NEW DEEZER ORIGINAL PODCAST COLLABORATION WITH GORILLAZ – ‘THINGS I LIKE’ WITH RUSSEL HOBBS

London, Wednesday 2nd May: Today, the world’s most personal music streaming service Deezer, is announcing the launch of its latest original content – Things I Like – a podcast collaboration with Russel Hobbs, drummer with the world’s most successful virtual band Gorillaz, with both episodes One and Two available simultaneously tonight.

In a first for Hobbs, the collaboration will see the Brooklyn native –  Gorillaz’ resident scryer and the meat behind the beat – step up to the microphone, joined by stellar list of Gorillaz friends including Jehnny Beth, De La Soul’s Pos, Peven Everett, Little Simz and Cheick Tidiane Seck, for a series of conversations from the other side.

Acknowledged by friends and colleagues as the most eloquent drummer in hip hop, the podcast will see two worlds collide, with Hobbs meeting his guests in unexpected locations, from a suburban living room in Los Angeles to the interdimensional cosmos. Things I Like offers a compelling, velvet-toned exploration of the past, the future and everything in between – music, art, life and the afterlife – while not forgetting a subject very close to the heart of this man mountain… dinner plans.

Hobbs says: “Things I Like is a chance to hear the Humanz behind the voices, the shadows behind the thoughts on the record. I wanted to connect the dots, to shine a light into those shadows, but also to have dinner with my favorite people. Coz I love eating and people… in that order.”

Recorded around the world in LA, London, Paris and Vienna, Hobbs’ adventures include:

• Episode One: journeying back in time with De La Soul’s Posdnuos to give advice to his younger self.
• Episode Two: planning a perfect dinner in the afterlife with Savages frontwoman Jehnny Beth.
• Episode Three: delving into some weird and wonderful conspiracy theories with funk and soul sensation Peven Everett.
• Episode Four: exploring the surreal vs the real with British rapper Little Simz.
• Episode Five: recalling the birth of the Two-Tone music genre and the influence of Ska with Pauline Black.
• Episode Six: talking with Malian musician Cheick Tidiane Seck about meeting Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, while discussing the origins of the Rail Band and the power of African music.
• Episode seven: crossing dimensions to talk drumming with his real-world counterpart, Gabriel Wallace.

Things I Like is a collaboration between Gorillaz, Deezer Originals and award winning audio producer David Waters. Episodes One and Two are available at midnight tonight on Deezer, with the remainder released weekly. It will be available across all podcast platforms and via the Gorillaz App.
For more information, please contact pr@deezer.com