solipsistic NATION: White Label

Stop me if I've said this before. Or skip ahead a few paragraphs. Whatever.

After spending the last six years or so producing edition after edition of solipsistic NATION I finally figured out one of the important reasons I love electronic music so much and that reason is surprise and delight.

I'm surprised it took me so long to work that out because it's blindingly obvious—one of the first things they teach you in art—in fact, is surprise. It's playing with your expectations and revealing something new. That element of surprise may reveal something sacred or profane and, if done deftly, causes delight.

Pop used to do this. In a way, it's what made pop music pop. But pop music has been so colonized by corporatism that it's rare that something fresh and new escapes into the wild. Hip hop used to do the same but it followed quickly in pop's footsteps at a gallop. Electronic music has relatively remained immune to the constraints of pop music and is free to play fast and loose with our expectations of music, constantly mutating and adding each genre and sub genre of electronic music's sonic distinctiveness to it's own. Yes, that's a Star Trek reference.

Major labels are once again rediscovering that there's some cool shit happening in electronic music and seems content for the moment to deliver it to the masses in the form of EDM. I don't doubt that it will soon turn it's great, lidless eye (Lord of the Rings reference) to other genres of electronic music in it's never ending quest for the next new thing to make a buck off.

Today's label showcase on solipsistic NATION features select tracks from Naboa Music. There's a lot of breakcore in Naboa Music but that's just the framework to explore it's inner weirdness. So entrenched is Naboa Music in exploring these sonic territories that I don't think it's a label that could ever be tempted to embrace the dark side (Star Wars reference, and a rather forced one at that).

But seriously...

I'm always asking for labels to feature on future editions of solipsistic NATION and [tlr] made the case for Naboa Music. [tlr] has been on solipsistic NATION a number of times and his most recent album, Homunculus, was released on Naboa Music. When he suggested I do a feature on the label I listened because I trust [tlr]'s taste in music. And I was right to do so. Just listen to today's show and see! We'll also chat with Laskfar Vortok's Naoboa Music, cofounder. He's got a unique vision for what a music label can be.

Naboa Music is weird and wonderful and will take you in some very interesting places.

Join us again next week when we'll talk with Zite CEO Mark Johnson and recording artists Grouse, The Other Guy and DJ Food.

See you then!

01. Allen, I Hate Myself "Day Break Ground Score"

02. Interview with Laskfar Vortok, cofounder of Naboa Music

03. Autofuture "Mountain Revenge"

04. Naboa "Monopolar Pulse"

05. Beytah "Burning Villages"

06. Oxygenfad "Custom Firmware"

07. Eddie B. Rock "Dungeon Quest"

08. Psychedelic.Osmo "Kenta Cho Achieves Godhood"

09. Victor Vankmen "Walkman Spaced Reverb Dopeness (Feat. GDS)"

10. [tlr] "Magic Powers"

11. Syphilis Sauna "Comfort Zone (On Addiction)"

12. Naboa "Butcher Blossom 5"

13. Interview with Laskfar Vortok, cofounder of Naboa Music

14. Arson[EYE]-K "Thirty Puzzled Five Fidge"

15. Helium Ointment "Rubber Chicken"

16. EDN "2-1 Death Peak"

17. Genus Inkasso "Hurler's Pappy"

18. Laskfar Vortok "Marshal His Being To Culture"

19. Interview with Laskfar Vortok, cofounder of Naboa Music

A few years ago I showcased Bak$hish Music, a collective of like-minded artists modeled after Hakim Bey‘s Temporary Autonomous Zone. Bak$hish Music was also indebted to the musical stylings of Bill Laswell, although they were a thing unto themselves with a roster of artists that included the likes of Lingua Lustra and Mauxuam.

Some time afterwards I started seeing releases by a label called Spiritech Records. The label's name raised an eyebrow and when I looked further I noticed Spiritech Records predominantly featured music from Lingua Lustra. I really dug Lingua Lustra's music on Bak$hish Music and as much as I wanted to showcase Spiritech I decided to wait until they had filled out their own roster of artists.

