solipsistic NATION No. 202: Atom & His Package, Live
August 6, 2010 | Comments Off
Back when I used to DJ at Free Radio San Diego (FRSD, incidentally, is where solipsistic NATION was born) I was introduced to the music of Atom & His Package.
FRSD was staffed mostly by punks and there was some discussion as to whether Atom & His Package was punk rock or not. On the one hand, Atom’s music was mostly played on his sequencer (many will tell you that you don’t play punk rock on a sequencer), his lyrics were mostly pretty silly and sung in an almost cartoony voice. But on the other hand, the sequencer had a “cheap” sound and Atom waved his freak flag in his lyrics that were earnest and heartfelt with a fuck you attitude if you didn’t get it or didn’t like it.
I don’t think any of us took these discussion seriously but my own view was that Atom was most definitely punk. Not the conservative, thoughtless punk that dominates most of the genre and culture today. But the punk of yore, when there weren’t really any rules as to what punk was.
If Atom is punk then what is he doing on solipsistic NATION, an electronic music show?
If you’ve listened to solipsistic NATION in the past then you know I play fast and loose with what the definition of what electronic music is. Like punk, I think electronic music is pretty much open for definition. I guess the only requirement is that it should have some electronic instrumentation and so Atom’s package, his sequencer, fits the bill perfectly.
Atom & His Package is Adam Goren is our guest on today’s solipsistic NATION and his set was originally record live at the University of Maryland.
In 2003 Adam performed his last show as Atom and His Package due to impending fatherhood and being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Adam now teaches chemistry and physics at the Shipley School located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and plays from time to time with Armalite.
Join us next week when our guest will be Marc Hollander, the co-founder of Crammed Discs!
Photo Credit: ©elawgrrl
- Interview with Adam Goren of Atom & His Package
- Atom & His Package “Intro”
- Atom & His Package “Pumping Iron for Enya”
- Atom & His Package “Hats Off to Halford”
- Atom & His Package “Mountan Goats Cover”
- Atom & His Package “Happy Birthday Ralph”
- Atom & His Package “Goalie”
- Atom & His Package “Undercover Funny”
- Atom & His Package “The Seed Song”
- Atom & His Package “Punk Rock Academy”
- Atom & His Package “Trump”
- Atom & His Package “Back”
- Atom & His Package “Shopping Spree”
- Atom & His Package “(Lord, It’s Hard To Be Happy When You’re Not) Using The Metric System”
Download episode.
57:30 | 52.74 MB
solipsistic NATION No. 198: DJ Spooky, Live
July 2, 2010 | Comments Off
The first Friday of each month I feature a live set from an electronic musician. But here’s the thing, I’m not sure today’s show is actually a live set.
Let me explain.
A few months back I asked Paul D. Miller (AKA DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid) if he had a recording of one of his concerts I could play on the show. Or maybe I asked him if he’s like to be a guest DJ on solipsistic NATION. I can’t exactly recall. Like I said, it’s been a couple of months.
This much I know: Paul sent me a mix that he played in Sudan and/or he made with his iPhone app. So is it live? I don’t know but I’m going to roll with it because it’s pretty awesome!
So let’s talk about Paul.
Paul is a is a turntablist, a producer and an author who has pretty much been part of my world since I first embraced electronic music back in the 90s back when he was part of the Illbient scene. Since then Paul has popped up on my radar again and again with his album and his remixes (my personal favorites are the remixes he has done for the Red Hot series).
As I mentioned, Paul is also an author and has written Rhythm Science (Mediaworks Pamphlets) and was the editor of Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture.
Paul is also a professor of music mediated art at the European Graduate School where he co-teaches with Michael Schmidt Intensive Summer Seminars in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.
There is much, much more to Paul and will go over Paul’s multifaceted background when I have him back on solipsistic NATION to talk about Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture. In the meantime, enjoy today’s show, whether it’s live or not!
Join us again next week I’ll be showcasing music from Jeronoa Fruits Recordings. If you’re into drum and bass you’re going to love next week’s show!
