Before Music: Cave Rituals and Ancient Instruments | Steve Pretty

💬 What did we do before music? And what about before we could listen to music as entertainment whenever and wherever we wanted? It sounds impossible - rhythm and melody feel so fundamental to being human - but music hasn’t always sounded like symphonies, pop songs or even folk tunes. And the recorded music era we're in now has been incredibly short - in the grand scheme of human history. We may even be entering a new era, with AI-generated music becoming VERY real. So where, and why, did it begin?

In this episode, musician Steve Pretty joins us to explore the deep history of music - from prehistoric conch shells and bone flutes, to how location and environment mattered just as much as the music itself - and how that is still the case for us today. Steve is the leader of the Hackney Colliery Band and the creator of Shellelectronica, a project where he plays conch, triton and frog shells through modern electronic effects, channelling some of humanity's oldest sonic experiences for today’s listeners.

⚡ Together, we journey back to a time before Spotify, records, concert halls, and notation - even before instruments as we know them - to ask: why did humans start making music in the first place? And what lessons from the past can we apply to today?

🎧 Stay tuned to learn about:

➡ The earliest evidence of music in human history

➡ How the fundamental experience of music may have changed

➡ The role of music in ritual and communication

➡ Why shells, bones and simple materials became our first instruments

➡ How recorded music and capitalism has changed music

➡ Whether music is a cultural invention - or something biologically wired into us

This episode is an exploration of music’s origins - combining archaeology, anthropology and creative experimentation to imagine how sound shaped early human life - and how music might change going forward.

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About the podcast:

What We Did Before is a podcast where we chart the history of modern inventions, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI.

About your hosts:

Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers.

Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning.

Connect with Ollie:

Website: ⁠www.ogpodcasts.co.uk

⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou⁠

Email: ⁠hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk