solipsistic NATION: Live Electronica

On today's show we have a very special live set from Nick Brennan of Tripswitch performing at the O.Z.O.R.A. Festival.

Nick Brennan is Tripswitch and as Tripswitch he's released music that is just fantastic stuff! Nick has this knack for making music that feels well-worn and new at the same time. There's something about his music that's instantly familiar and feels like he's always been part of your record collection. There's something very English about it, too, because his music is very dreamy and idyllic with a undercurrent of darkness that surfaces from time to time.

It's something I also recognized in Ott, who was our guest last June, and I think this strand can be traced back to The Orb, which can be further traced back to Pink Floyd. But that begs the question, how much further does this tradition go back in the history of English music?

We'll find out when we talk with Nick. We'll also talk about his alter ego, Codemonkey, and his label, Section Records.

Before we go any further, if you're listening to today's solipsistic NATION on Taint Radio then I'm afraid you're not going to here the entire show. We're going long because Nick has a very special recording of him performing at the O.Z.O.R.A. Festival.

Don't worry, I've got you covered. Just download today's show and you won't miss a thing. While you're here, why not visit out iTunes page and give the show a quick review. The more reviews solipsistic NATION gets, the higher ranking it gets on iTunes, which means more people might find out about the show. Which means more people might get turned on to Nick's music, which would be awesome, right?

Join us again next week when we'll talk with Experimedia's Jeremy Bible. See you then!

01. Kaya Project & Tripswitch "When Only Sand Remains (Tripswich Remix)"

02. Tripswitch "Circularity"

03. Interview with Nick Brennan of Tripswitch

04. Tripswitch "Strange Parallels"

05. Tripswitch "Floating Point"

06. Tripswitch "Live (O.Z.O.R.A. Festival, 2011)"

I think it's safe to say that if you've heard the Stereo MCs' music then you're probably already fan. And if you haven't heard the Stereo MCs' music, which is almost impossible, then you will be a fan by the end of today's show.

Well, actually, I have to admit the possibility that you may not be a fan.

I know I wasn't.

When the Stereo MCs released their track "Connected" it was a monster hit. You couldn't get away from it. At the time I was working a bar and a nightclub and if the DJs weren't playing it in the nightclub, people were playing it on the jukebox in the bar. Even a good song, a great song, can turn sour if you hear it too much. And so I grew to loathe the Stereo MCs.

But nearly 10 years later a friend from work played "Connected" and I heard it with fresh ears and instantly became a fan. That very night I ran out and purchased their Connected album and, to my joy, they had recently released a new album called Deep Down & Dirty. Those albums were on constant rotation that summer.

I played those albums at parties the summer of 2001. I drove to the Getty Museum for the first time on a date while listening to those albums. I've made love while those albums played in the background.

As you can see, I have a very intimate connection with the Stereo MCs' music. When I saw Rob on Twitter a few week's ago I knew what I had to do: invite him on the show. And to my delight, he said yes!

I don't think neither Rob or his partner, Nick Hallam, self-identify as electronic musicians. I think they just see themselves as musicians and electronic instruments are just one of the tools, among many, they use to create music. That's cool, but they do use electronic gear and that's good enough for me to call them one of our own. And if it isn't? Who cares, it's the Stereo MCs, for crying out loud!

If you liked today's show, and honestly, how can you not like today's show, then tell a friend. The more people who listen, the more people like Rob I can get on the show.

Joins us again next week when we'll showcase music from Abaga Records.

See you then!

