On today's show I'm going to follow up on last week's all dub set by playing live tracks from Dubmatix and talk to the man behind Dubmatix, Jesse King.

Dub is a tricky genre. While the basic elements of dub are understood, but it's difficult to do good dub well. I've wasted hours that must surely equal to weeks of sifting through some truly uninspired dub to find the true gems. The sort of stuff that's flat, unimaginative and, worse, ungroovable. And Dubmatix's Jesse makes some great dub.

Dubmatix has charted both in Canada and internationally and tours domestically and abroad. Jess has also collaborated with reggae greats like Sugar Minott, Michael Rose and Alton Ellis.

I've been a fan of Dubmatix since first playing "War, Peace & Dub" on one of dub sets. When I recently realized for all the live shows on solipsistic NATION and with all the different genres of electronic music those shows offered I hadn't gotten around to featuring dub. I immediately thought of Jesse and asked him if he'd come on solipsistic NATION and share some music from some of Dubmatix concerts.

Oh, and I have a retraction from Bruno Natal, the director of the Dub Echoes documentary, who was my guest on last week's show. When Bruno was talking about Joe Gibbs he really meant Errol Thompson.

1. Dubmatix feat. Kulcha Ites "Burn Out The Rich"
2. Dubmatix Soundsystem "My Selecta"
3. Interview with Jesse King of Dubmatix
4. Dubmatix Soundsystem "War, Peace & Dub"
5. Dubmatix Soundsystem "Sensi"
6. Dubmatix Soundsystem "Dub Phanatique"
7. Interview with Jesse King of Dubmatix
8. Dubmatix "Soul Dread Dub"
9. Dubmatix Soundsystem "Pirate Dub"
10. Interview with Jesse King of Dubmatix
11. Dubmatix & Howie Smart "Heavy Living"
12. Dubmatix feat. Treson "Praise Jah"
13. Dubmatix Soundsystem feat. Ranking Joe "Tornado"
14. Dubmatix Soundsystem "Jump & Twist"
15. Dubmatix Soundsystem "Champion Sound"
16. Interview with Jesse King of Dubmatix

It sometimes comes up in conversation what my criteria is for the electronic music that is featured on solipsistic NATION. You might think my answer would be fairtly straight forward. "Why, electronic music, of course!" But what are we talking about when we're talking about electronic music?

Take music made with synths and a drum machine. That's clearly electronic music. But what happens when you add vocals? Is it still electronic music? See? Things immediately become murky. Take Depeche Mode. They used a lot of electronic gear so did they make electronic music? I would say no. They were a pop band that happened to make songs with electronic instruments. The Normal, on the other hand, were clearly an electronic music band.

What happens when you start adding guitars, bass and drums into the mix? Again, it depends. Kid Rock is a rock act that utilizes electronic equipment while Ministry is an electronic band that plays rock.

Ah, you say, but all music these days is played with instruments that are electronically amplified, and recorded digitally. And you are right. But I ultimately take the position that electronic music is whatever I point to and say "That's electronic music." It's my show, after all, and I can make my own rules. I just ry and make the rules consistent.

And that brings us to today's show, which is all about dub.

Dub is one of those grey areas because even in the earliest days of dub all the instruments were traditional instruments like guitars, bass and drums. And being reggae influenced that hardly qualifies as dub, right? But the difference is how a dub producer manipulates those instruments in a recording studio by dropping track in and out and adding reverb and echo. The studio itself becomes an instrument and, to my mind, makes it electronic music.

On this week's show we're joined by Bruno Natal, the director of the Dub Echoes. Dub Echoes is a documentary on the history of dub and its effect on music, from pop to punk and, of course, electronic music. Dub Echoes is full of great interviews and features legendary greats such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Mad Professor and Sly & Robbie and many, many, many more!

If Dub Echoes is screening in your area, I highly recommend that you see it. If not, no worries, you soon will be able to purchase it on DVD from Soul Jazz Records.

Photo Credit: Federico Bebber

1. Dub Echoes (Trailer)
2. Dubmatix "Ain't Got No Love Dub" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
3. Interview with Bruno Natal, director of Dub Echoes
4. Nucleus Roots "Meditation Dub" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
5. Bloik "Lazy Dub" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
6. Interview with Bruno Natal, director of Dub Echoes
7. Random "Dubmage"
8. Spiral System "Different Light" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
9. Bluetech "Diaspora Dub"
10. Interview with Bruno Natal, director of Dub Echoes
11. Suns of Arqa "All You Need is Dub" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
12. Sympath "Zero Sum"
13. Interview with Bruno Natal, director of Dub Echoes
14. Dubosmium "All You Need is Dub" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
15. Adham Shaikh "Micro Dreams"

Have you heard of Bruce Sterling's Spime concept? No? Let me quote Cory Doctorow, one of Sterling's peers, who can sum up the idea of Spime better than I can.

"A Spime is a location-aware, environment-aware, self-logging, self-documenting, uniquely identified object that flings off data about itself and its environment in great quantities. A universe of Spimes is an informational universe, and it is the use of this information that informs the most exciting part of Sterling's argument."

As the web becomes ever more interconnected and self-referential I've been thinking Spime more and more. But where, I think, Sterling refers to Spime as a physical object that, from cradle to grave, generates all sorts of tagged meta data, I think of Spime in terms of a podcasts.

Take solipsistic NATION, for example.

