29 March 2022
Cate Le Bon will be the musician responsible for selecting artists who have influenced her for the next episode of Curadur on S4C.
In a special hour-long programme, the musician from West Wales who's now based in California will curate a handful of her most respected and influential artists to converse with and perform tracks.
Airing first on S4C on Thursday evening (31 March) at 10.00, the episode will soon be available on S4C Clic and iPlayer.
"I'm from Penboyr near Llandysul," said Cate. "I've been living on and off in America for about 10 years. After moving to Los Angeles in 2012, I spent some time in San Fransisco before moving to the desert near Joshua Tree in California.
"Living and being so far from Wales has given me a whole new perspective on my Welshness. It's made me realise how important it is to me as an individual."
"At the start of the pandemic, I found myself in Iceland producing John Grant's record. I moved back to Wales for a year and while there, I recorded myself a new record that's just came out! And, met some of my favourite artists".
As well as being a respected singer-songwriter, Cate produces music for others, so she has a knack for recognising appealing sounds.
Explaining how she came across her first band of choice, Pys Melyn, she said:
"While performing at Neuadd Ogwen in 2019, Pys Melyn came backstage. There was something about their energy, the way they were together, that was so dear and beautiful to me, and just I fell in love with them."
Curadur will feature Pys Melyn performing their track, Helynt, as well as an exclusive performance of Dim Gwreiddyn with DRINKS, Cate's band with well-known American musician Tim Presley.
Tim has been involved with notable bands such as The Fall and White Fence.
Other star artists featured include: Accu, Samur Khouja, Devendra Banhart, Courtney Barnett and Stella Mozgawa.
The programme features a live performance of Cate's latest single, Moderation, from her new album Pompeii. It was recorded at the last gig of her American tour at the iconic venue, Pappy and Harriet's, Pioneertown near Cate's California home.
We also get to be a part of an honest an open conversation between Cate and old friend, Kris Jenkins – a Cardiff-based music producer and sound engineer.
They both look back at Cate's first-ever experiences in the studio and reveal how Cate's first record, Me Oh My, came about - a process that took over a year and a lot of experimentation.
"We went way too far," Cate says as they both laugh.
Since then, Cate Le Bon has released 6 albums and several EPs and two albums as part of DRINKS.
For special performances of original songs celebrating musical contributions and influences from artists across the Americas, Australia and Europe, watch Curadur on S4C.
All three series of Curadur are now available to watch on S4C Clic.