Photo Credit: ©Jason A Layne
- Interview with Paul D. Miller, AKA DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid
- DJ Spooky “Boombox Intro”
- Public Enemy + DJ Spooky “By The Time I get to Arizona 2010″ [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- DJ Spooky “Drum Solo w/MC5″
- DJ Spooky + Rob Swift “Multiphonic”
- Damian Marley + Nas “As We Enter”
- DJ Felli Fell + Sean Paul + T-Pain “Feel It”
- Firelinks “Do Your Thing”
- Kat Deluna + Elephant Man “Whine Up”
- Madlib “Heavy”
- Mos Def “Supermagic”
- Dj Spooky featuring Emmanuel Jal “Nyakawai”
- Mos Def “Supermagic”
- Fat Joe “Ha Ha (Instrumental)”
- Talib Kweli + Hi-Tek “Ha Ha (Slow Down)”
- DJ Spooky “Afrique System”
- Magic System “Bouger Bouger”
- Awilo Longomba “Karolina”
- Dennis Christopher “Soulshakin”
- The Black Eye Peas “Boom Boom Boom”
- Rye Rye featuring M.I.A. “Bang Bang”
- Reel 2 Real “Go On Move”
- DJ Spooky “Now is the What”
- J-Star “No Diggity”
- Shabba Ranks, Bounty Killa & Johnny Osbourne “Lend Me the Chopper”
- Sanchez “Rock Bottom”
- Ky-Mani Marley “Warriors”
- Ronny Thwaites “Wicked Times”
- Ky-Mani Marley “Hypocrites”
- Johnny Osbourne & Shabba Ranks “Ice Cream Sound”
- Carol Cool “Upside Down”
- Family Circle and Sweet Lady “Reggae Beat Goes On”
- Flowering Inferno “Ciduad del Swing”
- Emmanuel Jal “Baai”
- Mulatu Astatke “Yègellé Tezeta (My Own Memory)”
Download episode.
1:21:21 | 74.59 MB
solipsistic NATION No. 194: Forensics, ill.gates & Terminal 11, Live
June 4, 2010 | Comments Off
So here’s the deal. When I first started featuring live sets on solipsistic NATION it was a segment I thought I would do from time to time. It took a while but it soon became a regular segment on the show.
I really like the live segments because on the face of it live electronic music seems like an oxymoron. Artists could easily just press play on their laptop and walk away and that would be the show. But obviously it’s more than that and each artist has a different approach to live performances. Their aesthetics are different, their gear is different and the venues are different. It’s those variables that make the live segments so engaging, not to mention it’s live! There’s so much room for improvisation and, gasp, failure!
But there’s the thing, I often found myself scrambling at last minute to get a live set and an interview with the featured artist for the next show. Worse, sometimes I’d have to skip the segment all together because I didn’t have anything for the show. So about a year ago I emailed a lot of artists I like and invited them on the show to feature recordings of their live sets. Makes sense, right? Build up a surplus of live sets and never have to worry about scrambling again.
Some of the live sets that I got were less than an hour. No problem, I just padded out the rest of the show with a few studio tracks from the featured artist. But sometimes I’d get live sets that were considerably less than an hour and my solution was to pair those set with other live sets of similar duration.
Here we are a year later and I’m down to the last handful of the shorter live sets. I could have waited another year and pair those remaining sets with other sets but I decided to release them today with an extended show. I just didn’t want to put off these live sets any longer.
So here you are: live sets from Forensics, ill.gates and Terminal 11! If you like what you hear then support them by seeing them when they tour your home town or by purchasing their music.
As I mentioned, today’s show is the last of the live sets that I accumulated a year ago. But I only needed to learn the lesson of scrambling once and I’ll have live sets from Prefuse 73, DJ Spooky, the Nortec Collective and The Bombay Dub Orchestra so stay stuned.
Join us next week when I’ll be showcasing music from Zero Digital Records!
- Forensics “Live (Dub City, Amsterdam, May 2009)”
- Interview with Forensics
- ill.gates “Live (Edmonton)”
- Interview with ill.gates
- Terminal 11 “Live”
- Interview with Terminal 11
Download episode.
