solipsistic NATION No. 152: The Headphone Experience
July 31, 2009 | Comments Off
This week’s show is inspired by the Headphone Commute blog. I’ve always liked that idea, the headphone commute. Take solipsistic NATION, for example. You might listen to this show at home, in your car, maybe even at work. But most likely you’re listening to this show on the ubiquitous white Apple earbuds. That kind of listening experience is more insular and intimate than just listening to solipsistic NATION in your car or over your speakers. It’s my job to make it a rewarding listening experience.
I decided to run with theme of the headphone experience by kicking off this week’s solipsistic NATION with a mix of psychedelic tinged music.
We begin with “Intro” from the Strange Fruit Project’s 2006 album, The Healing. The Healing is a great album and it was a shame to pick such a short track from the Strange Fruit Project but aside from really liking “Intro,” it also fits the theme of this week’s show and segued nicely into DJ Food’s “Extract From Stolen Moments” from his album One Man’s Weird Is Another Man’s World. And that takes us to Ras G’s “Return From the Great Unknown” from his album, Brotha From Anotha Planet. From there this week’s show goes into all sorts of different directions.
We’ll also hear a track from KiloWatts. That was a tough one to call because KiloWatts currently has two new album out (Undercurrent and Six Silicates) but I decided to play “Two Parts” from his Ground State album. KiloWatts we’ll be back on solipsistic NATION next month with a special live set. If you can’t wait until then you can listen to the February 15th, 2008 edition of solipsistic NATION featuring my interview with Evan Marc of Native State Records. We played select tracks from Native State Records and of course we had to play Kilowatts because he’s so great!
Speaking of Evan, up next is Evan Bluetech with “Another Bridge Burning” from his new EP, Call Of The Wild. Again, another tough one because Evan has recently been releasing a bunch of awesome music. You also might want to hear my interview with Evan about his new label, Somnia.
There are, of course, more great tunes on this week’s headphone experience. Again, I really like the idea of music heard over headphones as being very intimate. But it’s also like a soundtrack to your life. I remember a day, years ago, when I was waiting for the subway in downtown Boston. It was night, the middle of the summer, and the air was still and the humidity stifling. Yet the music I was hearing over my headphones transformed my environment to a the set of a sultry French New Wave movie. Let me know if you’ve had similar experiences.
Oh, hey, I wanted to mention that I was the guest of Joseph Matheny’s GSpot podcast. We talked about the early days of podcasting, electronic music and the state of the recording industry. You can download the interview here but I suggest you check out previous episodes of GSpot and take a look around the Alterati blog.
Photo Credit: sevennine
- Strange Fruit Project “Intro”
- DJ Food “Extract From Stolen Moments”
- Ras G “Return From the Great Unknown”
- Prefuse 73 “Track 13″
- KiloWatts “Two Parts”
- Evan Bluetech “Another Bridge Burning” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Nosaj Thing “Us”
- Kingbastard “Data-Rape Function Creep”
- Koen Park “I Am Not Aboard This Ship Anymore” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Mochipet “Roll Credits”
- Daedelus “Assembly Lines”
- Moderat “Seamonkey”
- SeventhSwami “Serpiente Cosmica”
- Alka “Blueberry”
- Gui Boratto “Besides”
- general fuzz “eye heart knot” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Masmöd “Orbit Around A Sphere”
Download episode.
1:05:56 | 60.45 MB
Sponsors: eMusic, Budget Rent A Car, GoDaddy
Tags: eMusic, Budget Rent A Car, GoDaddy
solipsistic NATION No. 151: Sonidos
July 24, 2009 | Comments Off
Today’s show is a mix that would ideally be played on a sexy and sultry summer night with the object of your desire on one hand and a mojito in the other. With any luck you’re doing just that even while today’s show plays.
One group I’m excited to play on this week’s solipsistic NATION is Sidestepper. Sidestepper is a Colombian band with English DJ/producer Richard Blair and Colombian producer/songwriter Ivan Benavides at the core. Sidestepper combines popular Afro-Colombian music styles like salsa and cumbia with electronica.
Another gem is Quantic Soul Orchestra’s “Tropidelico.” Will Holland (AKA Quantic), a DJ and musician, is the man behind the Quantic Soul Orchestra, which is a live band project with a changing lineup from album to album. Will has explored different genres of music in the past but the direction he’s taken his album, Tropidelico , is very exciting.
We also have a track from Paul Malmstrom, the one-man band that is Monkeybacon. Monkeybacon is a favorite here at solipsistic NATION and you can download his music here.
Another sonic treat comes from Novalima, a musical collective by four Peruvian musicians several cities around the world: Lima, Barcelona, London and Hong Kong. “Malato” comes from their 2006 release, Afro.
I’m also excited to play a track from Ghostly International’s Bodycode. I’ve been sitting on Bodycode’s album Bodycode, for a couple of weeks, just waiting for the right show to play a track from the album. Today’s show seemed like the perfect show to play “Arigato.”
I’ll play just about anything from Evan Bluetech but I’m particularly pleased that Evan has delivered a track that slots perfectly with today’s show. You can download Evan’s new EP, Call Of The Wild, here.
