Lost And Sound
Paul Hanford
Lost and Sound is a podcast exploring the most exciting and innovative voices in underground, electronic, and leftfield music worldwide. Hosted by Berlin-based writer Paul Hanford, each episode features in-depth, free-flowing conversations with artists, producers, and pioneers who push music forward in their own unique way.From legendary innovators to emerging mavericks, Paul dives into the intersection of music, creativity, and life, uncovering deep insights into the artistic process. His relaxed, open-ended approach allows guests to express themselves fully, offering an intimate perspective on the minds shaping contemporary sound.Originally launched with support from Arts Council England, Lost and Sound has featured groundbreaking artists including Suzanne Ciani, Peaches, Laurent Garnier, Chilly Gonzales, Sleaford Mods, Nightmares On Wax, Graham Coxon, Saint Etienne, Ellen Allien, A Guy Called Gerald, Jean Michel Jarre, Liars, Blixa Bargeld, Hania Rani, Roman Flügel, Róisín Murphy, Jim O’Rourke, Yann Tiersen, Thurston Moore, Lias Saoudi (Fat White Family), Caterina Barbieri, Rudy Tambala (A.R. Kane), more eaze, Tesfa Williams, Slikback, NikNak, and Alva Noto.Paul Hanford is a writer, broadcaster, and storyteller whose work bridges music, culture, and human connection. His debut book, Coming to Berlin, is available in all good bookshops. Lost and Sound is for listeners passionate about electronic music, experimental sound, and the people redefining what music can be.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 9, 2021 • 1h 5min
A Guy Called Gerald and Trevor Miller
It’s been thirty years since they last met but I had a chat with A Guy Called Gerald and Trevor Miller. Miller’s cult novel Trip City caught the early acid house zeitigest and it was released with an EP made by Gerald, riding high at the time with what are now the classics Voodoo Ray and Pacific State. To celebrate the book’s re-release I caught up with the two for a frank, revealing and at times hilarious chat. It was pretty much two old pals catching up with me somewhere in the middle. Enjoy!Theme music by ESO
Jun 2, 2021 • 1h
Jim O'Rourke
We’re back. Today, I spoke with Jim O’Rourke, iconocalstic producer, singer-songwriter, former Wilco and Sonic Youth collaborator, from his home half way up a mountain near Tokyo. The interview was originally recorded to talk about Jim’s film connection for the Lost and Sound - Playtronica collab podcast, Seeing Sound, but the conversation went into different realms and spilled out into this much, much longer version. Jim goes deep into working with Werner Herzog, his “just do it” mentality to the creative process, his Irish roots and speaking Japanese. It was such a pleasure for me to connect with a musician whose work I love so much and for him to turn out to be such an utterly humble, entertaining and damn well revealing human. Enjoy!Theme music by ESOJim O’Rourke’s BandcampYou can check out Seeing Sound here
May 18, 2021 • 43min
Lou Hayter
Lou Hayter’s on the show today. We spoke about the things and influences that have led up to her Roxy’eque space-disco tinged solo LP Private Sunshine, as well the New Young Pony Club days in the post punk and party mid noughties. Lou is a certified Steely Dan fan and she very kindly gives some advice too, on finding your way into the Dan’s catalogue.Theme music by ESO
May 11, 2021 • 49min
Roman Flügel
In this engaging conversation, DJ and producer Roman Flügel reflects on his 30-year journey in electronic music. He shares stories from the early rave scene in Frankfurt, revealing the community's vibrant dynamics and cultural influences. Roman discusses the impactful emotional evolution captured in his new LP, 'Eating Darkness,' created during the pandemic, shifting focus from party tracks to introspective sounds. He also explores the contrasting dance scenes of Frankfurt and Berlin, showcasing the unique energy of each city's nightlife.
