Essential Tremors

Guitarist/keyboardist Ian Williams has blazed a unique path through underground music, with Don Caballero, Storm ---- Stress, and now with Battles.On this episode, the first of two that interview both Battles members, he talks about getting rid of emotion, free jazz, and machine music.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MC and producer JPEGMAFIA came out of Baltimore and exploded on the national rap landscape, not part of any particular music scene but drawing from many. In this episode, he talks about how songs by Janelle Monae, Bjork, and Cam'ron shaped his art.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writer Hanif Abdurraqib has risen to prominence in recent years thanks to They Can't Kill Us Til They Kill Us, a collection of essays, and Go Ahead in the Rain, his recent book about hip-hop legends A Tribe Called Quest. In this episode, he talks about songs by Bruce Springsteen, Boosie, and Whitney Houston.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert Forster spent decades, off and on, as one of the singer/songwriters behind beloved Australian indie-pop band the Go-Betweens, along with his late creative partner Grant McLennan. Forster has also conducted parallel careers as a solo artist and as a music critic.In this episode, he talks about the soul hit that filled his home every morning when he was a child, receiving outer-space messages from David Bowie, and the new rock language of David Byrne.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marin Alsop has spent her life surrounded by music—as the child of professional musicians, as a violinist, and as the acclaimed music director for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In this episode, she discusses the beauty of Brahms, playing music with her parents, and the world of Mahler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Juana Molina won an audience far beyond the borders of her native Argentina by crossing the streams of singer/songwriter reflection, pop tunefulness, and electronic burble and drone. In this episode, she muses on her childhood impressions of music, enduring the artistic scrutiny of her parents, and having her mind blown by Raymond Scott.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guy Picciotto was a founding member of numerous DC bands of the 80's that made an impact on the direction of American rock music, but none more so than Fugazi, the band led by him and fellow DC punk legend Ian MacKaye. After the band went on hiatus in 2003, Picciotto took a very different path, playing extensively with singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt until Chesnutt's death in 2009. In this episode, Picciotto talks about the three songs that changed him: a Baroque pop tune from an iconic British group, a brutal proto-punk single, and an extremely under-the-radar song from an unclassifiable Irish band.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experimental composer Sarah Davachi has constructed her own soundworld out of sustained tones and drones, using instruments both electronic and medieval. In this episode, she discusses music by Todd Rundgren, Soft Machine, and Ennio Morricone.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baltimore duo Wume draws on the motorik pulse and cosmic synths of vintage Krautrock, but update them with mesmerizing patterns of complex rhythm and a wide-eyed sense of exploration. In this episode, Al Schatz and April Camlin discuss three tunes that pointed the way to their sound.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Reich long ago transcended the ----minimalist---- tag to stand as one of America's greatest and most influential living composers. In this episode, he details the effects that the music of Stravinsky, Perotin, and John Coltrane had on some of his seminal pieces.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.