DJ Food has resurfaced with a brand spanking new album called One Man’s Weird Is Another Man’s World that I’ve been grooving to for the last few week’s. I present the track “Tricky Little Ears (The Cheech Wizard Pays Respect To All Living Creatures Who Inhabit Dark Places)” to you as a gift.
Luxurious is another favorite and I’m pleased to play a track from their long awaited second album, Lost Vegas: Hip Hop Lounge Series Vol. 2.
Lokua makes another appearance on solipsistic NATION, this time with “Burning Money” from Lokua’s Trails net album, which you can download here. Be sure to also listen to Lokua’s live set on the April 3rd edition of solipsistic NATION.
Today’s show is chock full of other great songs and musicians so enjoy!
Photo Credit: Felipe Smides
- Club Ultimate “Carnival 93 (The Mardi Gras Mix)”
- Sidestepper “Hoy Tenemos”
- Quantic Soul Orchestra “Tropidelico”
- monkeybacon “Her Secret Masala” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Novalima “Malato”
- Bodycode “Arigato”
- Evan Bluetech “Mysteriosa Flambeau” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- niteffect “never land”
- DJ Food “Tricky Little Ears (The Cheech Wizard Pays Respect To All Living Creatures Who Inhabit Dark Places)”
- Sixtoo “Duration, Pt. 15″
- Luxurious “Dirty Royal”
- Suhov “Exx Fuck” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Lokua “Burning Money” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- DJ Signify “Interlude 1″
Download episode.
1:05:50 | 54.95 MB
Sponsors: eMusic, Budget Rent A Car
Tags: eMusic, Budget Rent A Car
solipsistic NATION No. 150: All Mashed Up!
July 17, 2009 | Comments Off
This is the 150th edition of solipsistic NATION.
When i re-launched solipsistic NATION as a podcast I knew that I would easily release 100 shows. I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to accomplish on solipsistic NATION like having guest DJs on the show, spotlighting record labels and playing a recording of a live performance of an electronic music each month. I’ve done all that more in 100 editions of solipsistic NATION. I just never gave much thought what I’d do after those 100 shows. But here we are.
Turned out there was nothing to worry about because I’ve got a lot of upcoming shows on solipsistic NATION that I’m very excited about. More about those projects as they develop.
On to today’s show…
Yeah, I know I just said that I’ve accomplished a lot of goals on solipsistic NATION but one show I’ve wanted to do since solipsistic NATION launched is an all mashup show. I can’t believe it’s taken me nearly three years to do this show!
Mashups (or bootlegs) are, of course, songs composed of a blend of two or more songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song over the music track of another. The concept is straightforward enough but a mashup done poorly just sounds crass while a mashup done well stands up as a song in it’s own right. The secondary goal is to create a song that plays two or more tracks similar or incongruous with each other that simultaneously get excited about the original tracks and the novel way those tracks have been re-purposed and mashedup.
One person who has consistently released awesome mashups is Mark Vidler, AKA Go Home Productions. Mark just has a knack for combining tracks in his mash ups. I believe Mark’s “Wrapped Detective” draws from as least from The Police, Lionel Ritchie, Elvis Costello and Bob Marley. I know there’s more but I lost count. Yet Marks weaves all these disparate songs together in a cohesive whole that somehow makes sense. great stuff!
Soundhog’s mashup of Black Sabbath and Pink in “Get This Supernaut Started” is pretty straightforward yet succeeds on it’s simplicity. I never paid Pink much attention but after hearing her on this mashup I found myself digging her own releases. Still, “Get This Supernaut Started” might be the best that Pink will ever sound because that track rocks! Of course it’s gonna rock, it’s got friggin’ Black Sabbath in it!
It was actually DJ Danger Mouse’s mashup album of The Beatles and Jay-Z, The Grey Album, that propelled Danger Mouse to fame and notoriety. Danger Mouse originally released The Grey Album to vendors in limited quantities. EMI, copyright holder of The Beatles, told Danger Mouse to knock it off. Word got out and Danger Mouse found himself a sensation. Thing is, for once the hype was justified because Danger Mouse’s The Grey Album is slamming! yes, he’s sampling The Beatles but in ways you wouldn’t imagine. Jay-Z is relentless as ever but the addition of The Beatles puts a new cast to his lyrics.
These are some of my favorite mashups on today’s show but you’ll find lots of other gems. You can find more mashups at Mashup Town.
I still can’t believe it took me nearly three years to get around to doing this show!
Photo Credit: autophen
- Go Home Productions “Crazy Little Fool” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- DJ Danger Mouse “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”
- Soundhog “Get This Supernaut Started”
- Go Home Productions “Ray Of Gob (Original Mix)” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- d s i c o “Dirty Bottle”
- Party Ben “Somebody Rock Me (The Clash vs. The Killers)” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Loo & Placido “Should I Stay Or Should I Boogie”
- Go Home Productions “Wrapped Detective (Full Version)” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Phil RetroSpector “Step Together” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- d s i c o “2 Turntables are Ice”
- Phil RetroSpector “Naturally Feeling Blue” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Go Home Productions “Ain’t No Sunshine In My Closet” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Pilchard “The Doors take a Walk Down Sesame Street and Learn to Spell the Macarena”
- Alex C “Count It Out”
- Go Home Productions “Sexual High” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
- Mighty Mike “Massive Fear (Massive Attack vs. Lily Allen)” [FREE DOWNLOAD]
Download episode.
