Lucky Seven Interview with: Pablo Wansbrough, Marble Music

To kick off our Lucky Seven Interview Series, we kept it close to home. With summer nearly here and a wedding season filling our heads with great music and memories, we cornered Pablo on his lunch break and asked him about his work as a musical programmer at Marble Music curating songs, sounds, bands and more for weddings and events. Let’s go!

You have the best job – creating soundtracks for people’s most celebrated moments. Who got you into music and into what genres? 

From a young age I had an obsession with music, with my mum playing a big part in introducing me to lots of great artists from a young age; The Cure, Muse, David Bowie being three which stick out in my memory. 

What are your favourite musical genres? 

This is a tough one as I love so many different genres and appreciate most sounds. When I was at university I made the decision to focus my time on collecting music from all styles and corners of the world, instead of focussing on producing my own music. It has led me to have a wide musical knowledge and collection. Though if I had to choose a style for when I’m DJing this would be in the House/ Breaks/ Techno/ Garage spectrum. 

Who are some of your favourite artists? 

It’s tough to decide on these but I would have to definitely include artists such as Gorillaz, The Streets, Jamie T, Fontaines DC, Muse, Nas and Gangstarr on this list. 

How do you find new music to listen to/ musical artists? 

The best way to discover new artists is to stumble upon them at music events like festivals or when going to see other acts (with support acts). Lots of the more grassroots artists we have on our books I found like this and there’s nothing better than stumbling on an epic act you’ve never heard of before. 

How can you tell the difference between an event without musical programming and one with? 

I think the flow of an event is so important and with great programming you can really take guests on a seamless journey and build the tempo of the party throughout. Even using playlists and curating these to build up in tempo or to lead up towards a specific artist’s style can create so much atmosphere and without them knowing it, get the crowd energised for the dance floor. I like to mix things up in the programming by using roaming artists such as samba drum troupes or brass bands to lead the guests from one place to another, or to reveal secret areas of the venue. It’s a great way to manoeuvre the crowd without having to actually instruct anyone directly. 

What’s the trickiest part about your job? 

The trickiest part of my job is most certainly removing my own musical preferences when speaking to clients and trying to really get to know each person’s music tastes before proposing artists for each project. Music is so subjective and even a couple who may think they aren’t that into music, will have some songs or styles that are nostalgic or sentimental to them both as a couple, and some that may get them feeling comfortable on the dance floor. It’s about teasing out their tastes and creating a really personable selection that will remind them for years to come of their wedding day. We always share final playlists with our couples so they get to have them on Spotify or to use them in their wedding videos as well. 

What’s a dream private event for a musical programmer like you? 

You can have a one day event with a variety of musical programming scheduled from start to finish, or a three day experience with playlists, DJs and bands to soundtrack key parts of the celebration. However long or short, I love clients who are happy to try something a little different, whether bands, entertainers or something that catches guests by surprise. Themed events are fantastic for this sort of thing as we get to explore maybe new acts and musicians who match the theme perfectly. We worked on a three day wedding celebration at Wilderness Reserve for Rajah and Owen, who were self-confessed music lovers and who wanted to programme their wedding with some great acts, fun soundtracks and music to suit each of the occasions over the weekend. You can read more about it here. For me, that kind of programming with clients, to create something personal for them, is one of the best parts about what I do. 

For more details on how to book bands, entertainment, equipment and more head to Marble Music. 

For sounds and inspiration for events in every season, follow Marble Music on Spotify.