Category: Listen

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solipsistic NATION No. 27: Industrial Strength

Industrial music’s roots go back to the Futurims movement with works like Luigi Russolo‘s The Art of Noises and later in composer Edgard Varèse‘s Poème Électronique.

In the 1970s bands like Throbbing Gristle and NON utilized tape editing, stark percussion, and loops to create their dark and distorted music. Bands like Cabaret Voltaire and SPK adopted these elements into their own work, often mixing repeating samples of speeches and dialogue from movies and speeches into their music.

What most people now consider industrial music came from Ministry. For better or worse, Ministry left their stamp on the genre with a sonic barrage of distorted drum machines and bludgeoning guitars. While I love Skinny Puppy and their nightmarish soundscapes it’s easy to understand why so many bands followed Ministry’s lead. Not only is the music dark and aggressive but you can also thrash about in a mosh pit. It is this subgenre of industrial music that inspired today’s show.

Photo Credit: N3CR0N0M1C0N

  1. DieselKopf “Carcrash”
  2. Die Warzau “Insect”
  3. Sister Machine Gun “Influence”
  4. eulogy XL “SpeedBall”
  5. 2FB “Unknow Enemy”
  6. Spôr “Dilate”
  7. 5 Factor Model “Can’t Wait”
  8. Pig Hut “Uber”
  9. Uranium 235 “Uranium 235”
  10. Aeon “Starve”
  11. 3-Hole Face “Hands of God”
  12. Scanalyzer “Anywhere But Here”
  13. Zombie Girl “Creepy Crawler”
  14. Caffeine Kill “Sonic”
  15. I:Scintilla “Scin”
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solipsistic NATION No. 26: Through A Glass Darkly

In 1 Corinthians 13:12 the Apostle Paul says “Now we see through a glass darkly.” The glass is a mirror which and to see through that mirror “darkly” is to have an obscure or imperfect vision of reality.

But what is reality?

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English says that reality is “the state of things as they actually exist.” But all we know of reality is perceived through our senses, which are imperfect. Further, the way we interpret what we perceive is a subjective experience. In a sense, there is no way to see reality but through a mirror darkly.

There are some who hold that since our sense are imperfect and since everything is a subjective experience the only thing we can truly know is ourselves. While reality is a consensual experience we are all of us living in a solipsistic nation.

Music is another subjective experience and trip hop, with its noir-ish lense, offers us yet another glimpse into a world seen through a glass darkly. Trip hop was a term coined by British dance magazine Mixmag, to describe DJ Shadow‘s hip hop instrumentals that changed-up the beat and mid-cuts, taking the listener on a dark musical journey.

I hope you enjoy today’s flight through the glass.

Photo Credit: Sy Parrysh

  1. Kalahari Surfers “Versatile Flying Objects”
  2. Chillerstadt “Heat”
  3. Scanlan “Son”
  4. Audiomoe “57 Spring”
  5. DigiT aLL LoVe “You Keep It”
  6. Monkeybacon “Roller”
  7. Unorganized Crime “Alessandra”
  8. Da Smee “Jahmin001”
  9. Verbal Kint “The Temple (Smooth Trip Mix ft. Judie Jay)”
  10. Anji Bee with Bitstream Dream “Love Me, Leave Me”
  11. The Neybuzz “Dark Days”
  12. Behavior “Anywhere But Here”
  13. Collide “Razor Sharp”
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solipsistic NATION No. 25: Exquisite Corpse

Exquisite corpse is based on a parlor game. The game was played by several people, each of whom would write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold the paper to conceal their part of it, and pass it on to the next player for her contribution. Each collaborator adds to the composition in sequence, either by following a rule (e.g. “The adjective noun adverb verb the adjective noun”) or by being allowed to see the end of what the previous person contributed.

What made this game so charming was the collaborative efforts in creating a piece of artwork and the unexpected results when the whole was revealed to all the particpants.

Years ago I adapted exquisite corpse for radio when I was spinning at WMFO. I would invite several DJs to the show and begin the set with a song. The next particpants had exactly the length of the song to choose a track that he thought should be played next. The DJ could stay within the same genre or mood or segue into an entirely different direction and the next DJ would do the same. It was a lot fun and made for some amazingly diverse mixes of music.

Today’s episode of solipsistic NATION is an exquisite corpse mix.

I invited the hosts of some of some of the best electronic music podcasts to participate in the exquisite corpse mix. As above, each podcaster was sent a MP3 of the song most recently added to the mix and were asked to select a song to play next. None of them has any idea what the final exquisite corps emix will sound like until the release of today’s show. The mix will be just as much a surprise for them as it will be for you!

