How hard is it to break the cultural coding around an instrument and realize its true potential? In this episode of Doing Music, Emily Hopkins talks to Craig Schuftan about her life-long relationship with the harp and her exploration of the instrument's experimental possibilities. Joined by her partner and sound engineer Russ, Emily details the various electro-acoustic methods she uses, the deep well of sound that comes from running her harps through pedals and her desire to inspire with her successful YouTube channel. As a classically-trained player now scoring high-profile soundtracks on her own terms, Emily's story is a relatable quest to maintain her own identity with an instrument everyone thinks they know.

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Edmar Castaneda

The Emotron - Life Without Horses

Wah Pedal on Harp is Ridiculous

Addi & Jacq

Zeena Parkins

Keep up with Emily Hopkins on YouTube, Instagram and via her website.

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Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

How hard is it to retain the irreverent spark that started a musical partnership nearly 20 years ago? In this episode of Doing Music, MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser talk to Craig Schuftan and Christa Belle about their instinct for the absurd throughout the course of their career. We learn about their roots in musical academia and their love of strange, disgusting music, and their learned experience that the weirdest sound you make might be the best one. From relishing the plasticity of early virtual-analog synths to avoiding over-thinking the creative process, Andrew and Ben take us into what makes MGMT such a psychedelic force in the field of pop-rock.

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Alvin Lucier

Anthony Braxton

Situationist International

Chrome - Half Machine Lip Moves

Royal Trux - Accelerator

Seeburg 1000

Keep up with MGMT on their website, Instagram and YouTube. Their latest album, Loss Of Life, is out now.

Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com

Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

When does self-doubt overtake the creative process? On this episode of Doing Music, L'Rain's Taja Cheek tells Craig Schuftan and co-host Christa Belle about the doubt she faces down when committing her musical ideas to a recording, especially when she’s working with others. A New York-based multi-instrumentalist with a mercurial twist on electronic soul, Cheek tells us about the various stages of her music making, from quick-fire voice notes and being alone in busy places to her love of lo-fi sound. It's a fascinating insight into the inner workings of a musician who prizes the patient art of the album to convey her ideas more deeply.

Explore further:

National Sawdust Artists in Residence Program

Terry Riley - Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band

Everybody Shut Up by DJ Pacman

Keep up with L’Rain on Instagram and via her website — and check out her music on Bandcamp.

Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com

Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.