Nearly all the songs featured on solipsistic NATION were either emailed to me or I downloaded from various web sites and many of those songs were collaborations between many people done across the internet. Each show I select which songs to feature on solipsistic NATION and then release it as a podcast and at a later date, as a radio program.

The podcast is encoded as a MP3 and is tagged with various meta data. There's the show's artwork (often generously provided by folks who diplay their photography at Flickr). The MP3 also tells you the name of the show, when it was released, how large the file size is and how long the show is. In addition to the MP3, I also update my RSS feed which notifies various blogs, vendors, services and search engines whenever I release a new show.

Spime doesn't actually exist. Yet. But if it did, I find myself wondering what a Pime-like show might be like? I imagine it would be a lot like solipsistic NATION, only more so.

Today's show is kind of Spime-like. Here's the data:

We'll be talking with Bioradio about this year's Oscillation Electronic Music Festival taking place in Albuquerque, New Mexico in Ocotber. Next, we'll jump to Portugal to talk with Bruno Miguel to talk about his band, :papercutz. We'll also talk with Ian White of Blip.fm, a new social media music service you really need to try. Finally, we'll travel to San Diego and talk to Miller Puckette, author of The Theory and Technique of Electronic Music.

Speaking of social media, you can find me online on some of these social media services.

1. Distraub "Article 73"
2. Bioradio "Enter End" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
3. Interview with Brian Botkiller of the Oscillation Electronic Music Festival
4. Vertigo Venus "Vampire Hunter C"
5. :papercutz "Ultravioleta (Signer Remix)"
6. Interview with Bruno Miguel of :papercutz
7. :papercutz "Ultravioleta"
8. Roland M. Dill "The 8th Day"
9. Interview with Ian White of the Blip.fm
10. Demons "Grey Lady"
11. Interview with Miller Puckette, author of the The Theory and Technique of Electronic Music
12. Yimino "Miagranov"

As a former Bostonian, living in San Diego can be difficult. Especially during the fall.

When I lived in New England, for example, the seasons served as cue as to what I be drinking for the next several months. When summer came to Boston I would begin drinking rum and cokes or gin and tonics. They were light and effervescent. Just the sort of thing to keep you cool during the hot and humid summer months. When fall crept in I would switch over to Guinness, whiskey and scotch. They were comfort drinks to get you through the endless winter months.

In San Diego I lack those clues. On, there is a change in the seasons but it's subtle and to my New England blood it might as well be spring all year round. So what to drink?

I also have a similar problem with music. In the spring and summer it makes perfect sense to listen to The Ramones but once fall kicks in The Ramones seem kind of dumb. In the winter months I can listen for hours on end to someone like Nick Drake but in the summer Nick Drake seems kind of melodramatic. Bit if it's perpetually spring, what the hell do you listen to?

I don't have that problem with the music from !K7 Records.

The driving music of, say, The Herbaliser is perfect for sunny days by the beach and I can wind down with their moodier songs in the evening. I find that almost all of the music !K7 Records can be played regardless of the season. All of it is wonderfully inventive, sexy and playful!

1. The Herbaliser "On Your Knees (featuring Jessica Darling)"
2. Boozoo Bajou "Killer (Featuring Top Cat)"
3. Trüby Trio "High Jazz"
4. Bomb the Bass "So Special (Radio Edit)"
5. Erlend Øye "Every Party (Has a Winner and a Loser)"
6. Tosca "John Lee Huber"
7. Stateless featuring Lateef the Truthspeaker "Bloodstream"
8. Swayzak "Quiet Life"
9. Kruder & Dorfmeister "Black Baby"
10. Interview with Stephen Bowles of !K7 Records
11. Carl Craig "Sandstorms"
12. Interview with Stephen Bowles of !K7 Records
13. Cobblestone Jazz "Change Your Apesuit"
14. Interview with Stephen Bowles of !K7 Records

Back in January I featured a recording of Steve Nalepa's Dub Beautiful Collective concert on solipsistic NATION. At the end of the show I played some studio projects from Steve's side projects with The FMs and Bass Science. I asked Steve if he had any more live material he's like to be heard on the show and he was kind enough to send me a recording of a Bass Science concert in Tokyo.

Steve has been singing the praises of Matt B (otherwise known as RaNDom and RND) and after playing Matt's "Crystal Dub" on one of my dub mixes I understood why. I love dub and Matt has created some of the most beautiful electronic dub tracks I've ever heard. That Steve and Matt would collaborate together on Bass Science was no surprise. That they took Bass Science in the direction of dubstep, however, was a surprise.

Seems like everyone loves dubstep these days. Hell, I love dubstep and listen to quite a few dubstep podcasts. Unfortunately, dubstep is one of those genres of music that is difficult to well. All to often artists will make dubstep tracks that just plod along while others will will create songs that are mired in the conventions of the genre. Not so with Bass Science. Matt and Steve are consummate soundsmiths and are able to craft exquisite dub and glitch tracks. When they combine their musical talent they create dubstep tracks that are subliminal. Or dubliminal, in this case. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

So crank up your subwoofer and prepare to have the top of your skull blasted off by the low-end frequencies of Bass Science!

1. Bass Science "Bass Science Live in Tokyo"
2. Interview with Steve Nalepa and Matt B of Bass Science

There was a time in my life where I'd start off each day by saying "hoka hey," which means "it is a good day to die."

