Author: joseph

2012 has been a fantastic year for solipsistic NATION!

In 2012 began streaming on taintradio. At first glance it seems like an off fit—taintradio is primarily a jazz station, but that also include jazz on the fringes like Naked City and Last Exit. If you kind of squint your eyes you can see how solipsistic NATION might fit into taintradio’s overall format. Whatever, I don’t care. I’m just thrilled and honored to be included on taintradio’s roster. Check out my interview with Bob Rogers, the founder of taintradio, here.

Rob Birch from the legendary Stereo MCs was a guest on solipsistic NATION in 2012 and rocked the show with select tracks from some of the Stereo MCs best shows! I’m such a huge fan of Stereo MCs that it was a relief that I didn’t turn into an absolute drooling fanboy and say things like “You know that song you did? ‘Connected?’ Yeah, that was cool!” Fortunately for me, Rob was a gracious guest. So now I can check having the Stereo MCs on my list of solipsistic NATION milestones. You can listen to that show here.

While I’m in fan boy node, I also got to chat with notorious noisesmith Boyd Rice of Non. Boyd was one of those guys that really changed my perceptions of what noise and music could be. Through his music he also taught and encouraged me to embrace harsh frequencies and use them to occasionally fuck with my listeners. Hey, I was your typical angry punk at the time, so sue me. I’ve mellowed out since then and it seems like Boyd has too because he was absolutely charming. Check that show out here.

Look, a lot of cool stuff happened in 2012. I got to help support Headphone Commute‘s …And Darkness Came compilation album, which is HC’s effort to help those affected worst by Hurricane Sandy. The lads from the Magicore blog came on the show with another awesome mix! I got to showcase labels like Metal Postcard Records and Robot Elephant Records, taking solipsistic NATION further out into charted territories!

But what truly blew my mind in 2012 is how much solipsistic NATION has blown up. As I write this solipsistic NATION has gotten 302,597 downloads from the month of December alone. That’s an all-time best for solipsistic NATION in a string of months of already fantastic downloads. Who knows how big solipsistic NATION will get in 2012? I’m not kidding myself, those are pretty modest numbers but they are far more than I ever expected the show to get. And it also confirms what I knew would happen with I first relaunched solipsistic NATION as a podcast—solipsistic NATION is not for everyone. It’s for people who don’t get caught up on genres, who simply want to hear the best that electronic music offers. Given the number of us who live online then if only a fraction of a percent of that population tuned in, that number would be huge. I knew that then, I just didn’t expect to look it in the face in 2012.

There are a lot of new listeners to solipsistic NATION this month and if that’s you, welcome aboard. You’re probably wondering what this show is all about so let me get you up to speed.

The first weekend of each month I feature a live performance by an electronic musician. This month our guest was Michael Maricle, and that show got over one 144,624 downloads, so that may be how you found out about solipsistic NATION. The second weekend of each month, as I mentioned earlier, I showcase a record label that’s putting out such amazing releases that it’s my duty as host of this show to turn you on those labels.The rest of the month on solipsistic NATION is chock full of interviews and music and from time to tine, a guest DJ comes to town.

On today’s show we’ll bring in the new year with our guest DJs Juan Diego Borda and Andres “Popa” Erazo. Together they are Palenke Soultribe!

Palenke Soultribe is a loose-knit collective of musicians based out of Los Angeles. I’ve been a fan of their music since the release of their Tropic N Heaven album back in 2007. Such a fan that I was kicking myself earlier this year for not having them on the show yet. I sent them an invitation to cone on the show to play live. They declined because they are hard at work on their forthcoming album but they were generous to put together an awesome mix to close out 2012 and bring in 2013! Toss this mix onto the stereo at the next party you go to tonight!

On that high note, I want to thank all the bands and musicians, labels and festival organizers, filmmakers and documentarians, photographers and artists who make solipsistic NATION. And of course I want to thank you for listening. I’m stunned at how many there are of you. Tell a friend about the show, let’s see how big solipsistic NATION can get in 2013.

See you next year!

