http://www.madelikeatree.com Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:51:01 +0000 http://www.madelikeatree.com en http://madelikeatree.com/mlat67-Gel-Sol http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat67-Gel-Sol Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:51:01 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 3281662 [Seattle, USA. April 27th, 2012] Fans, here is another great mix in the slough of prog rock meanderings that we seem to have found ourselves in the beginning of this year. This particular mix comes from a Seattle native, and a vibrant staple of the music community here. Gel-Sol (aka Andrew Reichel) has been covered before to much acclaim by The Stranger (by one of our favorite writers), if you care to know more... &#9835; mlat67 - Gel-Sol.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat67%20-%20Gel-Sol.mp3 Gel-Sol, how's it been hanging around your way? You just executed a project you've had in the works for quite a while, is that correct? I've been hangin' low and loose, thanks for havin' me! Ah yes, the Monster Planet-Year One album. Monster Planet is a monthly in Seattle that I host along with my friends, William, Crispy, Seth, Leo and Matt. The idea behind Monster Planet is that we have 5 musicians improvise to obscure/rare/shitty B-movies for 4 hours straight. I have been improvising with music since my college years (early 90s), so I really wanted to host/play improv sessions with different musicians and multitrack the sessions so the material could be utilized later, whether it be a straight-up mix of the performance, or a just using very specific sections or loops for other projects. We just began our third year, and the performances keep getting better and better. It's pretty insane from where I'm standing. The album itself is about 95 minutes of seamless material highlighting some of the best improvs from the first year of Monster Planet. Since it's about the length of a standard movie, we encourage the listener to throw on their favorite B-movie and listen to the album over it. We'd love to know if any movies work particularly well with it! The music is primarily psychedelic-ambient-experimental, and with all my projects, requires an attention-span to fully enjoy it! Check it out here. Could you talk a little bit about the genesis of Gel-Sol, and the realm in which it occupies? I guess the origin of Gel-Sol starts with the name. I stumbled across the term gel-sol in Robert Anton Wilson's Prometheus Rising, where gel-sol means, uh….well, here's the quote from the book: “The brain appears to be made up of matter in electro-colloidal suspension (protoplasm). Colloids are pulled together, toward a condition of gel, by their surface tensions. This is because surface tensions pull all glue-like substances together. Colloids are also, conversely, pushed apart, toward a condition of sol, by their electrical charges. This is because their electrical charges are similar, and similar electrical charges always repel each other. In the equilibrium between gel and sol, the colloidal suspension maintains its continuity and life continues. Move the suspension too far toward gel, or too far toward sol, and life ends. Any chemical that gets into the brain, changes the gel-sol balance, and "consciousness" is accordingly influenced. Thus, potatoes are, like LSD, "psychedelic" - in a milder way.” "Gel" also is short for gelatin (solid), and "Sol" is short for solution (liquid). To me, these dichotomies were something I could apply to the music, and any other ideas or philosophies. Exploring dichotomies provides balance, as well as keeping things interesting. I can play things that are soft and major. I can counteract that with something really heavy and minor. To lighten up the mood of a more "serious" passage, I might play a funny sample collage. I can be really beat-oriented or I can be ambient. With this gel-sol name I felt I had a concept that didn't limit me, and allowed me to be as varied as I desired, with the overall style clearly being a representation of my personality. I'm not quite sure what you mean by the realm in which Gel-Sol occupies, but it's really just intended to be psychedelic escape. Throw it on, and it takes you somewhere else. Outer space, a fictional landscape, flying on a fried egg over a city made out of bacon, it doesn't really matter to me where you go as long as you just go! I'm really just trying to trip myself out, and if someone else likes it, that's cool. I think I'm up to 5 people. In a nutshell, Gel-Sol is psychedelic, ambient and experimental. I can't really pin it down more accurately. People in the past have called it IDM or downtempo, which is really kinda inaccurate, because I don't restrict myself to tempos, let alone "down" or slower ones. Also, my creations can get downright stupid, which eliminates the "intelligent" in IDM. You're one of the staples in (what's become) a vibrant progrock and psychedelic music community in Seattle. Could you give us a quick overview of what some of your favorite musical ventures are in this city? Wow, that's a tough question. I feel like I've been laying low this Winter and really only going out to the events I host. However, both nights I host are completely badass (see below)! I'm really kind of an outsider with both the Seattle electronic and psychedelic scenes. I'm not techno enough for the electronic scene, and I'm too techno for the psychedelic scene. Honestly, I know very little of the psych scene. I'm just starting to meet more people. I really like the cats in Midday Veil. Great band, and they've all got their interesting side-projects. They've been supportive of the PROG! night I co-host too. I really hope to collaborate with more people on the psych-side, because I started off playing in proggy bands, and I miss that interaction. Plus it's one of my goals to unite like-minded electronic musicians and more-traditional musicians. It doesn't really get much proggier than that! Though I haven't been in a while, I really like going to see experimental shows at the Josephine in Ballard. And I highly recommend seeing the Suffering Fuckheads, a drum and Hammond organ duo that plays for free at the Copper Gate every Tuesday night. Walk through the doors that look like a vagina, and you will see two guys that will blow your fucking mind! I've been a dick and not seen them lately… What happenings are you personally involved in? Are there any other projects besides Gel-Sol that you meander with? There's the aforementioned Monster Planet. You are not going to find another night like this in Seattle. It's at the Can Can Cabaret down at the Pike Place Market, which is a very "charming" place. It reminds me of the cantina in Star Wars. But as far as the music goes, it is forward-thinking psychedelic ambient experimental music. It's not a boys club, with a crew of dudes just trying to look cool, either. We're trying to build a culture/network of people that are interested in making up music on the spot, whether it be with friends or complete strangers. Improvisation is like having a conversation, so we try to bring out guests who want to talk with each other, with crazy-ass sounds. I do perform at the Monster Planet events every couple of months (under the Gel-Sol name), and I have another project called Kids For Tomorrow, which is more of a collaboration between me and whoever wants to write an album with me. There are two Kids For Tomorrow albums, the first one I made with Monster Planet cohort William Mempa, and a second album with Nils Whitmont. No plans for a third album yet, but that could change at any time. I also co-host PROG!, a bi-weekly at the Living Room dedicated to all things progressive music. I have the pleasure of spinning records with Dave Segal (Veins), Valerie Calano (Explorateur) and Frank Jenkins (Narvan), so there is no shortage of amazing stuff I've never heard before. The knowledge between those three is pretty insane. I'm definitely the least-knowledgeable of the four. We bring in amazing guests for every show, have a 2-cam live stream, and also offer record trading and selling. It's really all about the music. When playing records we like to show the covers so you know what you're listening to. It's great to see a group of people huddled around a record critiquing the art, or talking about their favorite cut on the album. It's a really fantastic night, and I hope more people come check it out! "Prog" is generally seen as a bad word, because some assholes said it sucked in the 70s, and sure, by the mid-70s progressive rock went way up it's own ass, but there's amazing (and shitty) stuff from any era. I don't even think the majority of people who say prog sucks even know what it is, or they think it's a genre consisting of several same-sounding bands. We are here to prove the naysayers wrong! What's your take on the current state of all things music as we end the first third of 2012? I don't really listen to a lot of current music. I'm too busy discovering awesome music from 40 years ago! All I know is that there's a lot of bullshit out there, and you really gotta sift through it to find the gems! I will say though, as I get older, I am placing more and more value on the local scene. As a kid, all of my favorite bands were from Europe, so I had no real connection to my local scene. I grew up during the D.C hardcore/punk scene in the 80s, but couldn't identify with it at all. I figured, if I could play someone's song on the guitar with relative ease, it wasn't really very good, because I sucked (and still do) at the guitar. I admired virtuosity, and punk didn't do it for me, though I ironically played in several punks bands growing up. Now, being older, wiser and loosely part of the Seattle scene(s), I feel more connected to the people around me, and am more interested in collaborating with them. Plus, I can't keep up with shit anymore. There's too may people on this rock! I'd rather know what my friends are doing than some flavor-of-the-month Pitchfork hipster. Could you talk a little bit about your podcast and the tracks that you selected for it? Well, there's a lot of variety in the mix, and it's all pretty obscure stuff, give or take a few well-known acts, like Tangerine Dream and Hawkwind. This is my tenth prog rock mix that I've made, so I try to play stuff