Photo Credit: raindog

  1. Stop Paving Roads “Spanish Evil”
    Selected by Bazooka Joe, solipsistic NATION
  2. Halou “Everything Is OK (Different)”
    Selected by Anji Bee, The Chillcast
  3. Pale Beneath the Blue “Inside”
    Selected by Jim Nye, Idyllic Music
  4. Hexes & Ohs “Alive Until Saturday Night”
    Selected by Julien Smith, In Over Your Head
  5. Christian Walt “Sooner Or Later (Once Again)”
    Selected by Jason Smith, Both Sides of the Surface
  6. La Caution “Je Te Hais”
    Selected by Thomas, Yo La La!
  7. Aegis “Computer Chips”
    Selected by Guy David, Advanced Electronica
  8. I Am Dog Biscuit “Yakuza VS The Robots”
    Selected by Neil, Well Made Music
  9. :brownstudy “Do Gets Done”
    Selected by .8bliss, Omnipresent Podcast
  10. Ewun “Screw Up”
    Selected by Mr. E, The DJ Class
  11. Blue Hand “Novokaine”
    Selected by Patric Bakkenist, Electron-X
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solipsistic NATION No. 24: Jahtari

Each weekend on the Small World podcast I put out a mix of fantastic podsafe music. I really wanted to put a dub mix but I was finding it difficult to find podsafe dub music. Dr. Puff, host of the Puffcast, suggested I check out Jahtari.org‘s roster of dub artists. I’ve been hooked on their music ever since!

Today’s solipsistic NATION features music from the net label Jahtari as well as an interview with Jan Gleichmar, founder of Jahtari.

Jan got into dub after experimenting with the most different equipment and
styles (from gabba to digital hardcore to electronica). Due to lack of money Jan decided to create dub music on his laptop. Shortly afterwards Jahtari was born.

  1. Blue Vitriol “Re-Entry Dub”
  2. Volfoniq vs Trema “Recreadub”
  3. Krystoff “Holy Mount”
  4. Blaze Dem “Dubness Of This Creation”
  5. Normaa “Give Thanks To Be Part”
  6. Noisebeyondsilence “Sound Dimension”
  7. Disrupt “Bauhelm Dub”
  8. Disrupt “Gateless Barrier”
  9. Disrupt “Tubby ROM Module”
  10. Jahtari Riddim Force “Loose In Space”
  11. Parmon “Kimension Drums”
  12. Lingam Cutter “Kickermorphose”
  13. Ovr Thrustr “Half”
  14. Normaa “International Calling”
  15. Roots Ista Posse “8Bit Battle Dub”
  16. Mikey Murka “Sensi Addict”
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solipsistic NATION No. 23: Schismatrix

Mind the Glitch!

While some consider Glitch a sub-genre of intelligent dance music, Glitch does away with traditional instrumentation, and instead focuses on the use of mechanized and non-natural sounds. While rhythm is a central focal point of Glitch, the style’s various sub-genres range from the ambient to the dance-oriented.

While putting together today’s episode of solipsistic NATION I wondered what my attraction to Glitch is. In the hands of, say, Throbbing Gristle or Ministry, Glitch would be a sonic barrage of static that would reduce a cinder block to a pile of dust. While some artists do use that approach with Glitch there are many more who prefer to use the elements of Glitch with a more ambient approach. The unnatural sounds of static, hisses, bleeps and pops become soothing and hypnotic. At the same time, the broken beats and fractured rhythms of Glitch can also for listeners to pay more attention to the music than other genres of electronic music.

In any case, Glitch captures the zeitgeist of the world we live in. The whir of harddrives, the jerky sounds of printers, the beeps of our mobile phones take on a new significance against the backdrop of Glitch.

  1. Zephyr Nova “Iota”
  2. Parts & Labor “Processional”
  3. DJ Slip “Utopia Revealed (She’s A Time Traveller)”
  4. Rik Rue “My Life With Speed”
  5. Nalepa “Durian”
  6. krill.minima “Holzwurm”
  7. Shen “Causation”
  8. Land Shark “Dangerous”
  9. Drop The Lime “Try Harder”
  10. Mouse On Mars “Inocular – A”
  11. Deru “Tapah”
  12. Socks and Sandals “Lover (OG Edit)”
  13. Aerostatic “Drone Mix2 limNORM”
  14. Miskate “Ditty Dumdum”
  15. Ultre “Being Invincible”
  16. Balún “Opening The Box”
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solipsistic NATION No. 22: Quietus

I’ve touched on ambient music on solipsistic NATION in the past but I thought it was time to have an entire episode dedicated to this genre.