1. Palenke Soultribe “The Sierra Brothers (Wilcox Remix)”
2. Interview with Juan Diego Borda and Andres “Popa” Erazo of Palenke Soultribe
3. La Makina del Caribe “Levemente Obsceno”
4. Munchi “Sandungueo”
5. ETC!ETC! “Temblando”
6. Palenke Soultribe Remix “Bonkers”
7. Frikstailers “Cumbia Kamisama”
8. ETC!ETC! “Fresh”
9. Palenke Soultribe “Oh Mama! (Kaddyn Palmed Remix)”
10. Palenke Soultribe “Oh Mama! (DJHD Remix)”
11. Shanti Roots “Cumbia Nightlife”
12. Gregor Salto/The Flexican “Maldita Cumbia”
13. Andy Von Paramus “La Cumbia (Dutchworx Rmx)”
14. Sidney Samson “Riverside (Palenke Soultribe Remix)”
15. Palenke Soultribe “La Tierra No es Mia”
16. Palenke Soultribe “El Cocuyo”
17. Hatiras, Nom De Strip “Roman Bromanski”
18. Palenke Soultribe “Africa is the Mother of the Beat (feat.Scrip)”

Each edition of solipsistic NATION is evergreen because they rarely make any mention of current events. There’s no talk about the latest tragedy, the latest scandal or the latest war because solipsistic NATION is place for at least an hour every week where you can get away from all of that, where it just about the music. When you listen to solipsistic NATION you join a temporary nation of solipsists. Don’t worry, all those worldly matters will still be waiting for you when the show ends.

But on today’s show were going to listen to select tracks from Headphone Commute’s …And Darkness Came compilation album, an album that would not exist if not for Hurricane Sandy. I can’t simply not talk about it.

…And Darkness Came features 87 tracks of beautiful music, all for e mere $10! But …And Darkness Came is more than just beautiful music. It also benefits all of those affected by Hurricane Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, which has devastated portions of the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States in late October 2012. 100% of all the proceeds generated from the sale of this album will be donated towards two charitable organizations: Doctors Without Borders and The Humane Society. The artists on the release have been hand-picked to showcase the world’s top talent in ambient, modern classical, and experimental music and features many unreleased pieces composed exclusively for the cause.

HC from the Headphone Commute music blog invited me to put together a mix of my own featuring tracks from …And Darkness Came. Unfortunately, I was waylaid by a cold last weekend and couldn’t get that show out. In fact, I’m still under the weather but fortunately HC put together a mix of his own, which we’ll listen to today. You can also listen to the mix without my blathering here.

If you’re a long time listener of the show then you already know I’m a big fan of HC. If you’re new to the show, then today’s edition of solipsistic NATION serves as a great example of the kind of music HC blogs about: it’s beautiful, yes, but it’s also luxurious, breath taking, intimate but at the same time, larger than life.

You can purchase …And Darkness Came at headphonecommute.bandcamp.com or go to headphonecommute.com for more information. If I know HC, he’s hard at work putting together his list for the best music of 2012 so you’ll want to subscribe to his blog just for that. It usually takes him the entire month of January to get through it all.

Join us again next week when we’ll wind down 2012 with a special mix from the Palanke Soultribe.

See you then!

1. Gen Ken Montgomery “Sandy Drain”
2. The Frozen Vaults “A Year Without Summer”
3. Clem Leek “A Modern Hymn For NYC”
4. Good Weather For An Airstrike “Fred’s Song”
5. riverrun “Maallinen Kuu”
6. Roel Funcken “Trideo Vaperz”
7. Pinkcourtesyphone “pixels came and broke your heart”
8. Julien Neto “Los Cien Enamorados”
9. Jóhann Jóhannsson “Melodia (iv) (Live at Ancienne Belgique)”
10. Nils Frahm “Sol”
11. Ólafur Arnalds “Tomorrow’s Song”
12. Dustin O’Halloran “Fragile N.2”
13. Clint Mansell “Merry Christmas (It’s The End Of The World)”
14. Somatic Responses “Fear Chasing Hope (Zombie Subway HC Edit)”
15. SaffronKeira “Endless Agony of Being Sick (Edit)”
16. Valgeir Sigurðsson “Big Reveal”
17. Dakota Suite & Quentin Sirjacq “Now I Am Lost”
18. Ben Lukas Boysen “16°”

Today on solipsistic NATION we’re going to listen to live in-studio performance recorded by Michael Maricle!