that isn't quite so obvious. You can find "beginner's guide" mixes of prog anywhere, so I'm not gonna load up a mix with Yes and ELP tracks (though they do pop up from time to time). There's quite a few Italian tracks in the mix, but there's stuff from all over. France, Germany, England, Australia, Hungary, The Netherlands. No American prog though. Americans love prog like no one else, but we kinda suck at making it (or at least we did). I would love to be able to dispel the myth that prog is a genre, and within that genre are only a handful of bands that sound alike. Sure, I started off as a kid listening to Rush and Yes and Genesis and King Crimson and Pink Floyd, but none those bands sound anything alike, and it's not like they all played within the same motifs, making prog a genre. It's really about bands and artists exploring and experimenting, pulling from any and every influence to make something that is an accurate representation of the artist's personality. I still love the quintessential prog bands, but that is really the tip of the iceberg. There is so much crazy shit out there that fits under the umbrella of prog, it's really kind of mind-numbing. Luckily, having Franklin, Dave and Val around makes it a little easier to hear some amazing music. Rarely when I'm in a club or bar do my ears perk up when something great comes on, but I find myself doing it a lot when the three of them play. They are the taste-makers! I totally got off track, apologies! So yeah, lots of different vibes on this mix. It starts off pretty hard-rockin', goes into some deeper stuff, dissipates into some ambient/electronic territory, then rocks out again. I even put a sort-of ironic feel good song at the end! And then we all must know, what's up for you next? Heh, that's a good question. I got a lot on my plate, so I have to figure out where I want to go from here. I have a double-album I've been slowly working on for years that I need to finish up. I would like to get that printed on vinyl, so if I can't make that happen, I might stubbornly not release it. I gotta finish it first. I have a really great concept for a movie. It's sort of a 2001 meets Heavy Metal meets What's Up, Tigerlily? meets Bad Lip Reading. I mainly want to do it so I can do all the foley and soundtrack work. I need to find some dialogue writers though. If I find the right people, this project would be a perfect blend of my psychedelic music and sense of humor. Then of course is the Monster Planet - Year Two release. We want to release one of these comps every year if possible. Beyond that, I'm sure I'll release some more prog rock compilations and plunderphonic insanity. I'm generally never short on music concepts/projects. Stay up to date at gel-sol.com! Thanks again for havin me Made Like a Tree dot com! 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. Alphataurus - La Mente Vola [Magma] 2. Quella Vecchia Locanda - Prologo [BMG] 3. Supersister - Missing Link [Ploydor] 4. Camel - Freefall [Passport] 5. Luv Machine - Everything [Polydor] 6. Enrico Simonetti - Drugs Theme [Cinevox] 7. New Trolls - C'e troppa guerra [Fonit Cetra] 8. Coeur Magique - Wakan Tanka [Byg Records] 9. Pulsar - Flight [KIngdom Records] 10. Nichts - Lied Des Teufels [Missing Vinyl] 11. Jean-Yves Labat - Champegarpaen [Bearsville] 12. Cherry Five - The Swan Is A Murderer (Part 2) [Cinevox] 13. Sam Spence - Waterworld [Finders Keepers] 14. The Master's Apprentices - Melodies Of St. Kilda [Regal Zonophone] 15. Steve Maxwell Von Braund-Monster Planet [Clear Light Of Jupiter] 16. Tangerine Dream - Rubycon Part II [Polydor] 17. Zed - Fremen [Initial Recordings] 18. Hawkwind - The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon [Charisma] 19. Heldon - Une Drole De Journee [Egg] 20. Skorpio - Vezess at az ejszakan [Pepita] 21. Atomic Rooster - Sleeping for Years [B & C Records] 22. Gracious - Once on a Windy Day [Vertigo] <img src="http://payload49.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/3281662/Gel-Sol.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload49.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/3281662/Gel-Sol_o.jpg" data-mid="16905954" border="0" align="left"/> http://madelikeatree.com/mlat66-DJ-Alfonso http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat66-DJ-Alfonso Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:19:08 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 3170912 [LA, USA. April 9th, 2012] Alfonso is, simply put (and self-described), a DJ / promoter / musician / obsessed collector and fan of 60's & 70's cult films, soundtracks, library music, and odd bits of global psychsploitation - a music nerd, no doubt. He's also an incredible sweetheart (which he must pick up from teaching elementary school... and a healthy dosage of Los Angeles sunshine, no doubt). In the city of angels where he lives, this dude has become somewhat of a musical staple, running a popular music blog and adding splendidly to the vast chain of interestingly themed music nights for like-minded enthusiasts. &#9835; mlat66 - DJ Alfonso.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat66%20-%20DJ%20Alfonso.mp3 He'yo Alfonso, thanks for stopping by and contributing your collection of tunes to the series. Could you talk a little bit about your schtick as a deejay and self proclaimed "obsessed collector?" Well first of all, thank YOU for the invitation! Right, so I would describe myself as a DJ who specializes in soundtrack and library music from the mid to late 60's all the way to the early 80's. The years of concentration have definitely expanded since I "reinvented" myself as a DJ (more on that later). Most of the stuff I spin is European, although I do play OST's by American composers such as Quincy Jones, Bernard Herrmann, that weirdo Les Baxter, et al... As far as my "obsessed collector" claim, it's not because I have this huge collection or anything. I think it's more because I acquire a lot of this stuff impulsively (Citibank loves me); and, I collect all different formats: cassette tapes, 8-tracks, obviously vinyl records, CD's, DVD's, VHS tapes (both NTSC and PAL), movie posters, books, magazines... I even recently acquired four 35mm reels of 'The Devil in Miss Jones' (the complete film!). My wife definitely thinks I'm a nut. How are things down there in LA these days? Is your night going well and is the scene continuing to excite you? Things are great! There is a very exciting scene here in LA right now. My friend Mahssa, from Finders Keepers Records, runs a really cool monthly event called 'Cureation' which I try to go as often as I can. It's billed as a psychedelic dance party and she always brings in amazing talent. 'Dr. Who' is another stellar event that is worth mentioning. I've been fortunate enough to meet all sorts of like-minded music nerds and it's always fun running into them at various parties, record fairs, etc. As far as my night is concerned, things are also going very well! I started RENDEZVOUS! in January of 2009, and since then have linked up with some incredible musicians whom are now good friends. Adrian Younge (of Venice Dawn) joined us in 2010, and AM (of AM & Shawn Lee) jumped on board in April of last year. My aim for RENDEZVOUS! was to create a casual listening environment where music fans, DJs, producers, etc., could hang out, watch some vintage giallo & poliziotteschi movies (which we also provide), and geek out over records; kind of like going to friend's house to drink beers and check out their latest record purchases. Since our inception, we've been privileged enough to host some of our musical heroes, including (but definitely not limited to) Andy Votel, Doug Shipton, Heru Avenger, and of course our pal Mahssa! Where did you grow up, and how was it that you got into all of this? I grew up in El Monte, which is a suburb near LA. As long as I can remember, I have always been into music. I was born in the early 70's, and having siblings that were much older than me, there was always rock and disco played in the house. They would play their records and I would sit there banging away on mom's pots and pans. Finally, my father bought me my first drum set at age 12 and that marked the beginning of my musical obsession. I played in a variety of bands from my early teens through my late twenties. I still play my kit, although I don't do bands anymore. Now how the transition into DJing? While in college, I bought one 1200 and started buying a few electronic records, mainly just to listen to. Shortly afterward, I bought the matching turntable, a cheap Vestax mixer, some more records, and started DJing friends' parties. After graduating in '97, I landed an internship at Grand Royal Records. I was given more and more records and the record collecting bug was planted. Naturally, I spun hip-hop, trip-hop, and eventually downtempo. In 2003, I met my good friend Josh (a.k.a. DJ Jubal) and we decided to start a downtempo event which we called 'Recline Sounds' because of our mutual admiration of downtempo music. This is when I really started honing my DJ skills such as beat matching, blending, etc. We went strong until 2008 when Josh, for personal reasons, decided to walk away. I was faced with the dilemma of continuing on my own with 'Recline Sounds' or starting something new. I decided to start something new, because I noticed that my mixes and DJ sets were moving further away from straight downtempo and more into soundtracks and library music (which is where a lot of electronic music producers sample from). To start a night with this new found musical passion was a natural progression for me really. This marked my 'reinvention' as I stated earlier, because my focus shifted from playing beat matched tempos to blending records radio style with no pressure of keeping people on a dance floor (not that I see anything wrong with that). Some of these library tracks can get upbeat and funky which do result in the occasional dancer! You certainly have no shortage of passion for collecting and DJing. Is this a full time thing for you, or do you have other things that get in the way? No, it's definitely not a full time thing. I teach 6th grade reading, math, and ancient world history (as well as music appreciation... unofficially). I also have have a 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter. They keep me