Community Matters: Recent Episodes

Grey Matter

Community Matters is about the power of music community. We chat with artists who share their stories on how other people impact their music. A supportive community is one of the things that inspires artists to start making music and then keep making it — this is an ode to those relationships.

Community Matters is a production of Grey Matter. Grey Matter is a social music app with expressive ways to share, discover, & support the music you love.

We are: - a community layer on top of existing streaming platforms. - a public benefit corporation, owned & operated by artists.

Come on through!

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Dicky Trisco is a DJ and music producer who lives and breathes what he does. His passion for music and desire for good times is well known. He has spent years chasing that sound and that feeling around the globe as an international DJ. For him DJing is all about people. He is addicted to the way music connects people and makes for better days.

Dicky really broke through as a DJ and producer in the Nu Disco/Disco Revival years from around 2004. In particular, his run of DJ edit, original and remix releases alongside Balearic House hero Pete Herbert on Disco Deviance and Maxi Discs led to him becoming an increasingly in demand DJ with a busy international touring schedule. He is also rumoured to be the force behind the rather legendary Secret Squirrel vinyl only imprint. But who knows??? It’s a secret.

Since those early days, Dicky has toured constantly around Asia, Australia, Central/South America, USA, Europe and the UK sharing the music and the sound he loves. He has also become a regular at a long list of high profile festivals including the legendary Glastonbury, Electric Elephant, Mareh, Love International, Festival No 6 and many more.

Dicky is also a mainstay of the local scene in his hometown of Dundee, Scotland where he was a resident of the infamous ‘Small Town Club’ aka Reading Rooms for over a decade. At nights like Autodisco, Disco Deviance, A Night With and Non Stop, he learned his trade playing alongside many of his heroes and legendary DJs from around the world such as Andrew Weatherall, Optimo, Rahaan, Jazzie B, Horse Meat Disco, Farley Jackmaster and many more.

Dicky also ran and curated the well-respected House music label Home Taping Is Killing Music for many years putting out a run of amazing releases. Home Taping broke a number of great House artists who have gone on to become household names in the scene including The Blessed Madonna, The Revenge, Nicholas, Borrowed Identity, Eddie C & Medlar amongst others.

Dicky continues to discover, produce and remix music for a number of quality imprints including Razor-N-Tape, File Under Disco, Home Taping, Barefoot Beats, Nervous Records and many more. He has also remixed major artists such as Bryan Ferry, Belle & Sebastian, L’Impératrice, Edwyn Collins (Orange Juice), Danielle Baldelli, Faze Action, The Orielles, Golden Dawn Arkestra and Tensnake down in his basement studio.

Most recently Dicky has been creating original music alongside NYC music machine JKriv under the name Sentimental Animals for the Razor-N-Tape imprint. Their Love Vibration EP was very well received by disc jockeys around the world and has been played by the likes of Craig Charles who made it one of his Tracks of 2021 on his BBC Radio 6 Funk & Soul show.

Dicky became a resident DJ at Pikes in Ibiza in the summer of 2023 playing in every area - poolside, terrace, Freddies, bathtub - in this legendary club.

He also kick started a monthly radio show out of Ibiza called International Sounds on OpenLab Radio where he showcases the music he discovers, makes and plays while travelling around the globe.

As a disc jockey, DT packs a little bit of everything into his sets of International Sounds and is committed to the idea that music and club nights should be all about escapism, joy and togetherness.

As Dicky says love and dancing is what we need.

Amen to that.

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www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr037-dicky-trisco

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Chris Corsano (b. 1975, USA) is a New York-based drummer who has been active at the intersections of collective improvisation, free jazz, avant-rock, and experimental music since the late 1990's. He's been the rim-batterer of choice for some of the greatest contemporary purveyors of "jazz" (Joe McPhee, Paul Flaherty, Mette Rasmussen, Zoh Amba) and "rock" (Sir Richard Bishop, Bill Orcutt, Jim O'Rourke), as well as artists beyond categorization (Björk for her Volta album and world tour, Michael Flower, Okkyung Lee). The Guardian has called him "one of the world's great drummers."

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www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr036-chris-corsano

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Under the alias Daedelus, Alfred Darlington has been an instigator of electronic music culture for the past 20+ years. A fore-figure of Los Angeles' Beat Scene they have released over 20+ LPs, countless EPs, remixes, and additional productions on labels such as Ninja Tune, WARP, Brainfeeder, and more. As a performer they're synonymous with controllers, from the Monome to computer-free modular, and have played over 1,000+ shows on 6 continents at venues ranging from the underground Low End Theory to festival mainstages such as Coachella.

A founding dj at Dublab, founding faculty member for the Berklee College of Music's EDI (Electronic Digital Instrument) program, and S.E.T.I. artist in residence.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: ⁠https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Tristra is Chief Strategy Officer at rock paper scissors, the music innovation PR agency, as well as co-host of the Music Tectonics podcast.