Michael has been recording and performing his music for a while now but I only just discovered him when a promotional copy of his recently released The Heart Found You album was sent my way for review. Michael’s music was instantly familiar and seems to come from the same tradition that The Orb and Tripswitch others do. I don’t quite know what that tradition is but I know it has it’s roots in Pink Floyd and beyond.

Michael’s music may be rooted in that tradition but it’s also distinctly his own. In fact, during today’s chat I asked Michael how his music lends itself to dub and new age music. I mentioned it because if you drew a Venn diagram Michael’s music would touch upon those genres and more. While those elements are there or suggest those styles they’re entirely Michael’s and therefore unique.

If you like Michael’s live set, and I know you will, then I know you’ll also will want to know about Headphone Commute‘s compilation album, …And Darkness Came, which drops tomorrow. It’s 10 bucks for over 75 tracks!

…And Darkness Came features the world’s top talent in ambient, modern classical and experimental music. Like I said, there are over 75 tracks on this album and features everyone from Ben Lukas Boysen to Ezekiel Honig. You’ll really get your money’s worth buying this album but the best part is not only do you get to listen to beautiful music, you also help support Doctors Without Borders and The Humane Society to help all those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

HC wants to do good in the world while turning people on to good music.

On next week’s show I’ll be playing select tracks from HC’s compilation album, so stay tuned for that.

See you then!

1. Michael Maricle “Earthbound Misfit”
2. Michael Maricle “Around the Corner”
3. Interview with Michael Maricle
4. Michael Maricle “Live, 2012”

Today’s show we’ll been listening to noise and sound. Some of it, like Boyd Rice‘s Sick Tour, is blistering and could reduce a cinder block to dust in mere seconds. Some of it, like Kingbastard‘s “Danlan Speaks” could lull you to a deep, luxurious sleep. Some sounds like the sound of a 56K modem are fast disappearing.

Boyd’s experimentation with sound opened my head up to what music could be. In fact, you can hear his influence in the introduction to each episode of solipsistic NATION. Those harsh frequencies trace their lineage back to Boyd and they kind of serve as a fuck you to the listener. It says: Hey, this is a different kind of show. If it’s not for you, shove off. We don’t need you. Go listen to something safe.

I discovered Boyd right about the time I discovered Survival Research Laboratories and their robot gladiator arenas and V. Vale‘s Re/Search magazines and the Murder Can Be Fun calendars and a whole bunch of other twisted shit that informed who I would become as a young man.

Getting back to noise that fades into oblivion…

The Museum of Endangered Sounds is an online archive of the archaic noises of technology and is here to save the day. The hard static of 56k modems, the sounds of VCRs, and operators of payphones are just some of the sounds that you’ll find at the Museum.

The Museum of Endagered Endangered lists Brendan Chilcutt as the curator of the museum but when I asked him to join us on today’s show I discovered that Brendan is actually a cutout for Phil Hadad, who is just one of the people behind Brendan and the Museum.

Join us again next week for a special live set from Michael Maricle.

See you then!

Photo Credit: ©S2OK

1. NON/Boyd Rice “Warm Leatherette”
2. NON/Boyd Rice “Sick Tour”
3. Interview with Boyd Rice
4. Laibach “Get Back”
5. Ambassador21 “Power Rage Riot Death (Legion Mix)”
6. David Morneau “Exiles (David Morneau Doomsday Mix)”
7. Dalglish “3.2008”
8. Kingbastard “Danlan Speaks”
9. Korallreven “Pago Pago”
10. Khalija “Khalija Part VII (Flood’s Dream)”
11. Interview with Phil Hadad, co-curator of the Museum of Endangered Sounds
12. Toshinori Kondo “Clear Water”
13. Pale Sketcher “Plans That Fade (Faded Dub)”

Once a month on solipsistic NATION I showcase a label that’s putting out such amazing releases that I feel it’s my duty as host of this show to turn you on to that label. On today’s show we’re going to listen to select tracks from Dope Records and talk to the label’s founder, Fariz Suleiman.