I know that sounds morbid but for me it was actually a life affirming experience. I felt that in order for me to be able to say hoka hey each morning, that if I might actually die that day, that I needed to know that I was at peace with the world and that the affairs in my life were in order. Did I have a good relationship with my family and friends? If not, I better make sure they were. Had I accomplished the goals I had set out for myself? And were those goals important enough that it would not be a good day if they were not accomplished? And what goals would I not lose sleep over if they were left undone by my sudden death? It really put things in perspective on what was important and what was not important in my life by acknowledging my possible death each morning. And it also made me appreciate my life that much more.

I've felt my mortality more this year more than any other year in my life. I've had that unpleasant feeling that there are so many things in my life that I've left undone and so many things that will be unattainable. I've felt out of balance. But then the words hoka hey came to mind and gave me succor.

"Et in Arcadia ego" is a Latin phrase that acts as another touchstone with my death. Translated it means "Even in Arcadia I exist." It's an ambiguous phrase that some people interpret to mean that I, the person who is now dead, enjoyed the pleasures of life. It's an ironic statement contrasts the grim spectre of death with the blithe joys of the living. But I choose to interpret "Et in Arcadia ego" the same way I use "hoka hey."

I selected tracks for today's show in that spirit. It's a celebration of the seasons and life but with the knowledge that some day we all will die.

1. I Awake "Complete Garden (Eternal Forest Edit)"
2. Dubosmium "Tuvadelic Odyssey (7Heavens rmx by Rafiralfiro)" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
3. Aes Dana "Shouting Valley"
4. bubblegone "sometimes i lay in fields at night" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
5. Taylor Deupree "6 A.M."
6. Krill.Minima "Submarine Poetry"
7. Annea Lockwood "floating World: Part 1"
8. Janek Schaefer "Alone At Last"
9. Akira Kosemura "A Park"
10. Keiichi Sugimoto "Tum"
11. OTI "Large Open Spaces"
12. Maju "Achromatic" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
13. Mathieu Ruhlmann "Rest"
14. Brakhage "Early Morning Frost" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
15. Unit 21 "October, 16th" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

A few week's back I released the 100th episode of solipsistic NATION and naturally I took stock of where the show has been. Almost right from the start I've been interviewing musicians and record labels or having guest DJs on the show. At first it happened once or twice a month but at some point that became the focus of the show. I'm not complaining, mind you, but it did mean that I was more of a host than a DJ, and I like being a DJ.

Another consequence is that all the new music that comes my way piles up because I can only play so much of it each month. That's frustrating because while I like the interview aspect of the show I feel like I'm doing you a disservice by not keeping you up to date on what's new in the electronic music scene. I've decided to try and strike a balance and get back to being a DJ more than I have in the last year.

This August is pretty cool because there are five Friday's in the month, giving me even more opportunities to spin you some new tunes.

On today's show I've got some...hell, I don't what to call it. Is it Bitpop? Electro? House? Disco? All of the above? Whatever the case, it's a genre I don't listen to or play a lot of. But I don't know why not because it's a lot of fun and makes me want to dance. And I'm one of those guy's who doesn't dance.

Anyway, I'm glad I'm making an effort to actively be more of a DJ on the show because there's a lot of genres of electronic music I haven't even got around to yet. So enjoy this week's show!

Photo Credit: Roberto Rizzato

1. Boys Noize "1 & Down (Siriusmo Vs. Boys Noize Mix)"
2. Headman "Running Into Time (LeLe Remix)"
3. Rouge Element "Dead Drummers"
4. Feadz "Edwrecker"
5. Justice "New Jack"
6. DJ DLG "XESS"
7. LeRon, Yves Eaux & Luke Star "Whatever This May Be (Jalebee Cartel Remix)"
8. Busy P "Rainbow Man"
9. Stargroove "Rise Up"
10. Toy Boy "Belle & Sebastian" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
11. 2MB vs Dr Bit "8 bit Music" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
12. edIT "If You Crump Stand Up"
13. Dark Machines "Organus"

On this week's solipsistic NATION I've got some mind blowing drum and bass that'll be good to your ear hole.

A few things you should know about today's show:

First, I love drum and bass and I love drum and bass that's really hard, the kind that bludgeons you senseless with it's unrelenting beats and that's what I wanted to play for you today. But try as I might, I kept selecting tracks that were more atmospheric and jazzier so I figured, why fight it.

Secondly, most of the music you'll hear on today's show comes from the Zardonic Recordings and Plain Audio netlabels, which means that if you like what you hear, you can download nearly all the tracks on today's edition of solipsistic NATION.

Zardonic Recordings is a netlabel that releases top notch quality drum 'n' bas dancefloor smashers.

Plain Audio was founded in 2001 and featured vinyl-releases and quickly evolved to one of Germany's most break-dominant drum 'n' bass labels. Plain Audio has since expanded it's horizons to techno, experimental music and other styles of electronic music.

1. Hek187 "Blue Haze" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
2. Kubiks & Lomax "Systematic"
3. Soul Delay "Float" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
4. Hek187 "Twizter" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
5. Alpha Omega "Shades Of The Past" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
6. Panda "Baghdad"
7. Soulie "Walking Home" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
8. Fushara "Irrational Act" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
9. Ijo "Frequa Gembh" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
10. Cartridge "No Data" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Back in February I had Evan Bartholomew, otherwise known as Evan Marc and Bluetech, on the show to talk about his label, Native State Records.

Native State is a label the features artists who specialize in mixed genres such as dub, ambient and glitch. I've played many artists from Native State on the show in the past such as Nalepa, Rena Jones as well as Bluetech.

