Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason presents new BBC series on music and technology

Nick Mason (Image credit: David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns - Getty)

Former Pink Floyd (opens in new tab) drummer Nick Mason (opens in new tab) is the host of a new nine-part Open University series on the BBC World Service.

It’s titled A History Of Music In Technology and explores “the world of legendary artists, producers, engineers and inventors.”

The series also take a close look at innovations that have changed the musical landscape, including the electric guitar, drum machines, samplers, synthesisers and the evolution of the recording studio.

Lecturer in music at The Open University, Dr Sean Williams – who is also one of the series’ academic consultant – says: “This series is hugely ambitious in that it covers such a wide range of different music and traces some fascinating connections between different technologies. 

“You can discover the history of sampling: How experimental French radio is connected to hip-hop, why Steve Vai’s guitar has a hole cut in it, how a budget portable church organ changed popular music, and many, many more fascinating stories – many of them told directly by the people involved using new interviews or archive recordings.”

A History Of Music In Technology is broadcast on Saturday mornings at 11.06am and will run through June 22.

The Open University has also produced free resources and materials to go along with with the series, including an interview with Nick Mason. For further information, visit the programme’s website (opens in new tab).

Last week, Mason attended a ceremony at London’s Buckingham Palace to receive a CBE in recognition of his services to music.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.