Category: solipsistic NATION

I was iniated into dub last century when I picked up the 21st Century Dub compilation cassette. I already loved reggae, but dub was much more expansive, mysterious, and supple. It was psychedelic. And so, over the years, I explored dub. King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry were my guides in this dimension.

The more I listened, the more I heard dub’s influences everywhere. I heard it in punk, goth, industrial, etc. Dub is singular because it can absorb any genre’s musical distinctiveness and make it its own.

I’d often don the guide of King Dub during my late-night shows at WMFO. I’d talk in a patois and pitch shift my voice down a notch to sound like a deejay from the deepest realms of dub. And I’d play some of the deepest, low-end frequency dub I could get my hands on. Today’s mix captures the spirits of those nights. I hope you enjoy it.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Tim McManus of Island House Recordings.

See you then.

1. Napalm Death “Evolved As One”
2. Painkiller “Blackhole Dub”
3. ICE “The Dredger”
4. Spectre “Sub Version”
5. Magnet “Miles To Go (Invisible Man)”
6. We “Illbient (Featuring DJ Olive, Loop & Once 11)”
7. Sub Dub “Monuments On Earth”
8. Primal Scream “Higher Than The Sun (A Dub Symphony In Two Parts)”
9. Scarab “Fall Of The Towers Of Convention”
10. Gedulah vs. Cheesecake “El-Qadim”
11. Fugazi “Version”
12. Qabbalah “Majesty”
13. Capt. Kowatchi “The Mystik Speaks”

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Today’s guest deejay is Mike Lazarev.

Mike and I go way back.

I met Mike through Solipsistic Nation, an electronic music show I produced. Mike recently launched Headphone Commute, an electronic and ambient music blog. We traveled in the same circles. Our paths were bound to cross.

Mike and I had a conversation years ago. I don’t recall what we were talking about, but what I distinctly remember is coming away from our conversation impressed with his sincerity and integrity.

Since that time, Headphone Commute has grown in depth and reach. It is now part of the dialogue in ambient and electronic music, Or, as their tagline says on their website, “honest music.” Integrity.

Also, during that time, Mike has released six albums. Each note on each song was lovingly played. Mike’s latest album, When You Are, explores new terrain. I could use words like “delicate,” “warm,” “evocative,” or “organic” to try and convey what Mike’s album feels like, but those words capture the experience of listening to When You Are. For me, it was getting lost in Mike’s music on a rare, dreary day in San Diego and reflecting on my life and family. It was a very moving experience, and I don’t know if that moment would have happened if Mike’s music hadn’t put me in that state of reverie.

How’s that?

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Drekka.

See you then.

In this mix, I focused on exploring the very edges of the sonic landscape, where beauty and destruction lie on opposite sides of the dynamic spectrum. Between them, one can hear the transmutation between organic and synthetic, fragile and brutal, beauty and fright. I really love the distorted build-ups originating in the gentle and soothing melodies, climaxing to their concerted peaks and then collapsing into beauty once again. It's in this contrast that we find ourselves forever bouncing between the darkness and the light, only to accept that there is no middle ground and that this journey is the way.

1. Arovane “Goodbye Forever (Recomposed by Mike Lazarev)”
2. Max Richter “Shadow Journal”
3. 36 “Colours In The Dark”
4. Kcin & Tilman Robinson “Go Be Free Then”
5. Mike Lazarev “Tonality Number Seven”
6. Jason van Wyk “Light Burns Out”
7. Ital Tek “A Delicate Balance”
8. Ben Chatwin “Creep Strain”
9. CoH meets Abul Mogard “Traverse Within”
10. Mike Lazarev Tonality Number One (Excerpt)”
11. Jóhann Jóhannsson “melodia (iii)”

Great show for you today! We’re going to hear a live, in-studio performance from Khafru. But first, I’ve got some sad news to announce.

Cheb i Sabbah died last week of stomach cancer.

For those of you who didn’t know him, Chebi was a musician and composer from San Francisco. If there’s a genre that would describe his music I guess it would be worldbeat, but that doesn’t adequately describe the richness, complexity and the beauty of Chebi’s artistry.

I first discovered Chebi late last century in 1995 when I purchased Sub Rosa‘s Ancient Light and the Blackcore at Newbury Comics in Boston. The album featured field recordings of Yanomami shamans, Seefeel, Scorn and Timothy Leary remixed by some guy called Cheb i Sabbah.

The track by Chebi was called “Why Are You Here?” Timothy Leary waxed psychedelic on the meaning of our existence and was supported by Chebi’s timeless, cosmic music. It was mind blowing stuff.

From that point on, Cheb i Sabbah was on my radar so when Sub Rosa released an album of poetry by Ira Cohen with music from Chebi, I purchased it without question and I was not disappointed. Chebi’s music was still psychedelic but it now incorporated sounds from Morocco. Combined with Ira Cohen’s words, I felt like I was living in one of William Burroughs‘ fevered dreams.

Chebi then released a series of albums: Shri Durga, Maha Maya and Krishna Lila, each one exploring music from North and South India. In 2005 Chebi veered off into an entirely different direction and released La Kahena, which featured music from North Africa.

When I launched solipsistic NATION I had a list of artists I wanted to have on the show to talk about their music. Chebi was one of those artists and it was a pleasure to talk to him about his craft and each of his albums after listening to his music for so many years.

