FaceCulture: Giving You The People Behind The Music

Jean-Michel Jarre is a French composer, producer and performer and a pioneer in the electronic music genre. His first mainstream success came with the release of his 1976 album Oxygène, followed by   Équinoxe in 1978. Jarre has played in front of some of the largest crowds ever assembled, including a concert in front of 3.5 million Russians in celebration of the 850th birthday of Moscow.  More recently the Frenchman has ventured into the realm of VR as he held a virtual New Year's Eve concert from a virtual Notre Dame. The performance was captured as the album 'Welcome To The Other side. We spoke with Jean-Marie about the album, three very influential people in his life, innovations in music technology, binaural recording, respecting creativity and intellectual property,  lessons from his mother, and a lot more! Interview by: Martin KuiperSupport the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.

Troy Donockley is an English composer and multi-instrumentalist (particularly the Uilleann pipes) who has played with all kinds of artists, but is probably most known for his work in symphonic metal band Nightwish. Auri, a band he formed with Nightwish founder Tuomas Holopainen and his wife Finnish singer Johanna Kurkela just released their second album 'II - Those We Don't Speak Of' and we spoke with Troy about the album, the songwriting approach, singing on a couple of songs, Light and Flood, a sense of gratitude, how things are in Nightwish, and a lot more! I've been lucky enough to speak with Troy on several occasions and as always his charm, kindness and eloquence is an absolute pleasure! By: Robin HignellSupport the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.

Dustie Waring is a guitarist in American progressive metal band Between The Buried And Me.  The North Carolina based band made a name for itself with its technical and groovy sound and their willingness to adapt and evolve with every album. The band recently released their tenth record 'Colors II',  which serves as a follow-up to their acclaimed 2007 release 'Colors'. We spoke with Dusty about not repeating themselves, songs that are difficult to play, working on an album during the pandemic, being proud of what you create, art that is willing to take risks, and a lot more! Interview by: Robin Hignell Support the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.

Álvaro Soler is a Spanish-German singer who made a name for himself with the 2015 hit song "El Mismo Sol" of which he later recorded another version with Jennifer Lopez. His next single 'Sofia' subsequently reached the top spot in many countries in Europe. Soler released his third album 'Magia' this year and we spoke with him about contrast in his music, memories of summer holidays, getting back into producing, the song En Tu Piel, feeling useless without live shows, enjoying the moment, and  a lot more! Interview by: Robin HignellSupport the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.

Gary Kemp is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer, most known for his work as the principal songwriter for English pop band Spandau Ballet. Kemp penned hits like 'Gold' and 'True' on the band's way to over 25 million records sold world wide.  With the future of Spandau Ballet very much uncertain Kemp released his second solo album 'Insolo' this year, and we sat down with him to talk about it. We also spoke about what got him into songwriting, scoring massive hits with Spandau Ballet, moving away from the past, playing in Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets,' a sense of fearlessness, and a lot more! Interview by: Robin HignellSupport the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.

Tom Odell is an English singer-songwriter who immediately started making waves with his debut EP 'Songs from Another Love' in 2012, with the lead single 'Another Love' becoming an international hit. This success lead him to win the BRIT's Critic's choice award the next year. Odell has since released four top-5 albums in the UK, the latest being Monsters, which was released this year. We had a very open and introspective conversation about the new album, finding himself in a difficult place mentally, his identity outside of music, having an obsessive nature, a very expensive microphone and his vocal takes, expressing something pure, a sense of fearlessness, and a lot more! Interview by: Robin HignellSupport the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.

Jack Savoretti is an English singer-songwriter who with his most recent album 'Europiana' managed to top the UK charts for a second time in a row, following his previous album 'Singing to Strangers'. We have been lucky to talk with Jack for quite some years now and it's always such a pleasure. On this occasion we delved into 'Europiana', memories of childhood summer holidays, surrounding himself with people that help elevate what he does, recording the album in the famous Abbey Road studios, what true love really is, and a lot more! Enjoy!By: Robin HignellSupport the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.

Ashlyn Rae Willson, or just Ashe, is an American singer and songwriter most known for the hit single 'Moral of the Story' that appeared in the Netflix film 'To All The Boys: P. S. I Still Love You'. She released her exciting debut album 'Ashlyn' in May, 2021, and we spoke with her about the album, feeling like she has no limitations, a song for her brother who passed away, the impact music can have, writing about her divorce, working with producer FINNEAS, and a lot more! By: Robin HignellSupport the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.

Garbage is an American rock band fronted by Scottish vocalist and musician Shirley Manson. The band immediately made waves with their eponymous debut album (released in 1995) and their follow-up 'Version 2.0' (1998) topped the UK charts and earned the band two Grammy nominations. Garbage released their seventh studio album ' No Gods No Masters' in June of 2021 and we spoke with Shirley Manson about the album,  witnessing a people's revolution in Santiago, Chile,  The Men Who Rule The World and equality for women, Uncomfortably Me, why being in a band means so much to her, our tendency towards greed, and a lot more! Interview by: Martin KuiperSupport the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.

UB40 is an award winning reggae band from Birmingham, England. They have sold over 70 million records worldwide , including two UK number one albums in Labour of Love (1983) and Promises and Lies (1993), and had international smash hits in Red Red Wine, Food For Thought, and covers of I Got You Babe and (I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You. We spoke with founding member Robin Campbell about their latest album Bigga Baggariddim, the state of reggae these days, the success years, music reflecting the times, his brother Ali quitting the band and no longer speaking to him, and a lot more! Interview by: Martin KuiperSupport the showThank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists visit the FaceCulture YouTube channel.