plenty busy! What are your most treasured finds so far in 2012? Well so far, my treasured finds are Piero Umiliani's 'Effets Speciaux' LP on the St. Germain Des Pres library label and a Janko Nilovic promo 45 for French radio (as part of his 'Voodoo Ju Ju' releases). It's a cool 1-sided spoken word white label - amazing! Finally, I’d have to say that those aforementioned 35mm reels of ‘The Devil in Miss Jones’ (1973) were a pretty incredible find! How about the top three treasures missing from your collection that you'd buy-on-site without question? I would love to find a copy of Braen's Machine 'Temi Ritmici E Dinamici' LP. Also, I don't know if this exists, maybe someone out there does, but if there is a release for Pierre F. Brault's OST for 'Le Faim', I'd buy that without even thinking. Lastly, the 45 that has eluded me for far too long: 'Le Pop Club de Jose Artur' promo 7-inch which features a killer Serge Gainsbourg (with Jane Birkin) cut called 'Pour Oublier Le Passé, Le Futur'. One recently slipped through my hands (not literally) on eBay. I didn’t bid high enough. I forgot what it sold for, but it wasn’t cheap. I haven’t seen one since. Could you talk a little bit about the mix you made for MLAT? Was there anything particular that you were trying to do? Well for this mix, I wanted to showcase some of the heavy-hitters I spin at RENDEZVOUS! I included some of my favorite tracks by I Marc 4, Piero Umiliani, Ennio Morricone, Serge Gainsbourg, and the like. These are the types of songs that one would hear at any of our events. As you can hear, the songs are upbeat, funky, moody, and everything in between. Also, when I play live, I often use my sampler to sprinkle in a little film dialogue throughout my set; I did that at the very beginning of this mix. I even made a “re-edit” by overdubbing bongos onto the Pierre-Alain Dahan track. I just couldn’t help myself. That track was begging for some bongos to be added! We really appreciate you taking the time out. What's your next move? I would love to host some more of my record collecting heroes at RENDEZVOUS! (Jonny Trunk, when are you coming to L.A.??). There’s also another ‘Corpus Octo’ project in the works, which should be really fun. It’ll also be great to get back into creating original music a bit. But mainly, my aim is to just keep having fun. To me, this is what music is all about. 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. Peter Thomas Orchestra - Bolero On The Moon Rocks [Fontana] 2. E. Roncarati - Central Park [Vroommm] 3. I Marc 4 - Ray Ban [Nelson Records] 4. Jack Arel - Strange Valley [Chappell Library] 5. Lesiman - Play Car [Vedette Records] 6. Pierre-Alain Dahan - Rythmiques No 2 (Alfonso's Bongo Edit) [Not on Label] 7. Alberto Baldan Bembo - Tema Di Nadia [Aris] 8. Stelvio Cipriani - La Fine Di Cobb [Cinevox] 9. Stefano Torossi (as Jay Richford & Gary Stevan) - Fearing Much [Conroy Library] 10. Roy Budd - Plaything [Cinephile] 11. F. Micalizzi - Dark Suspense [Cometa Edizioni Musicali] 12. 101 Strings - Flameout [Alshire Records] 13. Roger Morris - Hard Labour [L'Illustration Musicale] 14. Piero Umiliani - Dynamique En Beat N°2 [St. Germain Des Prés] 15. Vincent Gémignani - Ophis Le Serpentaire [Concert Hall] 16. Pierre Bachelet & Jean Schulteis - La Roulette [Vadim Music] 17. Ennio Morricone - Ninna Nanna In Blue [Dagored] 18. Serge Gainsbourg & Jean-Claude Vannier - Fontaine des Innocents (Générique Inédit) [Emarcy] <img src="http://payload43.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/3170912/DJ Alfonso.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload43.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/3170912/DJ Alfonso_o.jpg" data-mid="16219130" border="0" align="left"/> http://madelikeatree.com/mlat65-Mark-Van-Hoen http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat65-Mark-Van-Hoen Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:30:45 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 3088797 [Brooklyn via Smethwick, UK. March 27th, 2012] Mark Van Hoen has been releasing music with electronics since the early 90s. Many may recall Seefeel (for which he is a founding member), or even Locust or Autocreation which are well known alternate aliases under which he has operated. Most recently, Van Hoen has put out an exquisite full length on Editions Mego under his own name. The way the album was recorded was inspired by a 4-track recording that Van Hoen had made in 1982, and its eleven tracks are meant to pay tribute to the crude, honest quality of the material. We caught up with him after the recent success of the album before he heads to the Unsound Festival in NY. &#9835; mlat65 - Mark Van Hoen.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat65%20-%20Mark%20Van%20Hoen.mp3 What was it like growing up in Smethwick - a town largely understood to have been an industrial hub - and does the area deserve its title as "The Black Country?" It was really defining for me I think, the environment, the cultures, the unrest but most of all the sounds. The term ‘Black Country’ refers to the smog during the period after the industrial revolution, which was really all over by the time I was born. Consequently, the place was very depressed, and many Jamaican and Punjabi-Indians were used for cheap labour. Some people used to poke fun at the term ‘Black Country’ and say it was because it was full of black people. There was a lot of racial unrest, to the extent that Malcolm X visited Smethwick, just a year before I was born. What I gained from it all was positive - an exposure to Jamaican and Indian music & culture, as well as the effects of industrial sounds and noise becoming a normal and ‘natural’ soundtrack to my life. What can you remember being some of your most profound influential music(al) experiences while living there? There was a particular factory, a steel works I think, that I walked past on the way to school. I remember the rhythm of the machines. Later, I heard ‘Metal Auf Metal’ by Kraftwerk, and I really identified with it, also ‘Stanlow’ by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, which uses a loop of an oil refinery. These tracks confirmed to me that I was not alone in thinking of these mechanical rhythms as music. Also, the neighbors to one side of the house I lived in were Jamaican, so I heard Ska and later Reggae coming through the walls. To the other side were some Indians, who were probably playing Punjabi music (pre-Bhangra). I think both of these musics had a lasting effect on me, even if is not directly obvious. I think the syncopation of reggae and the drone keys of the indian music would be what I took from this time. How about now? There must be people/groups you look to as being profoundly influential (or at least interesting) in reference to your own musical musings. I would say there are contemporary influences, although as you say, they are probably not profound, but then they could never really be. Oneohtrix Point Never is for me the best and most consistent contemporary music I have heard in recent times, and there are many one-off tracks by a lot of artists, not always even released, that I might find on say Soundcloud or a blog somewhere. You've recently been booked to play the incredibly well curated Unsound Festival (April, 2012) in New York. Is that something you're looking forward to, and perhaps might feel good to be a part of? Yes, it is a great lineup,and I am proud to be included. I will most definitely be going to as many of the other shows as possible. I ask because while you have quite the respectable discography, your most recent The Revenant Diary (Editions Mego) has surely garnered you recent some attention, and must have opened to doors to putting you on some good bookings as of late. Thanks, yes the record's gone very well, and yes some new doors have I think been opened for some new listeners. I had a very quiet decade in the 00's musically, which I am attempting to address by ramping things up somewhat. I'm hoping to get three records out this year. I have a Locust album slated for release on Apollo/R&S, a new MVH album, and then there's a collaboration with Neil Halstead of Slowdive/Mojave 3 too. Its been told that The Revenant Diary incorporates some of your relic material and dips into production methods you utilized in the past. Much of the album is about "looking back." Could you talk a little bit about how it came together and how it finally came to be out on Editions Mego? Actually, The Revenant Diary does not contain any old recordings, but the way it was recorded was inspired by a 4-track recording that I had made in 1982. I was remastering an old release ‘Natural Composite’ which was partly a collection of my 80’s recordings, along with my Peel session from 1994. I decided to go back to the original analogue tapes, and discovered the track ‘Truancy’, which I had missed when I compiled ‘Natural Composite’ in 1994. I was really struck by it’s sound and simplicity. I decided to duplicate the setup I used to make it, and did not use a computer at all in the initial stages of making the record. Apart from that, I’d say the record is no more about looking back than any other that I’ve made. My music has always been about the present and the past. A lot of electronic music in previous decades was only concerned with the future, but I have always seen electronics as just another means of expression..in the same way that acoustic and electric instruments are to many. I think that’s probably because of the sounds I grew up with, meaning that I have never personally made the distinction between what (I’m told by others) are ‘natural’ and ‘real’ instruments and those that I use. And could you talk a little bit about this podcast? Was there anything in particular you were trying to do with it, or is it just a nice collection of tunes you wanted to hear in order? I believe that all of the music I have used in the mix has to some degree a type of spiritual force to it, and I am interested in combining examples of this kind of music in an attempt to create something (if only slightly) more than the sum of the parts. It’s intended at least to be a pleasurable listening experience, and at most to be an to introduction to one or two tracks or artists that the listener may not be aware of. 