A few weeks ago spacesfm did a feature on Spiritech Records, which prompted me to check out how their catalog had grown and I was floored to see that the label had exploded! I wasted no time inviting the label's founder, Albet Borkent, to join us on today's show. Turns out he also records and performs under the name Lingua Lustra. Who knew?!

solipsistic NATION covers all of electronic music in it's many, many forms but there's a special place in my heart for electronic music that explores the mystical and the psychedelic. That's something that Spiritech Records does very well. During my chat with Albert I told him that I believed that music from Spiritech Records can experience a heightened state of consciousness. I wasn't entirely kidding about that. There were several times today's mix that took me to some interesting places when I let go and my imagination go wild while listening to while listening to music from Spiritech Records. It can happen to you if you let it, so kick back and kiss the sky!

Special shout-out to Andrew from Apple's iTunes Store Customer Support.

Last month solipsistic NATION got over a million downloads so I thought I'd check out our page on iTunes. I admit it, I was being vain. I wanted to see if there were any new reviews of the show. But you know what? Apple was no longer displaying my podcast in iTunes. I was upset! Did I lose all my new and regular listeners just like that? And why?

I sent an email to the iTunes Store Customer Support to find out what was going on, not really expecting an answer. But I got a response right away, and that's how I met Andrew. He helped figure out my problem and within a few days solipsistic NATION was back on iTunes. Not with going into what caused the problem, I'm just glad it got resolved so quickly.

Look, I already love Apple, and this was yet another reason to love them even more, and it's just another example why they are such a phenomenon.

So, Andrew, if you're reading this, thanks!

Join us again next week. I'll be celebrating 300 episodes of solipsistic NATION. I'll talk about where we've been, how the show has exploded in the last year, and where I'll take the show in 2013. Big news! And of course, great music!

See you then!

01. Rainbow Vector "Newsflash"

02. Textural Being "+"

03. Interview with Albet Borkent, founder of Spiritech Records

04. Lingua Lustra "Journey With The Flower Mobile To The Central Temple Of Bliss"

05. Data Rebel "Rifflekt"

06. Olexa "Wanderer"

07. Enoruos "Yggdrasil"

08. Lingua Lustra "Caravan To Utopia"

09. Interview with Albet Borkent, founder of Spiritech Records

10. Snufmumriko "Rites Of December"

11. Lingua Lustra "Fluxon (excerpt)"

12. Interview with Albet Borkent, founder of Spiritech Records

Good grief! I had a four-day weekend and it took all four of them to produce today's show, never mind the hours spent arranging and preparing for the interviews featured on today's show! That's the problem with the star-studded-ultra-mega-cool editions of solipsistic NATION, they're totally worth it but that still doesn't make producing the show any less backbreaking. Okay, I'm working on a computer—it doesn't make producing the show any less carpal tunnel inducing. And, hey, have you heard? Sitting can kill you!

Sorry, A little woozy. I'm still spent from producing today's show. But I crushed it. Let me tell you how.

Come back again next week and we'll do it all over again. But completely different. Next week I do do something I thought I would never do: I'll be playing the best songs and best albums of 2012.

How am I doing? Tell me what you think at [email protected] or Tweet me @solipsistic.

See you next week!

Photo Credit: ©schillaci70

01. ESA "The Shape Of Hate To Come"

02. Opposite Exhale "Stare Into The Sun"

03. Interview with Paul Nielsen, founder of Tympanik Audio

04. Access To Arasaka "Fragments Of A Hologram Rose"

05. Integral "Empty"

06. Lodsb "Cyan"

07. Zan Lyons "Devil's Advocate"

08. Interview with Wassim, cofounder of The Centrifuge

09. Vaetxh "Resonant Bridge"

10. Alphabets Heaven "Darma (Kwala's Headshotboyz Reremix)"

11. Muta "Movie Hour"

12. Interview with PK, founder of King Deluxe

13. Johan Ess "Spastick Witchcraft (featuring Gianna Love)"

14. Johan Ess "Gematria"

15. Interview with Johan Ess

16. [tlr] "Crystalline Space Entity"

17. [tlr] "Gzngztrzm"

18. Interview with [tlr]

19. [tlr] "Jungular"

20. Julian Sartorius "October 2011"

21. Julian Sartorius "May 2011"

22. Interview with Julian Sartorius

23. Julian Sartorius "September 2011"

24. Julian Sartorius "December 2011"

25. Julian Sartorius "January 2011"

26. Julian Sartorius "May 2011"

27. Julian Sartorius "November 2011"

28. Julian Sartorius "March 2011"

Today on solipsistic NATION we're going to listen to select tracks from CRL Studios and talk with the label's founder, James Church. You may be more familiar with him as Lucid Static.