At the time, that show was supposed to be a retrospective of Chebi’s musical journey so far. Like everybody else, I assumed that Chebi would release album after wonderful album. Sadly, Chebi only released two more albums: La Ghriba: La Kahena Remixed in 2006 and Devotion in 2008.

Chebi had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Chebi didn’t have health insurance so an online fundraiser campaign was launched to cover Chebi’s medical fees. Six Degrees Records, who had put out nearly every album during Chebi’s musical career, also released a benefit album called Samaya in 2012.

And now Chebi’s gone. His music is still with us, but the man is gone. He will be missed.

If you live in or near San Francisco Friends of Chebi invite you to celebrate Chebi’s music and message November 21 from 7pm to 2 am at 1015 Folsom. There will be 4 rooms of live and electronic music centered around the global music that defined the unique Cheb i Sabbah sound. Suggested Donation $10-$20 sliding scale but no one turned away for lack of funds.

There’s a staggering list of musicians who will be there so I’ll just mention a few: Karsh Kale and the Midival Punditz will be there via satellite, Dub Gabriel will be there, Bob Duskis from Six Degrees Records will be there and many, many more.

As I mentioned earlier, I had a list of artists I wanted to feature on solipsistic NATION and Cheb i Sabbah was one of them. Over the years I’ve got to talk to a lot of people on that list. There are still quite few names on that list like Kraftwerk and Crystal Method I’d like to have on the show but these days I’m more about finding new voices in electronic music. Which brings us to today’s show featuring Khafru.

Producing solipsistic NATION means listening to a lot of music. One might even go as so far as to say that I listen to an unhealthy amount of music. And most of it is either awful or forgettable. Statistically that’s just the way it is. 99% of everything is crap. But when Khafru’s music came over my headphones I got goosebumps! Who was this guy?! I knew I had to have him on the show.

It took a few months but Khafru found a window to talk about his music and send me a recording of him performing live, in studio.

Before I go, I’ll spend the rest of the month catching up on loose ends and next week we’ll listen to a live set from Mutamassik.

See you then!

1. Khafru “Mirrors Become Doors At Night”
2. Interview with Abhimanyu Malhotra of Khafru
3. Khafru “Live”
1. Finegan Finch “Thousand Eyes Towards The Skies [Khafru Remix]”
2. Khafru “Mon Petit Fleur”
3. Khafru “Coasts Of Khayyam”
4. Khafru “Venn Diagram”
5. Khafru “Industry Of Man”
6. Khafru “Sentinel”
7. Arms of Oblivion “Sleep [Khafru Remix]”
8. Khafru “Mirrors Become Doors At Night”
9. Khafru “When The Morning Comes”
10. Khafru “Delicate Dawn”

Today on solipsistic NATION DJ Food‘s Strictly Kev returns with a live set that was performed in a… really unexpected place. In a planetarium. The FullDome UK, to be exact.

Before we get to DJ Food, a couple of things.

First, I want to thank everyone for sticking around and coming back to solipsistic NATION during my absence. It really means a lot to me. I know, you’re busy, you could be listening to another podcast, or watching a movie or playing a video game or reading a book… but you’re here, right now with me. Thanks.

And thanks for listening to the last edition of solipsistic NATION that featured Grouse, The Other Guy, and today’s guest, DJ Food.

I’m really proud of that show. It was firing all cylinders. The music was unquestionably great, and the interviews were great, too. A lot of heart. I don’t know about you, but I got inspired when Grouse talked about chucking out all his old sounds and starting fresh for his new album. Sometimes you gotta destroy before you create. And it was adorable when DJ Food’s Strictly Kev’s son crashed our interview. And I got a lump in my throat when The Other Guy talked about his mom passing. Just a great show. If you missed it, go listen to it now.

Okay, today’s show.

I originally planned to release a mega show featuring interviews with Propellerheads‘ Kalle Paulsson, ScatterRadio‘s Dae Choi, and music recommendations from Alan Ranta and Macedonia, and a show idea from Edward Stumpp that I was really excited to talk about. And I was also planning to celebrate 300+ editions of solipsistic NATION to boot. But I just didn’t have time to put it together. And now it’s the first weekend of the month, and that’s live music time, so I had to push that show back.

On today’s show we’re going to hear a live set from DJ Food’s Strictly Kev.

Well, kind of live. It’s music Kev put together for people to experience at a planetarium in the UK.

When I first heard the idea I kind of rolled my eyes, thinking it was going to be like the cheesy laser shows I saw back when I was a kid. But once Kev described the whole thing on the last show I was totally enchanted with the idea. Check out the YouTube video below.

I’m listening to Kev’s set as I write this and even without the visuals it’s still an amazing. Totally trippy You’re in a for a great time! And just think, if there’s a planetarium in your area you just might get to experience it for yourself.

Before I get out of Dodge, I’ve got a backlog of shows to catch up on so the next few weeks expect to hear live set from Khafru and Mutamassik. And then we’ll get to that mega show I mentioned and then we’ll take off from there.

Great to be in the saddle again. Now go enjoy today’s show and kiss the sky!

1. DJ Food “Discovery Workshop”
2. DJ Food “A Trick of the Ear (Album Edit)”
3. Interview with Strictly Kev of DJ Food
4. DJ Food “The Search Engine, FullDome UK”