An experienced writer and PR strategy generator, she has two decades of experience working across a broad range of industries and a doctorate that dealt with the history of the performing arts in Siberia and Mongolia. She's passionate about cross-cultural stories, sounds from all over, and insights into tech, science, and society. That passion has translated into thousands of media placements for clients, including in major publications around the world. She loves writing stuff so much, she also does it in her spare time, resulting in four novels.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr034-tristra-newyear-yeager

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Jing Yi Teo is a curator, writer and strategist. Her work focuses on seeking new formats, understandings and alliances for creative practices, resulting in more systematically propositional bodies of work. From 2019–2022 she led ArtBizTech, an innovation and strategy consultancy and incubator, whilst serving as Curator of bang. Prix, its non-profit arm that supports practices that intersect art, technology and science. Her approach bridging the theoretical and the applied spans various fields, from contemporary art and music to emerging tech and start-ups. She is currently building Outlyr-e, a distributed strategy practice aiming to create the conditions for creative thought applied to organizations in the arts.

Armen Nalbandian is an avant-garde and experimental composer and pianist whose practice seeks to expand the possibilities of sound and performance through spontaneous group composition, prepared piano and Fender Rhodes, and electronically layered improvisations. With 23 albums over 17 years, Armen has performed and recorded with Chris Corsano, Jeff Parker, Alex Cline, Steve Lehman, Han Bennink, Uchihashi Kazuhisa, Makigami Koichi and other notable musicians, whilst pursuing multidisciplinary collaborations with writers, visual and performance artists. In 2023, Armen co-founded the distributed strategy practice Outlyr-e, with the objective of exploring ‘other ways’ of championing the arts.

MUSIC MENTIONS

  • Giuseppe Verdi
  • Giacomo Puccini
  • Frank Sinatra
  • Tony Bennett
  • Thelonius Monk
  • Ornette Coleman
  • John Coltrane
  • Jeff Parker
  • Chris Speed
  • Alex Klein
  • Eric Revis
  • Dave King
  • The Bad Plus
  • Chris Corsano

Spontaneous Composition & the Avant Garde ethos (28:55):

  • Johann Sebastian Bach
  • Johannes Brahms
  • Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Cecil Taylor
  • John Cage
  • Karlheinz Stockhausen
  • Roman Kyn

Q&A

  • Glenn Gould

Discovering music today (49:19):

  • Thom Yorke
  • NTS Radio
  • Jim O’Rourke

First album ever purchased (53:20):

  • Armen: “License to Ill” by Beastie Boys
  • Jing: “For Emma, Forever Ago” by Bon Iver

Most recent album purchased (57:18):

  • “Spectral Evolution” by Rafael Toral

Artists discovered in the last year (57:18):

  • Catherine Lamb
  • Laurel Halo
  • Kali Malone

Desert Island Discs (58:38):

  • “Shutting Down Here” by Jim O’Rourke
  • “Spectral Evolution” by Rafael Toral
  • “Ashioto / Ashiato“ by Tatsuhisa Yamamoto

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Michelle Lhooq is a writer who, by some combination of tenacity and youthful stupidity, decided to make a career out of being really, really good at partying. She was born in Singapore, an anti-hedonic country that William Gibson famously called “Disneyland with the death penalty,” and growing up under its extreme restrictions on assorted freedoms made her obsessed with drugs and nightlife like a bad kink. These days, like every romantic-turned-cynic, she prefers complaining loudly about the vanities of the rave scene – although when she is in a good mood, she also sometimes throws her own psychedelic parties in Los Angeles, where she is currently based. Her work has been published in The Guardian, New York Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, and her gonzo newsletter Rave New World.

MUSIC MENTIONS

  • Showtek
  • Broken Social Scene
  • Metric
  • Ed Banger Records
  • Uffie
  • Dorian Electron
  • Burial
  • “Untrue” album by Burial
  • deadmau5
  • Crookers
  • Boyz Noise
  • Baauer
  • Kaskade
  • Armin van Buuren
  • Avicii
  • TYGAPAW
  • Eartheater
  • Physical Therapy
  • Michael Magnet
  • Discwoman
  • The Lot Radio
  • Ministry of Sound

Travels in Asia (24:58):

  • Strange Weather
  • DJ Daniel (SG)
  • obese.dogma777
  • Sai Versailles
  • Endless Return (collective)
  • vangogh666
  • Pawnshop (club in Taiwan)
  • Tsui
  • Adam O
  • Raja Kirik
  • East Forest
  • Bryan Kasenic
  • Paige Emory
  • Leaving Records
  • “Intercommunications” album by Paige Emory
  • Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
  • otodojo

Q&A

  • Resident Advisor
  • Dancing Astronaut
  • The Wire

Discovering music today (53:09):

  • Tone Glow
  • SoundCloud

Desert Island Discs (57:50):

  • “Irisiri” by Eartheater
  • “Healing Is a Miracle” by Julianna Barwick
  • “Orbital 2” by Orbital

Guest recommendations for future episodes (1:03:29):

  • Paige Emory
  • Lil Internet

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Maarten Walraven operates at the intersection of music, technology, communities, and education. He wears many different hats, from Co-CEO at Symphony.live to co-creator of the experiment in scene building, Wild Awake and from teaching at the University of Utrecht to being co-project lead for the Water & Music academy. If you want to follow his thinking, the best place is MUSIC x, the newsletter he co-edits.

