Hello. I am Steve Pretty.

I spend my life working with sound in its many forms, and how it connects us.

Sometimes that’s through writing scores for TV, sometimes it’s through playing trumpet, sometimes it’s through my ‘wide-ranging and insightful’ (Guardian) podcast, sometimes it’s through bandleading, sometimes it’s working in theatre, sometimes it’s producing records, sometimes it’s creating soundscapes through ancient instruments like shells.

Drop me a line if you’d like me to do A Thing for you.

Here’s my Instagram feed so you can see what I’ve been up to.

Don’t forget to also check out Hackney Colliery Band’s feeds for all the latest on that front.

🎸 From the streets of Lilongwe to stages across Europe. “We met around 2002. No teacher — just the two of us, learning by ourselves. Listening to the radio, hearing music in the village, at weddings, in churches… but really, it came from our imagination.” One of them built his first guitar from scratch — motorbike brake cables for strings, a truck tyre for the body. Proof that music can grow from whatever you have lying around, if you’ve got the imagination for it. 🎧 Hear more in Episode 33 of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces, recorded at @womex_theworldmusicexpo with the wonderful @madalitsoband 🇲🇼 #MadalitsoBand #WOMEX24 #WorldMusic #OriginOfThePieces #MalawiMusic #DIYInstruments #MusicPodcast #originofthepieces

In 1922, F. W. Murnau made Nosferatu — one of the first horror films, and still one of the strangest. This is my live improvised score, recorded at @alsofestival 2025. Everything you hear was created in real time, using trumpet, wind and percussion that I sampled and processed live. No loops, no pre-recorded material, no safety net. Performed and built with: @ableton Push 3 Standalone @somasynths Cosmos @beetlecrab.audio Tempera @wearenovation LaunchControl XL @zoomsoundlab LiveTrak L6 The full performance is up on YouTube now — just in time for Halloween, or any night when you fancy something a bit unsettling. #Nosferatu #LiveScore #SilentFilm #LiveElectronics #Ableton #Push3 #SOMACosmos #BeetlecrabTempera #Novation #LaunchControlXL #ZoomL6 #ALSOFestival #ExperimentalMusic #FilmComposer #SoundDesign #HalloweenMusic

We use our phones to mess around with photos and videos all the time, but hardly ever with sound. Why not? I recorded a fire pit with my six-year-old son and used the free @ableton Note app to turn it into a full mini track. It’s all in Episode 32 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, out now. Silly, nerdy, weirdly satisfying — and proof that music’s hiding everywhere if you listen for it. #AbletonNote #AbletonLive #SoundDesign #FieldRecording #OriginOfThePieces #MusicallyCurious #MusicExperiment

Back from a fantastic few days @womex_theworldmusicexpo I have got SO MUCH great stuff recorded for the podcast, met lots of friends old and new, had some tasty food (including this spectacular lions’s mane mushroom dish), danced my butt off, and listened to an insane amount of great music from all over the world. Stay tuned for insights into music from everywhere from (deep breath): China, US, Finland, Palestine, Korea and many more. My ears and brain maybe need a little break now, but I’m back feeling more energised by so much great music than ever! The tiniest selection here, but I have a 512gb memory card bursting at the seams with fascinating insights and music. #womex2025 #musicpodcast #originofthepieces

🚨 The podcast’s been taken down on some platforms — apparently my theme tune infringes the copyright of a song I produced myself. While I sort it out, here’s a quick workaround version. You’ll notice it… isn’t quite the same. #OriginOfThePieces #MusicallyCurious #PodcastingProblems

Ever heard flamenco without a guitar? That’s tonás — the raw vocal heart of flamenco. In Ep 32 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, @josie_sinna takes a deep dive into this centuries-old, unaccompanied form from Andalusia. #Flamenco #Tonás #MusicDeepDive #OriginOfThePieces

Ever wondered what happens if you tune the sea? 🌊🎹 In Episode 31 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, I used filters to isolate specific frequencies within a recording of waves — and ended up literally playing the sea like a keyboard. #OriginOfThePieces #SoundDesign #MusicScience #FieldRecording #SeaSounds #MusicallyCurious #SoundExperiment #AudioNerd #Ableton #ComposerLife

Are whales basically rock stars? Recorded live at @firstlightlowestoft, Episode 31 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces features Richard Sabin from the @natural_history_museum talking about the idea that whale song might share the same evolutionary roots as human music — showing off, attracting mates, asserting dominance… In other words: classic front-person behaviour. #originofthepieces #FirstLightFestival #WhaleSong #UnderwaterSound #MarineScience #NaturalHistoryMuseum #WhaleFacts #Cetaceans #ScienceOfSound #PodcastClip

