The sun has taken over gloomy cool evenings, eliminating the only remaining trace of winter; you're getting ready for one of the afternoon strolls that found their way into your self-isolation routine. In this period of crisis, our ability to “enjoy our time alone” is being tested as never before. Social distancing forced us all to look inwards and slow down, with some of us seeking inspiration, ways to nourish our minds with new knowledge, or taking up any sorts of even mundane activities to fill up the once-craved free time. We have rounded up some of the most interesting podcasts that would serve as a fun companion on a walk amidst blossoming trees or add color to otherwise tedious household chores, providing some much-needed escapism in these grinding times.
The show’s name is taken from a quote by Buckminster Fuller: “Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable.” 99% Invisible, therefore, brings our attention to small-seeming things we don’t normally think about – the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world as we know it. The podcast reveals stories surrounding the buildings we inhabit, the streets we drive and the products we consume, taking a deep dive into the design in everything from board games to milk cartons to currency. The show is available for streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify as well as it is free to download from the official website, along with the interview transcripts.
The Modern Art Notes Podcast is a weekly, roughly hour-long interview program featuring artists, historians, critics, authors, curators, and conservators. The topics of the show range from discussing 20thcentury art pieces to interviews with contemporary artists about their works. Since 2011, the program has been produced and hosted by Tyler Green, an award-winning art critic, and historian whose work examines the ways in which artists have engaged with and had an impact on national histories. The endless catalog of the weekly digital audio program features interviews with artists such as Richard Serra, Olafur Eliasson and Robert Irwin, just to name a few. You can find MAN podcasts on most of the streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Google Play, and Spotify.
Nancy is a critically-acclaimed podcast featuring provocative queer stories and frank conversations about the LGBTQ experience today that take the listener from laughter to tears and back in 30 minutes. Hosted by two best friends, Nancy is a gentle investigation into how we define ourselves, the journey towards there, and the courage it takes to live outside social norms. Have a listen to one of the episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Couch Wisdom is a podcast presenting some of the best lectures from past editions of the Red Bull Music Academy archive. The talks feature personal stories and creative insights from artists such as Robert Henke, Objekt, Philip Glass, and Holly Herndon and are available for streaming on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. In each episode, the host and creator Hrishikesh Hirway, asks artists to delve into the specific decisions that went into creating one of their works and then edits it into a condensed story of 15 to 30 minutes by removing his side of the conversation. The wide range of previous guests includes musicians such as Oneohtrix Point Never, FKA Twigs, Blood Orange, and Jon Hopkins. You can stream the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts or download it from the Song Exploder website.
Interdependence is a new podcast started by longtime collaborators and partners Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst. The two recently collaborated on Herndon's 2019 album, PROTO, for which they developed an “A.I baby” Spawn that listens, learns, speaks and sings on the release. The podcast invites individuals at the center of music, technology and policy, whose ideas help in navigating Dryhurst’s and Herndon’s creative processes. The first episode features Evgeny Morozov, critic and intellectual as well as the founder and publisher of The Syllabus, who discusses COVID-19 solutionism and how to improve the accessibility of information online.
CTM is a festival for adventurous music and art in Berlin. As part of the annual discourse program, they host panels, lectures, one-on-one interviews, and performances that stimulate a broad and free-roaming discussion on the festival’s theme. The 2020 edition revolved around the concept of ‘Liminality’ and covered the topics ranging from the sounds of change in Latin America, the environmental impact of recorded music, the creative potentials of AI, and much more available on SoundCloud.
Krzrzrz is a radio show hosted by Freddy K that won't fail to put a smile on your face. In each episode, the artist shares his favorite tunes and talks to his listeners, spreading positive energy and making them feel less alone. The show airs every day of the quarantine on his SoundCloud at 15:00 CET. Every 5 episodes of the easy-going listening session feature artworks from an under-the-radar photographer selected by Freddy K.