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. Spacemen 3 - Transparent Radiation [Forced Exposure] / Prince - Forever In My Life [Moonstew] 2. Can - Oh Yeah [Spoon Records] 3. The Flaming Lips - Convinced Of The Hex [Warner Bros.] 4. Public Image Limited - Careering [Warner Bros.] 5. Necessary - Barbastelle [Unreleased] / Karlheinz Stockhausen - Stimmung [Deutsche Grammophon] / Cocteau Twins - Song To The Siren (altered) 6. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Progress [Dindisc] 7. Cluster & Eno - Schone Hande [Sky Records] 8. Holger Czukay - Michy [Virgin] / Sigur Ros - Vaka [MCA] / Popol Vuh - Aguirre [PDA] 9. Imbogodom - Borogmog's Clock [Thrill Jockey] / Vinny Miller - Roll Complete [4AD] 10. Tim Hecker - Chimeras [Kranky] 11. Scott Walker - Dealer [Virgin] 12. Scala - Hold Me Down [Touch] 13. Slowdive - Trellisaze [Creation Records] 14. Oneohtrix Point Never - Betrayed In The Octagon [Betrayed in the Octagon] 15. The Human League - Interface [Black Melody] <img src="http://payload39.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/3088797/Mark van Hoen.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload39.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/3088797/Mark van Hoen_o.jpg" data-mid="15771398" border="0" align="left"/> http://madelikeatree.com/mlat64-Sun-Araw http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat64-Sun-Araw Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:59:10 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 2877505 [Los Angeles, USA. February 24th, 2012] We sure love us some Sun Araw. Cameron Stallones (sick name, right?), the psych rock visionary behind the project, is always on the move and constantly collaborating with a wide range of like minded artists. Riding on the waves of the resurgence of lo-fi production prowess and improv performance, Stallones has been brightening faces and expanding minds to critical acclaim the world over. We're stoked he hopped on board to do this podcast. &#9835; mlat64 - Sun Araw.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat64%20-%20Sun%20Araw.mp3 How old are you, and how long have you been doing this for? I'm 27. Been doing THIS for about 6 years maybe. Made lots of music in the past too, but it wasn't THIS. What's your history with music? What did you grow up listening to, and how did you get to where you are now are a recording artist? I grew up in Austin, TX, listening to all sorts. I'm not entirely sure how I got here, but it involved a lot of strange circumstances. How would you describe the music that you make now? Most classify you as an avant-guard, smoked psych rock visionary. That's pretty good sounding. I just call it psychedelic. You're part of the group Magic Latern and collaborate with Pocahunted down there in LA. What other minglings have you been particularly invigorated by lately? Are you continuing to find yourself inspired and motivated? People are brought into your life at precisely the moment you can see them. And then you have an opportunity to really meet each other, in a real way. Musically that happens a lot, its an incredible experience. I've been fortunate enough to meet so many inspiring people and push that into some wild records and performances. Most recently one of the biggest was The Congos. My friend Ged and I lived with them for a bit and made a record together, it was particularly invigorating, as you say. You definitely have a vivid sense of exploration and perpetual growth in your music. Where do you derive this passion for reaching out so wildly into these soundscapes? Man for me its just what gets me there. That's cool that you hear that, that's a huge part of it for me, it's really what I'm after. That sort of transportation. I guess the passion comes from the pleasure of it. Is there any music being released soon (or recently) that you've been moved by? So so much man, the floodgates stand open. And what's next up for you next? Do you have any big things you're looking forward to this year? Finishing up a new record right now, and then its off on some live excursions with a few different iterations of the band. Looking to debut the Congos collaboration live in London this summer, that will be a huge, exciting endeavor. 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. Sun Araw - Midnight Locker [Woodsist] 2. Sun Araw - Conga Mind [Not Not Fun] 3. Sun Araw - Fog Wheels [Not Not Fun] 4. Sun Araw - In the Trees [Stunned] 5. Sun Araw - Thoughts are Bells [Not Not Fun] 6. Sun Araw - Horse Steppin' [Not Not Fun] 7. Sun Araw feat. Matthew Lessner - Luther [Stunned] 8. Sun Araw - Impluvium [Sun Ark] 9. Sun Araw - The Message [Not Not Fun] 10. Sun Araw - Get Low [Not Not Fun] 11. Sun Araw - Fern Step [Not Not Fun] 12. Sun Araw - Last Chants [Woodsist] 13. Sun Araw - The Stakeout [Not Not Fun] 14. Sun Araw - Fit for Ceaser [Sun Ark] <img src="http://payload28.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2877505/Sun-Araw.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload28.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2877505/Sun-Araw_o.jpg" data-mid="14627166" border="0" align="left"/> http://madelikeatree.com/mlat63-High-Wolf http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat63-High-Wolf Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:38:17 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 2810631 [Location Unknown. February 18th, 2012] So... who exactly is High Wolf? To be completely honest, we're not entirely sure. If you read any of the meanderings about him scattered throughout the internet, you'll learn that 1) his first name is Max, 2) is of French origin, 3) is well traveled, 4) collects rare instruments from various cultures, and 5) is considerably generous. Other than that, he has playfully obscured much about himself so that outlets like this one focus on what's really important - the music, and the music alone. A highly passionate and vibrant entity living in a system where an overwhelming amount of the music is not, this highly spiritualized entity brings a much needed degree of warmth and excitement to today's landscape. &#9835; mlat63 - High Wolf.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat63%20-%20High%20Wolf.mp3 A good friend and music journalist here in Seattle referred you to me as one of the most spiritualized musicians in today's music landscape. That could mean a variety of things, but being as connected internationally as you are, and having been fortunate enough to work with other "spiritualized" psychedelic eccentrics like Sun Araw, how do you feel about this statement? Well first of all I'm flattered, because for me it's a compliment, it means that there is something more than just the music at stake here. And that'd be how I see it, being "spiritualized." It's not just making music for fun, so it sounds good, catchy, nice melody etc. Music is also, to my mind, deeply personal, an expression of something that is completely metaphysical, half conscious, half unconscious, that can turn into an energy and a feeling that you can call "spiritual." I think that when you experience this as a listener, when listening to a record you feel that energy and that truth coming from the musician(s), then it becomes a spiritual experience. And of course there are a good number of present musicians that I'd recognize as "spiritual" or "metaphysical." Sun Araw is one of them, but he's also very concerned with a theory of aesthetic that is really really important in his work. Yellow Swans was a good example, Ignatz as well. But I do like some music done in a totally different purpose, which is "let's make people dance." It's good too. You've elaborated quite extensively before about how spiritual you feel the experience of music is. Where would you say your own personal connection with music was spawned, and what early events in your life took place to inspire this genesis? I'd say it goes beyond music. One very early memory that I remember from when I was like 6 years old is that I've been struck by the idea of time and the temporarily of life, it was very powerful. And that truth, slightly anxiotic, was the first sign of the will of trying to discover what's beyond appearance, what you could almost call "denial". The world seems quite simple if you don't question both sides of the relationship (it and yourself). But anyway it's like music have been the right way for me to digest and express all those thoughts. And I really realized it for good in my teen age when I started to listen to modern / free jazz. Coltrane was a shock. That was the beginning of it. I also remember my father playing some Mozart tapes in the car when I was a child and that really helped in creating my imagination, trying to see what this music was describing. You lived in India for a little while. Could you talk a little bit about what your life was like when you lived in India, and why you were there? I didn't really live there, I just travelled there for a few months, moving from one place to another. I settled in Nepal for a while and lived with a family there, so that would be the closest experience to a daily life in this area. I'd been in India for the first time after I graduated. I did some really shitty jobs while I was a student and I saved enough to leave for a while, because India is so cheap you don't need that much. I left with my girlfriend, with whom I still live now. We wanted to experience the world, it's quite simple and understandable I think. See what it's like in a different culture, and see if you can handle it as well. I know some people that really hated India because it's not "comfortable." It's a very good exercise to experience what is living in those conditions, and not to freak out no matter what happens. It kinda helps you to be humble. You need humility because you have to adapt so you can fit, so you can handle the differences. If you're not ready to change, to change your needs, your expectations, your view of things while you're there then you miss it. A very good and simple example : In Europe if your train is like 20 minutes late you're pissed off. In India you're lucky if it's less than 3 hours late. And you don't care. Chaos is just a matter of pre-conception. If you're ready for it, then it's ok. And I like it so much that I went back there. Now it's like 2 years and a half I haven't been there and I miss it, I miss losing