1:32:41 | 84.94 MB
solipsistic NATION No. 191: Mad EP, Live
May 7, 2010 | Comments Off
I missed last month’s live set on solipsistic NATION because my life got pretty hectic. But I’m back this month with a live set from Mad EP recorded at the TODAYSART festival in 2008.
TODAYSART believes strongly in fresh and vigorous creativity; and in the new shapes of expression, and the rising talents who boldly explore the possibilities of the new and controversial stages where they can express their talent.
I had Mad EP on the show back in September with O’ Slick to talk about their Brimstone Bangers release and asked Mad EP if he had a recording of a live set he’d like to share on the show. Mad EP said he did and set me a rocking set and I’m psyched to share it with you on today’s show!
Mad EP will also be back on the show later this month or in June with a live set he’s putting together exclusively for solipsistic NATION.
Earlier this year Hecq came on the show with a mix that covered the gamut of Hecq’s musical styles: from ambient to breakbeat. It occurred to me that as much as I dig Mad EP’s live set it’s pretty much all hip hop and doesn’t convey the range of his musical capabilities. Mad EP felt the same way after listening to Hecq’s mix we both agreed that Mad EP should do a mix too.
Unfortunately, Mad EP broke his hand so until he heals that mix will have to wait. Until then, rock out to Mad EP’s TODAYSART 2008 live set!
- Mad EP “Live, TODAYSART 2008″
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1:03:48 | 59.03 MB
solipsistic NATION No. 183: Ben Frost, Live
March 5, 2010 | Comments Off
The first Friday of each month on solipsistic NATION I feature a live set from an artists and today’s show is a recording of Ben Frost’s performance at St Katherine’s, a 16th century Gothic church in Krakow for Unsound in 2008.
Ben Frost is a musician, composer and producer who draws upon minimalism, post-punk, black metal and noise in his music. Ben’s album, Theory of Machines, gained him critical acclaim and his most recent album, By the Throat, cemented his place as an artist on the global stage.
Ben joins us today from the Bedroom Community studios in Iceland.
I’d like to thank Mat and Radek from Unsound for sharing Ben concert on this week’s show.
Ben’s concert came in under an hour so I asked HC from the Headphone Commute blog to put together a mix of Ben’s studio tracks to round out today’s show. HC is the man who turned me on to Ben so this is kind of my way for thanking him.
Join us again next week when we’ll talk with Sam and Fred of Planet Terror Records!
Photo Credit: ©chudo.sveta
- Ben Frost “Live at St Katherine’s (Unsound 2008)” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Interview with Ben Frost
- Ben Frost “Through The Mouth Of Your Eye”
- Interview with Ben Frost
- Ben Frost “Through The Roof Of Your Mouth”
- Ben Frost “Through The Glass Of The Roof”
- Ben Frost “The Carpathians”
- Ben Frost “Through The Mouth Of Your Eye”
- Ben Frost “Theory Of Machines”
- Ben Frost “Stomp”
- Ben Frost “We Love You Michael Gira”
- Ben Frost “A Horizontal Fall (featuring Amiina)”
Download episode.
1:00:54 | 52.00 MB
solipsistic NATION No. 179: The Orb, Live
February 5, 2010 | Comments Off
Once a month on solipsistic NATION I feature a live performance from an electronic musician and boy do I have a treat for you today because today’s is a live set from The Orb recorded at the A.B. in Brussels September 25th of 2009! As an added bonus, we’re also going to talk to The Orb’s co-founder, Alex Paterson.
The Orb was founded by Alex Paterson and The KLF’s Jimmy Cauty in 1988. The Orb began as ambient and dub DJs in London and developed a cult following among clubbers “coming down” from drug-induced highs.
The Orb has released nine studio albums to date as well as several remix albums and live albums and while there are many rotating members of The Orb Alex Paterson has always remained at The Orb’s core.
I’m a huuuge fan of The Orb! One of my favorite memories of The Orb was listening with my soundman Harry to The Orb’s Live 93 double album while out of our minds at WMFO. At one point we were both leaning out the window staring at the sky howling as snow pelted our faces while The Orb’s “Towers of Dub” throbbed over the speakers.
As I said, I’m a huge fan of The Orb and I love all their albums so I’m thrilled to play their live set from Brussels and have Alex Paterson join us from his home in the UK!