At the time Evan had just launched a new label called Somnia. The first album released on Somnia was Caverns of Time by Evan and I was immediately struck by it's emotional depth. I was impressed. If Caverns of Time represented the direction that Evan wanted to explore through Somnia, then I was along for the ride. Since then, Somnia has released music from Emanuele Errante, juxta phona & offthesky and a album by both Evan Marc and Steve Hillage. Each album is different from the last and each album is astonishingly great. Or maybe not so astonishing if you know anything about Evan.

I've invited Evan to join us again on today's show to talk about his new venture and to play select tracks from artists on Somnia. Kick back and kiss the sky.

1. Evan Marc + Steve Hillage "Hypnagogue"
2. Interview with Evan Bartholomew of Somnia
3. juxta phona & offthesky "escape kit..."
4. Interview with Evan Bartholomew of Somnia
5. juxta phona & offthesky "low spark of high squealed toys"
6. Emanuele Errante "Humi"
7. Interview with Evan Bartholomew of Somnia
8. Emanuele Errante "Fecunda"
9. Evan Bartholomew "We Set Out Into The Caverns Of Time"
10. Interview with Evan Bartholomew of Somnia
11. Evan Bartholomew "Cracks In The Fabric Of The Known"

We kick off each month with a live performance from an electronic artist and today's solipsistic NATION features Aes Dana's set recorded at the Gaian Mind Summer Festival in Pennsylvania in June.

The Gaian Mind is a psytrance collective has been producing Goa-styled events in nightclubs and at outdoor locations throughout North America since 1996.

Aes Dana is an ambient trance project who's two members are Vince Villuis and Sunbeam who also run Ultimae Records.

Ultimae puts out some of the most breathtaking music you'll find and Vince and Sunny are wonderful people. Every time I talk to them they put a smile on my face.

Sunny has been on the show twice so far. Once back in October when she played select tracks by artists on Ultimae and once in December when she acted as translator for my interview with Hol Baumann. If you enjoy this week's show then you'll definitely want to go to download those shows as well.

I'm pleased to have both Sunny and Vince on this week's solipsistic NATION.

1. Aes Dana "Live at the Gaian Mind Summer Festival (Four Quarters, PA 2008)"
2. Interview with Vincent Villuis and Sunny of Aes Dana
3. Aes Dana "O Adonaï, Live at at Les Dominicains de Guebwiller (France, 2008)"

These days I get all my news from the internet. I follow nearly a hundred blogs on various topics that fascinate. Instead of watching television I watch YouTube videos of video podcasts. And I never listen to the radio. I listen to podcasts. Nearly all the media I consume don't come down from on high from multi-billion dollars corporations but folks just like you and me.

solipsistic NATION is part of the new media movement and I thought we'd spend this week's show exploring how people like yourself are participating and changing the way media works, which in turn changes the way we see ourselves, our community and our world.

Half my life I've been a DJ at college and community radio stations, pirate and internet radio stations, and, for nearly four years I've been a podcaster.

I've always been evangelical about being a DJ. I constantly encourage people to be a DJ and I'm always amazed how many people turn down the opportunity to get on the mic and be heard. In fact, I'm amazed everyone isn't a DJ.

Especially now when it's so easy. All you need is a computer, a microphone and a place to host your files and, boom!, you're a podcaster. Granted, there's some skill involved and spending some extra cash on some decent hardware and software doesn't hurt but the most important thing is the content. People will forgive most anything if you've got something worth hearing.

When I started podcasting I hosted a show called Small World where I'd talk to people from all walks of life from all over the planet. I've interviewed everyone from sandwich makers to filmmakers. I started off recording all my interview into a crappy cassette recorder and then transfer it to the computer. Later on I got savvy and ran a microphone directly into my computer and did my interviews on Skype. I made mistakes, sure. The audio sounded pretty bad, too. But as I went a long I learned and improved and had people from all over the world listening to my little show that I recorded in my apartment. I didn't need to spend countless dollars on a radio station to be heard.

When I launched solipsistic NATION as a podcast I knew it was going to be much more than a show where I would spin music. And I knew I wasn't going to stick to just one genre of electronic music. There are enough shows that do just that and while they may be good, after you heard two or three shows you've pretty much heard all their shows. If that kind of show bores me then I know it's going to bore you.

But I also wanted to take what I had learned from the Small World and talk to people who were part of the electronic music community, whether they were drum and bass heads or glitch addicts. I wanted to talk to the people who made the music, the people who put out the music and the people who love the music.

I've always tried to keep the interviews on solipsistic NATION brief because despite what I just said, the show really is about the music. And it's a tricky balancing act, trying to keep things interesting with the music but not detracting from the music. I don't always succeed but looking back on the last 100 shows I'm proud of what I've been able to accomplish.

On today's show I'm going to pretty much just going to play excerpts of interviews from previous shows. from people who are part of the electronic music community. Hey, it's the 100th show. Indulge me.