01. Stereo MCs "Wooden Heart"

02. Interview with Rob Birch of Stereo MCs

03. Stereo MCs "Breeze"

04. Stereo MCs "Chicken Shake"

05. Stereo MCs "Rhino Part I"

06. Stereo MCs "Rhino Part II"

07. Stereo MCs "Rhino Part III"

08. Stereo MCs "Lost in Music, 92 (Live)"

09. Stereo MCs "Set It Up, BBC 92 (Live)"

10. Stereo MCs "Set It Up, BBC 92 (Live)"

11. Stereo MCs "Pressure, T&C 93 (Live)"

12. Stereo MCs "Playing with Fire, T&C 93 (Live)"

13. Stereo MCs "Fade Away, Glaston 93 (Live)"

14. Stereo MCs "Elevate My Mind (Live)"

15. Stereo MCs "Connected, T&C 93 (Live)"

16. Stereo MCs "Breeze, London 01 (Live)"

17. Stereo MCs "Graffiti Pt 2, London 01 (Live)"

18. Stereo MCs "We Belong In This World Together, Cactus 03 (Live)"

19. Stereo MCs "Sofisticated, Cactus 03 (Live)"

20. Stereo MCs "Show Your Light, Brixton 08 (Live)"

21. Stereo MCs "Black Gold, Brixton 08 (Live)"

22. Stereo MCs "City Lights, Brixton 08 (Live)"

23. Stereo MCs "Deep Down & Dirty, Brixton 08 (Live)"

24. Stereo MCs "Ground Level, Brixton 08 (Live)"

25. Stereo MCs "Here And Now, Brixton 08 (Live)"

26. Stereo MCs "Desert Song, Frequency Fest 11 (Live)"

27. Stereo MCs "Far Out Feeling, Frequency Fest 11 (Live)"

28. Stereo MCs "Running, Frequency Fest 11 (Live)"

Can I share something with you that is simultaneously mind blowing and utterly mundane?

I get anywhere from 50 to 250 tracks emailed my way every week. Let me repeat that: every week. And I've made a pact with myself that if musicians or music labels are generous enough to send music my way to play on the show then I feel obligated to every single song.

As you can imagine, that takes a lot of time.

My strategy to deal with this constant geyser of music is to listen to a couple hours of hours a day of music on my phone that has been sent my way in the last week on random. Listening to music on random gives me an approximation what an album sounds like. I realize it's not fair to the artists but it would take me forever to listen to each and every album from start to finish. Random's just faster.

Anyway, whenever a really good track comes on that I flag it for consideration to play on the show. And tracks from Velapene Screen's album, What If They Can't Trust You?, just kept popping up again and again, demanding my attention. Who the hell was this guy? Whoever he was, his music is slamming! I wasn't surprised, What If They Can't Trust You? is a Centrifuge release, and The Centrifuge puts out quality music. Check out my interview with The Centrifuge's Wassim if you don't believe me.

And as I was listening to yet another killer track from Velapene Screen I suddenly saw him post something to Twitter. I wondered if he'd be interested on coming on the show with a live set and sent him a Tweet. Minutes later he Tweeted back that he was interested. We talked further and the results is today's show.

On the surface that's not such an amazing story but if you think about it, it's almost magical.

Musicians and music labels send me music to download which I might later play on my show, which is available as a podcast or streaming from an internet radio station. And I'm deluged in music. All. The. Time. And I listen to this stuff, anywhere I go, on my phone. And I can reach out and contact the musicians I'd like to come on the show by posting message in the aether. Can you fucking believe that shit?

Like I said: utterly mundane but completely magical.

Anyway, listen to today's show featuring a chat with Chris Ghiraldi, the man behind Velapene Screen, and Chris' in-studio performance! His whole life is magical. Became a touring musician at a young age, won the Philly Laptop Battle in 2004 and the New York City Laptop Battle in 2006, received attention from Rolling Stone, remixed artists including Interpol, Meat Beat Manifesto, Radiohead and Regina Spektor, etc.

Before I get out of Dodge, keep your fingers crossed because next month's Live show may feature a set from the Stereo MCs! I hope I didn't jinx it.

See you next week!

01. Velapene Screen "Breaks The Habit" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

02. Velapene Screen "Breathe Again (Sense's In, Out and Around Mix)" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

03. Interview with Chris Ghiraldi of Velapene Screen

04. Velapene Screen "Live"

It's the first weekend of the month, and that means a live set! It's one of the things I got the most excited about every month. Recent shows have featured performances from everyone from Atari Teenage Riot to Zion Train.

Today on solipsistic NATION were going to hear a live in-studio performance from MSSNGDGTS (88:88). But first we're going to hear select tracks from 88:88's The Grey album, which you can download absolutely for free!

EJ Peter is 88:88 and it's kind of cool how he came to be on today's show.

I've been hard at work preparing future live sets for solipsistic NATION but I didn't see the forest for the trees. The weekend was fast approaching and I had zip. So I did what I always do when I'm in a jam like that: I went on Twitter and asked if anyone had a live set they'd like to share on solipsistic NATION. And out of the blue, 88:88 came through. In fact, he's recording his live set for us as I type these very words. That's how fresh this show is! And it's also a perfect example of how social media makes this show happen.