Ambient music is ambiguous and open-ended in scope, including everything from Erik Satie‘s Trois Gymnopédies suite to Brian Eno‘s atmospheric On Land album. My own definition of ambient music is a bit narrower in that I don’t think of pieces like Satie’s Gymnopédies as ambient music. While Gymnopédies is certainly a work of quiet genius I consider it more of an instrumental piece.

I think of ambient music as music that is near formless, something that is amorphous and nebulous. It’s more about sounds that evoke a mood than a series of rhythmic patterns.

  1. Mel “Framed Moon”
  2. Insideamind “Right This Way”
  3. Poolbath “Auto-Exit2″
  4. Cinema Volta “2005-09-04″
  5. Janek Schaefer “All Bombing is Terrorism”
  6. Chris Herbert “Chlorophyll”
  7. Dave from Chub Creek “7777777″
  8. Muslimgauze “Fazisi”
  9. Dysphor “Self-Aware Pulsations”
  10. Spainful Films Soundtrack Dept. “Church Outing 20060312″
  11. Ezekiel Honig & Morgan Packard “A Long Time Ago”
  12. Irokez “Dark Blue”
  13. If Thousands “Radio Is Fine”
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solipsistic NATION No. 21: Droppin’ & Poppin’ Beats

It’s funny how some of these shows come together.

I didn’t set out to do an all hip hop show for this week’s edition of solipsistic NATION. I just picked songs I’ve been grooving to. As I started flowing the songs together for the mix I realized that they were all hip hop tunes.

What’s remarkable about that is that I’m not a fan of most hip hop that comes out these days. I’m one of those people who thinks that some of the best hip hop came out of the 80′s and early 90′s. Oh, sure, there has been some great hip hop since then but I really feel that rap was hamstrung when it became next to impossible to secure the rights for sampling or the bits that come from the deejay. Laying down the most rudimentary beats backed by a cheap keyboard rarely makes for a good song. I miss the sonic brilliance that came from Hank Shocklee and Pete Rock. I celebrate turntablists like Mix Master Mike and DJ Q-bert who defied the restrictions layed down by entertainment lawyers so they could create the best music possible. And yet here I am putting out an all hip hop show. I guess it’s time for me to set my prejudices about my feelings about today’s hip hop aside.

Photo Credit: © Guilhem Reinaud

  1. DJ Jay C 3 “Hey Mr. DJ”
  2. DJ Uff Da & DJ Jay C 3 “I’m In Control”
  3. Malente “Open Secret (Radio Edit)”
  4. Four Tet “A Joy (Percee P Version)”
  5. Craig De Maio “The Circus Tent Experiment”
  6. Zion I & The Grouch “Trigger”
  7. Roscoe “Mr. Peanut Vender”
  8. Stereotyp “Big Flows”
  9. Hi-Tek “March”
  10. The Visionaries “Talkin’ HandJive (Ft. Shorkut)”
  11. Acid Reign “Word Em Up”
  12. Jern Eye “Power Animal”
  13. Chief Kamachi “Jim Kelly”
  14. Motion Man “Professional Experts (Ft. Kool Keith & KutMasta Kurt)”
  15. Edan “Beautiful Food”
  16. Society of Invisibles “Down”
  17. Agallah “The Don Bishop” “Ride Out (O.G.G.G.) (Featuring The Alchemist)”
  18. Mikial “I’m Honest”
  19. Hairdoo “Freedom”
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solipsistic NATION No. 20: King Dub Champion Sound System

Today’s show, all dub.

Back when I was a DJ at WMFO I sometimes used to fill in on some shows under the guise of King Dub. I’d speak with a slight Jamaican patois and pitch shift my voice and add some echo so I would sound like some interdimensional sound selector from the deepest realms of dub.

Dub, for those of you who don’t know, began as instrumentals of songs that appeared on the flipside of 45 rpms. In time, producers like Lee “Scratch” Perry and King Tubby began processing the instruments and vocals with effects such as echo and reverb, often with the instruments and vocals dropping in and out of the mix. But almost always with a massive low bass.

Dub later made it’s presence felt in electronic music and influenced techno, jungle, dubstep, drum and bass, house music, trip hop, ambient music, and hip hop.

