Category: Listen

Last weekend I headed up to LA with my friend. No particular reason, we both just needed to get out of San Diego. Don’t get me wrong, San Diego is a slice of paradise but it is lacking in some of the cultural amenities.

I wanted to see Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman perform their Hollywood Babble-On podcast at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club at Universal City Walk. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Kevin Smith because he was on the road promoting his new book, Tough Shit: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good. It was still a good show and I had the unique experience of strolling through Universal City Walk, which was a weird combination of a theme park and a shopping mall. Thing is, once you’ve been there, there’s absolutely no reason to ever go back, because there’s nothing there you’d really want to spend cash on beside touristy shit (although I must admit that I kind of liked it). I suppose if you lived in the area you’d want to go there to check out the latest Hollywood blockbuster film.

The next day we drove to the fashion district in LA, which was a vast disappointment to my friend. I suppose she was expecting haute couture and models strolling up and down the streets.

Anyway, it was good to take the weekend off and now I’m back and I’m really excited about today’s show, because on today on solipsistic NATION we’re showcasing Metal Postcard Records.

I’m quite fond of Metal Postcard because they’ve been around roughly the same time I first started broadcasting solipsistic NATION on Free Radio San Diego. I didn’t have any juice but Sean Hocking, the label’s founder, was kind enough to send promotional CDs and vinyl my way to play on the show. Metal Postcard is an eclectic label and we’ll find out just how eclectic when we chat with Sean, who joins us from his home in Hong Kong.

Before I go, I want to wish my dad a happy Father’s Day. He’s listened to every single edition of solipsistic NATION. It means a lot to me that I can share something that means so much to me and that I work so hard on with my dad, and that he wants to listen. That he enjoys that show is just icing on the cake.

He’s a father and a friend and his influence on me in appreciating great music from all genres is only one of the many things I’m thankful for him as a father.

Happy father’s day, dad. I love you.

1. Wax Audio “Imagine This”
2. Rake Wickman “Suur Toll”
3. Interview with Sean Hocking, founder of Metal Postcard Records
4. Swoop Swoop “Drive Into the Night”
5. Ollo “Full Stop Blue”
6. Cambodian Space Project “I’m Unsatisfied”
7. DJ Foundation “Sitting in Gitmo”
8. The Emergency “Holland Tunnel Dive”
9. Interview with Sean Hocking, founder of Metal Postcard Records
10. Wow “When You’re Dead”
11. Pairs “I Wanna Die in the Ocean” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
12. Never Heard of Zeppelin “Book of Love”
13. London School of Economics “Cock Sucker”
14. ?redo from Start “Wires”
15. Louis Inglis “Dark Days Ahead”
16. Crystal Sun Remixed by DSICO “For Those Who Wander”
17. Interview with Sean Hocking, founder of Metal Postcard Records

Tapage is Tijs Ham and he’s our guest on today’s show.

While I’ve always enjoyed his music, I think he’s really matured as an artist and as a musician with the release of Overgrown, his latest album on Tympanik Audio. All the elements that Tijs has worked with the last couple of years—the soundscapes, breakcore and IDM—are all there, but his use of all those styles of music is more precise. They’re there more to support what he wants to express through his music than overwhelming the music, if that makes any sense. You’ll see what I mean, because we’ll also hear a live in studio performance from Tijs on today’s show.

Speaking of shows, [tlr], who has been a frequent guest on solipsistic NATION, will be performing tonight with Ming and Ping and Mike Diva as NVD-NDR at Til Two here in San Diego. If you live in the area, go see them! I plan to be there so send me a tweet @solipsistic and maybe we can meet up. That’s if I get today’s show out early enough.

If you can’t make the show, fear not. You can download [tlr]’s’s performance as NVR-NDR on the October 15th, 2011 edition of solipsistic NATION. TLR was also on the show with tooth_eye, A Beautiful Lotus, Johan Ess and Joshua Decker with a mix of select tracks from their Magicore blog back in March.

One more thing…

I get sent a lot of music, and even though I feature the best of it each week on solipsistic NATION, there’s so much that I can’t pack it all into an hourly program. Even though I can’t play everything that I think is great, I can still tell you about it, so I’ve started a new feature on the solipsistic NATION website: the song of the day. Recent posts have featured Bonde Do Role, Laid Back and the Drop Out Orchestra. All the music is exceptional and each post features a video or track from the artist. I also include links to download free MP3s if they offer them. If you like the show then I think you’ll like the song of the day, so check it out!

Join us again next week when we’ll showcase music from Metal Postcard Records.

See you then!

1. Tapage “Leptoid”
2. Tapage & Meander “Delicate Hydroid”
3. Interview with Tijs Ham of Tapage
4. Tapage “Laboratory Panic Advice”
5. Tapage “Sine”
6. Tapage “Notbremse”
7. Tapage “Head Cage”
8. Tapage “Mortuary Beef”
9. Tapage “Live”

On today’s show I’m handing the virtual wheels of steel over to Praketh, who has lovingly selected tracks from Audio Aashram, one of the only labels operating out of New Delhi that sell, promote and manage various artists and different styles of alternative electronic music. They also stream three different kinds of music at Radio79.com.

Praketh has been a guest DJ on solipsistic NATION several times now, and also produces his own show, the always excellent blueOrb podcast. In fact, it’s because of his podcast that we know each other in the first place.

I came across his show five years ago when he released a mix featuring everyone from Nalepa to Boards of Canada. To this very day that remains one of my favorite mixes. Anyway, I asked Praketh if I could feature that mix on solipsistic NATION. He graciously agreed and has been a welcome guest on the show ever since.

Whenever Praketh is kind enough to send a mix my way I invite him to come on the show to talk. But Praketh always declines, preferring to let the music do the talking. If you’ve listened to this show for any amount of time, you know that interviews are integral to solipsistic NATION. I like to get to know people in the electronic music community, what makes them tick, why do they do what they do? But Praketh’s mixes are always so brilliant that I’m willing to not scratch that particular itch.

I was considering releasing this show as a label showcase but when I talked it over with Praketh he pointed out that his mix, awesome as it is, doesn’t convey the breadth and scope of Audio Aashram. The mix is more representative of Praketh’s tastes in music. And that’s true, because this mix has Praketh’s fingerprints all over it.

You can hear more mixes from Praketh. Check out the December 21st, 2007 Gunning for the Buddha show and the May 21st, 2011 Blue Orb edition of solipsistic NATION.

If you know someone you think would enjoy today’s show, tell them about solipsistic NATION. Or give us a review on our iTunes page. Spread the word!

Join us again next week for a special in-studio performance by Tapage.

See you then!

1. Open System “Inner sense (INTRO)”
2. Dualist Inquiry “Orbital”
3. Shantam “Reflexed”
4. Lucid Picnic “Saturn Effect”
5. Sattyananda “Realize”
6. Akasha “The Chain”
7. Sattyananda “Sonic Dreams”
8. Sygnals “Abyss Escape”
9. Sattyananda “Celebrate”
10. Shantam “Selfitude”
11. Sygnals “Recollection”
12. Asura “Volte Face”
13. Akasha “More Babak”
14. Saatvik Sequencers “Raga Durga”
15. Grains of Sound “Way In, Way Out (OUTRO)”