Doing Music

How hard is it to break the cultural coding around an instrument and realize its true potential? In this episode of Doing Music, Emily Hopkins talks to Craig Schuftan about her life-long relationship with the harp and her exploration of the instrument's experimental possibilities. Joined by her partner and sound engineer Russ, Emily details the various electro-acoustic methods she uses, the deep well of sound that comes from running her harps through pedals and her desire to inspire with her successful YouTube channel. As a classically-trained player now scoring high-profile soundtracks on her own terms, Emily's story is a relatable quest to maintain her own identity with an instrument everyone thinks they know. Explore further: Edmar Castaneda  The Emotron - Life Without Horses Wah Pedal on Harp is Ridiculous Addi & Jacq Zeena Parkins   Keep up with Emily Hopkins on YouTube, Instagram and via her website.   Tell us what you think of this episode: [email protected] Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

How hard is it to retain the irreverent spark that started a musical partnership nearly 20 years ago? In this episode of Doing Music, MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser talk to Craig Schuftan and Christa Belle about their instinct for the absurd throughout the course of their career. We learn about their roots in musical academia and their love of strange, disgusting music, and their learned experience that the weirdest sound you make might be the best one. From relishing the plasticity of early virtual-analog synths to avoiding over-thinking the creative process, Andrew and Ben take us into what makes MGMT such a psychedelic force in the field of pop-rock.  Explore further: Alvin Lucier Anthony Braxton  Situationist International Chrome - Half Machine Lip Moves Royal Trux - Accelerator Seeburg 1000   Keep up with MGMT on their website, Instagram and YouTube. Their latest album, Loss Of Life, is out now.    Tell us what you think of this episode: [email protected] Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

When does self-doubt overtake the creative process? On this episode of Doing Music, L'Rain's Taja Cheek tells Craig Schuftan and co-host Christa Belle about the doubt she faces down when committing her musical ideas to a recording, especially when she’s working with others. A New York-based multi-instrumentalist with a mercurial twist on electronic soul, Cheek tells us about the various stages of her music making, from quick-fire voice notes and being alone in busy places to her love of lo-fi sound. It's a fascinating insight into the inner workings of a musician who prizes the patient art of the album to convey her ideas more deeply.  Explore further: National Sawdust Artists in Residence Program Terry Riley - Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band Everybody Shut Up by DJ Pacman   Keep up with L’Rain on Instagram and via her website — and check out her music on Bandcamp.   Tell us what you think of this episode: [email protected] Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

When you flip a sample for a Hot 100 hit, are you trading on nostalgia or breaking an iconic sound to the next generation? In this episode of Doing Music, Malibu Babie tells Craig Schuftan how she approached the big samples that turned into big hits for artists like Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion. As a producer toying with the space between pop, rap and club music, she explains the exciting results that come from crossing over styles and shopping them out to unlikely artists, and the ways she'll try to get a collaborator in the right headspace before getting into the beats. Explore further: I’ll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones and Paul Morley Elizabeth Gilbert - Big Magic and her Ted Talk Lil Jon feat. E-40 and Sean Paul - Snap Yo Fingers  WhoSampled: Missy Elliott feat. Ciara and Fatman Scoop - Lose Control   Keep up with Malibu Babie on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.   Tell us what you think of this episode: [email protected] Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.