all my marks. Losing my self, partially. You mentioned before that you have been hesitant to write lyrics, at least those in French since by nature of the language there are a lot of obstacles. Your agency of English is excellent however... perhaps you've started to experiment more lately with incorporating lyrics in your music in either language? I wouldn't say that my English is excellent, far from it, and you've not heard my terrible French accent! But you're right, I'm slowly considering using minimal vocals, it's like my next big challenge. I felt that it's one of the things I need to improve my music, to change it so it's not going in circles all the time. I've been feeling this ongoing pattern in my creative process that I want to break now, at least a little bit. So it's gonna be a new way of creating music and putting a few words / vocals is part of the things I want to try. The problem is that I'm not good at it so far! Need to find my way of doing it. And it'd be in English of course, it helps that it's not my native language, and drowned in effects so no one can actually understand anything! Your particular style of improvisational psychedelia most certainly is not tied to a French tradition. Regardless of how international music culture is these days, do you feel liberated by the type of freeform music you make, or do you still feel tied to your roots? Well the aesthetic of psychedelic music is not French, I agree, if that's what I do. But if you look beyond aesthetics you could use a long tradition of french philosophers and poets who could represent an influence (and who actually are very important to me). And I think what I do goes beyond aesthetic because it seems to me that I won't make psychedelic music all my life. I see my music change, slowly but surely. And I'm not even sure that I'll make music all my life, who knows if I won't write or paint in the near future and if it won't become my primary way of expression? When I mentioned something deep on your first question about spiritual music, that's what I meant. There is an essence, and this essence goes through a filter that is aesthetic, and in some ways a strong theory of aesthetic. But if the aesthetic change, the essence remains. It evolves as well but it doesn't completely transform as aesthetic does. A few years back I was doing drone improvisation. You could hear it and not feel any link with High Wolf. But I do see the link, it's even obvious to me. So what I mean is essence is metaphysical / philosophical and aesthetic is art. They're interconnected but separated, and art has its influence, so does the essence of your self. Artistic influences are now universal because information is universal, whatever I'm interested into I have the internet and libraries to check everything. So being french is not a part of it I guess. Too many variables exist beyond the social environment. There are billions of co-dependent components of a personality, and those are the roots I'm tied with. 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. Ali Farka Touré - Allah Uya [World Circuit] 2. Goat - Goatman [Rocket Recordings] 3. Master Musicians Of Bukkake - Prophecy of the White Camel [Important Records] 4. Nate Young - Comes Unbidden [NNA Tapes] 5. Blues Control & Laaraji - Awakening Day [RVNG] 6. Pinch And Shackleton - Torn And Submerged [Honest Jon's] 7. Conrad Schnitzler - Untitled (Further Records] 8. Psychic Ills - Transmute [The Social Registry] 9. René Hell - Bending (Voice) [Shelter Press] 10. Alemu Aga - Sele Sene Fretret [Ethiopiques] 11. Matt Carlson - Infinity Canyons [Gift Tapes] 12. Cut Hands - Impassion [Susan Lawley] 13. Colin Stetson - The Righteous Wrath of an Honorable Man [Constellation] 14. Moon Wheel - Four Formless Absorptions [Not on Label] <img src="http://payload25.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2810631/High Wolf.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload25.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2810631/High Wolf_o.jpg" data-mid="14383898" border="0" align="left"/> http://madelikeatree.com/mlat62-Explorateur http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat62-Explorateur Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:28:07 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 2716851 [Seattle, USA. January 31st, 2012] Valerie Calano, a staple and catalyst of Seattle's re-burgeoning psychedelic rock scene, joins us as "Explorateur" for the second podcast entry this year. She is a resident at the Prog! DJ night and co-produces the Distortions (psych) DJ night with writer Dave Segal. We surveyed her musical upbringing, discussed her DJing experience, and caught a slice of her musical vision. &#9835; mlat62 - Explorateur.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat62%20-%20Explorateur.mp3 How would you explain the genesis of your musical passions, and what significant occurrences have lead you to where you are today? Like a lot of people, I was really influenced by the music my parents played. I heard a lot of classic rock growing up, and Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and The Doors were some of the first psychedelic artists I came to know well. In high school I went to a lot of punk shows, and I obsessively listened to college radio, which provided a solid education in independent music and labels. When I moved to Athens, GA in the late ‘90s to attend college, the Elephant 6 scene was thriving. Seeing The Olivia Tremor Control play for the first time was a pretty significant experience for me. The way they (and their extended family of bands) blended psychedelic, pop, and experimental music was unlike anything I’d heard before, and influenced the music I sought out from that point on. File sharing networks came along a couple of years after that, and so it was down the (psychedelic) rabbit hole from there. It’s my understanding that you curated a radio show while living in England. What led you to that? I was studying there and found out the student radio station was looking for volunteers. I had never DJ’d or worked at a radio station, but I was confident that the awesomeness of my musical taste would make up for my lack of experience and put me on the fast track to getting on the air. Honestly, I think I was probably selected more for my foreign accent than I was for the collection of CDs and mp3s that I had brought to England with me. Whatever it was, I was thrilled to have my own show and subject the university population to whatever random selection of songs I felt like playing each week. I also played a lot of music from Athens to cope with the feelings of homesickness that would come up. You currently live in Seattle. What sorts of outlets here give you the opportunities to express yourself musically? Since I completely lack any natural music talent to be able to create my own music, I love to DJ as much as possible. Fortunately, there are great places in Seattle that will let me bring my records and play lots of weird stuff. One of these spots is the Living Room on Capitol Hill, which has top DJs almost every weekday night, spinning techno, electro, bass music, and prog (the psych night run by the Portable Shrines collective ended last year, but it was a highlight of the Living Room’s DJ schedule). I’ve been doing a prog night there bimonthly for over a year while also spinning semi-regularly for the Valmont’s Pad monthly, which allows me to play a weird blend of sleazy lounge, dirty funk, library music, and cosmic disco. I’ve also been fortunate enough to DJ some events thrown by Portable Shrines, including its Escalator Fest in 2011. Portable Shrines has been crucial in fostering a psychedelic music scene in Seattle, booking lots of great local and touring acts and increasing awareness with consistently high standards. Veins and I have also started a psych night called Distortions that happens every second Tuesday at Linda’s Tavern. The first edition of it drew surprisingly well, and we have ambitious plans to host guest DJs from among the city’s most knowledgeable psych heads. Of the music you curated, would you say that very little of it is contemporary? How do you feel about the psychedelic/rock that is produced today as compared to that of the wonders of yesteryear? I didn’t intend for things to turn out this way, but about half of the tracks in the mix are contemporary and half originate from the late ’60s/early ’70s. The Spacemen 3 cut is in between those poles; it was released in 1987, but it’s a cover of a 1967 song by the Red Krayola. The contemporary bands obviously are inspired by the initial wave of psychedelic music and the spirit of the genre’s originators, but they aren’t engaging in sheer mimicry. In a way, today’s psychedelic musicians have it tougher. With over 40 years of this type of music out there, it’s never been harder to make psychedelia sound fresh. I think the newer artists in this mix—Applehead, Voice Of The Seven Woods, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Cloudland Canyon, Sun Araw, and High Wolf—have risen to the challenge. The music is just as transcendent and disorienting (if not more so) than that of their forebears. On that note, could you finish by talking a little bit about the selections you made for this podcast? I knew it would be too daunting within the compressed timespan of this podcast to attempt an overview of the wide expanse of music that falls under the umbrella of “psychedelic.” Instead I offer a selection of tracks that move me in some way and are great examples of different styles: the funkiness of Applehead, the monastic chants of People and Between, the dramatic psych-prog of Brainticket and Ramases, the Eastern-influenced Voice Of The Seven Woods and Vibracathedral Orchestra. Many of these tracks I’ve DJ’d out a lot and provoke strong responses from people. (I’ve never played that Voice Of The Seven Woods without having at least one person ask me what it is.) I wanted to include “Cellophane Symphony” by Tommy James And The Shondells because when I first heard it via a DJ friend, it was a total “WTF?” moment. This track might be a surprise to those who only know James’ more pop-oriented radio hits. I ended with Spacemen 3’s cover of Red Krayola’s “Transparent Radiation,” which is off my favorite album from one of my favorite psych bands. It’s a nearly 10-minute suite that has an epic sweep to it. This seemed like the best possible conclusion to a mix that takes you into a lot of different mindsets and sonic destination points. 