You can download the recording The Orb’s live performance at the A.B. in Brussels without my interview with Alex Paterson here.
Join us again next week when we’ll talk with Kristian Peters of the Sending Orbs record label.
Photo Credit: ©temple1201
- The Orb “A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld” (Live In A.B. Brussels-September 25, 2009)
- Interview with Alex Paterson of The Orb
- The Orb “Towers of Dub” (Live In A.B. Brussels-September 25, 2009)
- The Orb “Sleeping Tiger/Mother Nature/Outlands/DDD” (Live In A.B. Brussels-September 25, 2009)
- Interview with Alex Paterson of The Orb
- The Orb “Chuck Peaks/Little Fluffy Clouds” (Live In A.B. Brussels-September 25, 2009)
- Interview with Alex Paterson of The Orb
- The Orb “Rock” (Live In A.B. Brussels-September 25, 2009)
Download episode.
1:01:41 | 56.56 MB
solipsistic NATION No. 174: Somatic Responses, Live
December 31, 2009 | Comments Off
We’re going to start 2010 with a bang here at solipsistic NATION! Today’s show features a live set from John and Paul Healy of Somatic Responses.
I confess I hadn’t heard anything by Somatic Responses until Nicolas Chevreux of Ad Noiseam kindly sent me a copy of their Reformation album my way (listen to my interview with Nicolas here). I instantly became a fan and played them on the show back in October. I know I’ll play even more tracks from Reformation in the near future but on today’s show we’ll talk with John and Paul Healy about their botched Detroit show and subsequently rocking a set through a television in a Doubletree hotel. If that sounds funny to you then you’ll find my interview with John and Paul hilarious! I had to constantly back away from my microphone during the interview because they had me laughing so much.
Looking back on 2009 I’m really impressed with the quality of live shows that have appeared on solipsistic NATION. Recent shows have featured King Cannibal, Eskmo and KiloWatts. In fact three of the most downloaded shows of 2009 have featured live sets from Amon Tobin, Lokua and Exillon. I’ll continue to deliver great recordings of live shows in 2010 in the next couple of months with Hecq, Mad EP, Terminal 11 and Ill.Gates!
- Somatic Responses “Live at Schizophrenia 4.27 (Doubletree Hotel)”
- Interview with John and Paul Healy of Somatic Responses
Download episode.
1:04:36 | 64.08 MB
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solipsistic NATION No. 170: King Cannibal, Live
December 4, 2009 | Comments Off
I’ve been a fan of King Cannibal since his So… Embrace The Minimum EP and became an even bigger fan when his Let the Night Roar rocked my world. You can imagine my excitement when Dylan Richards (AKA King Cannibal) was kind enough to share his live set from the Glade Festival with me!
It was also a pleasure to talk with Dylan and learn how he rocks a live set from his laptop and what performing at the Glade Festival was like. I was also intrigued how Dylan is able to so deftly shift between dancehall inspired jams to super heavy, menacing dubstep or what his approach is to remixing everyone from The Prodigy to Scorn.
I’m really happy with the live sets that have been featured on solipsistic NATION. Not only has King Cannibal been on solipsistic NATION but in recent shows have included live sets from Ezekiel Honig, Eskmo and KiloWatts. Future shows will include live sets from Somatic Responses. Mad EP, Terminal 11 and Ill.Gates!
Photo Credit: Benedetta Sodini
- King Cannibal “Live (Overkill, Glade Festival)”
- Interview with King Cannibal
Download episode.
1:01:14 | 56.16 MB
King Cannibal @ Tauron Nowa Muzyka 2009, Katowice
King Cannibal - So… Embrace The Minimum (Live)
solipsistic NATION No. 166: Ezekiel Honig, Live
November 6, 2009 | Comments Off
New to solipsistic NATION? Okay, here’s how it works: the first Friday of each month I interview an electronic musician and accompany it with one of their live performances. It’s a kind of cool way to kick of each month.
This month our live set comes from Ezekiel Honig’s performance at the 2009 MUTEK Festival.
