Steve Pretty on The Origin of the Pieces

Steve Pretty on The Origin of the Pieces Helping you to hear and understand music in new ways. As fun as it is thoughtful, this show aims to help you hear and appreciate music in a new way.

A show for anyone who has ever listened to, played, improvised or written music and wanted to know more about these mysterious sounds. Are they 'auditory cheesecake' as cognitive scientist Steven Pinker claims, or actually a fundamental part of what has made us into modern humans?

05/10/2025

Always working, me

01/10/2025

When the news feels apocalyptic… why not go all in?

We’re throwing a New Orleans-style funeral for the universe.

👨‍🚀 , musicians, and herself.
🎺 First half: cosmic reflection.
🥁 Second half: the party, the wake, the second line.
📍 , King’s Cross
🗓 10th October
🎟 Tickets via link in bio

01/10/2025

Join musician Steve Pretty (Hackney Colliery Band) and astronomer Chris Lintott (Sky At Night on 10th October at Jamboree, King’s Cross for a one-night-only New Orleans–style funeral for the universe.

Expect:
✨ Cosmic reflections from top astronomers (including special guest Katie Mack)
🎶 Live music woven through 13.8 billion years of history
🥁 A party-like wake in true New Orleans fashion
📍 Jamboree, King’s Cross
🗓 Thursday 10th October, 7.30pm
🎟 Tickets: https://www.jamboreevenue.co.uk/events/the-end-of-the-universe-with-steve-pretty-and-chris-lintott/

29/09/2025

Whenever astronomers find something astonishing — storms shaped like hexagons on Saturn, asteroids from other solar systems, ancient rivers on Mars — the internet asks the same thing: “Is it aliens?” 👽

Chris Lintott (BBC’s Sky at Night) and Steve Pretty (Hackney Colliery Band) think the universe is far more interesting than that… and they’re throwing it a New Orleans–style brass band funeral. 🎺🌌

📅 10th October
📍 Jamboree, King’s Cross, London
🎟 Tickets: https://www.jamboreevenue.co.uk/events/the-end-of-the-universe-with-steve-pretty-and-chris-lintott/

26/09/2025

Here’s a clip from last week, when I joined at to soundtrack his lecture on the end of the universe. A mix of trumpet lines and live electronics weaving around cosmology and philosophy.

We’re taking this further (with plenty of lighter moments too) on our Universe of Music tour. It begins with a special funeral for the end of the universe at Jamboree on 10th October.

📅 Dates:
10th October: , London (funeral for the end of the universe with and full band)
20th November: , Corsham
27th November: Cambridge
15th January: , Shoreham-by-Sea

🎟 Tickets are on sale now, link in bio.

26/09/2025

Here’s a clip from last week at Gresham College, where I joined Chris Lintott to soundtrack his lecture on the end of the universe with trumpet and live electronics.

We are now taking this out on the road. The first night is a funeral for the end of the universe at Jamboree on 10th October with Katie Mack and a full band, followed by Corsham, Cambridge and Shoreham-by-Sea.

🎟 Tickets available now.

24/09/2025

It's a year since the Dan Spanner released 'A Load Of Old Toot', mixed and produced by me. It was one of the most enjoyable mixing/production jobs I've done lately, trying to capture the essence of the punk-inflected chaos of the regular live gigs on record. I'm super proud of it, and here's my solo on the band's cover of Snarky Puppy’s Shofukan as a little demo.
Dan has admirably taken all his work off Spotify because they're such massive baddies, but you can buy and listen to the whole thing on Bandcamp - or why not pick up a copy at our gig at Jamboree, Kings Cross tonight?!

17/09/2025

In episode 30, music therapist reminds us that music isn’t optional; it’s baked into being human. From the Match of the Day theme to a baby’s lullaby, it sneaks into our lives in ways we barely notice.

Episode 31 drops soon, and then a whole raft of stuff coming up over the coming months - don't miss it!

Triple gig day in the sun today; couple of nice shows for their Brassworks event and now back tootling and apparently ...
06/09/2025

Triple gig day in the sun today; couple of nice shows for their Brassworks event and now back tootling and apparently wearing ‘s shirt?! Hope he doesn’t mind.

04/08/2025

Here’s something a bit different: a full ambient set I performed at ALSO Festival earlier this summer, made entirely from conch and triton shells.

All the sounds were played and processed live using a few bits of tech (Tempera, Cosmos, Push 3, Zoom L6 if you’re into that kind of thing), but everything started life as a puff of air into a shell.

Some people have said it’s their go-to music for working or decompressing — slow, droney, and just strange enough to keep things interesting. Headphones highly recommended.

And yes, there is a silver mannequin torso lurking in the background. It came with the DJ booth. I may now insist on one at all future gigs.

04/08/2025

This hour-long ambient set was performed live at ALSO Festival using only the sound of conch and triton shells, processed in real time with:
– Push 3
– Cosmos
– .audio Tempera
– Zoom L6
No pre-recorded material. Just acoustic breath-powered instruments, fed through a mess of granular processors, delay and looping.
Part of my Shellectronica project — finding the overlap between very old instruments and modern chaos.
🎧 Best on headphones
📺 Full video on YouTube
The torso? Already there when I arrived. I left it alone.

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London Borough Of Hackney

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