MUSIC MENTIONS

  • NOFX
  • Green Day
  • The Offspring
  • Nine Inch Nails
  • 2 Unlimited
  • Ace of Bass
  • Mirrors Festival
  • Merzbow
  • Keiji Haino
  • John Cage
  • Morton Feldman
  • Brian Eno

Q&A

  • Andrew McClusky
  • Music Too
  • “Maximum Overdrive” by 2 Unlimited
  • Nyege Nyege

Discovering music today (21:06):

  • Mary Anne Hobbs
  • BBC Radio 6
  • Opium Hum
  • Hyper Real Radio

First album ever purchased (27:40):

  • “Get Ready!” by 2 Unlimited

Most recent album purchased (28:41):

  • “Piano Reverb” by Jasmine Wood

Artists discovered in the last year (31:12):

  • Iceboy Violet
  • MC Yallah
  • Jalen Ngonda

Desert Island Discs (34:18):

  • “For You Who are the Wronged” by Kathryn Joseph
  • “The Downward Spiral” by Nine Inch Nails
  • “Dekmantel Festival 2017 Mix” by Aurora Halal

Guest recommendations for future episodes (38:40):

  • Tristra Yeager

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Rocco Tyndale has been following an invisible thread surrounding music since he was born, but professionally for over 20 years, leading him in all kinds of interesting directions prior to settling into Design, from music festivals to record labels, and more. In 2016 he founded a small label and artist collective called Subtempo, where he's been releasing forward thinking music, left-field, electronic and genre blurring projects. Everything they do aims to offer you a carefully curated visual and sonic environment to immerse your senses in.

MUSIC MENTIONS

  • Radio 3
  • Najwa Nimri
  • Cesaría Evora
  • The Eagles
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • The Smashing Pumpkins
  • Rage Against the Machine
  • The Prodigy
  • Tricky
  • Massive Attack
  • Portishead
  • Goldie
  • Roni Size

Label inspiration; intersection of Design & Music (9:10):

  • Project Mooncircle
  • Erased Tapes
  • Ghostly International
  • Six Degrees Records

Starting a label - identity and inspiration (13:53):

  • Ninja Tune

Q&A

  • COLORS Studios

Discovering music today (24:57):

  • Spotify
  • Rhythm & Sound

First album ever purchased (27:32):

  • “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd

Most recent album purchased (28:23):

  • “Unfixed” by Barker

Artists discovered in the last year (29:20):

  • Hailey Knox
  • Enny
  • James Vickery

Dream artist to work with (44:30):

  • Lorde

Desert Island Discs (33:17):

  • “Lahai” by Sampha
  • “Actual Life” by Fred Again..
  • “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Guest recommendations for future episodes (36:03):

  • Robot Koch
  • James Drake
  • Synkro

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Cassidy Murphy is a New York based A&R. She was most recently an A&R at Connection Music Publishing, the publishing entity of Glassnote Records. Before joining Connection, Cassidy garnered industry experiencing by managing producers and songwriters, tour managing, and most notably, co-founding a small independent record label, Good Boy Records. She now is an A&R at Live Nation and Element1’s new label venture, where she will be focused on developing talent through the act of touring.

On her own time and with the help of She Is The Music, Kensaltown East, and her friend and collaborator Archana Gopal, Cassidy hosts a yearly songwriting camp to promote community amongst up and coming female and non binary songwriters and producers where they are provided access, tools, and connections to other creatives. The next camp will be held in March.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr029-cassidy-murphy

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Maceo is the Founder of We Them Media, a community-driven media platform featuring the stories and perspectives of POC creators. He is also host of the ‘We Them Niggas’ podcast.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr028-maceo-whatley

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Born in Detroit, raised in London and now based in Kraków, Alex Roth is a composer, guitarist, producer and interdisciplinary collaborator. His diverse body of work encompasses improvised performances; a wide range of concert music from solo to orchestral compositions; scores for dance, theatre and film; leading numerous bands; and producing electronic music. He has worked with some of Europe’s leading experimental musicians, such as John Butcher, Arve Henriksen, Savina Yannatou, Kit Downes, Mikolaj Trzaska and Olga Szwajgier.

Alex leads the acclaimed improvising trio Cut The Sky (with Wacław Zimpel and Hubert Zemler); produces experimental electronic music as Supersigil; co-directs Sephardic music group Sefiroth; and founded the networked ensemble MultiTraction Orchestra, whose critically lauded debut album was hailed by The Guardian as "a remarkable sonic collage by an A-list of international improvisers.”