Whale earwax might not sound glamorous, but it’s one of the most fascinating scientific records we have. In Episode 31 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, I talk to Richard Sabin from the @natural_history_museum about what these waxy “ear plugs” reveal — from a whale’s age and pregnancies to stress peaks during the world wars and the modern rise in underwater noise. It’s astonishing how much of the ocean’s story is stored in sound. Recorded in front of a live audience @firstlightlowestoft #originofthepieces #UnderwaterSound #OceanNoise #MarineScience #WhaleFacts #FinWhale #Cetaceans #NaturalHistoryMuseum

Always working, me #musiciansofinstagram

When the news feels apocalyptic… why not go all in? We’re throwing a New Orleans-style funeral for the universe. 👨‍🚀 @lintottchris, @hackneycolliery musicians, and @astrokatiemack herself. 🎺 First half: cosmic reflection. 🥁 Second half: the party, the wake, the second line. 📍 @jamboreevenue, King’s Cross 🗓 10th October 🎟 Tickets via link in bio #EndOfTheUniverse #UniverseOfMusic #LondonEvents #LiveMusicLondon #ScienceAndMusic #KatieMack #ChrisLintott

We’re throwing a New Orleans–style funeral for the universe 🎺✨ Exploding stars, cosmic hexagons, wandering asteroids and party music to celebrate 13.8 billion years of history. Join @stevepretty + @lintottchris for Universe of Music: A Funeral for the Universe. 📍 @jamboreevenue , King’s Cross 📅 10th October #UniverseOfMusic #FuneralForTheUniverse #OriginOfThePieces #StevePretty #ChrisLintott #CosmicMusic #AstronomyMeetsMusic #SpaceAndSound #KingsCrossEvents #LiveLondon #BigBangBrass #CosmicCuriosity

Here’s a clip from last week, when I joined @lintottchris at @greshamcollege to soundtrack his lecture on the end of the universe. A mix of trumpet lines and live electronics weaving around cosmology and philosophy. We’re taking this further (with plenty of lighter moments too) on our Universe of Music tour. It begins with a special funeral for the end of the universe at Jamboree on 10th October. 📅 Dates: 10th October: @jamboreevenue , London (funeral for the end of the universe with @astrokatiemack and full band) 20th November: @poundarts , Corsham 27th November: Cambridge @cambridgejunction 15th January: @ropetackleart , Shoreham-by-Sea 🎟 Tickets are on sale now, link in bio. #UniverseOfMusic #OriginOfThePieces #LiveMusic #ScienceAndMusic #ChrisLintott #KatieMack #Cosmos #CambridgeJunction #CorshamArts #Ropetackle #SkyAtNight

It's a year since the Dan Spanner Big Band released 'A Load Of Old Toot', mixed and produced by me. It was one of the most enjoyable mixing/production jobs I've done lately, trying to capture the essence of the punk-inflected chaos of the regular live gigs on record. I'm super proud of it, and here's my solo on the band's cover of Snarky Puppy's Shofukan as a little demo. Dan has admirably taken all his work off Spotify because they're such massive baddies, but you can buy and listen to the whole thing on Bandcamp - or why not pick up a copy at our gig at Jamboree, Kings Cross tonight?!

In episode 30 of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces, music therapist @kclou_25 reminds us that music isn’t optional; it’s baked into being human. From the Match of the Day theme to a baby’s lullaby, it sneaks into our lives in ways we barely notice. Episode 31 drops soon, and then a whole raft of stuff coming up over the coming months - don't miss it! #originofthepieces #musicpodcast #musicallycurious

Last week I did my first bit of comedy dabbling for a while. Brought my live shellectronica ambient rig to @theacms to create possibly the world’s first entirely swear-based live ambient performance. Couldn’t work out how to post it to my usually pretty clean feed here, but I think I found a way. DM me for the blue version. #swearing #ambientmusic

Triple gig day in the sun today; couple of nice shows @woolwichworks for their Brassworks event and now back tootling @the_globe and apparently wearing @romeshranga ‘s shirt?! Hope he doesn’t mind.