If you're new to solipsistic NATION you might be under the impression from last week's and today's show that all I play is IDM and industrial, and you'd be wrong. I play the best from all genres of electronic music.

It just so happens that a few months ago I had Fariz Suliman from Dope Records on the show. He raved about CRL Studios. Up to that point I had know about Lucidstatic but I had never made the connection that he also ran a label, and once I started listening to tracks from CRL Studios I knew I had to have him on solipsistic NATION to showcase his label. The music is just that great!

It's just coincidence I scheduled Dope Records recording artist, Tokee, and today's show featuring CRL Studios, back to back.

Today's mix was lovingly crafted by Chris Lacroix, AKA, DJ Siborg.

Funny thing about the mix. Behind the scenes I listen to a lot of music in order to present to you the very best in electronic music. I do a lot of this on the go so I'm constantly pulling out my iPhone and rating and noting songs that I might play in future editions of solipsistic NATION. Whenever I played DJ Siborg's mix I'd get lost in the music and get so excited about what I was listening to that I'd pull out my phone to rate the track I'm listening to and realize "Oh, right, right, this is a mix, not an individual track." That's how I knew this was a great mix and I'm thrilled to share it with you!

Before I get out of Dodge, I want to apologize if I sounded kind of like a douche bag on last week's show for talking about how quickly solipsistic NATION is growing. I'm just just excited. I always thought there was a larger audience for the show and it's gratifying to see how many people are downloading solipsistic NATION.

Oh, and, uh, we're at 342,116 downloads for January so far. Just in case you were wondering.

Look, I realize that Pete Tong or Tiësto probably get over 342,000 downloads a week for their podcasts. But I'm not them and I do a very different kind of show and 342,000 downloads is a big number for me. Bigger than I ever expected. So let's keep this thing going, tell a friend, tell a stranger about the show.

I'll make it worth your while. Join us again next for next week's mega-ultra-awesome show featuring Mark Johnson from Zite, a beautiful news aggregator that's become essential in producing this show! We'll also talk with Julian Sartorius about his Beat Diary project! We'll chat with _TLR_ and Johann Ess about their new albums they just released! We'll also celebrate King Deluxe's two year anniversary and The Centrifuge and Tympanik Audio's five year anniversaries!

Whew. I think I just burned through my exclamation point quota for 2013.

See you next week!

01. Cloud Roots "Nome (4 am)"

02. Interview with James Church, founder of CRL Studios

03. Glue On Smile "G_os"

04. Sleepless "The End"

05. Mono Penguin "Reaching Heaven"

06. Adonikam "Perpetual Symmetry"

07. Cryogenic Echelon "You're Still Lonely (ft Sabine Snaps, Studio-X, and Martin Veress)"

08. Human Error "Puppetshow"

09. Interview with James Church, founder of CRL Studios

10. Lithia "Tarnish (Interface Remix)"

11. Angel Of Violence "Mr. Sleep"

12. Viscera Drip "Suspiria"

13. Scrap/Grinder "To Make A Ring"

14. Virtual Terrorist "Gridwalkers (ft Psykkle)"

15. Tokee "Black Joy"

16. Interview with James Church, founder of CRL Studios

Once a month on solipsistic NATION I showcase a label that's putting out such amazing releases that I feel it's my duty as host of this show to turn you on to that label. On today's show we're going to listen to select tracks from Dope Records and talk to the label's founder, Farees Suleiman.

I wish I could tell you how I came across Dope Records. I mean, I know I came across them through Zite on my iPad. I've created a section that focuses on electronic music, so even though I came across Dope Records through Zite, Zite pulled the website from any hundred or so blogs dedicated to electronic music. So who knows?