Alex’s compositions have been recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra and London Sinfonietta, and the 20+ releases in his discography also include collaborations with singer/songwriter Alice Zawadzki, Mercury Prize nominee Laura Jurd's Human Spirit, and Orcadian fiddler/singer/songwriter Catriona Price, among other recordings on labels such as Superpang, Edition, Diatribe and NMC.

Alex is also the founder of multidisciplinary label Zyla, whose inaugural season of releases was curated around his Inpouring EP—a collaboration with experimental cellist Alice Purton—and included poetry, drawing, animation, choreography and videography.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr027-alex-roth

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Born and raised in the greater Bay Area, Pranav has spent the majority of his career working in San Francisco as a non-profit impact consultant specializing in behavioral design. In his spare time, he moonlights as a freelance music journalist, with regular bylines at Stereogum; Vinyl Me, Please; and Passion of the Weiss, among other publications. The through-line spanning the various dimensions of his career is to create greater space and opportunities in our communities and media for underrepresented voices.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr026-pranav-trewn

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

High-school singer-songwriter turned furniture designer, turned product designer, turned tech founder. As co-founder and CEO of Sona, Laura is driven to redesign the systems of value & discovery so that more artists can own what they do and do what they love.

Prior to founding Sona, Laura worked in product and design at some of the leading projects at the vanguard of online community. She remains an active advisor and investor at the intersection of music, technology and the creator economy.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr025-laura-jaramillo

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Professionally Sean’s racked up knowledge in major label A&R, artist management, and data science. But that is all second to being a music fan, collecting records, going to shows, and jamming.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr024-sean-mishra

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

David Moses’ music explores territories such as euphoria, yearning, and deep listening through electronic driven improvisation, field recordings, and granular synthesis. His debut solo album "Carrier" is available on cassette and all listening platforms.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr023-david-moses

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Native Angeleno Jacqueline Racquel Vaca wears many hats.

She’s a magical milliner, a wardrobe wizard, a passionate dancer, a classically trained singer, and a careful curator.

Blending experiences & techniques, she draws inspiration from nature, travel, classic cinema, history and people’s rights movements, emerging science and technology, and of course her stylish friends.

She works with Leaving Records, LA beloved all-genre record label on community initiatives, and leads as the director of community for blockchain Polygon.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

A core contributor to The LexDAO Legal Engineering Guild, Kyle heads the business development and founded LexClinic, the apprenticeship DAO within the Lex+ family training the next generation of legal engineers and crypto-lawyers with on-the-job experience. He is also one of the co-founders of LexBlock, which is a consultation and project management solution for legal engineering, spun out of LexDAO to meet critical but unaddressed demand.

Kyle has a background in enterprise music rights management, and is an avid polymath, focusing on scaling the legal engineering profession via scientific & mathematical rigor, automation & disintermediation, and code-is-law. He enjoys rock climbing and running as well as singing, playing guitar and picking mandolin.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr021-kyle-smith

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

Ben Frigeri is a highly regarded voice in the evolving relationship between music, technology and the internet. Based in New York, and with notable contributions across A&R, management and discovery, his work explores the inherent nuances of digital expression and the broader impact technology has had on our relationship to music today.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr020-ben-frigeri

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4

In 2010, Eric started DJing and producing electronic music, shortly before co-founding a bass music collective in his hometown of Tampa, FL. Since then he's produced and done marketing for shows and festivals around central Florida, in Boulder, CO, and Dayton, OH (where he lives now). He’s also a core Grey Matter contributor.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr019-eric-almeida

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Sarah is a multidisciplinary creative professional with a long history in independent music scenes. Her background includes creative direction, marketing strategy, digital consulting, music industry research and writing, live music photography, and dabbling in online music zines and DIY record labels.

Originally from Portland, she currently resides in DFW, TX by way of Memphis, TN, with many stops in between. She's particularly drawn to projects focusing on underground counterculture and socioeconomic matters for the creative working class.

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www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr018-sarah-lareau

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Black Dave is a recording artist, producer, engineer & artist focusing on both traditional and non-traditional means of promoting his work. Having established himself through the use of blockchain & NFT tech, Dave is known to be a multidisciplinary creative citing anime, rap, hardcore rock, streetwear & sneaker culture as influences. As a child, he spent many years unknowingly watching anime with his grandmother before formally discovering it through the cult anime, Berserk.

A proud native of Charleston, SC, Black Dave played bass and produced in several bands ranging from punk to metalcore, moving to rap music in 2014 with his first mixtape, Owl Eyes Part 2. His music experiments with creating an intersection at rap, rock and lo-fi. In 2020, he recorded and released a 3-song EP each month. Since 2021, Black Dave has been placing a lot of focus in web3 and NFT technology, creating art, music and experiences using the technology, making the NFT 100 list in 2022 among many other successes.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

C.Y. Lee grew up in Boston where he studied music, architecture, and computer science. He started with piano and cello, then migrated to DJing and college radio in the late 80s, amassing a huge collection of vinyl and CDs.