1. Killfish "Scape From Pilar (Excerpt)"
2. Richard Metzger "Disinfo.Con, Opening Remarks"
3. Interview with Pete Cooper, host of bleepshow (Excerpt)
   solipsistic NATION No. 95: Bleep!
4. Interview with Snowy, host of Electronicast (Excerpt)
   solipsistic NATION No. 74: Electronicast
5. Interview with Mikel OD, host of Most People Are DJs (Excerpt)
   solipsistic NATION No. 59: Synthpop
6. Interview with Anji Bee, host of the Chillcast (Excerpt)
   solipsistic NATION No. 76: Lovespirals
7. Mr Flash "Disco Dynamite"
8. Interview with Travis Nobles, host of hiddenplace music (Excerpt)
   solipsistic NATION No. 79: HiddenPlace Music, Part 1
9. Interview with Pietro Da Sacco, managing editor of Igloo Magazine (Excerpt)
   solipsistic NATION No. 90: Left of Dissonance
10. Niteffect "Lights Off (Excerpt)"
11. Interview with Vivian Host, editor of XLR8R Magazine (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 51: Accelerate
12. OP11 "Naissance (Excerpt)"
13. Interview with Stephen Page, station manager of KYOURadio (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 87: Glitterdämmerung
14. Robberriff "Lifebreath (Excerpt)"
15. Interview with Brian, founder of the Oscillation Electronic Music Festival (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 58: Oscillation
16. Interview with J. Anthony Allen, Director of Programming of the Spark Festival of Electronic Music and Art (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 78: Spark
17. Omid "Beat From My Mouth (Excerpt)"
18. Interview with Simon Carless of Monotonik (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 66: NetLabels
19. Interview with Nicolas Chevreux of Ad Noiseam (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 81: Ad Noiseam
20. Interview with Evan Marc of Native State Records (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 77: Native State Records
21. Interview with Sunny of Ultimae Records (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 61: Ultimae Records
22. Detalles "Cilantro (Excerpt)"
23. Interview with Cheb i Sabbah (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 56: Cheb i Sabbah
24. Interview with Martin Rev and Alan Vega of Suicide (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 87: Glitterdämmerung
25. Interview with Amon Tobin (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 82: Amon Tobin
26. Sebastian "Greel (Excerpt)"
27. Interview with Robert Rich (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 50: Robert Rich, Live
28. Interview with Hol Baumann (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 67: Hol Baumann, Live
29. Interview with Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 88: Meat Beat Manifesto, Live
30. DJ Internet & Kid Kool A.K.A. Pella "Hit (Excerpt)"
31. Interviews from the Dubstep documentary (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 83: Dubsonic
32. Interview with MC Frontalot (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No.4: Nerdcore
33. Interview with Johan Kotlinski (Excerpt)
    solipsistic NATION No. 8: Chiptunes
34. Suhov "Moonhill"

I try not too talk too much on solipsistic NATION because I've only got an hour to cram as much music and interviews into each edition of the show. I don't want to waste your time with my banter. Besides, anything I can't fit in the show I can always say in the show notes.

We're just months away from a presidential election here in the U.S. and after the longest political campaign in our country's history things are really heating up. It's been said that politics are a full contact sport and this campaign has been particularly ugly and for good reason: one of the former candidates, Hillary Clinton, is a woman and Barack Obama, is a black man. Despite the changing face of America our country has yet to fully come to terms with the much needed equality of women and race in our nation. Simply by being in the campaign Clinton and Obama has forced America to think about the issues of sex and race.

While that is a good thing it also means that a lot of people can express their bigotry. Sometimes it came across in an obscure manner such as when pundits observed Clinton's tactics as being a form of "muscular" politics (none of the other male candidates politics were identified as "muscular"). Sometimes it was more egregious. For example, there were many times when Clinto was told that her place was in the kitchen, often by other women.

The campaign has narrowed down to McCain and Obama so now America's discomfort with the possibility of having a black man as a president has become more pronounced. Recently there were a batch of pins that read "If Obama is President...will we still call it The White House?" When Obama gently banged fists with his wife, Michelle, a FOXNews anchor asked if the fist-bump might actually be "a terrorist fist jab." It goes on and on.

When I'm optimistic I see all this as a good thing because it means my country is addressing it's collective fears and hopefully we can move on. If Obama is elected president racism will still exist in our country but it's a step in the right direction. Even if Obama is not elected president it still is a victory. The U.S. is finally moving past an antiquated mindset. When I'm not so optimistic I get really pissed off. Can we please move into the fucking 21^st century. But rather than rant about all this on solipsistic NATION I figure it would be more productive and just play some music that kicks ass and today's show does just that. Turn it up and get your rage on!

Photo Credit: Chad Davis

1. The Prodigy "Smack My Bitch Up"
2. DJ Danger Mouse "99 Problems"
3. Rob Sonic "Brand New Vandals"
4. Aesop Rock Feat. Rob Sonic "Dark Heart News"
5. Dark Machines "Rituals"
6. Klaxons "Interzone To Golden Skans So Me (Remix)"
7. Neon Stereo vs Marcie "F*ck Me Baby" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
8. Cornelius "Gum" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
9. Justice "Stress"
10. Time Promises Power "Rope of Gloves" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
11. Rabbit Junk "Vote Bolshevik Lite"
12. CTRLer "Vote Bolshevik Lite" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
13. Bong-Ra "Suicide Speed Machine Girl"
14. Sabrepulse "Dot Matrix Hero"
15. Raüberhöhle "My Heart Bleeps Noisy Beeps"

It amazes me just how many music labels are out there that are putting out some of the most phenomenal music I've ever heard. What's wonderful about electronic music is that these labels can focus on a specific genre and mine the very best music that that genre has to offer. Ultimae Records, for example, focuses and ambient/trance music while Native State Records specializes in the glitchier and dubbier stuff.

Today on solipsistic NATION we're joined by Taylor Deupree, the founder of the 12k music label.

