solipsistic NATION No. 138: Exquisite Corpse II
April 24, 2009 | Comments Off
Ever play exquisite corpse when you were a kid?
Let me refresh your memory.
Here’s how it works: you get a sheet of paper and on the top of that piece of paper you draw something. For this example, let’s say you draw the helmet of an astronaut.
You then pass the sheet of paper to the person sitting next to you and that person draws the torso. Let’s say they draw the torso of a sherrif from a western movie: a white button up shirt, a leather vest with a tin star-badge pinned to it, and in the sheriff’s hands are two revolvers, waiting to be fired.
That person then passes the sheet of paper to the person sitting next to them. But this time they’ve covered the top of the paper: the drawing you did of the astronaut’s helmet. The new player on the game of exquisite corpse can only continue the drawing based on what they can see: the sheriff’s torso.
That person decides to draw the legs of a ballerina, complete with tights and a tutu. And then they pass the sheet of paper to the person sitting next to them, but this time both the astronaut’s helmet and the sherrif’s torso are covered. Only the ballerina’s legs are showing.
That person decides to complete the drawing by adding enormous clown shoes to the legs of the ballerina.
At the end of the game the drawing in it’s entirety: an astronaut’s helmet on the torso of a western sheriff with the legs of a ballerina wearing huge clown shoes. Everyone has a good laugh at their group effort.
There are all sorts of variations of Exquisite Corpse. Writers will adopt this technique to tell a story. Composers will use the Exquisite Corpse method to create a piece of song.
And that’s what we’re going to do on today’s solipsistic NATION, but with music and the players are people who blog about electronic music.
I started out the Exquisite Corpse mix by choosing a song, which I then sent to a blogger who then had to choose a track that they thought should go next. The criteria is up to them: they can choose a song that would seguely nicely from the track I selected. Maybe they want to stay in the same genre. mood or key. Maybe they decide to veer off into a different direction. It’s entirely up to them.
The track they selected is sent off to the next blogger, each person choosing a song for the mix based only on the track they have just heard until the mix is complete. Today’s show will be just as much a surprise for them as it is for you.
At the end of today’s Exquisite Corpse mix we’ll hear from each of the players: who they are, what song they chose and why they chose that song.
If you enjoy today’s show you’ll want to listen to the previous Exquisite Corpse mix on solipsistic NATION.
Photo Credit: Patricia Bravo
- Bubblegone “Thank You” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
Selected by Bazooka Joe, solipsistic NATION - Flexor81 “Myriapoda” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
Selected by Pietrobot, Igloo Magazine - Jason Corder “Twilight Sleep” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
Selected by Travis Nobles, hiddenplace music - Skeetaz “Dirty Dobbers”
Selected by HC, Headphone Commute - Bufi “Homeless Hero” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
Selected by Mike Gregoire, blocSonic - Machine Drum “Stevie Bam Jackson Remix (Kettel)”
Selected by Jacob Arnold, Gridface - New Look “Everything” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
Selected by Casey Winters, The Music Lobby - Tolera Storm “Revelation”
Selected by Daysha Taylor, Earthbird Music - Mint “Dead Pixel”
Selected by Bruno Lasnier, The Milk Factory - Sci Fi Industries “Questions and Ansewers”
Selected by Miguel de Sousa, Connexion Bizarre - Halogen “Redux”
Selected by Daniel Crossley, Fluid Radio
Download episode.
1:08:07 | 62.47 MB
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solipsistic NATION No. 137: Blackfilm
April 17, 2009 | Comments Off
This week on solipsistic NATION we have a special mix from Spectraliquid recording artist, Blackfilm!
As usual I first heard about Blackfim through HC’s Headphone Commute blog. HC and I have similiar taste in music but HC always seems to be one step ahead of me in finding albums that are spectacular. HC praised Blackfilm’s self-titled CD on Spectraliquid. My curiosity was already aroused but when HC said that Blackfilm defibrillates Amon Tobin’s pioneering sound I knew I had to hear Blackfilm’s album.
Like Amon Tobin, Blackfilm is haunting, menacing and beautiful. But Blackfilm’s music is also unique. He has an arcane sound that I don’t know exactly how to describe. It’s spooky, eldritch, almost as if Blackfilm had set out to score music for the Kafkaesque stop-motion animated films of the Brothers Quay. Let me quote HC quoting from Emmanuel Top’s Turkish Bazaar single: “The music was new, black, polished chrome and came over the summer like liquid night.” Once Blackfilm’s music is inside your head it will infect you like a virus and you will never want to be cured.
If you enjoy today’s show you’ll also want to listen to my show featuring music from Spectraliquid any my show featuring music from Tympanik Audio. If you’re also a fan of Amon Tobin you also might enjoy my interview with Amon and a retrospective mix of his career so far or Amon Tobin’s live set.
For now, close your eyes, kick back and create your own imaginary soundtrack to accompany Blackfim’s devastatingly beautiful mix!
