This week, Dan leads us to our Season Five finale via a conversation with the tranquil-voiced José González. Born and based in Gothenburg, Sweden to Argentinian parents, González is an indie folk singer-songwriter known for his signature sound of classical guitar picking and soothing vocals. To date he has released four studio albums as a solo artist as well as two further albums with folk-rock band Junip.   He has made several TV appearances, performing Late Night with Conan O’Brien twice, Later… with Jools Holland and Jimmy Kimmel Live. His cover of The Knife’s “Heartbeats” was featured in an iconic commercial for Sony BRAVIA. On top of all this, he was in a PHD program for biochemistry prior to his music career taking off.   Don’t miss this chat with this fascinating man.   Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast

This week listen in to meet the Founder and Director of Primavera Sound: Pablo Soler. One of Europe’s elite festivals, Primavera has hosted the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Neil Young, Nine Inch Nails and Wu-Tang Clan. Pablo was the founder of the festival that started small in 2001 with 8,000 attendees on a one-day show and has now built the festival to 200,000 people attending over two weekends. Pablo chats with Dan about his transition from law to festivals, the changing landscape of the Barcelona music scene, their mission to showcase Latin-speaking bands and how to stay relevant by keeping up with the music of newer generations.   After a two-year break due to the pandemic, Primavera Sound returns next month on the 2nd June as well as four new editions set to take place this year in Los Angeles, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires and São Paulo.   Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast

Nitin Sawhney is a British musician, producer and composer with a truly impressive list of awards and credits. Pulling from a wide range of influences, his music is known for combining aspects from traditional Asian music, electronica, jazz and hip hop. He has also collaborated with the likes of Paul McCartney, the London Symphony Orchestra, Brian Eno, Cirque du Soleil, Sinead O’Connor and Nelson Mandela to name just a few. Sawhney is a recipient of the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement Award and rejected an OBE in 2007 only to later accept a CBE in 2019 in honour of his father. He has received Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Kent, Sussex, Roehampton, Staffordshire and Goldsmiths College. Listen in to hear Nitin chat with Dan about his wide range of musical influences, his impressive career and the importance of the newer generations having accessibility to a wide range of genres and artists in the information age.  Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast

This week Dan chats to the legendary Macy Gray, American R&B and Soul singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Known for her instantly recognisable raspy voice, Gray has released ten studio albums, received five Grammy Award Nominations and went on to win Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her smash-hit “I Try” in 2001.  After studying script writing before her music career kicked off, Gray has gone on to appear in a number of films including Training Day, Spider-man, Scary Movie 3 and The Paperboy. In 2005 she opened the Macy Gray Music Academy and in 2020 co-founded the non-profit MyGood.org. She has collaborated with a number of artists, including Erykah Badu, Ariana Grande and Dolly Parton as well as performed the theme song for Nickelodeon animated show As Told By Ginger. Tune in to hear her chat about her rise in the industry and the effect of fame, working with the likes of Erykah Badu, Rick Rubin and Fatboy Slim and her support of the families affected by police brutality through her non-profit MyGood.org. Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify   www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast

Tune in this week as Dan chats with Rou Reynolds, frontman of electronic-post-hardcore band Enter Shikari. Debuting in 2007 with Take to the Skies, Enter Shikari have gone on to release six studio albums, each dripping with experimentation making them one of the world’s leading alternative bands. The list of accolades and nominations is massive, including six Kerrang Awards won (Best Live Band, Best Single, Best Album), two NME Awards won and two AIM awards won to name a few. The band also has their own record label, Ambush Reality. On top of all this, Reynolds has explored side projects including a clothing label Step Up and has written and published three books as companions for his music, Dear Future Historians, The Spark and A Treatise on Possibility. In this episode, Rou and Dan unpack this impressive career as well as maintain consistency, creativity and connecting with fans in the pandemic era.   Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify   www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast

Award-winning record producer and mixing engineer Catherine Marks talks at length with Dan this week about what it’s like to work your way to the top in the music industry.   From the benefits of leaving her home country, Australia, persistence in attaining her foot in the door with legendary producer Flood, and patience as she gained momentum and recognition, Marks’ perseverance has paid off, making her one of the biggest names in indie production.   A magician of audio architecture, Marks has worked with staples of the industry and upcoming artists including Foals, The Killers, Local Natives and Wolf Alice. She won the Music Producers Guild’s Breakthrough Producer of the Year in 2016 and went on to win their Producer of the Year award in 2018. In 2020 she won the Heavy Music Awards Best Producer.    As a role model and wellspring of advice and experience, this episode is a must-listen for anyone wanting to make a career in the music industry.   Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify   www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast

This week Dan chats with Thai singer-producer Pyra. Self-describing her music as “dystopian-pop,” Pyra blends hip-hop, alternative pop and Thai traditional instrumentation as the backbone for lyrics exploring socio-political issues. Coupling her sound with an experimental visual and performance style, she has quickly become a festival favourite. She has made appearances at Burning Man, The Great Escape, Garden Beats and Forest Jam, just to name a few.   Listen in to hear Pyra explaining the Thai pop industry compared to the rest of the world, the fashion influence on her music and the rise of censorship laws in the East attempting to block her artistic activism. Congratulations go out to Pyra, who recently won 'Best Solo Act From Asia' & 'Best Song By An Asian Artist' at the NME Awards 2022 as the winner in the all-new Asia categories. She'll be performing at Coachella in no time. One to watch.   Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify   www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast   --

It's been our pleasure to reach this milestone in season 5 of our podcast this year, navigating our way through the best in business in the industry we love. We wanted to bring a 'Special' guest to the latest season this week and share his ‘message to you'. It’s a great honour to welcome legendary bassist Horace Panter, also known as Sir Horace Gentleman, from the biggest British 2 Tone ska band in the world, The Specials. Horace delves back in time with Dan to discuss his involvement in creating the punk-ska hybrid that became known as '2-Tone and describes his experiences since the band's creation. Enjoy yourself! Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify   www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast

In our Series Four Finale, Dan speaks with Colombian producer and sound engineer Felipe Alvarez. He is the founder of Polen Records, an independent music label created in 2006 based in Bogota, Colombia.  Polen Records and Felipe Alvarez are a predominant force in the South American music scene, producing and releasing some of the most important acts, working with artists such as Shakira and Calle13. In 2011, Felipe received two Latin Grammy Awards for Best Song of The Year and Record of the Year with Calle13’s “Latinoamerica” as a sound engineer. Polen Records have also been nominated for two Latin Grammys with Bomba Estereo’s album “Elegancia Tropical” for Best Alternative Music Album in 2013. With acclaim such as these under his belt, be sure not to miss this chat.   Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify   www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast

This week Dan talks with Black Joe Lewis an Austin, Texas-based musician continuing the blues, funk and soul legacies of Howlin’ Wolf and James Brown.    First picking up a guitar while working in an Austin pawn shop, Joe Lewis has gone on to release six studio albums, performed at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Coachella and Splendour in the Grass as well as TV appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Austin City Limits.   Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears were listed as one of the “Ten Bands Set to Break Out at 2009’s SXSW Festival” by Esquire Magazine.   Apple Podcasts: https://t.ly/212Podcast Spotify: https://t.ly/212PodcastSpotify   www.212musicgroup.com/the212podcast