I do music and production and performance and stuff

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.

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.
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 hor
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
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 bl
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
This is a live ambient set made entirely from the sound of conch and triton shells. No synths, no samples — just breath, delay, and some real-time processing courtesy of: 🎛 @ableton Push 3 🌀 @somasynths Cosmos 🪶 @beetlecrab.audio Tempera 🎚 Zoom L6 Part of Shellectronica — my ongoing project turning ancient instruments into something vaguely electronic. 📺 Full set now on YouTube 🎧 Headphones recommended Also: yes, that is a silver mannequin torso in the background. I didn’t bring it. It was just there. #shellectronica #ambientmusic #soundbath #granularprocessing #tempera #cosmos #push3 #conchmusic
Very belated @latitudefest roundup… A fantastic weekend, courtesy of @robinince1969 and @thecosmicshamblesnetwork whose work made it feel like the early days of Latitude again, in all the best ways. Really enjoyed my show with @lintottchris
Very belated @latitudefest roundup… A fantastic weekend, courtesy of @robinince1969 and @thecosmicshamblesnetwork whose work made it feel like the early days of Latitude again, in all the best ways. Really enjoyed my show with @lintottchris ahead of our little tour in the autumn, cutting up shells live on stage in order to talk about how music technology moves human creative expression forwards at the Nine Lessons show, and a bonus podcast interview with the legendary @jakkojakszyk - deep dive into prog and Jakko’s amazing life and work coming soon. Plus the perfect combo of family fun with kids, and dispatching kids to my very accommodating parents on the Saturday night so that @jocaird and I could have some very rare time together, including a surprise @officialfatboyslim gig on @samuelapley ‘s amazing organ sculpture in the woods. Also, by far my favourite musical discovery of the weekend were the incredible @lambrinigirlz who brought some much needed attitude to the musical line up. Absolutely amazing set! Proper punk. Proper showbiz. Those folks really know what they’re doing. First time doing anything more than a hit n run set at Latitude for maybe 14 years?! Seems impossible. But a delight to be back, catching up with friends old and new. MORE PLEASE #originofthepieces #latitudefestival
Sylvia Young — a towering figure in British theatre — passed away yesterday. Her daughter, the brilliant @frances_ruffelle joined me live at @wiltonsmusichall for a Eurovision-themed special of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces, and shared this beautifully personal story. From getting her Equity card at 5 to helping Sylvia raise funds to save Wilton’s with Roy Hudd, Spike Milligan and a group of school kids cutting a vinyl — it’s a touching, funny and heartfelt glimpse into a theatrical legacy. 🎙 Clip from Episode 27: Eurovision Special with Frances Ruffelle #SylviaYoung #FrancesRuffelle #WiltonsMusicHall #TheatreLegacy #MusicalTheatre #BritishTheatre #OriginOfThePieces #EurovisionSpecial
Classic routing for my little tour of the ‘tudes based festivals this week. @altitudefestival_ in Devon with @molotovjukeboxofficial tonight, then all weekend @latitudefest with @thecosmicshamblesnetwork all weekend. And these journey times are
Classic routing for my little tour of the ‘tudes based festivals this week. @altitudefestival_ in Devon with @molotovjukeboxofficial tonight, then all weekend @latitudefest with @thecosmicshamblesnetwork all weekend. And these journey times are a lie - took 7 hrs door to door for this first leg to Devon today… #altitudefestival #latitudefestival #mileage
“When we hear music, it’s not just one part of the brain lighting up — it lights up many. Rhythm, movement, memory, lyrics, emotion… they all fire independently. So even when dementia disconnects those pathways, music can trick the brain into working as a whole again.” - @kclou_25 From Episode 28 of Origin of the Pieces — listen on your podcast app, or watch on YouTube or Spotify. Full episode link in bio Music in Dementia resource: nhslothian.scot/artspsychotherapies/music-in-dementia #musictherapy #dementiacare #musicandmemory #neuroscience #originofthepieces #stevepretty #musicandthebrain
Ever considered turning your own body into a musical instrument? In this clip from Episode 27, composer and artist Jonathan Enser — aka @mattersunknown from @nubiyantwist — talks about how, after losing his leg, he went through a long process to get it back from the hospital… and is now working on turning part of the bone into a flute. Yep. It’s currently in a freezer at his parents’ house. It’s surreal, yes — but also thoughtful, moving, and very funny. The full episode includes a wide-ranging chat about creativity, identity, and the barriers still faced by musicians with disabilities — especially around venue access and representation. Episode 28 drops tomorrow. 🎧 #originofthepieces #mattersunknown #nubiyantwist #composerlife #boneflute #creativeprocess #accessibilityinmusic #musicianwithadisability #unexpectedinstruments #musicpodcast
Another phenomenal few days, this time in Edinburgh and Newcastle. I spent every night I was in Edinburgh at one of my favourite places in the world, @thejazzbar and toasted its legendary founder and one of my all time heroes Bill Kyle with a delic
