A Cave, A Conch, An Algorithm

A collaboration with What We Did Before on the deep history of music, from prehistoric instruments and ritual to place, technology and AI.

A slightly different episode this time. Instead of the usual format, I’m sharing an interview I did for the excellent podcast What We Did Before. This particular episode, Before Music: Cave Rituals and Ancient Instruments | Steve Pretty explores where music may have come from, what it might have looked and sounded like before recorded history, and what those origins can still tell us now.

We get into prehistoric conch shells and bone flutes, the role of ritual, why location and environment matter to how music develops, and how some of those ancient questions suddenly loop back round when you start thinking about AI-generated music. In other words: caves, culture, creativity, and the usual big weird human questions.

I also mention a couple of live dates at the top of the episode. Ocean Songs is at East Point Pavilion in Lowestoft on Saturday 21st March, and the album launch is at Theatreship in London on Tuesday 24th March. My next live edition of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces is at Wilton’s Music Hall on Tuesday 19th May, featuring Jim Bob.

In this episode

• a collaboration with What We Did Before
• where music may have come from
• prehistoric instruments, including conch shells and bone flutes
• music, ritual and early human culture
• why place and environment shape musical traditions
• some thoughts on AI and what it means for music now

Also mentioned

• Ocean Songs at East Point Pavilion, 21st March
• Ocean Songs album launch at Theatreship, 24th March
• Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces live at Wilton’s Music Hall, 19th May

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