Headliner Radio

In episode one of Plugged In, we sit down with technologist, musician and CTO of Izotope, Jonathan Bailey, who provides us with a unique insight into the world of audio software and plugins at the Boston-based company, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

A true music pioneer in several genres, Kurtis Mantronik was told “people won't go for this hip-hop stuff,” but his beats production (in his bathtub at home with a drum machine!) would make him a key figure in making the genre go totally global. After huge success in Mantronix, he reinvented himself to become one of the world's first remixers, reworking songs by the likes of Shirley Bassey, Duran Duran, Dido and many more. He opens up about his incredible career, and he puts out his wish to collaborate with Stormzy next...

With many years experience as a live sound engineer under his belt, Kevin Madigan has worked with a diverse range of artists including The Smashing Pumpkins, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Lucinda Williams, Santana, Eels, and Pavarotti. We chat about the studio projects that have kept him busy this year, his approach to mixing at front of house, and why he loves his DiGiCo SD5 console.

We recently caught up with multi award-winning, platinum selling British singer-songwriter Mike Rosenberg aka Passenger — who has just released his album Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted — to find out more about his creative process, the narrative running through his new record, and how his approach to writing has evolved over the years.

In the past decade, Antonia Gauci has established herself as one of Australia’s most trusted, best-regarded producers, engineers and versatile mixers, working with numerous local and international acts, with credits including Will.I.Am, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kesha’s Grammy nominated single Praying, as well as some of Australia’s finest artists. Antonia reflects on her start at Sydney’s BigJesusBurger Studios and Studios 301, how she gained a reputation for her unique perspective, and shares why she’s keen to raise the profile of female producers and engineers.

Armenian-Ukranian rappers Samuum discuss their new single, Maria, a tongue in cheek look at the middle-eastern phenomenon of bride kidnapping. This legitimately unique musical duo is the collaboration between The Voice of Ukraine star Lusine Kocharian and music producer/film director Andranik Berberian, a Ukrainian pair with very strong Armenian heritage. And while taking pride in that, they certainly don’t shy away from taking a huge, satirical swipe at women’s rights in the Middle East. 

We go behind the brand with Shure's Marc Henshall who talks us through the leading microphone manufacturer's ethos and mindset during the pandemic. He also reveals the thinking behind two new Shure products which are targeted at home recording and podcasting.

British R&B artist Eli Moon has been making some big moves in the music scene over the last couple of years. Here he explains why songwriting has always been his therapy, the creative process behind some of his recent tracks, and how he’s been delving deeper into production techniques during lockdown.  

When Rebekka Karijord and Jon Ekstrand were asked to compose the original score for the new Greta Thunberg documentary, I Am Greta, they knew they had to somehow create a musical language for a true force of nature. We discuss working on the film sustainably, their thoughts on the climate crisis, Rebekka's other life as a singer-songwriter, and Jon's upcoming Marvel movie, Morbius (starring Jared Leto and Matt Smith).

One of the most genre-fluid bands out there, Brighton's Phoria are somewhere between an art-rock outfit and a neoclassical chamber group. We chat with Trewin from the band about seeking inspiration from the human experience within an infinite universe, retreating from the internet to record their new album, and recording Caught A Black Rabbit at Abbey Road Studios.