Dan’s music has elements of breakcore and drum and bass in it but what Dan is really about is unleashing gnarly chunks of noise at his audience. It’s rare that a recording of a performance can capture that energy but today’s show definitely does.
If you donated some cash because of last week’s interview, thanks for making San Diego even more beautiful than it already is. And if there’s a worthy Kickstarter project that you think I should promote on the show, shoot me an email at solipsisticnation@gmail.com
I also want to take this opportunity to thank for you listening to the show. Solipsistic Nation has been getting literally thousands of new listeners every month. In fact, solipsistic NATION got over 42,000 downloads in July. I know some shows have listeners in the hundreds of thousands but 42,000 downloads is pretty amazing for my humble little show. So thanks!
It’s very flattering that so many of you are enjoying the show and sharing it with your friends. I’ll try and hold up my end of the bargain by putting out as many fun and interesting shows as I can.
Join us again for next week’s label showcase with a special mix from Ember Music‘s Bill and Kurt, featuring select tracks from their label.
Today’s show was originally going to have interviews with Amon Tobin and Dr. Toast about their new albums; an interview with the folks from the Norbergfestival, which is taking place in Sweden this weekend; and an interview with Geeta Dayal about her book about Brian Eno‘s album, Another Green World.
That would have been a great show, right?
But shows like that take a lot of time. I have to schedule the interviews, come up with some hopefully thought provoking questions, then record and edit the interviews, never mind producing the actual show. Add in a day job and suddenly flying to Indiana to say goodbye to my grandfather. I just didn’t have that kind time to wrap up the month with a show like that. I promise to deliver that show to you next month, though.
So what have I got for in store for you on today’s edition of solipsistic NATION? Glad you asked.
As of last night I had no idea what I was going to do for today’s show and then I remembered a mix I had been putting together for Macedonia for his excellent Both Sides of the Surface podcast. Macedonia had invited me to be a guest DJ on his show about a year ago and I’ve slowly been pulling tracks I thought would perfectly fit right into his show while still conveying the spirit of my own show.
That was the plan, but since I had nothing for today’s show, well, my back was against the wall. I’ll come up with another set for Macedonia. Hopefully it wont take another six months.
Speaking of Macedonia, you really need to hear his latest podcast. Macedonia’s show is always fantastic but he’s really been batting them out of the park in 2011. There’s a reason I’ve been listening to Both Sides of the Surface for the last five years. I urge you to give his show a listen and his latest podcast is an excellent place to start.
Lately there’s been a huge uptick in the number of people listening to the show. If that happens to be you, thanks for tuning in. And thanks to all you long-time listeners, too.
I can’t help but think part of that is due to the number of people who listen to the show. If you’d like to help support the show then turn your friends on to solipsistic NATION if you think it’s something they’ll enjoy as much as you do.
Who knows where the show could go if there was even more of us!
And since there are so many of you listening to solipsistic NATION there’s a Kickstarter project I want to you to consider funding.
You know Kickstarter, right? It’s a website where people, mostly artists and designers, can try and crowd source funding for a project they want to produce. The most famous Kickstarter project to date has been a very stylish watch band for Apple’s iPod Nano.
My buddy, Knitting Guy, has a far humbler but no less magical idea. He wants to transform stop signs in San Diego into flowers. Even if you only kick in a buck you’d be helping him out a lot. Go here for more information.
Join us again next week for a special live set from Speak Onion. I guarantee he’ll melt your ear buds.
Today’s show is very special for me and I imagine it will be a very special show for a lot of people, because today we’ll be talking with Brian Long and showcasing music from the Excursions in Ambience compilation album series.
Back in the early 1990s when I was first falling deeply in love with electronic music, Caroline Distribution released Excursions in Ambience, which captured my imagination and expanded my horizons of what electronic music, and ambient music, could be.
Excursions in Ambience turned out to be an incredibly successful album, and was quickly followed up with Excursions in Ambience: The Second Orbit, The Third Dimension and ended, sadly, with The Fourth Frontier.
Brian was the AR & Project Manager for Caroline Distribution back in the early 90s and was the man responsible for releasing the Excursions In Ambience series as well as being instrumental in the launch of Astralwerks. Astralwerks is owned by Virgin Records/EMI and distributed by Caroline Distribution in the US and continues to release amazing electronic music.
The Excursions in Ambience albums are no longer being pressed and are not available as digital downloads. You can still find used versions of those albums, however, and I’ve included links below where you can find them on Amazon for a fair price. You can always give sites like eBay a try. too.
