MUBI Podcast to return for new season about music and film, titled ‘Needle On The Record – Side 2’ with Studio Ghibli, Jack O’Connell and more

MUBI have announced the return of their award-winning podcast, further exploring the influence of music in film.

Titled Needle On The Record – Side 2, the audio documentary series revisits the theme of
“needle drops” in cinema, and how songs are used as part of the craft of storytelling. A special preview episode will launch on April 16, with the full series launching from June 4.

The press release for the series reads: “Across the season, host Rico Gagliano explores iconic musical moments that have shaped pop culture, from British pop and house, to bhangra and electronic dance in Gurinda Chada’s Bend It Like Beckham, to the ska and punk soundtrack of Shane Meadows’ This Is England.

“Guests this season include Jack O’Connell (This Is England, Sinners), and Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham), alongside some of cinema’s greatest music supervisors, with further names to be announced.

The preview episode, released April 16, spotlights Studio Ghibli classic Whisper Of The Heart, in particular its use of the John Denver song ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’. The episode features interviews with the film’s producer, and Studio Ghibli co-founder, Toshio Suzuki.

Standout episodes from the previous Needle On The Record season will be released throughout May, including those dedicated to Chungking Express, Donnie Darko, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

All previous episodes of the MUBI Podcast can be listened to here, or via your preferred streaming platform.

The podcast is an offshoot of MUBI, the arthouse cinema streaming service which offers a curated selection of films for subscribers every month. The service also produces films, including the forthcoming Father Mother Sister Brother starring Cate Blanchett. The director of the film, Jim Jarmusch, recently spoke to NME about the connection to music in his movies, the loss of David Lynch, and his love of Irish rap trio Kneecap.