Matilda Gracia: Longevity Over Virality

Matilda Gracia signed to an indie label straight out of uni and ended up paying for the privilege, then quietly pulling the EP off streaming years later. In this conversation she pulls the curtain back on what being an independent artist actually looks like right now: teaching herself production in her childhood bedroom during lockdown, learning to mix through a metaphor about a room full of instruments, and posting on TikTok three to four times a day while running a language teaching business and playing function gigs to pay London rent. She talks honestly about the hate comments, the nepo-baby elephant in the room, why she thinks the human touch is about to matter more than ever, and what it means to say that the artists, not the gatekeepers, are the industry. Matilda Gracia is a London-based independent artist, songwriter, and self-taught producer making alternative pop and speaking bluntly about what it actually takes to sustain a music career now. Latest Single:: https://open.spotify.com/album/246fAihcaXtobqLYmxW8Qv?si=MyvWGEeZQlepPOivf4h-EQ Where to find Matilda Gracia: Website: https://matildagracia.com Instagram: @matilda.gracia New episodes of Having a Gas with Greg — follow to get them: https://open.spotify.com/show/1l6y0WXB4kkcEK0hFL5Ubl

Yannis Konstantinidis just flew back from New York with a Grand Clio, but he isn't here for the victory lap. Twenty years into running an animation studio, he thinks roughly nine-tenths of the industry he grew up in is quietly disappearing, and that the part worth saving is the part you can see someone bled to make. We get into costly signalling, cathedrals, why AI output feels like an insult before it feels like a threat, and the strange proposal that the behind-the-scenes might be the real product now. There is also a long detour into Philip Glass, musical theatre, chicken pie, and a Ryan Adams cover that will sneak up on you. It is one of the more openly philosophical conversations on the show so far, and worth your full attention. Yannis Konstantinidis is the founder and creative director of Nomint, an animation and creative studio whose recent BBC Winter Olympics trailer just won the Grand Clio, and he thinks the next era of the industry belongs to visible effort. Trails Will Blaze: https://nomint.com/news/view/bbc-x-nomint Where to find Yannis Konstantinidis: Website: https://nomint.com/ Instagram: yannisandfriends New episodes of Having a Gas with Greg — follow to get them: https://open.spotify.com/show/1l6y0WXB4kkcEK0hFL5Ubl

This week's guest is a director who paid for her own shoots on weekends while account-managing in advertising, got threatened with the sack the morning after directing one of her now-best-known music videos, and learned the hard way that one cruel comment from a boss can almost stop a creative life before it starts. We get into why the most specific story is the one that travels, why she's stopped polishing and started chasing the energy of a scene, and what it actually takes to build a directing career when there is no blueprint. Stick around for one of the most moving answers about a film cue you'll hear all year. Lucrecia is an Argentine-British director who's moved from London to a mountain in Mallorca and is taking her music-video and commercial work into her first narrative shorts. Lucrecia's Latest Spot for Ensure: https://lucreciadirector.com/portfolio/ensure-3 Where to find Lucrecia: Website: https://lucreciadirector.com Instagram: @lucreciadirector New episodes of Having a Gas with Greg — follow to get them: https://open.spotify.com/show/1l6y0WXB4kkcEK0hFL5Ubl

Murugiah is the illustrator of the moment. He has a debut solo exhibition at the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration and a client list that runs from Apple to Elton John. But the thing he's proudest of isn't a brand commission. It's a painting of a broken figure being told it's going to be okay — the most personal thing he's made, and the image he's chosen to lead the whole show with. This one's about what it actually takes to make creative work with a unique voice, why "the most personal is the most creative," and why generative AI can, in his words, get in the bin.  Murugiah: Ever Feel Like opens at the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration on 5 June 2026. https://qbcentre.org.uk/exhibitions/murugiah-ever-feel-like Where to find Murugiah: https://www.instagram.com/_murugiah/ https://murugiah.com

Today I'm Having a GAS with Grant Kirkhope... Grant is an Ivor Novello and World Soundtrack Award winning Scottish composer who has created the soundtrack for video games that have sold in excess of 40 million copies. From “GoldenEye” to “Banjo-Kazooie”, “Viva Piñata” to “Donkey Kong”, “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning” to “Civilization: Beyond Earth” and “Perfect Dark” to “Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse”. He’s worked on “Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle”, “Yooka Laylee”, “Dropzone”, “Ghostbusters”, and in 2020/21 “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands” and “Minecraft Dungeons”. He is also the composer of the infamous “Donkey Kong Rap” from the Nintendo video game “Donkey Kong 64”, which was featured in the recent “Super Mario Bros. movie”. He has also scored the feature film “The King’s Daughter” starring Pierce Brosnan and William Hurt, which won The People’s Vote at The World Soundtrack Awards Grant’s score for “Viva Piñata” was nominated by BAFTA in the Original Score category in its 2007 awards. Grant is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK. He is an American citizen and lives in Agoura Hills with his wife and two children. More about Grant Kirkhope here: https://www.grantkirkhope.com/ Having a GAS™ is the podcast that talks to the great and the good of the creative industries, and in particular finds out what makes great music for film, for TV, for advertising; for dancing to, for cooking to, f*cking to, and more... GAS™ Music is a music production agency in Manchester, UK. We compose and produce original music, create awe inspiring sound design and have a fully integrated audio post-production studio. We also have a great record collection, and welcome any additions, recommendations or criticisms. http://www.gasismusic.co.uk​​​ © GAS™ Music 2025