Another phenomenal few days, this time in Edinburgh and Newcastle. I spent every night I was in Edinburgh at one of my favourite places in the world, @thejazzbar and toasted its legendary founder and one of my all time heroes Bill Kyle with a delicious Caol Ila single malt each night. He introduced me to this incredible whisky, but more than that, he had a profound and lasting effect on my career, and that of many, many musicians in Scotland and beyond. What a legacy! I was in edinburgh at the invitation of my friend @nicole.cassandra.smit who asked if I’d like to come up and join her for her @edinburgh_jazz show, and bring a couple of my @hackneycolliery buddies (Nicole appears on our latest album, on the track Resounding, which we wrote together). To which I obviously said YES PLEASE. I had an absolute blast playing with friends old and new. Oh, Edinburgh, my heart ❤️ Then to Newcastle for a @bollywoodbrassband gig for @gemartsuk and @northernprideuk It was very damp, but another wonderful city and a lot of fun. Plus I got to see my friend #kimmcguinness ‘s name plastered all over town for the first time since she was elected Mayor of the North East last year, which was fun! Once again returning home full of gratitude for such a fun, varied and interesting musical life. #livemusic #jazzmusician #edinburghjazz
Absolutely sensational rollercoaster few days. Photos in reverse order: MONDAY: collaborative session with @brainaud.io @tomhainesmusic for a (currently) secret new TV project SUNDAY: hour long conch bath (!) set at 10am SATURDAY: improvised liv
Absolutely sensational rollercoaster few days. Photos in reverse order: MONDAY: collaborative session with @brainaud.io @tomhainesmusic for a (currently) secret new TV project SUNDAY: hour long conch bath (!) set at 10am SATURDAY: improvised live score for the original Nosferatu (1922), @molotovjukeboxofficial set, Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces live podcast recording (all at the absolutely incredible @alsofestival - one of my favourite weekends of the summer for the past 3 years and counting) FRIDAY: Ocean Songs performance with @soniccollaborations @goatgirlofficial @colinriley_composer @nic.pendlebury @kate.dornan1 and choir National Maritime Museum @royalmuseumsgreenwich THURSDAY: final World Music Big Band gig of the summer @fabwick A very hectic few days, but as ever, feel spectacularly lucky to be doing such varied, engaging, fascinating and collaborative musical work with so many brilliant people! #composer #composersofinstagram #alsofestival #originofthepieces
Access to music doesn’t start when the gig begins — it starts with how people even get there. Jono Enser (@mattersunknown / @nubiyantwist) shares what “access” really means as a disabled performer: 🚫 A broken bus ramp. 🎧 A venue that’s too loud. 🚪 A door that’s too heavy. All these things can stop someone before a single note is played. And with the government pushing through changes to PIP and Universal Credit, it’s a good time to ask who gets left out — and why. 🎧 Also: yes, there’s an instrument story in here you’re absolutely not ready for. #accessibility #disabledaccess #pip #universalcredit #nubiyantwist #mattersunknown #originofthepieces #unexpectedinstruments #musicforall
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. 🥁 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
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 hor 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 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 bl
This is a live ambient set made entirely from the sound of conch and triton shells. No synths, no samples — just breath, delay, and some real-time processing courtesy of: 🎛 @ableton Push 3 🌀 @somasynths Cosmos 🪶 @beetlecrab.audio Tempera 🎚
Very belated @latitudefest roundup… A fantastic weekend, courtesy of @robinince1969 and @thecosmicshamblesnetwork whose work made it feel like the early days of Latitude again, in all the best ways. Really enjoyed my show with @lintottchris
Sylvia Young — a towering figure in British theatre — passed away yesterday. Her daughter, the brilliant @frances_ruffelle joined me live at @wiltonsmusichall for a Eurovision-themed special of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces, a
Classic routing for my little tour of the ‘tudes based festivals this week. @altitudefestival_ in Devon with @molotovjukeboxofficial tonight, then all weekend @latitudefest with @thecosmicshamblesnetwork all weekend. And these journey times are
“When we hear music, it’s not just one part of the brain lighting up — it lights up many. Rhythm, movement, memory, lyrics, emotion… they all fire independently. So even when dementia disconnects those pathways, music can tr
Ever considered turning your own body into a musical instrument? In this clip from Episode 27, composer and artist Jonathan Enser — aka @mattersunknown from @nubiyantwist — talks about how, after losing his leg, he went through a long pr
Another phenomenal few days, this time in Edinburgh and Newcastle. I spent every night I was in Edinburgh at one of my favourite places in the world, @thejazzbar and toasted its legendary founder and one of my all time heroes Bill Kyle with a delic Absolutely sensational rollercoaster few days. Photos in reverse order: MONDAY: collaborative session with @brainaud.io @tomhainesmusic for a (currently) secret new TV project SUNDAY: hour long conch bath (!) set at 10am SATURDAY: improvised liv
Access to music doesn’t start when the gig begins — it starts with how people even get there. Jono Enser (@mattersunknown / @nubiyantwist) shares what “access” really means as a disabled performer: 🚫 A broken bus ramp. 🎧 A

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

 

Koko B&W Steve Pretty.jpeg