12k an independent boutique label that showcases artists who specialize in experimental electronic music. To date, 12k has released over 40 CDs since the label's inception in 1971. Due to the caliber of music Taylor offers 12k has become one of the most respected experimental electronic labels in the world. Each album from 12k is a special and made even more unique by Taylor's insistence that he only releases 500 copies of each CD.

I think that 12k puts out some of the most beautiful electronic music I've ever heard. Since most of the albums on 12k are quiet things I've come to enjoy how the sounds of the environment I'm in when I listen to 12k releases become part of the music while the music colors my perceptions of the environment I'm in. It's a sublime experience. See if that happens to you when you listen to this week's show.

1. Savvas Ysatis + Taylor Deupree "Under Your Breath"
2. Interview with Taylor Deupree of 12k
3. Solo Andata - Seaworthy - Taylor Deupree "Solo Andata"
4. Interview with Taylor Deupree of 12k
5. Giuseppe Ielasi "01"
6. Sawako "Wind Shower Particle"
7. William Basinski + Richard Chartier "untitled 2"
8. Interview with Taylor Deupree of 12k
9. Richard Chartier "Archival1992"

For those of you who live in the U.S., Happy 4^th of July!

Today is a special day for me because July 4^th of 2004 is when solipsistic NATION was first broadcast on Free Radio San Diego (FRSD). Back then, studio of FRSD was located in a toolshed. We had an air conditioner but that only brought down the temperature down a few degrees and I had to turn it off whenever I went on the mic for on-air announcements to avoid the air conditioner's hum.

Another challenge of doing an electronic music show on FRSD was that our station used Ots Labs radio software. Ots Labs has come a long way but when I first began solipsistic NATION their app was great for programing the schedules for shows but lousy for doing the seamless segues you expect from an electronic music show. Despite the software and our air conditioner I managed to put out a decent show each week and built up an audience in San Diego for people who were starved for just such a program.

In addition to solipsistic NATION's four year anniversary I'll have released 100 editions of the show as a podcast in three weeks and in September solipsistic NATION will celebrate two years of weekly podcasts. 2008 is a banner year for solipsistic NATION!

This week's show is special for another reason because I've released one show featuring a live performance by an electronic artists for nearly a year. When I began the live segment I thought it would be something that I would do occasionally on the show and never expected that it would become a monthly segment. In the last year I've has live sets from the likes of Robert Rich, Hol Baumann and Meat Beat Manifesto and in the next few months you can expect to hear concerts by The Orb, Bass Science and Aes Dana.

To celebrate solipsistic NATION's four year anniversary we have a live performance from Bubblegone and Verzerren. Play it when the fireworks begin!

Photo Credit: chromedecay

1. Bubblegone vs. Verzerren "Live at the Darkroom (Chicago, IL 2004)"
2. Interview with Jason Engling of Bubblegone and Joe Pauer of Verzerren
3. Bubblegone "Live at the Dreamland Theater (Ypsilanti, MI 2007)" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
4. Interview with Jason Engling of Bubblegone and Joe Pauer of Verzerren

This week on solipsistic NATION I've got a great show for you!

Last year I interviewed JP of Rabbit Junk for a documentary on digital hardcore that I'm working on. He's since released his latest album, Life Is Where You Get Fucked, and was kind enough to send me a copy of his CD. On his new album JP has combined metal, punk, hip hop and electronica. It's an exciting venture and I wanted to have JP on today's show to talk about his CD.

I've also been kicking around the idea of doing a regular feature on artists and bands who played a major role in the early days of electronic music. While this notion has been bouncing around my skull I came across Hula's web site. Hula was an electronic based band I was into during the 80s and so I contacted Nort to have him on the show to talk about the band.

A few weeks ago I was perusing XLR8R and read their review of Lulu Rouge's Bless You album. I was intrigued and went to Lulu Rouge's MySpace page. After hearing their song, "Melankoli," I instantly fell in love with their music. As you might have guessed, I invited them to come on today's show.

Our last guest is Cheb I Sabbah. I had Cheb on solipsistic NATION for a retrospective mix of his musical career so far. Cheb released his latest album, Devotion back in January. I've been meaning to have Cheb back on solipsistic NATION for quite a while and this week's show seemed like it would be a perfect fit.

So there you have it: a great show with great guest and great music. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: JohnKit

1. Rabbit Junk "Black"
2. Interview with JP of Rabbit Junk
3. Rabbit Junk "Ghetto Blasphemer"
4. Hula "Poison"
5. Hula "Big Car"
6. Interview with Nort of Hula
7. Hula "Invisible"
8. Lulu Rouge "Bless You"
9. Lulu Rouge "Slow Pigeon"
10. Interview with DJ T.O.M & DJ Buda of Lulu Rouge
11. Lulu Rouge "Melankoli"
12. Cheb I Sabbah "Qalanderi" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
13. Cheb I Sabbah "Devotion"
14. Interview with Cheb I Sabbah
15. Cheb I Sabbah "Haun Vaari Haun Varaney"

I hate Pete Cooper!

Each week I face the same dilemma: what do I feature on solipsistic NATION? My priority is to play the best of all genres of electronic music but I've only got an hour to work with. Add to that the interviews, the live sets and the spotlighting of music labels of note and the question becomes what do I take out? Those are the kind of decisions that I agonize over.