Today I'm Having a GAS with Derrick McKenzie... Derrick may be best known for being the vibrant drummer of Jamiroquai, but he is also a well established DJ and Producer. Derrick's main styles are Disco, Nu Disco, Funk, Soulful House, Jackin House, Tech House, Old Skool, also 80's and 90's Soul with a focus on Disco Funk. Find out more about Derrick McKenzie here: https://derrickmckenzie.com Having a GAS™ is the podcast that talks to the great and the good of the creative industries, and in particular finds out what makes great music for film, for TV, for advertising; for dancing to, for cooking to, f*cking to, and more... GAS™ Music is a music production agency in Manchester, UK. We compose and produce original music, create awe inspiring sound design and have a fully integrated audio post-production studio. We also have a great record collection, and welcome any additions, recommendations or criticisms. http://www.gasismusic.co.uk

Today, advertising executive Rory Sutherland returns to the Having a GAS podcast!   Rory Sutherland is the Vice-Chairman of Ogilvy, author of Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense and the deliverer of TED Talks that have been viewed almost 7 million times. We are delighted to welcome Rory back onto the Having a GAS podcast.   Thank you to our sponsor: Eventide Audio | Studio Processors, Effects Pedals and Plug-ins GAS Music: Gas Music, production and sound design | Gas Music (gasismusic.co.uk)   Timestamps  (00:00:00) Pre-Intro (00:01:14) Introduction (00:02:06) Guessing Super Bowl Commercials (00:28:18) Comparing the Oppenheimer and Poor Things Soundtracks (00:33:24) James Bond Soundtracks (00:37:14) Rory Sutherland Interview  

Join Greg, Aaron, Nathan and Ruraidh for music related banter, quizzes and other items, preceding the main interview. Today, Andrew Scheps returns to the Having a GAS podcast and is IRL and 'unplugged' for the first time! We discuss his Grammy Nomination for mixing 'The Blue Hour', his mix bus processing, his collaboration with Waves on Scheps Omni Channel 2, distortion, reverb, parallel processing, his preferred headphones for mixing and why mix engineers choose to mix in the box, Red Hot Chili Peppers, fame, AI and much more!   Watch the interview: https://youtu.be/yY6-iSavai0?si=ifLvMcXbo-WZ2XKk Check out Low Roar: Low Roar official (lowroarmusic.com) Listen to 'The Blue Hour': https://bit.ly/4bk2rGo Thank you to our sponsor: Eventide Audio | Studio Processors, Effects Pedals and Plug-ins GAS Music: Gas Music, production and sound design | Gas Music (gasismusic.co.uk)   Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:38) Begin Chat (00:03:07) Introducing the GAS Team (00:07:46) Academy Awards (00:12:10) Sponsor (00:12:33) Ruraidh's Story (00:16:30) The Rite of Spring (00:19:09) Music Quiz (00:23:02) RAK Studios (00:27:37) Interview with Andrew Scheps (02:09:38) Outro

Today I'm Having a GAS™ with Duncan Ward, Chief Conductor of philharmonie zuidnederland (South Netherlands Philharmonic). In this episode, host Greg Owens speaks to Duncan about his musical homecoming, making his debut at The Barbican with the esteemed LSO. Duncan will take the baton at two concerts. The first, on November 16th, is a collaboration with cellist Abel Selaocoe at the EFG London Jazz Festival. The second, on November 23rd, features a programme combining Czech and French masterpieces. More about Duncan Ward here: https://www.duncan-ward.co.uk/about Tickets for Duncan's events at Barbican here: https://www.barbican.org.uk Having a GAS™ is the podcast that talks to the great and the good of the creative industries, and in particular finds out what makes great music for film, for TV, for advertising; for dancing to, for cooking to, f*cking to, and more... GAS™ Music is a music production agency in Manchester, UK. We compose and produce original music, create awe inspiring sound design and have a fully integrated audio post-production studio. We also have a great record collection, and welcome any additions, recommendations or criticisms. http://www.gasismusic.co.uk​​​ © GAS™ Music 2023

Today I'm Having a GAS™ with Jeff Ellis, a Grammy Award-winning recording engineer and multiple time Grammy-nominated mix engineer. We speak in-depth about Frank Ocean and Jeff's more recent work with artists like Doja Cat and d4vd. More on Jeff Ellis here: https://jeffellisworldwide.com “I got my start at the famed EastWest Studios in Hollywood California, (formerly United/Western Recorders) where artists such as Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys once recorded. I worked with countless top artists during my tenure at EastWest and rose through the ranks to become one of their main engineers." In 2011, Jeff left EastWest Studios to engineer Frank Ocean's channel ORANGE. The Album was a critical success, earning him a 2012 Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album, as well as nominations for Album of the Year and Record of the Year. The album includes the Platinum selling single 'Thinkin' Bout You' which was his first platinum selling mix. Jeff would continue as Frank Oceans engineer during the recording of his follow up album Blonde. After the release of Blonde, Jeff transitioned to focusing on mixing and has since worked with many other notable artists such as Doja Cat, JOJI, The Neighborhood, Kali Uchis, Rico Nasty, Snow Aalegra, Omar Apollo, Vance Joy and many more. In 2021 Jeff returned home to EastWest studios as a permanent resident mixer in Studio 4. Having a GAS™ is the podcast that talks to the great and the good of the creative industries, and in particular finds out what makes great music for film, for TV, for advertising; for dancing to, for cooking to, f*cking to, and more... GAS™ Music is a music production agency in Manchester, UK. We compose and produce original music, create awe inspiring sound design and have a fully integrated audio post-production studio. We also have a great record collection, and welcome any additions, recommendations or criticisms. http://www.gasismusic.co.uk​​​ © GAS™ Music 2023