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. Alan Watts / The Time and Space Machine - Vision Om [5D] 2. Applehead - Apple Head [Pre-Cert] 3. Brainticket - Watchin' You [Lilith] 4. Voice Of The Seven Woods - The Fire In My Head [Twisted Nerve] 5. Vibracathedral Orchestra - A Mirrored Pyramid (For JS) / Es Inaceptable Para Mi [VHF] 6. Cloudland Canyon - Holy Canyon (Vanquish) [Tee Pee] 7. Sun Araw - Get Low [Not Not Fun] 8. High Wolf - Bizarre Moonlight [Sergent Massacre] 9. People - Shomyo Part 1 [Phoenix] 10. Between - Devotion [Wah-Wah] 11. Ramases - Life Child [Mexican Summer] 12. Tommy James And The Shondells - Cellophane Symphony [Roulette] 13. Spacemen 3 - Ecstasy Symphony / Transparent Radiation (Flashback) [Fire] <img src="http://payload20.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2716851/Explorateur.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload20.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2716851/Explorateur_o.jpg" data-mid="13781611" border="0" align="left"/> http://madelikeatree.com/mlat61-Veins http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat61-Veins Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:58:50 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 2580319 [Seattle, USA. January 10th, 2012] Dave Segal (Veins) has been offering the city of Seattle incredibly savvy musical insight as a writer for The Stranger for years now. He is one of our absolute favorite musical resources the world over. Because of this, he's been asked to submit another podcast since our last request, and this time we wanted him to be a little more specific. Given our knowledge of Dave's fondness for top shelf vinyl gems (particularly those of the pretentious ilk), we asked for and he delivered an all progressive rock podcast for your listening pleasure. Enjoy. &#9835; mlat61 - Veins.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat61%20-%20Veins.mp3 Welcome to 2012. Thanks for starting the year off for us with another one of your glorious (and pretentious) musical visions. When you were originally planning this mix, you were essentially going to commit to doing a "progressive rock podcast" - a "progcast," if you will. Are you stoked with what you made? I’m fairly pleased with the result, and also somewhat frustrated that I couldn’t squeeze in all the tracks I wanted to, but I realize that attention spans are diminishing before our very eyes and even this 88-minute mix will be too long for many 21st-century earthlings. I think there’s a solid blend of familiar and obscure names, with nothing too obvious. I sincerely hope it will take people’s minds off their worries and coax vividly surreal imagery in their mind’s eye. "Progressive Rock," many would agree, has an enormously bad reputation. What exactly would you define as being "prog rock," what direct/indirect factors contributed to its reputation, and how does the material you chose for this podcast fit into its legacy? Several books and magazine articles have been written about this subject, but we don’t have a lot of time here, so I’ll attempt to condense things. Re: prog rock’s lousy reputation, it can be attributed to a couple of major factors: 1) The prog that most people have heard is typically the most watered-down, cloying version of the genre. The best prog music generally exists far below most people’s radars and therefore requires them to dig deep to locate it, and most folks don’t have the will to accomplish that—even now, with an entire internet at their disposal to ease the search! Ergo, they have a misguided, degraded notion of what prog can be. That being said, the prog I heard on the radio as a lad in the ’70s—Yes, King Crimson, ELP, Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Focus, Rush—wasn’t bad at all. It just wasn’t the best stuff available. Magma, Heldon, and Stomu Yamash’ta were not in heavy rotation on American radio. Pity. 2) The rock critical establishment largely dismissed or outright denigrated most prog rock as “pretentious wankery.” Apparently to these cultural gatekeepers, rock was not allowed to have stratospheric ambition or songs that last more than five minutes or possess complicated chord progressions and time signatures. These critics—I’m thinking of certain writers for Rolling Stone, Creem, and Trouser Press (although Lester Bangs often gave props to some prog bands)—generally had a narrow view of what constituted great rock, and prog clearly did not fit into their constricted vision of that. And these pundits had a profound impact on the way the American public reacted to prog. To my shame, I swallowed their bullshit, too. What is prog rock? It’s kind of like pornography—hard to define, but I know it when I see/hear it. I have a very broad view of prog. Sure, Yes, King Crimson, ELP, Rush, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Moody Blues, and Pink Floyd are its best-known artists and did some mighty important work. But prog, to me, is much more than extravagant, complicated rock that goes to art school and harbors overblown literary pretensions. Much more. Prog can be celestial ambient tone poetry; warped drones; sinister new-age symphonies; fiery jazz fusion; dark, skewed folk; Tropicalia’s stranger zones; malarial world-music hybrids from countries not yet discovered (see Jon Hassell and his acolytes), et cetera (especially Et Cetera). Not everyone is going to agree with my conclusions here, but I’d rather err on the side of expansiveness than be a tightwad with the musical progressiveness. I’m offering y’all a banquet; don’t quibble over the condiments. The material chosen for this podcast embodies what I think is the ineffable spirit of prog—a zeal for twisting old songwriting formulas and/or breaking new sonic ground while striving to create heretofore unprecedented strains of beauty. (Is that pretentious enough for you?) What bands (to you) uplifted the artform, and which ones degraded it? Uplifted: Magma, Lard Free, Soft Machine/Matching Mole/Robert Wyatt, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Ash Ra Tempel, Amon Düül II, Can, Aphrodite’s Child/Vangelis, Heldon, Goblin, Jean-Claude Vannier, Et Cetera/Wolfgang Dauner, Franco Battiato, Pierrot Lunaire, Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Brainticket, Gong, Egg, Embryo, Area, Taj Mahal Travellers, Bo Hansson, Sensations’ Fix. I know I’m omitting some crucial artists. Sorry. But, honestly, this list could go on for pages, until every last reader is put to sleep, and still somebody would say I forgot about a prog superhero. Degraded: Marillion, Queensryche, Dream Theater. A lot of prog from the ’80s just didn’t cut it for me—too ponderous and pompous, too much bluster, not enough luster. 4. You undoubtedly grew up with it (what year were you born?). What particular place does this genre have in your heart? I was born in 1962. Like most people, I was bamboozled into thinking prog was a ridiculous waste of my time; I had to overcome years of brainwashing to give the genre a fair shake. Punk-rock fundamentalists wanted you (STILL want you) to burn all of your classic- and prog-rock records, and for a nanosecond in 1977 they may have had a solid point. But from a 21st-century perspective, I think the best prog generally offers richer rewards than the best punk does. As I get older, I appreciate prog more and more as a necessary expression of rock musicians seeking to expand the prevailing rigid strictures by radical means. Like its close cousin, psych rock, prog at its best can propel listeners way out of mundane consciousness and into fantastical realms that are colored more by H.P. Lovecraft and Philip K. Dick than by J.R.R. Tolkien. Prog is overachiever music that requires a greater attention span and a tolerance for bizarre tangents. That being said, sometimes it’s straightforward and relatively easy to absorb (check this podcast’s Caravan track for proof), but not often. 5. Could you talk a little bit about the tracks you chose for you mix and why you assembled them as you did? With this mix, I strove for a variety of styles while trying to maintain a semi-logical flow that wouldn’t jolt you out of the ecstatic dream state in which the first three tracks undoubtedly will put you. (RIGHT?) All I knew is that I wanted to start with something off Et Cetera’s self-titled album, which is my favorite of all time. “Lady Blue” is a world-class attention-grabber, a weird choral ballad/beat poetry/acoustic jazz triple-decker sandwich of the gods. If it doesn’t hook you from the get-go, we can never be friends. From there, we get into some French headfuckery and drone sorcery with Lard Free and Heldon (two artists whose entire catalogs you need). The next three tracks by Passport, John McLaughlin, and Sonny & Linda Sharrock veer into sublimely frantic jazz-fusion territory. They’re the sonic equivalent of roller-coaster rides experienced on the finest trucker speed, executed by virtuoso players. I expect a lot of WTF?ing going on with this triumvirate. The Valerie Lagrange chanson is a little respite from the madness, reveling in a kind of classical Gallic beauty. Spectre takes things into analog-synth-heavy heaven and then 801 (featuring Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera) somehow fling the Beatles’ most psychedelic track into a shinier, equally far-out future. Godley & Crème’s “Foreign Accents” is just utterly demented quirktronica by the guys responsible for 10cc’s hits. It’s a total anomaly of a track, and there are few things I like more than anomalous music. The stretch from Gong to Deuter touches on somewhat traditional prog-rock tropes, though each one in a distinctive manner (maybe that makes sense, because the musicians come from France, England, Greece, Italy, and Germany). There are even some catchy choruses that won’t give your ears diabetes after two listens. Collin Walcott teases us out of that bit of conventionality with an idyllic Indo-jazz meditation, which leads illogically to Tim Buckley’s unheralded “Lorca,” an unnerving ballad whose elegant turmoil is swept away by ELO’s “The Whale” (talk about anomalies), a gorgeous instrumental that invented chillwave about 30 years before it was a faux-nomenon. I put this one last because I wanted listeners to come away from the mix with a sense of an absurdly happy ending, almost a kind of heavenly ascension. Did it work? 6. When I heard you putting the mix together, Passport's Looking Thru really stood out as a defining moment. The French-origin tracks were quite special as well. Thanks. Passport were only sporadically brilliant, but when they were on, they were among the best of the German prog bands. And the French contributed greatly to prog’s storehouse of essential sounds, despite using a flawed language with too many silent letters. 