Photo Credit: James G. Mundie
- Blackfilm “Come & See”
- Blackfilm & Eraldo Bernocchi “Untitled”
- Interview with Blackfilm
- Ekaros “Sad Moon (Blackfilm Remix)”
- Blackfilm “SE5″
- Blackfilm & Ekaros “Nowhere”
- Blackfilm “Mahabharata”
- Interview with Blackfilm
- Blackfilm “Stalingrad”
- Blackfilm “Midnight to 4am”
- Interview with Blackfilm
- Blackfilm “Interference”
- Blackfilm & Bridget Insinna “Burning Sun”
- Blackfilm “Eastern”
- Hecq “Steeltongued (Blackfilm Remix)”
Download episode.
54:01 | 49.54 MB
Sponsors: eMusic, GoDaddy
Tags: eMusic, GoDaddy
solipsistic NATION No. 136: Summer Rain Recordings
April 9, 2009 | Comments Off
Okay, here’s the deal: once a month on solipsistic NATION I showcase a record label that is putting out some amazing music that you should know about. Whether it’s house or industrial or experimental, if it’s great I’m going to shine a light on labels who have great releases from their roster of artists.
Recently I have featured music from Tympanik Audio, Spectraliquid, Alfa Matrix and 12k. This week we’re going to hear beautiful music from Summer Rain Recordings.
I first heard about Summer Rain Recordings one day while reading one of HC from Headphone Commute’s review of artists on the label. I’ve been reading HC’s blog for a while now and I’ve come to trust and respect his opinions on the music he discusses so I kept it in mind to do a show on Summer Rain Recordings. Then out of the blue David Holmes from Summer Rain Recordings contacted me about playing artists from Summer Rain Recordings on solipsistic NATION and I thought that was the perfect opportunity to have him come on the program and talk about his label.
Summer Rain Recordings is pretty eclectic but the music that David has chosen for this week’s show is very soft, beautiful and full of complex emotions expressing everything from quiet happiness to longing and regret. I think you’re going to love what you hear.
Aside from the talent on Summer Rain Recordings one of the things that makes the label unique is that every artist signed to the label donates a minimum of 5% of their royalties for every release to NextAid, or a charity of their choice, and Summer Rain Recordings match their percentage donation from the label profits from the release. Ioda, Summer Rain Recordings distributor and one of my favorite music vendor, also donates 25% of their fees for each of Summer Rain Recordings releases to NextAid.
Every purchase of Summer Rain Recordings music helps NextAid to raise funds for their pilot project, the building of an ecological community center and children’s residential village in Dennilton, South Africa. Now complete are 10 structures of the 25 slated for construction by summer 2010. The center will serve as a safe home for 50 children orphaned by AIDS, a multi-purpose center for the larger community, a hub for economic enterprise, and an example of innovative solutions for future projects throughout Africa.
- Toby Benson “La Mere de Ma Mere”
- Proof of Concept “Object of Desire”
- Auditory Canvas “Desert Sun”
- Interview with David Holmes, founder of Summer Rain Recordings
- About 9 “Keep Walking”
- riccicomoto “Double Zero Theme”
- Interview with David Holmes, founder of Summer Rain Recordings
- Melorman “The Small King”
- Pondermonkey “Cycle”
- Mr. Squirrel “Nothing But Pebbles”
- David Kira “Gia”
- Tepui “Caribu”
- Interview with David Holmes, founder of Summer Rain Recordings
- Elysian Piers “Music Box”
- Fabrizio Cacciamali “Close Curtains on a Sunny Day”
- Manic “Spring”
- Interview with David Holmes, founder of Summer Rain Recordings
Download episode.
1:03:05 | 57.82 MB
Sponsors: eMusic, GoDaddy, Budget Rent A Car
Tags: eMusic, GoDaddy, Budget Rent A Car
solipsistic NATION No. 135: Lokua, Live
April 3, 2009 | Comments Off
When I first began featuring live sets on solipsistic NATION I thought it would be a once and a while sort of thing. Kind of a treat, really. But as solipsistic NATION progressed it became a monthly segment on the show. Even so, getting live sets on solipsistic NATION is a challenge and more than once I’ve had to scramble to get material for the show so my resolution for 2009 is to plan the live sets well in advance.
The live sets you can expect on solipsistic NATION will come from Milieu, Iambic, ill.gates, Exillon, Rena Jones, and, hopefully, The Orb.
This month we have not one but two live sets from Lokua.
The first live set was performed at the Morseland restaurant in Chicago on March 25th. The second live set was also recorded at the Morseland restaurant on March 18th.
Lokua is Joshua Keckner and is based out of Chicago. Lokua’s music is rooted in hip hop and has an ambient and atmospheric feel to his music. Lokua has a back catalog of tracks hovering in the thousands and you can download his netrelease Trails album at Moment Sound, a netlabel that is maintained and curated by a select musicians from Chicago.
On this week’s show I’ll also announce the winners of Gary Bredow’s documentary, High Tech Soul DVD, Paul Sizer’s graphic novel, BPM; and Terrance Dean’s autobiography, Hiding in Hip Hop from last week’s giveaway contest.
- Lokua “Live @ Morseland (03-25-09)
- Lokua “Live @ Morseland (03-18-09)
- Interview with Lokua
- Lokua “Thanks Rainbow” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Lokua “C Modified” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
Download episode.
58:50 | 53.96 MB
Sponsors: eMusic, GoDaddy, Budget Rent A Car
Tags: eMusic, GoDaddy, Budget Rent A Car