The obvious solution is to release solipsistic NATION as a daily podcast. That would give me the opportunity to do everything I want to do with the show as well as giving me the chance to be an actual DJ and play more mixes. But honestly, I spend so much time putting out one show a week that doing a daily podcast would most likely kill me and given my obsessive compulsive tendencies that would happen pretty quickly.

Back in January I had Snowy who hosts Electronicast on solipsistic NATION as a guest DJ and he told me about his favorite podcast called bleepshow, hosted by Pete Cooper. Since I'm always on the lookout for new shows to listen I gave it a try and became a regular listener.

Pete does a daily one hour podcast where he plays the best electronic music that netlabels like Monotonik and Thinner have to offer. bleeppshow is fun, informative and eclectic. Pete does the kind of show I only wish I had the time and energy to do.

I hate Pete Cooper!

Photo Credit: Ultra (No videos on Flickr)

1. Stark Effect "Bunnyrabbits, Satan, Cheese And Milk" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
2. Braces Tower "Eleven Twelve" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
3. DQ "Psychosis" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
4. Interview with Pete Cooper, host of bleepshow
5. Seksu Roba "Telstar" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
6. Interview with Pete Cooper, host of bleepshow
7. Pocka "Cutty Ranks Mashup" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
8. Glomag "Cherie Amour" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
9. Interview with Pete Cooper, host of bleepshow
10. Orange Dust "Chillin With The Villin" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
11. Mossa "Town Hall - Take One" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
12. Interview with Pete Cooper, host of bleepshow
13. Gary Beck "Face of the Day" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
14. Troy Pierce "Louderbach" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
15. Ronin "Ferox"
16. Interview with Pete Cooper, host of bleepshow

The last couple of months I've been thinking about the electronic music community. Electronic music has been around for decades but to me it has always seemed underground, even more so than punk. What's weird about that is that electronic music is a presence in almost all genres of music today. Almost every artist or band employs samples or drum loops, from your local bar band to Madonna. And yet if you asked your average person on the street they'd be hard pressed to think of an electronic music artist or band they know.

But if you're listening to solipsistic NATION then you're obviously a fan of electronic music and may be part of the electronic music community.

Today's guest is Dave Heckman, the founder of Metropolis Records. Dave's label specializes in electro, industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and goth and his roster of artists include the likes of KMFDM, Front 242 and Snog. While it was a pleasure to talk to Dave about Metropolis Records what I really enjoyed was the history of the label and the community that grew around the label.

As Dave points out, genres like industrial came out of the post-punk scene and that scene has always had a strong community. Electronic music in general may still be underground, and maybe that's for the best, but there has always been people who have kept the scene fresh and exciting.

1. Snog "License"
2. IAMX "The Alternative"
3. IAMX "Nightlife"
4. Interview with Chris Corner of IAMX
5. KMFDM "Godlike (Original 12" Mix)"
6. Front 242 "Headhunter (Front Line Assembly Mix)"
7. Front Line Assembly "Unleashed (Mindless Mix By Sebastian R. Komor)"
8. Combichrist "Electrohead"
9. Ken Marshall & (Cevin) Key "Maniac Shuffle"
10. Interview with Dave Heckman of Metropolis Records
11. PIG "Suck Shit Spit (Album Version)"
12. Velvet Acid Christ "Discolored Eyes"
13. Interview with Dave Heckman of Metropolis Records
14. Vnv Nation "Descent"
15. Juno Reactor "Tanta Pena"
16. Wumpscut "Hard to Bear"
17. Interview with Dave Heckman of Metropolis Records
18. Meat Beat Manifesto "Children of Earth"

When I relaunched solipsistic NATION as a podcast my only plan was to play for you the best of all genres of electronic music. But after a few weeks I realized that I could pursue the things I wanted to do but couldn't do at the radio station I used to spin at. At first it was just doing interviews but that quickly grew to include documentaries about electronic music, showcasing artists and record labels, guest DJs and featuring recordings of live performances.

The live shows have been a lot of fun because it gives me the opportunity to focus on a specific artist and hear music by them I might otherwise not know about.

When I began the live shows I thought it was just something I'd do every once in a while but it has become a regular segment of solipsistic NATION. The only problem is that very few live sets are an hour long. Originally I'd pad out the show by adding a few studio recordings by the featured artist but then I got the brilliant idea (okay, the obvious idea) of featuring two live performances back-to-back!

Today's show features Jason Chung, AKA Nosaj Thing, and Robin Rimbaud, AKA Scanner.

I first found out about Nosaj Thing through Nalepa. Nalepa was singing praises to Jason and Nalepa had never steered me wrong so I downloaded a few tracks by Jason, which were absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend Jason's Views/Octopus EP. Jason's set comes from his performance he gave for dublab.

I've been a fan of Robin's music for years, maybe decades at this point. Recently Robin made some songs from his many albums available to podcaster, which gave me the excuse to have him on the show back in April. Afterwards I asked Robin if he had any live recordings I could play in the show and he was kind enough to give me a copy of his concert at The Rhiz.

In the near future you can expect to hear concerts by The Orb and Bubblegone. You can also expect to gear more sets back-to-back!

1. Nosaj Thing "Live from dublab"
2. Interview with Nosaj Thing
3. Scanner "Live at The Rhiz"
4. Interview with Scanner

Back in the mid 80s I fell in love with hardcore punk. The rage, the belligerence, the do-it-yourself ethic; I loved all of it.