I wish I could tell you how I came across Dope Records. I mean, I know I came across them through Zite on my iPad. I’ve created a section that focuses on electronic music, so even though I came across Dope Records through Zite, Zite pulled the website from any hundred or so blogs dedicated to electronic music. So who knows?

What I do know was that once I was at their web site and started listening to some of the tracks they made available online I became a fan. I expected that a label called Dope Records would feature hip hop releases but I was confounded when I heard everything from ambient to metal to dubstep to noise. I loved it! So I reached out to Fariz to join us on today’s show. I’ve included links in the playlist below to purchase nearly all the tracks heard on today’s show. Show Dope Records and the artists some love by buying a track or two that you dug, an album or two if you’re feeling particularly generous.

Quick note: today’s interview was actually recorded back in August but as I mentioned last week, I went on a sabbatical for a couple of months so it had to wait. I apologize to you and Fariz for the delay. But trust me on this, it is worth the wait.

1. Tokee “Pa (2012 Remix)”
2. Interview with Fariz Suleiman, founder of Dope Records
3. Tokee “Th (2012 Remix)”
4. [makina] “Kabul”
5. Tokee “Agony”
6. Paindonor “Shell Shock”
7. Tokee “Conquistador”
8. Meteo Xavier “Amenemhetopelzai”
9. Interview with Fariz Suleiman, founder of Dope Records
10. Paindonor “Loneliness of the Shot Down Bomber”
11. [makina] “Fly With Me”
12. Bouquiniste “Unknown Track”
13. [makina] “Eat tha’ Bass”
14. Meteo Xavier “Navi Whisperwilde”

You and I need to talk. I’ve been gone for two months and I owe you an explanation about where I’ve been.

The last week of August I took my first vacation in something like seven or eight years. It’s been the first time in ages that I’ve been able to unwind and completely relax. But something unexpected happened: I found I couldn’t get back on the saddle.

Let me explain it this way. I’ve been producing an episode of solipsistic NATION nearly every single weekend for the last five years. That’s 290 shows and sure, here and there I took a week off but otherwise I’ve been working on this show constantly.

Every day I spend a few hours sending out emails, making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook and reading electronic music blogs for ideas for future shows or just to take the pulse of the scene. And if I’m not doing that I’m either interviewing people for future shows or doing research for upcoming interviews.

And for the first time in five years I had a week where I didn’t have to hustle. And after that week I realized how big solipsistic NATION had become and how much work goes into making each episode. It was paralyzing. Each week that went by without producing an episode of solipsistic NATION made the following weekend that much more difficult to face.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy doing solipsistic NATION, because I do. In fact, I’ve got some big plans in store for the show. But I can’t go on like this. Something needs to change and I’ve got some exciting ideas I want to tell you about on a metacast I’ll put out later this month.

In the meantime, I’m back, and I’m back with a bang! On today’s show we’ll talk with Raoul Sinier and hear a recording of him performing in Toulouse in 2009.

Like so many artists I really like, Ad Noiseam‘s Nicolas Chevreux introduced me to Raoul when I showcased his label way back in 2008. I was immediately smitten with his deft weaving of staccato glitches, chopped vocals and shattered vocals. After going offline for so long I figured I’d better deliver the good when I came back. Speak Onion let me know on Twitter that he’s looking forward to today’s show and that he digs Raoul’s music.

I’m particularly sentimental about today’s show because I interviewed Raoul on my birthday. Granted, I had to wake up at 4:30 am in the morning to accommodate the time difference between me in San Diego and Raoul in Paris. Nonetheless, I was pretty alert and had a good time talking with Raoul. It was a good start to one of the best birthdays I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing.

Enjoy Raoul’s live set in Toulouse! Join us again next week when we’ll showcase Dope Records.

See you then!

1. Raoul Sinier “Listen Close”
2. Raoul Sinier “The Incredible Spitting Machine”
3. Raoul Sinier “Huge Samurai Radish (Video Edit)”
4. Raoul Sinier “Green Lights”
5. Raoul Sinier “We Fly Part 2”
6. Raoul Sinier “Listen Close”
7. Raoul Sinier “Ants Mayhem”
8. Raoul Sinier “Live (Toulouse, April 24, 2009)”