What I do know was that once I was at their web site and started listening to some of the tracks they made available online I became a fan. I expected that a label called Dope Records would feature hip hop releases but I was confounded when I heard everything from ambient to metal to dubstep to noise. I loved it! So I reached out to Farees to join us on today's show. I've included links in the playlist below to purchase nearly all the tracks heard on today's show. Show Dope Records and the artists some love by buying a track or two that you dug, an album or two if you're feeling particularly generous.

Quick note: today's interview was actually recorded back in August but as I mentioned last week, I went on a sabbatical for a couple of months so it had to wait. I apologize to you and Farees for the delay. But trust me on this, it is worth the wait.

Join us again next week. We'll do it all over again. But completely different.

01. Tokee "Pa (2012 Remix)"

02. Interview with Farees Suleiman, founder of Dope Records

03. Tokee "Th (2012 Remix)"

04. [makina] "Kabul"

05. Tokee "Agony"

06. Paindonor "Shell Shock"

07. Tokee "Conquistador"

08. Meteo Xavier "Amenemhetopelzai"

09. Interview with Farees Suleiman, founder of Dope Records

10. Paindonor "Loneliness of the Shot Down Bomber"

11. [makina] "Fly With Me"

12. Bouquiniste "Unknown Track"

13. [makina] "Eat tha' Bass"

14. Meteo Xavier "Navi Whisperwilde"

For all my talk of my mission to present to you the very best of all genres of electronic music I am still a sucker for a label with a cool name. A cool name raises an eyebrow, makes me curious. To be sure, the label's music better be good or I'm go on my way in short order. There's got to be something to back up a cool name.

Take Robot Elephant Records.

A few months back I was perusing electronic music blogs on Flipboard or Zite or some app like them and came across a post about a label called Robot Elephant Records. Cool name, I thought. And what would a robot elephant look like? I imagined a Mechagodizilla like beast. I had to know more.

The blog post praised their Robot Elephant Records so I moseyed over to their website and listened to the tracks they were streaming online and I really, really dug what I heard. So much so that I invited Sebastian Weikart and Anthony Chalmers, the founders of Robot Elephant Records, to come on the show and play some of their releases and chat about their label.

You're going to love the mix they've prepared for us and I think you'll agree, Robot Elephant Records unequivocally live up to their cool name!

This interview was actually supposed to go out last month but as I mentioned last week, I've been working a lot of hours to meet a deadline for a very big project at my job. I love producing solipsistic NATION and having guests on the show and I love that you tune in, but it's unavoidable that I'm going to miss a show from time to time.

Join us again next week. I'm still catching up from being off a couple of weeks so while I've got some things in the hopper I'm not quite sure what I'll use first. Rest easy, you're in good hands. It'll be good.

Okay, I'm out of here. Enjoy today's show!

01. Dead Fader "Industrial Funk Stains"

02. Interview with Sebastian Weikart and Anthony Chalmers, founders of Robot Elephant Records

03. Os Ovni "A Lil' In The Moon"

04. Os Ovni "Holographic Dreams"

05. Blue on Blue "Night Terrors"

06. Funerals "Water over Night"

07. Ourobonic Plague "The Outer Alphabet"

08. Dead Fader feat. Sensational "fishsh"

09. Fostercare "City of Gods"

10. Martin Galway "Arkanoid"

11. Ben Daglish "Trap"

12. Ritualz "III"

13. Party Trash "Sky Clad"

14. Husband "Love Song"

15. Fostercare "Future Tribes"

16. Dead Fader "Das Hamster"

17. The Church of Synth "Der Fall von Leviathan"

Last weekend I headed up to LA with my friend. No particular reason, we both just needed to get out of San Diego. Don't get me wrong, San Diego is a slice of paradise but it is lacking in some of the cultural amenities.

I wanted to see Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman perform their Hollywood Babble-On podcast at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club at Universal City Walk. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Kevin Smith because he was on the road promoting his new book, Tough Shit: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good. It was still a good show and I had the unique experience of strolling through Universal City Walk, which was a weird combination of a theme park and a shopping mall. Thing is, once you've been there, there's absolutely no reason to ever go back, because there's nothing there you'd really want to spend cash on beside touristy shit (although I must admit that I kind of liked it). I suppose if you lived in the area you'd want to go there to check out the latest Hollywood blockbuster film.