His career is rooted in 80s college radio, 90s PC software, 00s Internet, and 10s social apps. He is currently collaborating with artists, scenes, and platforms to create new ways to narrate & finance the artist’s creative process via NFTs.

His intention is to foster a culture where fans enthusiastically support independent artists via new forms of patronage.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Like many, Montrey started his musical education while engaged in playing classical music in school. What began as a simple adolescent activity, quickly transformed into a deep love and appreciation for all forms of music.

This love would continue to grow into his adulthood and manifested itself into the form of becoming a Co-Founder of EARMILK. This online music publication has become his outlet to spread all genres of music to those impressionable people, much like himself.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.
Lani Trock is an interdisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. Bridging the physical - through participatory, improvisational music & movement, inside sculptural, immersive installations - with the virtual - through archival research, digital gardens, & experimental audiovisuals, this work is made in service of our planetary evolution into biosphere consciousness. This way of seeing is grounded in the understanding that everything is alive, has spirit, and that together, we all coexist as an interconnected, symbiotic organism. In this interwoven worldview, all aspects are honored as sacred, and equally essential for their unique contribution to the collective whole. This perspective creates an impetus to reorient our societal systems towards collective wellbeing. Here lives her central intention, to make art that touches spirit, transforms consciousness, and manifests peace on earth.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Passionate about slow tempo, electronic music and provoking new experiences to his very own audience using his sniper curatorship skills, the so to call Guga Roselli is a music picker, mastermind of the labels Mareh Music and Barefoot Beats and event producer of MAREH's projects including Mareh NYE, Marisco Festival, Babel party and more. Natural habitat: shaking the dancefloors, if not running crazy in the backstage of his own events.

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Stephanie Guerrero, a veteran in the music industry, has shaped standards at major labels for over a decade. With executive roles at Universal Music Group, Sony Music, Tellie, and Spanish Broadcasting System, she's also a Web3 leader, excelling in content, digital promotion, and campaign strategy.

Working with notable projects like Decent.xyz, she advises at Legato, empowering artists with monetization tools. Stephanie founded Goat for Mars, aiding artists in Web3 transition and NFT exploration. Her event and speaking skills, seen at Miami NFT Week, SXSW, web3 Creator Summit and GRAMMY U. She is currently the cohost of Appetite for Distraction with Maarten Walraven.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Raised in Pittsburgh as the sidekick to a fashionable 90's raver by the nickname of DKNY Caroline, Dianna gained her first exposure to electronic music and was hooked.

As a teenager she got involved in the dance community and started doing promotion for local crews, which led her into studying public relations at American University.

Following a stint at PAPER, and overseeing community at Soho House's three New York locales, Dianna co-founded Mizz Softee, a Brooklyn-based underground party brand with an emphasis on techno genres. In addition, she's building The Creamery, a boutique artist booking agency.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Brodie Conley (he/him) is an Ottawa-based music industry professional and artist with diverse experience in research, artist management, and community music initiatives, as well as government program and policy development.

Currently, he works as a researcher at the Center for Music Ecosystems, and also consults for research organization, Water & Music, where he explores the intersections of music and technology.

In the past, Brodie worked in artist management (Andy Shauf / Lido Pimienta / Ada Lea) and as the Festival Manager for the MEGAPHONO Music Festival, which provided opportunities for Ottawa-region artists to cultivate new knowledge and catalyze export opportunities.

Brodie is a motivated advocate for Canadian independent music and hopes to continue to support knowledge development for emerging and underserved artists. He is a proud board member for the Ottawa-based independent and underground music presenter Debaser.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Xcelencia is both a founder and artist working at the intersection of music, technology, and culture. Born in Puerto Rico with Cuban roots, he grew up in the United States, where his cross-cultural upbringing shaped his distinctive musical identity. He’s also a devoted cratedigger with broad-reaching music taste.

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https://www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr009-xcelencia

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Tim Shiel is a musician & broadcaster based in Naarm/Melbourne, known for his playful future-facing production style that draws inspiration from across dance, electronic, hip hop & pop. His open-minded approach has attracted diverse collaborators over the years including Genesis Owusu, Close Counters, Komang and Flight Facilities and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. His former lives include touring globally in Gotye's live band (including shows at Coachella, Sydney Opera House, SNL & many more); composing soundtracks for critically acclaimed indie games Duet and The Gardens Between; various radio roles at national stations triple j & Double J, plus Melbourne's iconic public radio station 3RRR FM. As a music curator, he has focused primarily on championing underrepresented and adventurous cross-genre music from Australia and around the world. He is also an passionate advocate for artist mental health & for how music communities can help people adapt positively to a rapidly changing society. He is currently the host of Double J's daily afternoon program, and is actively touring and releasing music with Chinese-born guzheng virtuoso Mindy Meng Wang 王萌.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Mark is an artist, technologist and community builder based in Los Angeles, CA. He is currently Head of Community at Songcamp. Most recently, he started Club Pacific, a vinyl DJ collective sharing eclectic finds IRL and online.