But while I was thrashing out to the likes of Minor Threat, Bad Brains and Agnostic Front I was also listening to electronic based bands like Skinny Puppy, Wire and Clock DVA and this caused a problem with my hardcore ideology. I was supposed to despise the latter bands for their "pretense" and "artiness." They were, after all, the antithesis of hardcore. Hell, you'd actually have to learn to play your instrument beyond furiously bashing out bar chords.

My hardcore punk phase didn't last long, though. I had always loved all kinds of music and I found most of punk terribly boring, never mind the conservative mindset of most people in the punk community. Leaving hardcore punk behind (but not the music), I started listening to more and more of these electronic based bands.

The mid 80s were an interesting time for electronic music because while electronic music had been around for many decades it was always in the domain of composers like Edgard Varèse and Iannis Xenakis. Suddenly anyone could go to their local music and purchase some synths and sequencers for very little money. Well, it was still expensive but not insanely so. And so music started going into some weird places.

I lived in Boston while all of this was happening and while Boston's galaxies of colleges and universities ensured a incredibly rich and vibrant music scene there was very little in the way of electronic based bands. But there were a few like D.D.T., Big Catholic Guilt, Think Tree and You Shriek and they were all great and they were all very unique.

A couple of months ago I thought it would be cool to have D.D.T. come on the show and play some of their songs but then it occurred to me, why not have some of the other bands that I loved so much on the show as well? I contacted them all and to my delight, everyone wanted to participate. It was great talking to them and the conversations brought back a lot of memories of my days in Boston that I had completely forgotten about. If you're fans of any of these bands then I'm sure you'll experience the same thing. If you're new to D.D.T., Big Catholic Guilt, Think Tree and You Shriek then you're in for a very special treat!

Photo Credit: Boston Pozivivor

1. Big Catholic Guilt "Crank"
2. Big Catholic Guilt "Silence (Remix)"
3. Interview with Big Catholic Guilt
4. Big Catholic Guilt "Descent"
5. You Shriek "Grim"
6. You Shriek "Untitled #4"
7. Interview with You Shriek
8. You Shriek "New Romantic Circuitry"
9. D.D.T. "H2O (Remix)"
10. D.D.T. "AID, Live"
11. Interview with D.D.T.
12. D.D.T. "Unknown, Live"
13. D.D.T. "Unknown, Live"
14. Think Tree "Hire A Bird"
15. Think Tree "Mampther"
16. Interview with Think Tree
17. Think Tree "Holy Cow"

I had originally planned to release this mix during the week of Valentine's Day but I decided against it because I had meaning to have Lovespirals on solipsistic NATION for quite a while so I shelved the mix for a later date. Speaking of Lovespirals, if you dig this week's show then you'll want to listen to the Chillcast, which is hosted by Lovespirals chanteuse Anji Bee.

Today's show is a mix of acid jazz and trip hop and is very romantic and very sexy. In fact, you might use it to woo that special someone or, better yet, use it during lovemaking. Trust me on this. I've actually used a couple of my shows for that exact purpose. It is a bit disconcerting to hear my voice over the speakers during pillow talk.

If you want more sexy music may I direct you to the Just Chill edition of solipsistic NATION? I think you'll find it very sensuous. I also recommend the Through A Glass Darkly. Either one or both of those shows will set the mood for trysts.

Photo Credit: DrJoanne

1. Stephane Pompougnac "Better Days" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
2. Monkeybacon "Roller" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
3. Braces Tower "Spelling Bee" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
4. Nils Krogh "Things We Do" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
5. Genji Siraisi "Space Monkey" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
6. Jette-Ives feat. Jette Kelly and Holmes Ives "In the Presence of... (D-Fault Remix)" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
7. Belleruche "Northern Girls"
8. DJ Genesis "Hush" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
9. A'Merika Vera "Goduria" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
10. Spiral System "Elephant" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
11. Govinda "Delicate Poison" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
12. The Shanghai Restoration Project & Di Johnston "Jade Buddha Temple" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
13. Mysteria "In My Soul" [FREE DOWNLOAD]
14. Head Surfers "Blaise - Le Mans" [FREE DOWNLOAD]

As long as I've been a DJ my shows have been two to three hours long. I couldn't imagine doing a show in less than two hours. I saw my shows as a journey that I took the listener on and those journeys took time, ideally three hours so there would be a first act, a second act and a third act. But when I relaunched solipsistic NATION as a podcast I had to do away with that structure.

If you listen to podcasts then I'm sure you've noticed that shows usually clock in anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and there's a reason for that. Your average radio listener will tune into a station for seven to 15 minutes and then spin the dial or turn off the radio. Podcasts are different in that most people will listen to a show from start to finish and asking them to sit for two to three hour show is asking a lot. So an hour is the most you can expect a person to listen to a show.

At first that seemed a tremendous compromise after doing years of two to three hours radio programs. How I could condense that journey to a mere hour? I felt like I was cheating you, the listeners and myself.

But after a few months of doing one hour editions of solipsistic NATION I came to accept that limitation. After that I began to think of it as a challenge. How much great music and engaging interviews could I pack into an hour? Pretty soon I came to think of any show longer than an hour as being excessive. When I think of doing a three hour show now I see it as wilderness that I would quickly get lost in. I'm afraid my shows would meander aimlessly.

Today's guest DJ is Pietrobot, who we had on the show just a few weeks ago. Pietro is the co-host of Digital Nimbus, an electronic music program on KUCI 88.9FM in Irvine, California. Pietro is also the managing editor of Igloo Magazine. Pietrobot, alongside his fello