If you enjoyed todays’ show, and really, how could you not, then you’ll probably dig last month’s show featuring Waveform Records. I’m going to continue the theme next month with an interview with Silent Records‘ Kim Cascone and play select tracks from his From Here to Tranquility compilation albums.
A special thanks goes out to all of you who expressed their concern and sympathies for my grandfather’s failing health. The last two weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for me and I’m grateful I was able to say goodbye to him. I’ll see you again next week. I’m not sure what I’ve got in store for you. As you can imagine, my schedule has been a bit disrupted, but I’ll think of something.
Today’s mind bendingly fantastic show is all thanks to you! Well, not you specifically, obviously, but those of you on Twitter and Facebook who suggested that I feature Katabatik Records on the next label showcase. I’ve been doing this show long enough to know that people like you who listen to this show have good taste in music so when you said give Katabatik Records a listen, well, I listened. And I loved what I heard!
That’s really fortunate because over the years the format of this segment has evolved. In the beginning it was an excuse just to talk to labels that I already knew and loved. What’s changed is that these days I’m more about exploring labels that I have not yet heard or that I am just getting acquainted with. Keep your suggestions coming.
Jynx is our guest on this week’s show and he’s prepared a mix featuring select tracks from his label for your enjoyment. Many of the tracks come from net releases that you can download by clicking the links below. Oh, and check out the Autonomous Mutant Festival (which, for some reason, I insist on calling the New Mutant Festival) taking place next weekend in Cascadia USA.
Those of you with a keen ear will note that Fluorescent Grey of Record Label Records and Exillon make an appearance on Jynx’s mix. These artists and Record Label Records have all been guests on previous editions of solipsistic NATION and I encourage you download those shows if you like what you heard on today’s solipsistic NATION. If you know someone else who also might dig what you hear, turn them on to the show!
Next month, also by popular demand, we’ll showcase Moment Sound from Chicago.
I’ll be taking next week off to visit my grand father, who is very, very ill but the following week I’ll be back with a very special interview with Brian Long, who put together the seminal Excursions in Ambience compilation albums back in the 90s. See you then!
This week’s show came together so quickly my head is still spinning!
Once a month on solipsistic NATION I feature a live performance from an electronic musician. I usually try to have a bank of live sets so I don’t have to scramble at the last minute to get a show out. I say “usually” because lately I’ve been so very busy that my bank of live sets had dwindled away and today’s show was fast approaching and I had absolutely nothing!
And then, out of the blue, I get an email from Dubmatix announcing Zion Train‘s forthcoming Dub Revolutionaries – The Very Best Of Zion Train album (check out Dubmatix’s live set on solipsistic NATION while you’re at it. I asked Dubmatix if he could put me in touch with Zion Train and within a day I was exchanging emails with Zion’s Neil Perch. Neil agreed to come on the show and was kind enough to send me their live set from Poland. I only just got off the phone with Neil a few hours ago.
I’m excited about today’s show for a couple reasons. First, it’s Zion Train, for crying out loud!
Zion Train were part of the dub explosion that came out of the 90s. They’ve released over 10 albums and their Live As One album won Zion Train the 2007 Jamaican Reggae Grammy for Best Dub Recording. It’s crazy that I’ve been listening to their music all these years and now I get to talk with one of the founding members and play one of their concerts on the show!
Another reason I’m excited about today’s show is that I got to use Apogee‘s Duet 2 to record the voice overs for the first time!
solipsistic NATION has always been a D.I.Y. cheap tech operation. I’m quite proud of that, in fact. I think it’s great we all have access to inexpensive technology that can be used for tools of creation. But I’ve reached a point where that aesthetic has stopped being a produce the best show I can with the tools at hand to a limitation. Yeah, my gear is okay, but for a reasonable investment I cam make solipsistic NATION sound so much better!
The Duet 2 is the first part of many stages that will take place behind the scenes in the next few months in the production of solipsistic NATION. I’m thrilled that I’ll be able to significantly boost the quality of the show and I’m equally thrilled in all the ways I’ll have to re-learn how I do my show.
Okay, enough of that.
Join us again next week when, by popular demand, we’ll showcase Katabatik Records.
Today’s edition of solipsistic NATION is epic but it fought me every step of the way in it’s creation! Arranging and preparing for four interviews, waking up in the wee hours of the night to call Pitch Black‘s Michael Hodgson, endless hours of editing and mixing, two essential applications crashing constantly, etc. It is by sheer will alone that I was able to pipe today’s show into your tender and wanting ears. And what a show it is!
I’ve spent the last couple years off and on trying to showcaseWaveform Records and that show finally came together earlier this month. Quite by coincidence, Bluetech, Phutureprimitive and Pitch Black had all recently released new albums, and all of them had releases on Waveform Records. I’m new to Ott but he’s somehow managed the trick of sounding at once utterly familiar and worn in but completely fresh and surprising at the same time.