Be sure to check out Song Camp (song.camp)

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

As a bassist in the band Moot back in early-’80s NYC, Bruce Tantum’s formative years were spent soaking up club culture in such hallowed halls as Mudd Club, Pyramid and Danceteria. Later in the decade, his time spent in those downtown dance dens, and those that that followed, inspired him to get step into the DJ booth — and over the ensuing years, he's played at pretty much any club willing to have him, as well as at more dingy basement parties than he can remember.

For over two decades, Bruce has served as a music journalist, toiling for Time Out NY (where he served as the longtime Clubs editor), Resident Advisor, Red Bull Music Academy, XLR8R, Mixmag and more. He currently holds it down as North American editor of DJ Mag, while still heeding the call of the decks for the occasional night of record-spinning fun.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Ben Steidel is a DJ, musician, and co-owner of Brooklyn Record Exchange. Originally from San Francisco, he spent nearly 10 years working at Amoeba Music before relocating to Brooklyn with his band Lemonade. He opened his first store Co-op 87 Records in Greenpoint in 2011, which was re-named Brooklyn Record Exchange upon opening their Bushwick location in 2019. He's a passionate record collector and music head spanning a wide variety of genres and has been a resident DJ at The Lot Radio since 2016.

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Having founded Crack in the Road one of the leading independent tastemaking blogs of the 2010s, Josh has spent the past decade working across A&R and management. He's also currently part of the core team at next generation music marketplace Serenade. He's a big believer in supporting artist independence, and fighting for a fairer creative economy for all.

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www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr004-josh-dalton

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Mark is a Glasgow-based musician and software engineer, as well as the a co-founder of Grey Matter and the Crate Coalition. Previously he headed up software engineering for an international financial services company, but music is his first passion. For the past five years, he’s been running two music labels (Future Archive Recordings and {int}erpret null), touring on and off as a musician and working as a recording engineer.

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www.greymatter.fm/community/ftr003-mark-mcglinchey

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Kaitlyn Davies is a Canadian based in Lisbon, where she works and collaborates at the forefront of music and technology. She explores this nexus through research, facilitation and community organizing alongside her co-founded collective CO:QUO. She's the Membership lead @ FWB and she does Curatorial Partnerships @ Refraction – both of which are prominent culture DAOs, or decentralized autonomous organizations. She also hosts radio shows on Refuge Worldwide and Cashmere Radio.

MUSIC MENTIONS

Early Days

  • Much Music (Canada) (4:34)

Dance / Techno Music Across Cities

  • Berghain (club in Berlin) (9:52)
  • Panorama Bar House (Berlin) (10:09)
  • Lux Fragil (Lisbon Club) (10:53)
  • Arroz Estúdios (Lisbon Club) (11:21)
  • Vago (Lisbon Cocktail bar / club) (11:40)

Discovering Music

  • NTS (radio) (14:00)
  • SoundCloud (14:45)
  • Spotify (14:45)
  • Bandcamp (15:21)
  • Amor Records (Record Shop Lisbon) (16:48)
  • Flur (Record Shop Lisbon) (17:35)
  • Honest Johns (Record Shop London (17:40)
  • Hardwax (Record Shop Berlin) (17:40)

Three important artists from the past year?

  • Nourished by time - Erotic Probiotic 2 (18:42)
  • Arthur Russell (reference) (19:02)
  • Sampha (reference) (19:05)
  • Alabaster DePlume (London) (19:47)
  • George Riley (UK) (20:46)
  • Ans (producer collaborator) (20:57)
  • Kelela (reference) (21:00)

Most under-appreciated artist from your favorite music decade?

  • Arthur Russell (21:50)
  • Kelela (22:56)

Desert island discs?

  • Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds (25:03)
  • Jon Hassell - Vernal Equinox (25:35)
  • Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 (25:48)

Who should be on For the Record?

  • Timi - optimo club night in Glasgow, DJ, label called wrong island (29:05)

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For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.

Lauren is the Marketing Manager and a resident DJ at the Brooklyn club, Good Room.

MUSIC MENTIONS

‍First Record

Happy House by The Juan MacClean

Dance Music

  • Human Head Records ($2 bins)
  • The Good Room
  • Joy & The Loft (disco parties)
  • Lauren Gilet + Laura Morín: L&L(&L) Record Club
  • Love Games (her party happening on Wednesdays)
  • Wayne Harriett
  • Prince Language
  • JD Sampson from Le Tigre
  • Finn Jones (co-host of Love Games)
  • Party Dad

Music Community Shoutouts

  • Sydney music community at large, especially promoters:
  • Picnic
  • Mad Racket
  • Astral People

Three important artists in the past year?

  • Amy Douglas
  • Eachother (Justin Strauss & Max Pask)
  • Dee Diggs

Most under-appreciated artist from your favorite musical era?

  • 1976-1984
  • The Montreal duo, Lime

Desert island discs?

  • Cut Copy - Bright Like Neon love
  • Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
  • ICEHOUSE (fka Flowers) - Icehouse

Who should be on For the Record?