Finally back in the studio after a hectic and brilliant summer on the road. And straight back into it! Loong session for another composer, multitracking high, loud and punchy trumpets for an album of production music. My trick of using different horns, mouthpieces, mic and outboard modelling to get a big section sound worked great, though between all those changes, 7 tracks of multi tracked trumpets and a big band gig tonight, my face is going to be entirely melted in the morning I think. Just to keep things interesting, out of nowhere, my trusty @wearefocusrite Red16 developed a power supply problem over the summer. Enormous props to their incredible customer service who sent a replacement and picked up the old one no questions asked, and were delightful to deal with. Fantastic - can’t recommend them highly enough. But sadly it arrived just as I’d shut down my machine for the day, so instead tracked the whole thing on my little @zoomunitedkingdom L6 instead which I’ve really put through its paces in my live rig over the summer. Day saved! Studio needs a major sort and some tweaks before I get fully back into the swing of writing and getting the podcast rolling again, but it’s great to be back at it. #sessionmusician #remoterecording

A topsy-turvy 24 hrs Sun–Mon this week: all sorts of family fun @campkindling including my first go on silks. I actually managed to get upside down 🙃 Then a @hackneycolliery set and a micro-collab with good buddy @djyodauk — before less than 24 hrs later being on stage at @the_globe for my first show there since 2021. Trumpet, pump organ, even a bowed cymbal cameo. Somewhere in the middle, I even squeezed in a bit of podcast work… As ever, absurdly grateful that this is technically “work.” I mean, come ON. Silly. #originofthepieces #hackneycollieryband #livemusic #composerlife #trumpetplayer #campkindling #shakespearesglobe

Some time off with the family, but straight back into it next week with @hackneycolliery show @campkindling and then my first shows @the_globe since 2021, so this is what every morning looks like! Practice mute in, shedding by bushes groaning with blackberries as the family finishes breakfast (of said blackberries) in our little wild camping spot, then late nights doing a little admin, podcast and composition work on my freshly solar-charged laptop as the fire embers die and the owls start chatting. Always incredibly grateful to do what I do, but, as I talked about way back in episode 2 of the podcast, holidays can be challenging times for musicians! Still though, having a great time drinking local ales, sleeping under the stars and thinking about what I want to do next after a madly busy few months. #originofthepieces #trumpetlife

🎸 From the streets of Lilongwe to stages across Europe.

“We met around 2002. No teacher — just the two of us, learning by ourselves. Listening to the radio, hearing music in the village, at weddings, in churches… but really, it c

In 1922, F. W. Murnau made Nosferatu — one of the first horror films, and still one of the strangest.

This is my live improvised score, recorded at @alsofestival 2025. Everything you hear was created in real time, using trumpet, wind and percu

We use our phones to mess around with photos and videos all the time, but hardly ever with sound. Why not?

I recorded a fire pit with my six-year-old son and used the free @ableton Note app to turn it into a full mini track. It’s all in Episod

🚨 The podcast’s been taken down on some platforms — apparently my theme tune infringes the copyright of a song I produced myself.
While I sort it out, here’s a quick workaround version. You’ll notice it… isn’t qu

Ever heard flamenco without a guitar? That’s tonás — the raw vocal heart of flamenco. In Ep 32 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, @josie_sinna takes a deep dive into this centuries-old, unaccompanied form from Andalusia.

Ever wondered what happens if you tune the sea? 🌊🎹

In Episode 31 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, I used filters to isolate specific frequencies within a recording of waves — and ended up literally playing the sea like a keyboard

Are whales basically rock stars?

Recorded live at @firstlightlowestoft, Episode 31 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces features Richard Sabin from the @natural_history_museum talking about the idea that whale song might share the same evolut

Whale earwax might not sound glamorous, but it’s one of the most fascinating scientific records we have.

In Episode 31 of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, I talk to Richard Sabin from the @natural_history_museum about what these waxy

Always working, me

#musiciansofinstagram

When the news feels apocalyptic… why not go all in?

We’re throwing a New Orleans-style funeral for the universe.

👨&zwj;🚀 @lintottchris, @hackneycolliery musicians, and @astrokatiemack herself.
🎺 First half: cosmic reflection.
🥁 Sec

We’re throwing a New Orleans–style funeral for the universe 🎺✨
Exploding stars, cosmic hexagons, wandering asteroids and party music to celebrate 13.8 billion years of history.

Join @stevepretty + @lintottchris for Universe of Music: A

Here’s a clip from last week, when I joined @lintottchris at @greshamcollege to soundtrack his lecture on the end of the universe. A mix of trumpet lines and live electronics weaving around cosmology and philosophy.

We’re taking this fur

It's a year since the Dan Spanner Big Band released 'A Load Of Old Toot', mixed and produced by me. It was one of the most enjoyable mixing/production jobs I've done lately, trying to capture the essence of the punk-inflected chaos of the regular liv

In episode 30 of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces, music therapist @kclou_25 reminds us that music isn’t optional; it’s baked into being human. From the Match of the Day theme to a baby’s lullaby, it sneaks into our lives in

Last week I did my first bit of comedy dabbling for a while. Brought my live shellectronica ambient rig to @theacms to create possibly the world’s first entirely swear-based live ambient performance.

Couldn’t work out how to post it to

A live hour-long ‘conch bath’, commissioned by ALSO festival, July 2025