7. What is your favorite Rush song? Trick question? But seriously, I really only like the intros to two Rush songs: “Spirit Of The Radio” and “Tom Sawyer.” However, I’ve not listened to much Rush, because I have insurmountable problems dealing with Geddy Lee’s voice. Maybe I’ll get around to them in the next lifetime. 8. Well thanks for sharing some of your collection with us... what awaits you this year? Lots of DJing at the Prog! and Distortions nights at the Living Room bar and Linda’s, respectively, and if all goes well, lots of other DJ gigs at various Seattle venues and house parties (my rates are very reasonable). Beyond that, I suspect I’ll be committing a lot of music journalism/criticism, and, I hope, penning more album liner notes for labels like Medical and Light In The Attic, and anyone else who issues quality records who wants my words to accompany their wonderful sounds. I have some book ideas, as well, which I’m not at liberty to divulge now. As I’m turning 50 in April, I also anticipate plunging headlong into a midlife crisis, which might instigate a career change or splurging on some absurdly posh hi-fi equipment. 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. Et Cetera - Lady Blue [Cosmic Nuggets] 2. Lard Free - Acid Framboise [Wah Wah] 3. Heldon - Perspective IV [Aural Explorer] 4. Passport - Eternal Spiral [Atco] 5. John McLaughlin - Miles Out [Columbia] 6. Sonny & Linda Sharrock - Apollo (Atco) 7. Valerie Lagrange - Si Ma Chanson Pouvait [FindersKeepers] 8. Spectre - Arkham [B-Music] 9. 801 - Tomorrow Never Knows [Editions EG] 10. Godley & Creme - Foreign Accents [Phonogram] 11. Gong - Dynamite [Virgin] 12. Aphrodite’s Child - The Lamb [Vertigo] 13. Jade Warrior - Psychiatric Sergeant [Vertigo] 14. Caravan - Golf Girl [London] 15. Area - Gioia e Rivoluzione [Cramps] 16. Deuter - Der Turm/Fluchtpunkt [Kuckuck] 17. Collin Walcott - Golden Sun [ECM] 18. Tim Buckley - Lorca [Elektra] 19. ELO - The Whale [United Artists] <img src="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2580319/Veins_2.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload14.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2580319/Veins_2_o.jpg" data-mid="13044710" border="0" align="left"/> http://madelikeatree.com/mlat60-Night-Gallery http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat60-Night-Gallery Sat, 31 Dec 2011 09:54:21 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 2525775 [Seattle, USA. December 31st, 2011] Great friends of the MLAT blog - two dudes who have been around since the beginning, in fact - have taken the time out to pull together their favorite tracks of the year for this specially catered BEST OF 2011 podcast. Shawn Kralicek and Kuri Kondrak who jointly run the crisp house label Night Gallery, have some of the best taste in sweet spot dance music in the Pacific Northwest, and have dug through just about each and every gem they've found this year specially for your listening please... enjoy! &#9835; mlat60 - Night Gallery.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat60%20-%20Night%20Gallery.mp3 Thanks for closing out the year with your selection of the year's best. What is it about these tunes that made the cut? S: I think 2011 was a great year for music so it wasn't difficult to find tunes for this mix. We basically had a big stack of records we agreed on and this is how it turned out after about two hours. The only problem is that there were so many more that we just couldn't fit in. K: Yes, we had a few more tracks that would have been great to showcase but we let this mix flow pretty naturally and this is what we ended up with. After we finished I realized that we hadn’t dropped a favorite Night Gallery track. Still kicking myself for that omission. Care to focus on a select few that were especially important finds, and why? S: I've always been a big Juju & Jordash fan, but I think they really crushed it this year. Their two tunes in the mix are so good and so different from each other. Such versatile artists, but have a style and sound all their own. Our friends at Further had a great year and released a great variety as well. The Tabernacle and M>O>S labels released a lot of good stuff too. K: I really like what Future Times have been doing and Protect-U’s “World Music” was a knockout that stayed in my box all year. That Esteban Adame track really hit all the right buttons for me and was really slept on. Plus Eduardo De La Calle re-imagined techno’s past and delivered some of the most intricate work of the year through his Analog Solutions label. It was great to see Kevin Reynolds getting back into the swing of things, releasing more music again this year. And his “Liaisons” was terrific: mechanical sounding percussion juxtaposed with a halcyon melody. What are your respective histories as deejays? S: I was very lucky to have somehow been exposed to underground electronic dance music in the middle of Kansas in 1989. I started playing records in 1993/94 and that's about it. K: I discovered electronic music in the early ‘90s in neighboring Missouri (me and Shawn never bumped into each other though) and was bit by the techno bug when I heard the Red Planet series and Galaxy 2 Galaxy’s “Hi-Tech Jazz.” After that there was no looking back. How has the Night Gallery label that you started together been going so far? S: Smooth. I'm very pleased with what we've done. K: We’ve been lucky to work with some very talented and gracious artists. Releasing on vinyl isn’t the easiest thing to do, financially, but it’s something we’re committed to and proud of. What is the label's sound/aesthetic? Does it embody a particular vision, or is that element not particularly set in stone? K: Over the years we’ve both liked when you get a 12” and it covers vastly different styles but retains a high quality level. And I think that is one thing that we have looked at doing when possible, but at the same time we aren’t going to limit ourselves by that condition. S: The only thing that is set in stone is that we only do wax. When did the label start, how did you choose the name, and how do you feel about its future? S: We came up with the idea for the label earlier in 2010. I was a big Rod Serling fan when I was a kid and really dug his early 70's show called Night Gallery. It was like the Twilight Zone on LSD. I guess that's where the idea for the name comes from. There is no master plan for Night Gallery. We just want to continue releasing music that we love and believe in. Were you able to accomplish certain goals that you had for Night Gallery this year? S: I don't think we have goals for the label that are set in stone. If we find music that we love and care about from an artist that we click with we want to put it out there. We released the two Dijkhuis EPs last year. There's a four track EP from LOW LOW scheduled for release early 2012 and another from Alex Israel later in the year. We are very happy with those accomplishments. And as to be expected, care to reflect for a minute on 2011? Any regrets and/or resolutions? K: This year felt good from a music perspective. No major regrets or resolutions. Just keep doing what we’ve been doing. S: I will remember 2011 as the year I turned 40, a great year for music, and not such a great year for the world. 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. John Beltran - Beautiful Robots [Styrax] 2. o1o - Bunny Rabbitz [Further] 3. Juju & Jordash - Chelm Is Burning [Golf Channel] 4. John Heckle - My Only Hope [Tabernacle] 5. Kevin Reynolds - Liaisons [Nsyde] 6. R-A-G - Harold's Invention [M>O>S] 7. C-Beams - Thumbling [Uncanny Valley] 8. Mark DuMosch - Birdsong [Tabernacle] 9. Protect-U - World Music [Future Times] 10. Omar S - Here's Your Trance Now Dance [FXHE] 11. Fred P - Come This Far [Soul People Music] 12. Kassem Mosse - A [Workshop 12] 13. Eduardo De La Calle - The Concept Sampler [Analogue Solutions] 14. D'Marc Cantu - Set Free [M>O>S Deep] 15. Juju & Jordash - Bleached Roots [Rush Hour] 16. Spekter - Pipe Bomb [Sound Signature] 17. Chasing Voices – Another Walk [Preserved Instincts] 18. Tin Man - Nonneo (Donato Dozzy Remix) [Acid Test] 19. Lucretio - A Mountain [Machines State] 20. Esteban Adame - I'll Never Give Up [Underground Quality] 21. Alex Israel - Gaz 13 feat. Etiku Dancer [W.T. Records] 22. Mike Slott/Martyn - Pointing Fingers [All City] <img src="http://payload11.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2525775/Night Gallery.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload11.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2525775/Night Gallery_o.jpg" data-mid="12747656" border="0" align="left"/> http://madelikeatree.com/mlat59-Lerosa http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat59-Lerosa Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:27:48 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 2464720 [Roma, Italy via Dublin, Ireland. December 15th, 2011] Lerosa is a kindred spirit to many of us, being a dedicated and creative sound scientist with passions for warm acid and analog. He really doesn't (or at least shouldn't) require any sort of introduction or tip of the hat here, as there are several interviews and previous podcasts he has engaged in available all over the internet. We're just happy to hear another wonderfully curated mix by one of our favorite producers (comprised entirely of vinyl, recorded live). &#9835; mlat59 - Lerosa.