  • Ben Steidel (Lemonade) + Brooklyn Record Exchange

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"I think, I really think and hope—I hope that there is a vaccine for the coronavirus within the next six months to a year. And I also hope there's a vaccine to the music industry."

Haley Fohr is a composer and singer-songwriter based in Chicago. You may know her as Circuit des Yeux or as the enigmatic Jackie Lynn, and if you don’t, once you’ve heard her sing you won’t forget her. Her voice has a lovely, haunting timbre that glides between four octaves, and she’s exceptional at relating her personal experience to the human condition at large—an ability that’s earned her a cover appearance on Wire Magazine and much critical acclaim for her records.

She and I discussed how her early music communities in Bloomington and Chicago helped form her identity as an artist, and how that identity continues to evolve amidst her two projects. We also examined the disparity between art and capitalism, and how this COVID moment is further elucidating the incongruity between the two, highlighting inadequate payout models that don't get money to the people actually creating the art. But the silver lining is that it’s inspired innovation for alternative support structures, and those have allowed Haley and others to discover the crucial kindness of benevolent strangers. Press that play button for the full story.

Support Haley:Bandcamp

**Music in this episode, used with permission from Haley:

‍**"Do the Dishes" — Circuit des Yeux

"Brainshift" — Circuit des Yeux

"Fantasize the Scene" — Circuit des Yeux

"Bright Lights" — Jackie Lynn

"Black Fly" — Circuit des Yeux

"Paper Bag" — Circuit des Yeux

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“The goal of the pianist is to bring life to the piano. And the piano has been waiting all its life long for someone to come and bring it life, bring it light. Let it sing, even for a few moments."

Lubomyr Melnyk is a composer and pianist of Ukrainian origin. He plays what he calls continuous music, a style whose rigorous technique shares commonality with martial arts. He's regarded as the world’s fastest piano player, capable of playing 19 and a half notes per second. It’s a skill that’s enabled him to create singular musical landscapes, where sound appears to come in swathes rather than individual notes. He’s been at it for more than sixty years and despite his superlative skill and beautiful compositions, he hasn't gotten much attention until very recently. He and I chatted about the three communities that have most informed his approach to music -- the classical music world, the dance world, and the hippie movement — and the happiness that stems from people finally starting to appreciate his astonishing art.

Support Lubomyr:

http://www.lubomyr.com/

Music in this episode, used with permission from Lubomyr:

"Parasol" — Lubomyr Melnyk

"Ascension - Korg, Part 1" — Lubomyr Melnyk

"Nightrail from the Sun" — Lubomyr Melnyk

"II" (from KMH) — Lubomyr Melnyk

"Ascension - Korg, Finale" — Lubomyr Melnyk

"The Voice of Trees (Part 1) — Lubomyr Melnyk

"Pockets of Light" — Lubomyr Melnyk

Special thanks to Alexander Frieden and Grace Rubin for the editing support!

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"I try and not get too affected on what's happening around in the industry, or what kind of sound people are expecting, or what kind of music is working right now... I try and remember the 16-year-old self just sitting on the bed with an acoustic guitar, trying to say something." Dagny is a pop artist from Tromso, Norway. She comes from a musical family and began her career in the folk tradition, and then in 2015 she surprised the industry with a breakout pop single called “Backbeat,” which catapulted her into stardom. Today her songs have racked up over 450 million streams worldwide. She’s made Billboard’s 10 Pop Stars To Watch list, she’s been nominated for Songwriter of the Year at Norway’s iteration of the Grammy’s, and she’s worked with a number industry luminaries. 2019 was an especially big year, when Steve Aoki produced her single "Hit Your Heart," and her track “Love You Like That” was used as inspiration by Katy Perry for her hit "Never Really Over," which has nearly 400M streams on its own, all validating Dagny’s skill as a songwriter. When we spoke a few weeks ago, she was a couple days from releasing the first half of her debut LP, Strangers / Lovers. We talked about how she got here, her remarkable transition from folk singer to pop star, and all the communities that supported her along the way.

Support Dagny:

dagnymusic.com

Instagram

Spotify

Music in this episode, used with permission from Dagny:

“Come Over” — Dagny

"Let Me Cry" — Dagny

“Hold on Lucy” — Dagny

“Backbeat” — Dagny

"Tension" — Dagny

“Paris” — Dagny

"Somebody" — Dagny

Special thanks to Alexander Frieden and Grace Rubin for the editing support!

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“They don’t really know that much about me…they have no idea about my Prince history or nothing, you know. I just try to keep it low-key and not say too much.”

Pierre Lewis is a keyboardist who came up in the Twin Cities in the ’70s. It was one of the most important and under-appreciated scenes for funk music, and that spirit was aptly captured in the compilation record, Purple Snow, named for Prince, the Purple One, who hailed from the Twin Cities himself. The album chronicles the history of the scene and features many Prince collaborators, one of whom being Pierre and his band The Lewis Connection. Pierre appears on that compilation more times than any other person — a testament to his skill as a collaborator. He’d later play with KC and the Sunshine Band and Joss Stone, and today he’s still a member of the Commodores. We chatted about his many collaborations, as well as his relationship with Prince, and the rare record he made that includes Prince’s earliest recorded playing.

