What does a melting glacier sound like? Can a rainforest sing? And what happens when the last bird of its species hears a recording and tries to reply?

In this special live edition of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, recorded at Tallinn Music Week, host Sean Adams moderates a powerful conversation on music, ecology, and collective action. Joined by artists and innovators from the EarthSonic project, the panel explores how field recordings, plant biofeedback, and immersive sound can shift our understanding of the planet — and why that emotional shift matters.

From Brazil’s disappearing biodiversity to sound fossils in the Swiss Alps, this episode weaves together music, activism, and indigenous wisdom in an urgent yet hopeful conversation about art’s role in averting climate collapse.

Plus Ruth from In Place of War reveals their new project with Bicep in Greenland that launches in summer 2025.

Featured Guests & Projects:

• ⁠Natural Symphony (Joey Dean)⁠
• ⁠Ludwig Berger⁠
• ⁠In Place of War / EarthSonic (Ruth Daniel)⁠
• ⁠Martyn Ware (Heaven 17 / Human League)⁠

Episode Highlights & Timestamps:

• 03:00 – Ruth Daniel on the origins of In Place of War and EarthSonic
• 06:00 – Ludwig Berger: Listening to melting glaciers through hydrophones
• 11:00 – Martyn Ware (Heaven 17/The Human League) on sonifying endangered species and synthetic forests
• 17:00 – Natural Symphony: Collaborating with plants and reforesting the Amazon
• 27:00 – The power of sound to bridge disconnection and inspire action
• 33:00 – Building cultural change through art and emotional resonance
• 39:00 – Sound healing, deep listening, and making the unseen audible
• 45:00 – What capitalism doesn’t want us to feel — and why art matters
• 52:00 – Indigenous wisdom, urban detachment, and finding your own tree
• 58:00 – Hopeful projects, collective agency, and calling in the music industry

Mentioned in the Episode:

• "The Last Scream" new release
• Crying Glacier movie

• EarthSonic panel replay via the TMW.EE website

Join the Conversation:

• Drowned in Sound Community
• Email Sean → sean@drownedinsound.org
• Follow Sean on Bluesky
• Subscribe to the DiS Newsletter

What did the future sound like when the synthesizer first arrived? What does it feel like now, with AI looming and immersive audio spaces on the rise?

In this special episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, recorded at Tallinn Music Week, Sean Adams speaks with Martyn Ware — founder of The Human League and Heaven 17, producer for acts ranging from Tina Turner to Erasure, and creator of some of the UK’s most ambitious sound installations.

This is a conversation about optimism and dystopia, about punk and purpose, and about how DIY culture in Sheffield shaped a career that’s still future-facing today.

Martyn also reflects on his podcast Electronically Yours, the legacy of sound, and how creative freedom can reshape confidence, community, and cultural memory.

Timestamps & Topics:

• 01:32 – Synths, Sheffield, and starting out
• 07:00 – Curiosity and creative confidence
• 10:00 – From charts to immersive installations
• 14:30 – Podcasting and preserving legacy
• 20:00 – What would a Martyn Ware bar sound like?
• 25:00 – Optimism, memory, and what comes next

Further Listening & Resources:

• 🎙️ Electronically Yours podcast
• 🔊 Illustrious Company (immersive audio)
• 🧠 Sounds of Our Shores installation

Stay Connected:

• 🗣 Drowned in Sound Community
• 📩 Email Sean → sean@drownedinsound.org
• 🔵 Follow Sean on Bluesky
• 📰 Subscribe to the DiS Newsletter

About the Guest:

Martyn Ware is a pioneering British musician, producer, and sound artist. As a founding member of The Human League and Heaven 17, and co-founder of British Electric Foundation, he helped define the sound of synth-pop while pushing boundaries in spatial audio, immersive installations, and political music-making. He also hosts the acclaimed podcast Electronically Yours.

About the Host:

Sean Adams turned his passion for music into Drowned in Sound, a UK-based music platform that launched in 2000. He also manages artists like Charlotte Church and The Anchoress, and works across strategic communications in the music and creative sectors.

What's it like to be an artist right now? And what does the future of music look like? Will it be AI-generated slop or a joyful return to community and creativity?

In this episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams speaks to Becky Hawley from the art-pop trio Stealing Sheep.

From the launch of their new label G-IRL (Girl In Real Life) to their reflections on DIY culture, Liverpool’s music scene, and 15 years of creative evolution, this episode is full of inspiring insights about building something real in a digital world. Expect discussion of Daft Punk, community over algorithms, mechanical bulls, offline joy, and what it really means to be a band in 2025.

📌 Key Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Intro & New Album Campaign
• 01:56 – What Will Music Be Like in 2050?
• 04:54 – Joy, Fears, and Creative Challenges
• 07:19 – The Sound of Stealing Sheep: Riding the Bull of Tech
• 10:37 – G-IRL: Launching Their Own Record Label
• 20:33 – Liverpool as Inspiration & Music City
• 25:23 – Album Campaign Concepts & Offline Joy
• 29:18 – Let’s Go! New Single & Album Themes
• 30:59 – Artistic Identity, Collaborations & Creative Growth
• 33:50 – Lessons Learned from 15 Years in Music
• 38:05 – Building Community, Offline Spaces, & Human Connection
• 42:57 – Supporting Grassroots Scenes
• 49:01 – AI, Future Tech & Music’s Utopian Possibilities
• 52:21 – Final Reflections: What Artists Need to Unlearn

Links

• New Single “Let’s Go”
• Watch the Music Video
• Tatty Devine Collab
• Guerrilla Girls

Join the Conversation:

• 🗣 Drowned in Sound Community
• 📩 Email Sean → sean@drownedinsound.org
• 🔵 Follow on Bluesky

About the Guest:

Becky Hawley is one-third of Stealing Sheep, a Liverpool-based band known for their innovative, genre-defying sound. The trio recently launched their own record label, G-IRL (Girl In Real Life), to support their own work and that of other boundary-pushing creatives.