The next day we drove to the fashion district in LA, which was a vast disappointment to my friend. I suppose she was expecting haute couture and models strolling up and down the streets.

Anyway, it was good to take the weekend off and now I'm back and I'm really excited about today's show, because on today on solipsistic NATION we're showcasing Metal Postcard Records.

I'm quite fond of Metal Postcard because they've been around roughly the same time I first started broadcasting solipsistic NATION on Free Radio San Diego. I didn't have any juice but Sean Hocking, the label's founder, was kind enough to send promotional CDs and vinyl my way to play on the show. Metal Postcard is an eclectic label and we'll find out just how eclectic when we chat with Sean, who joins us from his home in Hong Kong.

Before I go, I want to wish my dad a happy Father's Day. He's listened to every single edition of solipsistic NATION. It means a lot to me that I can share something that means so much to me and that I work so hard on with my dad, and that he wants to listen. That he enjoys that show is just icing on the cake.

He's a father and a friend and his influence on me in appreciating great music from all genres is only one of the many things I'm thankful for him as a father.

Happy father's day, dad. I love you.

01. Wax Audio "Imagine This"

02. Rake Wickman "Suur Toll"

03. Interview with Sean Hocking, founder of Metal Postcard Records

04. Swoop Swoop "Drive Into the Night"

05. Ollo "Full Stop Blue"

06. Cambodian Space Project "I'm Unsatisfied"

07. DJ Foundation "Sitting in Gitmo"

08. The Emergency "Holland Tunnel Dive"

09. Interview with Sean Hocking, founder of Metal Postcard Records

10. Wow "When You're Dead"

11. Pairs "I Wanna Die in the Ocean" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

12. Never Heard of Zeppelin "Book of Love"

13. London School of Economics "Cock Sucker"

14. ?redo from Start "Wires"

15. Louis Inglis "Dark Days Ahead"

16. Crystal Sun Remixed by DSICO "For Those Who Wander"

17. Interview with Sean Hocking, founder of Metal Postcard Records

Today on solipsistic NATION we'll listen to select tracks from Experimedia, a record label, shop, and distributor based out of Ohio and established in 2000.

I've known about Experimedia for quite some time and it's kind of surprising that our paths haven't crossed already. Experimedia consistently puts out quality releases, so much so that when I hear about an album that's released on Experimedia, I just assume that it's going to be fantastic. It's that kind of dedication to excellence that I showcase labels on solipsistic NATION in the first place. This is music you need to hear.

Jeremy Bible is the man behind Experimedia and he'll also be performing tonight at the RCN CAVE in Akron, Ohio. If you came to solipsistic NATION from that show, then welcome aboard!

If you liked today's show why not tell a friend about solipsistic NATION. I'd also welcome a quick review on our iTunes page. The more people who know about solipsistic NATION the more shows like today's I can produce.

Speaking of which, join us next week when our guests will be Benji Vaughan who'll be performing at this years Glade Festival. We'll also chat with Patti Schmidt from MUTEK and we'll learn about Vibin.fm, the Pandora for electronic music.

See you then!

01. RxRy "Cygnus"

02. Damian Valles "Movement III"

03. Interview with Jeremy Bible, founder of Experimedia

04. From The Mouth of The Sun "Like Shadows in an Empty Cathedral"

05. Superstorms "Part 3"

06. Lawrence English "The Roar Ceasing"

07. Jannick Schou "Then Filling Your Pockets With Stones"

08. Keith Freund "The Ortzi"

09. Interview with Jeremy Bible, founder of Experimedia

10. Black Swan "The Quiet Divide (Reprise)"

11. Ben Bennett "yet to be titled"

12. Celer "Repertoire of Dinless Shifts (Excerpt)"

Today's label showcase features, by popular demand, ABAGA Records!

A few months back I asked friends of the show on Twitter which labels you thought I should feature on solipsistic NATION and ABAGA Records came up again and again. You demanded it, I listened!

When I launched solipsistic NATION I was uncompromising in my vision for the show. I wanted to feature the best of all genres of electronic music. Not everyone likes jumping from genre to genre of electronic music but the net is big. I knew that there were listeners out there. We just had to find each other. Six years and 276 shows later solipsistic NATION has found a global audience. And damn, the audience has amazing taste. Whenever I ask for suggestions for guest or labels to feature on the show I'm never disappointed and I'm constantly being introduced to new and exciting things. Today's show is proof of that.