  1. Dubmatix “War, Peace & Dub”
  2. Spiral Soundsystem vs Jerry Mane “Sizzled Dub”
  3. Nalepa “Pomme Granite Dub”
  4. Bluetech “AD”
  5. RaNDom “Crystal Dub”
  6. Subtronix “Bushwhacked”
  7. Ladyman “Infomercia”
  8. DJ Olive “Sub Bass Commandante”
  9. Once11 “My Real Face”
  10. Disrupt “Jah Red Gold And Green”
  11. Power Steppers “Gates of Dub”
  12. Volfoniq “Heroina Dub”
  13. Roots Ista Posse “Hooked Mi Up Dub”
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solipsistic NATION No. 19: Special Guest, DJ Wayz

solipsistic NATION is a weekly podcast that features the best of all genres of electronic music. Sometimes I jump from genre to genre on a show and other times I’ll focus on a specific genre like house. solipsistic NATION also features interviews, documentaries and, from time to time, guest DJs.

Today’s guest DJ is Wayz. Wayz has been featured on Drum and Bass Arena’s podcast which caught the attention of Breakbeat Kaos‘s DJ Fresh, in turn leading to the subsequent signing of ‘Beyond’ to the high profile Dogs on Acid label. His tracks have also been featured on; Knowledge Magazine, 1xtra, and now has play support from some of the scene’s top DJ’s.

I interviewed Wayz on the small WORLD podcast back in October. After the interview I asked Wayz if he’d be willing to share his latest drum and bass mix on solipsistic NATION. If you dig today’s episode then you’ll definitely want to subscribe to Wayz’s podcast!

  1. WAYZ “Pain”
  2. Sub Focus “Swamp Thing”
  3. Henchman “Breakdown”
  4. Mutated Forms “Star Dust”
  5. Tactix “Black Sky”
  6. High Rankin “Alice”
  7. Mumblz & Dave Akuma “Testing Reality”
  8. TC & Distored Minds “Jump”
  9. Logistics “Girl from Mars”
  10. Baron “Drive In Drive By”
  11. Brookes Brothers “Mistakes”
  12. WAYZ “Pink Birds”
  13. Culture Shock “The Bypass”
  14. Paul B “Nobody Likes A Monster”
  15. High Rankin “Lost in a World of Ghosts”
  16. Cooh “Armeny (Tactix Remix)”
  17. Panda “Cats”
  18. Sub Focus “Flamenco”
  19. Logistics “The Divide”
  20. Agent Alvin “The Untouchables”
  21. Specialist Sound “With Avengence”
  22. Sub Focus “Airplane”
  23. Audio “No Soul”
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solipsistic NATION No. 18: Master of Dead Contortions

Hello to all of you in Berlin who tuned in for today’s show.

In the early eighties there was a punk band called MDC and they frequently changed their name to a different acronym with every new record released. Some of the names included Millions of Dead Cops, More Dead Cops, Millions of Dead Children, Multi Death Corporations, Millions of Damn Christians and Missile Destroyed Civilization. The woman I was dating at the time and her friend would come up with their own acronyms for MDC and one them that struck me was Master of Dead Contortions. If there was ever a more appropriate name for today’s mix then Master of Dead Contortions is it.

I’ve noticed that a lot of electronic music podcasts are usually 30 minutes in length while my shows usually clock in an hour. Even without the interviews that sometimes occur on Solipsistic Nation I feel that I need an hour to really take you on a journey.

So here’s the question: would you prefer 30 minute installments of solipsistic NATION or do you think the show should continue to run for an hour? You can post your answer at solipsisticnation.com or email me at solipsisticnation@gmail.com.

Photo Credit: Sarah Glidden

  1. solipsistic NATION “Bad Acid”
  2. Riothead vs. Andrako “Under the Skin (Viral Remix by Bleedr)”
  3. compUterus “Exhaust Head”
  4. Mind Disruption “Sick Minds”
  5. Punch Drunk “Robotopia”
  6. Neikka Rpm “Sacrifice (Sever The Delusion)”
  7. Cristian Paduraru “Pentateuch”
  8. Reverend Rye “The Boom Boom Room”
  9. BioUtopia “A New Origin of Species”
  10. Mel “Waiting”
  11. Insideamind “Twinkle Twinkle”
  12. Junkyard Connection & Montana “Conestoga Bounce”
  13. Raven Chacon “Overheard Song”
  14. Electric Skychurch “Full Moon Generator”