I actually played a track from EJ a few months ago when I was doing a segment on the Future Sounds of San Diego compilation album. There were a lot of great tracks on the album but 88:88's "Dub-Hop" immediately caught my attention so it's a nice bit of synchronicity that he's on today's show.

Join us again next week. I've got a big announcement about solipsistic NATION. We'll also talk with You Shriek's Raziel Panic and Brian Botkiller about their music boxed sets and maybe review a killer app for your iPhone or iPad.

Until then, say hi to me on Twitter @solipsistic.

01. 88:88 "Buried in America" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

02. 88:88 "All Day" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

03. 88:88 "Flycker" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

04. 88:88 "To Be A DJ" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

05. 88:88 "King Speech" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

06. 88:88 "Battling the Sun" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

07. 88:88 "Nostalgia" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

08. 88:88 "Good & Evil" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

09. Interview with 88:88

10. 88:88 "Live, In-Studio"

Welcome to 2012! According to a pop interpretation of the Mayan calendar we're going to go face-to-face with the apocalypse that we've all secretly hoping would finally happen. If you believe that sort of thing.

Here at solipsistic NATION we're going to kick off the new year the same way we kick off each month: a live performance from an electronic music. But instead of one performance, we're going to hear two! One from Pimmon and one from Landcrash.

Both Pimmon and Landcrash appeared on the Soft edition solipsistic NATION back in December. That was a great show and Landcrash and Pimmon's music really moved me. I asked if they'd be interested in coming on the show with some recorded live material. They both said yes and sent me their live sets, tout suite!

Paul Gough is Pimmon and he's prepared a special in-studio live performance for us. Daniel Hopkins is Landcrash and we'll hear his live set recorded at the White Star. Their music is both beautiful and utterly haunted.

Since they both explore the same sonic territory and are both on labels I really enjoy (12K and the Feedbackloop Label), I decided to feature their live sets on one show. It's also the reason why I asked them similar questions and it was pretty interesting to hear how their sensibilities differed and converged.

Join us again next week when we'll showcase music from Artoffact Records. Until then, bask in the music of Pimmon and Landcrash. That seems to be the best way to experience it.

01. Pimmon "Yicco"

02. Pimmon "Düülbludgers"

03. Interview with Paul Gough of Pimmon

04. Pimmon "Buttered on Both Sides, Live"

05. Pimmon "Belmont Crackle, Live"

06. Pimmon "Pockaloi, Live"

07. Pimmon "Do the Torben Tilly, Live"

08. Landcrash "Fencing panels that survive" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

09. Landcrash "Digital Wolves" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

10. Interview with Daniel Hopkins of Landcrash

11. Hurra caine Landcrash "Do the Torben Tilly, Live at the White Star"

On today's show we're going to hear Mobthrow rocking it live at the Riddim Collision Festival in Lyon to celebrate Ad Noiseam's 10 year anniversary!

I've been a fan of Ad Noiseam for quite a while and for good reason. Ad Noiseam consistently releases great music. It's that simple. And while Ad Noiseam obvioulsy has a love for breakbeat and dubstep with releases from the likes of Enduser and Bong-Ra it also embraces ambient and experimental music as well, with releases from folks like Wilt and The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation.

Nicolas Chevreux is the founder of Ad Noiseam and you can hear my interview with him and more music from his label here.

I've been a fan of Mobthrow almost as long as I've been a fan of Ad Noiseam.

A few years back I had Kostas from Subheim to talk about his now defunct label, Spectraliquid, and while he was on the show he played some great music from Blackfilm, Cardopusher and Ebola. One of the artists that was also featured on the show was Mobthrow and even in a mix of great music his tracks stood out.

Mobthrow had some great beats and rhythms but it was tinged with a lot of moody atmospherics and some of his tracks were downright noirish. With the release of his first full length album, Mobthrow's music has not only become grander in scale but somehow, at the same time, even more intimate.

Angelos Liaros is Mobthrow and he joins us today by phone from Berlin to talk about his latest album and his live set at the Riddim Collision Festival for Ad Noiseam's 10 year anniversary.

Join us again next week when we'll showcase music from Electroton and talk to Martin Weiss, the label's founder.

See you then!