1:05:50 | 60.39 MB
Sponsors: eMusic, Budget Rent A Car
Tags: eMusic, Budget Rent A Car
solipsistic NATION No. 149: Planet Mu Records
July 10, 2009 | Comments Off
Here’s something you don’t know about me: I hate talking over the songs I play on solipsistic NATION. On the other hand, I think talking over music is pretty useful because it has less impact on the flow of the show. It’s a dilemma. Take this week’s show.
Once a month on solipsistic NATION I showcase a record label that is putting out amazing releases that you need to know about. Recent shows have featured n5MD, Dragon’s Eye Recordings and Summer Rain Recordings. On this edition of solipsistic NATION we’ll talk with Mike Paradinas (AKA μ-Ziq), the founder of Planet μ Records and play select tracks from his label. And therein lies the problem.
Planet μ began as a subsidiary of Virgin Records but in 1998 Mike Paradinas made Planet μ independent of Virgin and Astralwerks. In the last 10 years Mike has released great albums from a roster of amazing artists like Luke Vibert, Benga, Mary Anne Hobbs and much more. There’s no way I can capture the scope of Planet μ in an hour-long show. All I can do is paint a picture for you with music but only in the broadest strokes. That leaves me with the unenviable task of choosing which tracks we’ll have to talk over.
For example, I love Luke Vibert’s “Homewerk.” The repeating riff in “Homewerk” is a classic electronica theme and has been sampled many times. How can I talk over that. And then there’s “Meinheld” by μ-Ziq. He’s my guest. That’s be just plain rude to talk over his track. I love, love, love just about everything Venetian Snares puts out and it would cause me physical pain to talk over “Twirl.” But as I said, I would rather talk with Mike over the music than not play music at all. Plus, that’s an extra track you otherwise would not have heard.
I’m really excited that Mike is on today’s show. Planet μ consistently puts out amazing releases and has garnered a lot of respect from people who love great music. A fan base has been created around Planet μ because of the label’s roster of talent and phenomenal albums. You’ll become a convert, too.
If you liked today’s show, mention it on your blog or give solipsistic NATION a quick one to five star review on iTunes so I can spread the virus that is solipsistic NATION further and wider!
- Luke Vibert “Homewerk”
- μ-Ziq “Meinheld”
- Venetian Snares “Twirl”
- Interview with Mike Paradinas, founder of Planet μ Records
- Meat Beat Manifesto “Less”
- Vex’d “Thunder”
- Interview with Mike Paradinas, founder of Planet μ Records
- Pinch “Punisher”
- Benga “Killers About”
- Interview with Mike Paradinas, founder of Planet μ Records
- Boxcutter “Bug Octet”
- edIT “Twenty Minutes”
- Interview with Mike Paradinas, founder of Planet μ Records
- Chevron “Going Out of My Head”
- Mrs Jynx “Dusty”
- Jega “Alternating Bit”
- Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble “The Nothing Changes”
- Interview with Mike Paradinas, founder of Planet μ Records
Download episode.
59:43 | 54.74 MB
Sponsors: eMusic, Budget
Tags: eMusic, Budget
solipsistic NATION No. 148: Exillon, Live
July 3, 2009 | Comments Off
Once a month on solipsistic NATION I feature a live performance from an electronic musician. Recent shows have included live sets from Rena Jones, Milieu and Lokua. Today’s show features Exillon’s concert at Bang Face.
Jay Fields is the man behind Exillon and I first heard his music when I interviewed Nicolas Chevreux and played music from his label, Ad Noiseam. Jay, like so many electronic musicians, played traditional instruments like the drums, guitar and bass in his teens. That changed when he got his first computer and realized that he could have complete control over every aspect of his music. His love for electronic music kicked into high gear when his friends gave him the Impulse Tracker, a simple, sample based sequencer used by some in the demoscene. Exillon performs frantic IDM with an acid twist.
I was hoping to release Jay’s live set last month to help promote his concert for The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence that took place in San Francisco, June 27th, but was unable to due to a scheduling conflict. Sorry about that!
Bang Face is a monthly event that is held at the Electrowerkz in Islington, North London and has been running since October 2003. The next Bang Face event takes place in August and features a line-up that includes Luke Vibert, Pinch, Bong-Ra, Appleblim and much, much more!
If you liked today’s show, mention it on your blog or give solipsistic NATION a quick one to five star review on iTunes so I can spread the virus that is solipsistic NATION further and wider!
Download episode.
1:00:25 | 55.39 MB
Sponsors: eMusic, Budget
Tags: eMusic, Budget
Exillon LivePA @ Frequencee Mind Controlle 3-3-07
Bang Face 52 · Around the World in 80 Raves · February 8, 2008