Of the reception of The Second Sex, the seminal book of feminist philosophy that launched 'second-wave' feminism, Simone de Beauvoir said, "Well, it is not my fault if, particularly in France, whenever we talk about women, we instantly think about sex. This is precisely because women have been reduced, by men, to being what they mainly are for men, which is almost exclusively something sexual."

De Beauvoir's position was simply stated, in line with a philosophical position that existence precedes essence: "one is not born but becomes a woman". De Beauvoir herself became a formidable figure in the world of philosophy, literature and politics. It is this iconic image - 'brand Beauvoir' - that has dominated in the thirty-five years since her death and which this episode of Afterwords seeks to deconstruct.

Through archive from 1949 onwards and through the words of those who knew her (such as the writer and former diplomat Claudine Monteil who lives within sight of de Beauvoir's grave) and those who've studied her work (the philosopher and de Beauvoir biographer Kate Kirkpatrick, Professor Ursula Tidd of Manchester University and American philosopher Kathryn Sophia Belle), an intimate, nuanced portrait of Simone de Beauvoir emerges - a woman who embraced the 'matter of being a human being' and modelled new ways of engaging ethically with the world.

First broadcast 14th November 2021, BBC Radio 3
With the voice of Simone de Beauvoir, courtesy of the Studs Terkel Radio Archive, and readings by Caroline Crier.
Produced by Alan Hall

Afterwords: Simone de Beauvoir 1/3

Dull Guldur w/ Guillaume Chasse (7/5/22)

@martaetlescoquillages

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening. Whatever part of the world you're in...

This reverie is a bridge.
One that joins sleep and wakefulness.
One that connects inner trance and the outer contemplation.

These words and mix are from Marta et les Coquillages

Short & Sweet Class #44 with Marta et les Coquillages

Live recording of lomi opening Gewölbe on January 28 2023.

lomi at Gewölbe | January 2023

A focus on the songs and recordings of the SNCC, an influential 60s civil rights group. The first 40mins or so is a broadcast of a 1962 audio documentary record entitled 'Freedom in the Air' - it's a collection of interviews with civil rights activists in Albany, Georgia narrated by the SNCC's Charles Sherrod and interspersed with sermons and congregational singing led by Rev. Ben Gay. It was produced by Alan Lomax & Guy Carawan and released on the SNCC's record label.

This is followed by a April 1965 live recording from UCLA Berkeley of a performance by the Freedom Singers, who were the touring musical group of the SNCC. This was a performance in response to the events at the Selma, Alabama occurring a month previous. They also performed at the 1963 March on Washington.

Then we're played out by selections from Been in the Storm So Long, a collection of spirtuals, children's songs and folktales recorded in Johns Island, South Carolina by Guy Carawan.

https://www.nts.live/shows/death-is-not-the-end/episodes/death-is-not-the-end-3rd-june-2017

Death Is Not The End - Freedom Songs & Recordings of the SNCC 030617

"A cloud full and straight" for 2 synths and 6 voices.
Composed by Sissi Makropoulou for the Regensburg Composition Contest in 2023.
Awarded with the 2nd Prize.

Live recording from the Dreieinigkeitskirche on 16.09.23 at 19.30 o'clock.

Performed by StimmGold Ensemble and Fallwander
Text by Archilochus
Synths: Teresa Allgaier, Theresa Zaremba
Sopranos: Lucia Boisserée, Christina Müller
Tenor: Christoph Schäfer
Bariton: Marlo Honselmann
Bass: Jakob Steiner

A Cloud Full And Straight- for StimmGold Ensemble and Fallwander

The Telescopic Aulos of Atlas

A Gargling Aulete

Recorded at Bidston Observatory, Liverpool, 2024
Production by Tobias Textor
Master by Lucien Dall'Aglio

Odem

[011124] live from blue garden

Midwife’s multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer Madeline Johnston presents “Machines of Loving Grace,” a monthly transmission featuring her new finds and old favorites with a focus on the golden age of DIY community, cosmic sentimentalism, world music, and experimental pop. “Machines of Loving Grace” is a gateway into Johnston’s process and personal soundtrack.

Inspired by the Richard Brautigan poem, Midwife’s curated playlists explore the idea of “a cybernetic ecology;” acoustic and electronic sources reflect on our humanity as well as our animalistic nature in the context of a digital landscape.  
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/midwife/episodes/midwife-25th-july-2025

Machines of Loving Grace w/ Midwife 250725

At Exemplar X on August 13, 2026, two radical positions of experimental sound encountered a selection of special artists' books by Marco Fusinato, Ryoji Ikeda, and Michael Ashkin. @ozip_music opened the evening with an expansive ambient set, whose fragile surfaces and dubby width were repeatedly interspersed with industrial undercurrents. Antechamber (fka @codexempire) continued this energy in his live set, condensing it into dark, powerful sound architectures. It was an evening in which space, image, and sound found a common, restlessly vibrating frequency.

III

Tobias Textor

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