About the Host:

Sean Adams is the founder of Drowned in Sound, a pioneering music webzine launched in 2000. He also manages artists like Charlotte Church and The Anchoress, and works across campaigns that support independent and ethical approaches to music and media.

Drowned in Sound founder and DiS podcast host, Sean Adams answers your questions. Send Qs for future episodes to sean@drownedinsound.org.

Links mentioned in this episode

• Article: Cafe Oto at Oscars - The Guardian
• Artist Recommendation: Nina Versyp
• Artist Recommendation: TTSSFU
• Artist Recommendation: Maella
• Video: Apple on Dolby Atmos
• Ticket App: Dice
• Link: Tim Burgess listening party
• Article: Bjork immersive album Bowers + Wilkins
• Drink: Icelandic drink Black Death
• Venue Recommendation: Trades Club in Hebden Bridge

Music by Sound Mirror, available on Bandcamp here: https://sound-mirror.bandcamp.com/album/lake-wind-water-mountain

Your Questions:

Alex Lee Thompson: Are ”scenes” over? Unpack that question as you like

Simon Marshall: After the excellent live bands to look out for article, sponsored by Seetickets, I would be interested in your views on the ticket selling part of the music industry - as a music consumer the DICE app was and is a revelation, what is your experience, and what is the best place to buy to support artists and venues?

Ear Protect Req: What three bands or artists should we be checking out live?

Soundmirrorworld: Will the Atmos, immersive audio bubble burst? Or keep going ’til we’re full frontal?

Alex Botten: What do you think about the hoards of zombie cover bands eating up local venues. Are they helping or hurting the scene? (I believe profoundly hurting)

Eric Weiner: Would love to hear your thoughts on the listening party. Are they ever any good? What’s the perfect album release party?

Grimes quote in full: Honestly the thing I like most about k pop is its an actual scene - reminds me Canadian punk scenes or the indie scene back in the day where like if your integrated enough there's like a constant feed of beauty with sort of known rituals, built in community, and like a collective excitement that is contagious and life affirming. I see how music scenes function effectively as a quasi religious institutions in a secular society. The extreme corporatization of music followed by Covid was very culturally harmful imo cuz a healthy modern music scene is actually a functional religious replacement - if one assumes the mind is better served by access to a healthy community that produces art, has events, shared morality and values, messiahs haha etc. Techno and emo rap similarly ensnared me over the last decade to an extent but they seem less "all ages"

Why does gender bias still dominate radio airplay? And how did one data report force the industry to face its inequalities?

In this episode of the Drowned in Sound Podcast, Sean Adams talks to Linda Coogan Byrne, activist and music consultant behind the Why Not Her? campaign.

Her reports have exposed gender and racial disparities in radio airplay, driving real industry change.

This conversation reveals how data is power or as Linda puts it, “the data validates lived experiences.”

00:00 – Introduction: How One Report Changed Music
01:45 – Meet Linda Coogan Byrne & Her Data Reports
04:30 – The Shocking Gender Disparity in Radio
07:00 – Industry Reactions: Denial, Excuses & Pushback
11:00 – Thin Lizzy, Protest Billboards & Music Activism
15:30 – Has the Industry Improved or Is It Lip Service?
21:00 – Can Music Ever Be Equal?
30:00 – Why Not Everyone Can Be an Activist
38:00 – What Needs to Change for Lasting Equality?
45:00 – How Data Holds Power to Account
50:00 – Final Thoughts & Actionable Takeaways

Links

Why Not Her? Reports → https://whynother.eu/data-reports
Gender Bias in UK Radio – The Guardian → https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/21/female-british-artists-underrepresented-on-uk-radio-survey-finds
Book More Women (Festival Representation) → https://www.instagram.com/bookmorewomen/
Activist Recommendations:

• Mona Eltahawy → https://www.instagram.com/monaeltahawy
• Emma Dabiri - Don’t Touch My Hair → https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14603/9780141986289
• Mary Beard - Women & Power → https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14603/9781788160612
• Ijeoma Oluo - Mediocre → https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14603/9781529353839
• Check My Ads (Ad Funding & Misinformation) → https://checkmyads.org/

🗣 Discuss this episode over on the Drowned in Sound Community → https://community.drownedinsound.com/
📩 Email Sean → sean@drownedinsound.org
🔵 Follow on Bluesky → https://bsky.app/profile/drownedinsound.bsky.social
📩 Get the DiS Newsletter → https://drownedinsound.org

ABOUT THE GUEST

Linda Coogan Byrne is a music industry consultant, publicist, and activist known for her gender & racial disparity data reports. She is the CEO of Good Seed PR and founder of Why Not Her?, a campaign pushing for cultural change in music. Her work has influenced radio airplay, festival bookings, and policy decisions. She has been named among the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Ireland, inducted into the Music Week Hall of Honour, and recognized by IMPALA as a Top 20 Woman in Music Activism.

ABOUT THE HOST

Sean Adams is the founder of Drowned in Sound, a pioneering music webzine launched in 2000. Beyond editorial work, he manages artists like Charlotte Church and The Anchoress, operates the DiS independent record label, and contributes to strategic music industry and political advocacy projects. His passion lies in championing diverse music scenes and supporting artists worldwide.