01. Mobthrow "Iron Tribal"

02. Mobthrow "Birds Fly Hig"

03. Interview with Angelos Liaros of Mobthrow

04. Mobthrow "Live at 10 Years Ad Noiseam, Riddim Collision Festival, Lyon, France"

[tlr] makes his triumphant return on solipsistic NATION as NVR-NDR with a special live set and a handful of studio tracks from his Extreme Hyper Impact album!

[tlr], you may recall, was on the show this time last year with a mix of select tracks from the Magicore blog he runs with tooth_eye and Phil. That show was one of my favorite from solipsistic NATION in 2010 because it was so fun, imaginative and exhilirating. Magicore is a genre that exists solely in [tlr]'s head so I was thrilled when he alchemically transmuted his imagination into reality with the release of his Extreme Hyper Impact album. I admit it, I want to live in [tlr]'s world, anime exagerated eyes and speed lines and all. If you like what you hear then why not spend a few bucks on [tlr]'s album so we can all live in his world.

Some quick apologies before I go.

Today's show was actually supposed to go out two weeks ago. solipsistic NATION is a labor of love but sometimes the demands of day-to-day life intrude on the show. I've been so busy lately that it doesn't take much to derail working on solipsistic NATION and that's exactly what happened a few weeks back. My apologies go out to [tlr] and especially to you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that you listen to the show.

Come back again next week and we'll do it all over again. See you then!

01. NVR-NDR "Instrumental"

02. Interview with [tlr] of NVR-NDR "Instrumental"

03. NVR-NDR "Hidden Destiny Intro (tooth_eye mix)"

04. NVR-NDR "Never Ender"

05. NVR-NDR "Be Who You Are"

06. NVR-NDR "Tetsujin Interlude"

07. NVR-NDR "Acting Hard ([tlr] remix of Captain Ahab)"

08. NVR-NDR "We Will Win"

09. NVR-NDR "B Who U R (ICUH8N remix)"

10. NVR-NDR "Be Who You Are (IAM remix by Sheldon James)"

11. NVR-NDR "Never Ender (EVRNV remix by Tetsujin"

Today's show goes out to all you Burners out there. I was hoping to make the pilgrimage to Burning Man this year but it wasn't meant to be, so, I'm there in spirit instead with a live set from Polyfuse recorded at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago, July 6th, 2011.

I've only just met Justin and I know precious little about him, and his website is frustratingly vague, which is just the way Justin likes it. But we'll pull back the layers of mystery and get to know Justin a little bit.

Justin's latest album is called The Speed Of Forever and you can listen and purchase to songs from his latest album on Bandcamp for a mere $5 bucks for 12, count 'em, 12 tracks. Can't beat that!

Join us again next week. Normally I showcase a record label but that may not happen. But don't worry, I'll put together something to keep you entertained. I always do.

01. Polyfuse "We Will Make Sure You Disappear"

02. Polyfuse "Falling Failing Flying Dying"

03. Interview with Justin McGrath of Polyfuse

04. Polyfuse "Live, Chicago (July 6th 2011)"

Speak Onion is Dan Abatemarco and Dan was our guest on last year's show about music made with iPods, iPhones and iPads. Dan's back again with a live set recorded at the Charleston in Brooklyn for Immigrant Breast Nest's record release party.

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.

I want to keep you up to date on last week's Kickstarter San Diego stop sign flower yarn bomb project. I talked to Knitting Guy and he made his goal of raising $1,200.

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 [email protected]

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.

01. Speak Onion "Maroon Pinka"

02. Joy Through Noise "Krypton"

03. Speak Onion "Where In Winter We Slept (Icy Bliss Remix)"

04. Interview with Dan Abatemarco of Speak Onion

05. Speak Onion "Live in Brooklyn (July 9, 2011)"

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.

01. Zion Train "One Inch Dub"

02. Interview with Neil Perch, founder of Zion Train

03. Zion Train "Bloodlines (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

04. Zion Train "Forward Ever (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

05. Zion Train "Give Me Good Sensi (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

06. Zion Train "Bubblegum (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

07. Zion Train "Know Bout Jah (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

08. Zion Train "Edelweiss Piraten (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

09. Zion Train "Beware (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

10. Zion Train "No Answer (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

11. Zion Train "Terror Talk (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

12. Zion Train "Crisis (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

13. Zion Train "Life That I Choose (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

14. Zion Train "Baby Father (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"

15. Zion Train "War In Babylon (Live, Poznan, Poland 2009)"