Today's show is also a bit different because I haven't heard the mix yet. Andrew, the label's director, sent it to me and I literally just downloaded it. I have no more idea what to expect that you do, dear listener. Despite the time shifting with podcasts I am, for all intents and purposes, listening to today's the same time as you. But you've never steered me wrong. I'm going to trust in your good taste.

ABAGA Records releases bass music, dubstep, jungle, d&b and other sub-heavy styles of music. Based in Edinburgh, the label provides a platform for artists to get their music heard, with both free and paid releases.

Join us again next week when our guest will be Nathan Phelan, host of The Electro Show.

See you then!

01. Tactus "Red Tide (Unreleased)"

02. DanieL Bazz "Ace"

03.Interview with Andrew Rankine, director of ABAGA Records

04. Tactus "Refueled"

05. The Mighty Cornelius "The Black Meat (DanieL Bazz Remix)"

06. The Setup "Grindstone"

07. G.Davies "Crab Riddim"

08. CIVIC "So Rough (Tactus Remix)"

09. Tactus "Broken (Unreleased)"

10. Tactus "Skittles (Unreleased)"

11. Tactus "Litmus (Unreleased)"

12. Tactus "Steam Cloud"

13. Tactus "Rub-A-Dub Remix"

14. Tactus "Home Guider"

15. Tactus "Dancing Bruise (Unreleased)"

16. Tactus & Spiral Soundsystem "Dancing Bruise (Unreleased)"

17. Radikal Guru "Inilusion (Quektis Remix)"

18. Interview with Andrew Rankine, director of ABAGA Records

19. Tactus "Captain Cabinets Remix (Unreleased)"

20. Tactus "Amputation Party"

21. G.Davies "Young Hegelians"

22. Project Midnight "Slam"

23. TeKlo "Overdose"

24. ODEA "Circuit"

25. Jammin J "Perfect Score (Tactus Remix)"

26. Tactus "Approach"

27. Tactus "Flamjonkles"

28. Tactus "Death Note (Unreleased)"

29. Tactus "Radikhal (Unreleased)"

30. Interview with Andrew Rankine, director of ABAGA Records

31. Tactus "Detriment (Unreleased)"

32. Profisee "Hold Up (Tactus Remix)"

33. Denney "Make It Funk"

34. Tactus & MAKO "Come Again"

35. Denney "Spiritual Contact"

36. Jammin J "Something Special"

Today on solipsistic NATION we're going to listen to select tracks from Futuresequence and talk with the labels founder, Michael Waring.

Futuresequence is based out of the UK and began as a blog but has slowly been mutating into a music label that explores the possibilities and boundaries of textures, patterns and sounds and, hopefully, pushes past those boundaries.

I've known about Futuresequence since their first Sequence compilation album. I recently read about the release of Sequence3 in Zite's electronic music section. After downloading all 41 tracks of the album and being blown away by each and every one, it was obvious that I had to feature Futuresequence on solipsistic NATION.

We'll talk with Michael about his label and the music we'll hear on today's show. If you heard a track you liked on today's mix you can always show your support by buying a track or two from the artists by clicking the links on today's show notes.

If you like the show, you can also support solipsistic NATION simply by giving the show a quick 1 to 5 star rating on iTunes. I of course hope you'll give solipsistic NATION a five star rating. You can also support solipsistic NATION by turning your friends on to the show.

The more people who listen to solipsistic NATION the more shows like today's show I can produce. Each edition of solipsistic NATION is free for your listening pleasure. I just ask you share solipsistic NATION with people who enjoy good music.

I'll see you again next week when we'll do it all over again! But completely different.

01. Radere "I'll Make You Quiet"

02. Sun Hammer "A Dream In Blood"

03. Interview with Michael Waring, founder of Futuresequence

04. Widesky "_____ Is Also Movement"

05. Zvuku "Untitled"

06. Radere & A Setting Sun "VII"

07. Radere "Good Evening, Ghosts"

08. Interview with Michael Waring, founder of Futuresequence