May 4, 2021 • 55min
Flora Yin-Wong
Flora Yin-Wong: producer, DJ, writer, multi-disciplinarian spoke with me from London about the startling work of textural sound that is her debut LP, Holy Palm. Her debut book Liturgy, offers glimpses across travels, traditions and religions and we had a conversation about balancing different jobs (she was digital editor at Dazed for some time and also worked for Berlin's PAN label) as well as the commonalities between music and words, field recordings, growing up with an opera singing Mum and her DJ mixes, most recent of which, a Resident Advisor one that is so utterly not afraid to leave the dance floor.Theme music by ESO
Apr 28, 2021 • 1h 3min
King Britt
“Everyone whose listening… go off the grid!”Sage advice from this weeks guest on Lost and Sound - musical polymath King Britt, beaming in from San Diego. Right now, he’s taken a lifetime in DJing, producing, remixing and just being an all round presence in electronic music’s evolution into the realms of education. We had a chat about whitewashing in electronic music and the need to have access to the lesser documented history.Along the way we took in his roots from 5 year old King DJing at his Dad’s barber shop in Philly, the legendary Silk City in Philadelphia, forming partnerships with Josh Wink and Digable Planets, about his university course Blacktronica: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music - researching and honouring the people of colour, who've pioneered groundbreaking genres within the electronic music and even taking a trip into the future. His advice for future music? Go off the grid! What does that mean? You’ll have to listen to find out. Enjoy!If you’re listening the week this episode comes out and want to get involved, check out Blacktronika presents Sound for Humanity, a series of performances by six music creative artists, who were asked to think about sound, not only in its sonic definition (noun) but sound as an adjective (sound mind) and verb (sound the alarm), and how their choices will contribute in some way to humanity. Hit the link if you want to join.Title music by ESO
Apr 20, 2021 • 59min
Gruff Rhys
I spoke with Gruff Rhys, the always inventive artist, frontman of Super Fury Animals, sometomes half of Neon Neon, author, director and all round potential Welsh national treasure.Super Fury Animals, often considered the last great band on Creation Records gave a sense of surreal adventure and a global musical pallet unusual for the Britpop era. They sung sometimes in Welsh, were politically conscious, at one point they had a tank, they mixed in techno, tropicalia and a million other sonic sources and of course there’s that song The Man Don’t Give A Fuck that sampled Steely Dan.Then at some point, Gruff set out with a solo and collaborative body of work that’s seen his music grow into films, collaborations, such as Neon Neon (with Boom Bip) a book and a rather novel use of power point presentations.We had a chat about language, about the Velvet Underground, about his film American Interior and about scoring a hit with a song that says “fuck” over 50 times. Enjoy!Title music by ESO
Apr 14, 2021 • 1h 8min
Mark Reeder
Fresh up in Lost and Sound today, legendary Brit in Berlin, Mark Reeder. Musician, record producer, label owner, the man who bought Joy Division to Berlin, who pioneered Trance with his MFS label, he’s been an outlier and creative force in the city from post-punk to now, whose story of arriving in Berlin over 40 years ago is vividly chronicled in the amazing doc B-Movie. This is a kind of redux. A really rather short version of this interview appeared in one of the very first episodes of Lost and Sound, the idea was always to share a much longer cut, because the story he tells, of arriving in Berlin in the 70s initially just to buy some records, and how he smuggled cassettes across the border into East Berlin, eventually setting up a punk gig under the noses of the Stasi, needs to be heard in full. Right now, he’s just released SUBVERSIV-DEKADENT, a double album featuring his own tracks, and remixes for the likes of New Order, Yello and Liars. But we recorded this conversation in a cafe on Zossener Strasse, a real cafe with real atmosphere in 2018 on the 1st of May, as the annual street celebrations were kicking off a kilometre away. Get ready to be transported back to the early 80s…MFS Label WebsiteMark ReederTitle music by ESO
Apr 6, 2021 • 60min
Hannah Holland
I had a chat with Hannah Holland - DJ, producer, composer, promoter, label boss. Hannah’s played a key role in London’s alternative and queer club scene since the mid-noughties, firstly as resident at the legendary night Trailer Trash and then with Batty Bass. She’s played everywhere from Panorama Bar to Fabric. Now, not only composing the music for Channel 4’s Adult Material, she’s debuted the krautrock tinged single Midnight Horizon from her new LP.I know Hannah a little bit from when I was living in east London, but havn’t spoken to her for years. We had a fun, open chat reflecting on the energy and freedom of the party scene in East London during the early naughties, her early experiences being super young and going to Goldie’s Metalheadz nights, building up to a 9 hour set at Panorama Bar and levelling up with new work.Title music by ESO
Mar 24, 2021 • 49min
Chilly Gonzales
This week, I had a chat with Chilly Gonzales, the suave all round musical polymath. Where do you start with Chilly? From early rap-infused works where he declared himself the President of the Berlin Underground, to his sublime Solo Piano albums, via collaborating with Daft Punk, Feist and Jarvis Cocker. Then there's running his own music school (The Gonzervtory) to holding the Guinness world record for the longest ever solo performance and of course writing a book about Enya. We got into a flow that took in everything from the hidden genius in Iggy Azalea’s Fancy to the connection between chamber music and bedroom producers. A charming and erudite gent to spend an hour with!Title music by ESO