MUTEK was founded in 200o and is an international festival organization that is dedicated to the promotion of electronic music and the digital arts. The MUTEK festival is an annual five-day event in Montreal that takes place in late May and early June. Each year, more than 100 artists, panelists, and industry professionals participate and has become a leading event of its kind in North America.
I first came across Ezekiel back when solipsistic NATION was broadcast on Free Radio San Diego when I asked Ezekiel to send some music from his label, Microcosm Music (Ezekiel is also now the label manager of Anticipate Recordings). I believe that was around the time that Ezekiel was transitioning from drum and bass to experimental electronic music. I later interviewed Ezekiel for the Small World podcast and since then I’ve wanted to Ezekiel to be a guest on solipsistic NATION. It took a while but I’m pleased to have Ezekiel on today’s show!
Incidentally, I believe it is through my Small World interview with Ezekiel that I met Macedonia, the host of the Both Sides of the Surface podcast. Just another example of the six degrees of connections that solipsistic NATION creates.
As long as I have your eyeballs the upcoming live sets on solipsistic NATION will feature King Cannibal, Mad EP, Terminal 11 and Ill.Gates!
Oh, one more thing. During the summer I was interviewed by Eric Fox and Erik Landi for their documentary about underground music and the underground music for their final project at High Tech High. You can see their video here. I’m amazed what Eric and Erik put together. They’re learning who to use the tools as teenagers that I use as an adult. What a world!
Photo Credit: ©basic_sounds
- Ezekiel Honig “Live at MUTEK 2009, Montreal” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Interview with Ezekiel Honig
Download episode.
58:36 | 53.76 MB
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Underground and Unknown by Erik Landi and Eric Fox
solipsistic NATION No. 161: Eskmo, Live
October 2, 2009 | Comments Off
If you’ve listened to solipsistic NATION for a while then you know the first Friday of each month I feature a live set from an electronic musician. It’s a lot of fun and recently we’ve had some great performances from KiloWatts, Iambic and Exillon. What began as a one time segment has become a regular feature on solipsistic NATION.
And that takes us to today’s show which caused a minor dilemma for me.
A few months I asked Brendan Angelides, who records and performs under the names Eskmo and Welder, if he’d like to be a guest on the show. Brendan was kind enough to send me a link to one of his mind blowing mixes. I couldn’t wait to play it on the show!
When I arranged my interview with Brendan I discovered his set is… kind of live. Live in the sense that his mixed the set in his studio. By this point I had already promoted his show on solipsistic NATION and didn’t have enough time to set up an interview with another musician and feature one of their live sets. That aside, I decided it didn’t matter because Eskmo’s music is just so great. Plus, in a couple of months Brendan will be back on the show with, this time, one of his Welder live sets!
Speaking of live sets, next month we’ll have two live sets on one show, one from Masmöd and one from Terminal 11. Oh, and next week our special guest will be Alec Empire. We’ll talk with Alec and hear select tracks from his label, Digital hardcore Recordings.
Stay stuned!
Eskmo The Ancestor Mix [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Animal Collective “Daily Routine (Intro)”
- Eskmo “Harmony”
- Eskmo “Trudge”
- Interview with Eskmo
- Eskmo “Hypercolor”
- Eskmo “Process”
- J. Rodgers “Mediation Point (Eskmo Remix)”
- DJ Quest & Eskmo “Speakers Corner (Antiserum Remix)”
- Eskmo “Ocean Lazer”
- Coalition of the Killing “We Are the Glitch (Eskmo Remix)”
- Interview with Eskmo
- Sub Swara “Constructing the Abscence (Eskmo Remix)”
- Eskmo & Antiserum “Monstahs”
- Jason Sparks “One Eyed Man (Eskmo Remix)”
- Bar9 “Murda Sound (Eskmo Remix)”
- Primus “My Name is Mud (Eskmo Remix)”
- Eskmo “Agnus Dei”
- Afghan Headspin “MSG (Eskmo Remix)”
- DJ Quest & Mutiny “? (Eskmo Remix)”
- Interview with Eskmo
- Eskmo “San Francisco”
- Animal Collective “Daily Routine (Outro)”
Download episode.
1:02:25 | 57.23 MB
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Tags: eMusic, Budget Rent A Car, GoDaddy