitar.” Glitoris’ Samantha Bennett on making the Glitterbomb guitar with Vance Custom Guitars. Full interview

Rawfare
“I’d like to see a change of mindset in creators. We are really stuck in the 20th century. Think of your music as something more than a simple recording. Think about it more like a game or an app, a “Gesamtkunstwerk” type of an approach. Take inspiration from Youtubers and podcasters. Open up the format.” Attila Haraszti AKA Rawfare. Full interview

Laura Kidd / She Makes War
“I’m so tired of the racist, xenophobic nonsense we’re pelted with daily, particularly in relation to the international refugee crisis and immigration in general. The song’s title and chorus twist the phrases we’ve heard so much in recent times away from the right wing, send-them-all-home mentality towards encouraging people to have compassion for those from other backgrounds, and to consider sharing the great privileges we enjoy just by accidentally being born in this country.” Laura Kidd / She Makes War on her song ‘I Want My Country Back’. Full feature

The Blinders
Charlie: We’re all from Doncaster, we come from mining villages or mining families. It’s one of the many towns around the country that has been left behind, left to rot really. For us it seems like you can’t come from where we come from and not be political.

Thomas: It’s as if you can’t not hold resentment for those who drove these towns into figurative ruin. Full interview

Ms. Mohammed
“I used to perform under my first two names “Dana Jade” but this moment in time calls for embracing our otherness in hopes of stemming the tide of rising fear and prejudice. Telling people my real last name (Mohammed) made me nervous. I feared their reaction, I feared being shunned. That anxiety made me realise the importance of utilising my real last name professionally.” Ms. Mohammed on changing her artist name. Full interview

Marv Radio
“I hope that one day positive music can be as popular as the bling culture within rap music. I make my music for the younger generation and I take responsibility for everything they will hear.” Full interview

Electric Indigo
“The crucial thing is spaces and venues. The internet is helpful, but connecting face to face strengthens things and if you can establish a venue where you can do regular things, that’s helpful” Susanne Kirchmayr / Electric Indigo, of female:pressure on how female artists can be pro-active, speaking at Omnii’s Monika Werkstatt event at Cafe Oto Full report

Beth White
“Women in music are amazing. We are resilient, we are immeasurably talented, we are tough, creative, supportive, fiercely protective of ourselves and each other; we are angry at the state of the music world and we have the gumption to do something about it. And most importantly for me, we are there. Despite what the majority of grassroots venues, gigs and promoters would have you believe, we exist, we are not invisible, and we are more than good enough to take up space at shows and on line ups.” Beth White, Founder Who Run The World promoters. Full interview