Bluetech’s album, Rainforest Reverberation is classic Bluetech and 100% of the proceeds from all music sales go to end deforestation, species loss, and cultural upheaval in the Amazon. For more information visit criticalbeats.org and amazonvoice.org to stay tuned for regular updates and future releases. Evan has released over 20 albums, and he’s founded two really fantastic record labels, Native State and Somnia, where he’s released even more great music. You can listen to more music from Evan and his two record labels by downloading shows number 77 and 102.
I’ve been a fan of Phutureprimitive since the release of his first album, Sub Conscious. Phutureprimitive is another artist that took a few years to get on the show but the stars aligned and a window opened up for Rain to talk about his new album, Kinetic, and it was well worth the wait. From the music, to the albums, title, to the album cover, Kinetic is meant to convey one thing: movement. So get your booty moving!
While I was putting today’s show together I asked folks on Twitter and Facebook who they thought I should also include to round out the show and Pitch Black came up time and again and is an obvious choice if you give it a moment’s thought. Another happy coincidence: Pitch Black have also released a new album and it’s called Remixes & Rarities. Mitch was gracious enough to come on the show to talk about their new album and how much Pitch Black owes their sound to dub, so much so that it’s their “lead instrument.”
As I mentioned earlier, I’m new to Ott but I’m now a dedicated fan. I said that Ott’s music also feels very familiar. Earlier in his career Ott worked with such luminaries as Brian Eno, The Orb, Youth, African Head Charge, Steve Hillage, and On-U-Sound and I can’t help but think those experiences rubbed off on the young Ott. No wonder Ott’s music feels instantly beloved.
A bit of news…
This has been a banner month for solipsistic NATION and Junes’s not yet over!
As of today, solipsistic NATION has been downloaded over a whopping 33,000 times this month. That’s a record but it gets better still. This month’s live show featuring alka, merohedra, Alexei Borisov and 80(sun) has been downloaded over 11 thousand times! That’s more than the other show that was the most downloaded edition of solipsistic NATION. That was Amon Tobin‘s live set and that show took over two years to break 10,000 downloads!
Listen, I work hard on the show because I love the music and I want to share it with as many people as I can. If you like what you hear, you can help the artists by spending a buck or two on one of their songs, maybe buy an entire album. You can help me out by telling your friends and your net friends on Twitter and Facebook about solipsistic NATION if you want to share the music with them too.
Finally, and sadly, I don’t know if you’ve heard the news but Cheb I Sabbah has been diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer and that his cancer is spreading to his liver and left lung. Without immediate and proper treatment, the prognosis given is very grim. Cheb does not have health insurance. As you can imagine, the cost to treat his cancer is going to be astronomically expensive. To make matters worse, due to his weakened condition, Cheb has had to cancel many shows, bringing his income stream to a complete halt.
But you can help.
Indiegogo is crowd sourcing to raise money to help pay for Cheb’s medical expenses. Cheb is a sweetheart of a guy (just listen to my interview with him back in 2007) and if you’ve ever met the man or enjoy his music, I implore you to go to generously donate some of your money to help Cheb.
Join us again next week for a recording of a special live performance. I’m not sure who our guest will be but I’m hoping it will be Altus. He’s long over due to be on this show. See you then!
I’ve got a great show for you today. Well, great if you like things that snap, crackle and hiss.
We’ll hear a couple tracks off of the Clicks & Cuts 5.0 – Paradigm Shift compilation album. Clicks & Cuts was released by the newly relaunched Mille Plateaux label, and Clicks & Cuts caused a bit of stir in the electronic music community. Some feel the new owner, Marcus Gabler, is taking the label beyond it’s roots, while others think that Clicks & Cuts is simply derivative. Me, I don’t care. I think the album is pretty dope and I’m basing that solely on the music.
We’ll also hear a couple tracks from Electroton with artists Weiss, Thorsten Soltau and Kabutogani. I don’t know a lot about Electroton but so far everything I’ve heard from the label has been absolutely fantastic so I’ll be keeping my eye on them, and so should you.
I got a really nice email earlier this week from Lyman, who listens to the show from the UK. Lyman likes the show and he also turned me on to some really great music ranging from flamenco to French horn and Javanese Gamelan music to some Renaissance music. You can find videos of the music Lyman introduced me below.
Seven on Facebook told me that Waveform Records A.D. series helped him study while he was in med school and was excited to learn that he can now listen to more music from Waveform Records on the Musical Starstreams online radio show.