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat59%20-%20Lerosa.mp3 Its so great to have you help close out a year (of what we've been happy to see be) of great music. What have you been up to over the last 12 months (or as far back as you can recall)? This year I have been mostly working on the production of my LP ‘Amanatto’ which came out on Uzuri a couple of months back. I have also been working on smaller projects; a track on the "House Expressions" compilation on Lunar Disko and a remix for my mate Graham Bray, aka Rawtro, for his debut EP soon-ish to be out on Melodram Recordings, out of Spain I believe. Behind the scenes I have been working on new material; look at Apartment, Further and Sued in the coming months for various Lerosa related projects. The rest of the year I have spent at various Lunar Disko Parties, getting sloshed and wagging the disco finger. How was the weather been in Ireland? Do you still find yourself comfortable over there? The weather has been a disaster since I got here in '95. I have luckily turned into a duck in the intervening years so wet and miserable weather is of comfort to me and good for me feathers. You've noted here and there that you've turned away from newer releases and have reverted to buying older tunes. How do you feel about the music that has been released this year? Well in fairness I have been buying new music as well as old music, represses or just Discogs hunting. I think there have been a lot of great new releases. I have certainly enjoyed old music like the Virgo Four compilation on Rush Hour or the Drexciya compilation on Clone but at the same time there have been great new releases from the likes of John Heckle, Big Strick, Instra:mental, Legowelt, Omar-S and Storm Queen. I think the move away from dumb dark machismo of dubstep into the realm of more experimental techno/electro or its middling with house has been a positive thing has it got me also into a lot of interesting things like Cosmin TRG and the likes. Who have you been looking to carry the torch for electronic music production as of late? Legowelt. Humble, funny, inspirational and getting better with age, the man is a beacon in the night. Do you have any (direct/indirect) responses to this by way of the things you've been working on lately? Well, in a sense yes, I have been really enjoying a lot of synth heavy productions in general, be it Legowelt, or Gatekeeper, Model Man or Games or Protect-U so I have been quite influenced... if this actually translated in a different sound I am not sure, you'll have to judge by yourself once the next records come out... You haven't exactly been sitting in obscurity for the past couple years - there are many wonderful interviews and mixes of yours that dazzle the internet. Could you just say a few words about the mix you've made for use and what its about? Yea, as much as I am a sucker for producers who have an air of mystique about them I resolved to be myself when it comes to how to present myself to the press or whatever, without artifice, so I don't shy away from interviews or from podcasts, when I have stuff to give I don't hold back. This mix was a bit of a step back after my last two mixes where I did explore more techno and hybrid dubstep textures (see my mix on Soundcloud "afterhours" and my recent podcast on ISM). I wanted to return to the themes I have been playing with all year, namely mixing old and new music, trying to draw connection lines between ancient Orb remixes and the current deep house trends, between old Lidell Townsell acid classics and the new breed of acid producers like 2 AM FM and generally juxtaposing producers from different years and from styles to highlight the diversity and depth electronic dance music has. How do you plan on closing out the year? Any plans, regrets or resolutions? Oh no plans, I have stopped making plans. We'll see what happens. 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. DJ Yoav B - Peace [Syncrophone] 2. OM Unit - Lavender [All City Records] 3. Jay Simon - Faith [Wild Oats] 4. Kazino - Binary [Strut] 5. 52nd Street - Cool As Ice [Factory] 6. ESP - It's You [Underground] 7. Tony V - Trackin' Down The House (Never Change) [Sample Records] 8. Keichi Suzuki - Satellite Serenade (The Orb's Transasian Express Remix) [WAU / Mr. Modo Records] 9. Storm Queen - Look Right Through [Environ] 10. John Heckle - Ancient Deep [Signals] 11. Innerzone Orchestra - Bug in the Bassbin [Mo Wax] 12. Chicken Lips - Do It Proper (Maurice Fulton Remix) [Kingsize] 13. Terrence Dixon - Climb (Orlando Voorn Remix) [Nightvision] 14. T. Williams - Go In [Local Action] 15. Chicago Shags - Westside [Bunker Records] 16. Storm Queen - It Goes On [Environ] 17. Lidell Townsell (feat Kool Rock Steady) - I'll Make You Dance [TRAX Records] 18. 2 AM FM - Desolate Cities [M>O>S Recordings] 19. Reel by Real - Freedom From What [a.r.t.less] 20. Space Dimension Controller - Usurper [R & S Records] <img src="http://payload8.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2464720/Lerosa.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload8.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2464720/Lerosa_o.jpg" data-mid="12425104" border="0" align="left"/> http://madelikeatree.com/mlat58-Wall-of-Sound http://madelikeatree.com/following/madelikeatree.com/mlat58-Wall-of-Sound Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:18:13 +0000 Made Like a Tree - Podcast Series 2326069 [Seattle, USA. November 17th, 2011] Our favorite music shop here in Seattle is Wall of Sound, and it has been for quite some time. Having delivered quality and carefully catered music to the city of Seattle for over 20 years, the shop and its owners are living cultural treasures to us here. We're honored to have the shop deliver a snippet of their genius of the MLAT podcast series for everyone to enjoy (mixed by Lioncub). &#9835; mlat58 - Wall of Sound.mp3 http://files.madelikeatree.com/Audio/podcasts/mlat58%20-%20Wall%20of%20Sound.mp3 There are two gentlemen that own and run Wall of Sound (Jeffery & Michael). Jeffery, the bearded maven of the two, has chosen to classify each track in his mix in the abstract: 1) Welcome To Magic City. 2) Dinner Music. 3) Brains, Let's Eat. 4) Groovy Limbs Too. 5) Soy Bean Hostages. 6) Rare Dylan Hairs. 7) You Can Be Punk. 8) Grits & Collard Greens 9 ) Cabbage Funk. 10) Oh Shit. 11) Robot Love. 12) Bedtime In The Stars. 13) What Do You Really Know? 14) Digital Failures Included*** Unreleased nugget. 15) How To Do It. 16) Kills Me Every Time. 17) Oh Yes. Uh Huh. 18) Lay It On Thick. 19) Lay It On Think. 20) Lay On It. 21) Get Laid. 22) Sing It Larry. 23) Dream Salute. 24) I Know We Can. 25) Sweet Dreams. Could you indulge us with a (brief) history of your Wall of Sound shop? How long have you been in business? We recently turned 21 years old. Now we can grow long hair, drink beer and freak out. How are things currently going? If things as we know them are considered carefully and then compared to other greater and more important things in general then things as we know them seem to be going okay. People could always buy more records though! Who is responsible for how the shop works? It's a two man operation; myself and Michael Ohlenroth. We put in equal parts toward how the shop functions. We try as best we can to keep up with it! What has been your experience/perspective with the the business since the birth of Napster and the mass pirating of digital media? Music retail took a rather large hit across the board starting in the mid to late 90s. Including us. We have managed to survive due in parts to our smaller scale, determined nature and our esoteric approach to how we stock the store. Now everyone has a million songs on their hard drive or whatever and that's fine. As long as people remember that they need an extra music surprise every now and then. Going to your local record store (if you're lucky enough to have one) is the perfect way to find something you were not expecting. Always remember to go to the record store! It's fun! It's important! Go to the the record store and try something new on for size and you'll be better for it! What about at the heart of all of this... how is the music? Are you excited about new music that is made and being made available today? The music is great. It keeps going and it keeps us going. We wouldn't do it otherwise. It is vast. It is constant. It is difficult to keep up with. It's new. It's old. It's the best thing ever. It's why we're here. Hear? Could you talk a little bit about your podcast? It's just some stuff I've had on rotation around the house. I hope you all enjoy it! What does the future hold for you and your provision of quality music for the city of Seattle? We love doing what we do and we keep trying as best we can. We have a lot of good friends and customers and that keeps us going. We hope to continue to win more good friends and customers in the years to come. The cravings of the record hounds still persist and as long as they exist so shall we. Thanks! 1. Right-click + save a copy of this podcast 2. Follow what we do via Facebook 3. Subscribe in iTunes / RSS 1. Sun Ra - Medicine for a Nightmare [El Saturn] 2. Lamb - Hawaii [unknown] 3. Nico Fidenco - Resurrection [Lucertola Media] 4. Tony Mottola - Guitar Thing [Project 3] 5. Captain Beefheart - My Human Gets Me Blues [Revenant] 6. Hendrix - Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window [unreleased live version] 7. Warsaw - unknown [pre Joy Division demos] 8. Funkadelic - Funky Woman [unknown] 9. Polanie - Nie Zawroce [unknown] 10. Little Ed & The Soundmasters - Its a Dream [Numero Group] 11. Girls Tape Store - Melt [Sucre] 12. Sun Ra - Advice to Medics [El Saturn] 13. White Noise - Love Without Sound [Island] 14. AFCGT - Suitcase [Unreleased] 15. Creations Unlimited - Chrystal Illusion [Soul Kitchen / Numero] 16. Post Industrial Boys - Melon [Max Ernst] 17. Ron Buford - Deep Soul (Part 2) [BGP] 18. Jimi Hendrix - Level [Astan] 19. Curtis Mayfield - Think [Curtom] 20. Alice Coltrane - Turiya and Ramakrishna [Impulse!] 21. Blo - Chant to Mother Earth [Strut] 22. Jimi Hendrix & Larry Lee - Mastermind [Experience Hendrix] 23. Sonny Sharrock - Who Does She Hope to Be? [Axiom] 24. Pastor T. L. Barrett And The Youth For Christ Choir - Like a Ship [Numero] 25. Bhattacharya & Brozman - Lullabye [Riverboat] <img src="http://payload1.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2326069/Wall of Sound.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload1.cargocollective.com/1/3/122604/2326069/Wall of Sound_o.jpg" data-mid="11676263" border="0" align="left"/>