If you liked last week’s show featuring Waveform Records, then you’re really going to dig next week’s show. We’ll talk with Bluetech, Phutureprimitive, Ott and Pitch Black and hear tracks from their new albums.
On today’s show we’re going to hear select tracks from artists on Waveform Records. We’ll also talk with Forest, who is the label’s co-founder.
Today’s show is kind of a big deal for me. Back in the early 90s there were a clutch of albums that came out at roughly the same time I was falling in love with electronic music. Beyond RecordsAmbient Dub, AstralwerksExcursions in Ambience and Waveform Records A.D. compilation albums were on heavy rotation on my show when I was spinning at WMFO. I still consider those albums essential listening and they introduced me to a wider world of electronic music beyond industrial and happy hardcore.
When I began solipsistic NATION I had a list of record labels I wanted to feature on the show and Waveform Records was always on the top of the list. It’s a real treat for me, and I hope for you as well, to have Forest on today’s show. Forest will flesh out the history of Waveform Records and it’s origins in Forest’s radio show, Musical Starstreams and it’s connections to Beyond Records. We’ll also get a look at how online reviews can unfairly dog an album for years. And we’ve got some really, really great music to listen to!
Next month, by listener demand, we’ll showcase Katabatik Records. Joins us again next week and we’ll do it all over again. But completely different!
It’s such a beautiful day here in San Diego that I decided to get out of the studio and record today’s introduction with you from my roof deck. There’s a light breeze and from where I’m standing I can see the Pacific Ocean. I wish you were here to see it with me. After living in Boston, San Diego feels like a slice of paradise.
Today’s show is going to be a bit different. Instead of featuring one or two live performances and an interview, I present to you four, count ’em, four live sets for your enjoyment!
During the last year or so I’ve been accumulating some recordings of live performances that on clock in at around 15 or 20 minutes. I’ve just been waiting until I had enough of these shorter sets to combine them into one show. Obviously, we’ve reached that point so let me tell you what you’ll hear on today’s live extravaganza.
First up, we’ll hear a live set from alka. I believe this set was recorded at the GATE in Philadelphia a year or two ago. Special thanks goes to Bryan Michael for providing me with alka’s live set.
Next, we’ll hear a live set from merohedra performing at Openmind stage back in 2010 at the Psycrowdelica Festival in Germany. merohedra is part of the Bak$hish Music collective and you can hear more music from the Bakshish Music on November 14th edition of solipsistic NATION.
From merohedra we’ll move on to Alexei Borisov show at Yaroslavl way back in 2003. I don’t know much about Alexei Borisov but I do know he’s somehow affiliated with Marcos Fenrandes of Accretions and that’s all the credentials I need (check out my interview with Marcos here).
We’re going to close today’s show with a live set from 80(sun). 80(sun) is the solo recording project of Jonathan Scherk. I’m not sure where this was recorded at except that it was recorded at a now closed art gallery to a room of dubstep punks. That’s all I know.
Speaking of live, I want to thank Daysha out in Texas for turning me on to Calvertron, Figure, Turbo Teen, Aversion and DJ Monkey who performed at the World Beat Center last night here in San Diego. Daysha is not only super nice but she’s also super talented and produces and promotes bass music.
Join us again next week when we’ll showcase Waveform Records, who are one of my favorite labels that also happen to be based here in San Diego. See you then!
If you’re going to this year’s Mutek Festival in Montreal I’m envious. Sadly, I won’t be going but I’ve decided to bring the Mutek Festival to me by having Mutek’s founder, Alain Mongeau, chat with us about this year’s festival.
Mutek is an annual five-day event in Montreal which kicks of this year June 1st.
Each year, more than 100 artists, panelists, and industry professionals participate in what has become a leading event of its kind in North America. MUTEK also hosts numerous international versions of its festival in locations often under-represented in such places like Mexico City, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Colombia.
Today’s show is a bit of a hodgepodge mix of acts I’d like to see at this year’s Mutek Festival. Amon Tobin has been on solipsistic NATION a couple times and his live set is actually the fist edition of solipsistic NATION to break 10,000 downloads but I’ve never actually seen Amon rock a show. I finally saw Badawi on Meat Beat Manifesto‘s Autoimmune tour and if I was going to this year’s Mutek Festival I’d definitely see Badawi again. I’ve also been a fan of Four Tet for years so I’d love to catch their show. And Plastikman? Are you kidding me? That guy’s been a part of the electronic music scene for what seem like forever. He’s an institution in the techno world. And that’s just some of the acts I wish I could see at this years Mutek Festival, let alone all the other other artists that are completely new to me.
If you happen to be going to this year’s Mutek Festival let me know what you though were this year’s highlights.