Support Pierre:

When not in a pandemic, he plays at the Lux every Sunday and Shaw’s every Monday, so check him out next time you’re in the Twin Cities — and you can also find him on keys at every Commodores show.

Music in this episode, used with permission from Pierre:

“Get Up” — The Lewis Connection

“Dynamic Duo” — The Lewis Connection

“Got to Be Something Here” — The Lewis Connection

“Mr. G” — The Lewis Connection

Special thanks to Grace Rubin and Alexander Frieden for the editing support!

Want to sample the Twin Cities funk scene? We can help with that. Grey Matter is a community platform with new ways to discover music, express yourself, and support creators. Learn more and join the community: bit.ly/31iyULI

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"There's been a washing away of that cultural element in music discovery online…there's no sense of authorship as a fan, and there's no interaction with the artist."

Andrew Fox is a musician and songwriter out of New York. Outside of NYC, he's also spent stints in Berlin and Paris, and in his music, the energy of the Berliner techno scene and that romantic Parisian charm are nearly as present as the Brooklyn indie aesthetic that surrounded him when he was coming into his own in the mid-2000s.

Before his most recent record, Shock by Shock, Andrew released music under the moniker, Visuals. The first Visuals EP was produced by Dave Harrington and Nicolas Jaar (together, Dave and Nico make up the band Darkside). The three of them went to school together and remain friends. Andrew's also released music on Nicolas Jaar's Other People label and he opened for Darkside in Berlin on their first tour, deejaying the main room of Berghain, the infamous techno mecca.

We chatted about the artist communities that became his foundation in New York, as well as how the depreciation of music journalism and lack of social tools are negatively affecting online communities. Lots of great tunes throughout, and some insight into Andrew's next release, too.

Support Andrew: www.whoisandrewfox.com

Music in this episode, used with permission from Andrew:

"Shock by Shock" - Andrew Fox

"John Candy" - Andrew Fox

"Matchless" - Andrew Fox

"Big Winner" - Andrew Fox

Special thanks to Alexander Frieden for the editing support!

Want a sense of authorship? Check out our beta: bit.ly/31iyULI

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“You get a sense of who’s important, what’s important, and hopefully people will realize what you had by just being able to go out and see other people, be in a room, and actually be present.”

Scott Lucas is the lead singer and guitarist of Local H, an alt rock band out of Zion, Illinois — a small town about an hour north of Chicago. He and three high school friends founded the group together in 1990, but by 1993, two of them had left and Local H carried on as a duo, with Joe Daniels on drums and Scott playing a modified guitar with an added bass pickup to round out the sound. Brian St. Clair and Ryan Harding would spend stints as Local H’s drummer but Scott, through thick and thin, has persisted through the whole three decades, which has seen nine studio LPs, countless shows — a few of them opening for Metallica — and the commercial breakthrough record, As Good As Dead, which is headlined by single, “Bound for the Floor,” a track that reached number five on the Billboard Modern Rock charts.

We chatted about the influence of a small town identity, the power of persistence, the secret to the exact ratio of toilet paper needed per neighborhood, and Local H’s new record, Lifers, which features an all-star cast, from Juliana Hatfield to John McCauley (Deer Tick) to legendary engineer, Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies, Joanna Newsom, Iggy Pop). It’s the band’s first LP since 2015 and it’s excellent.

Support Local H: www.localh.com/

Music in this episode, used with permission from Scott:

"Bound for the Floor" - Local H

"Hold That Thought" - Local H

"Beyond the Valley of Snakes" - Local H

"High, Wide and Stupid" - Local H

"Winter Western" - Local H

"Defy and Surrender" - Local H

Special thanks to Alexander Frieden for the editing support!

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“The people that I connect with online come from all over the musical world, from contemporary composition, from blues, from free jazz, from rock music, from noise… To me it’s just all music. I’ve never felt those barriers were hard and fast — they were imposed by someone else.” Elliott Sharp has been one of the key figures in the avant-garde and experimental scenes in New York City since the late 1970s. With close to 100 releases spanning jazz, noise, orchestral, no wave, contemporary classical, and electronic music, his career can really only be described as prolific. He studied with icons like Morton Feldman, Roswell Rudd, and Robert Moog. His compositions have been performed by renowned ensembles like the Kronos and FLUX quartets. He’s released music for the alt rock SST label alongside bands like Sonic Youth and Hüsker Dü. He’s collaborated with everyone from jazz legend Jack DeJohnette to Blondie’s Debbie Harry to Wilco’s Nels Cline to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the Pakistani Qawwali singer regarded as having one of the most impressive voices ever recorded.

We chatted about the halcyon ’60s when people thought of all kinds of music as simply music, when genrification didn’t really stratify how we think about what we hear. We also spoke of the evolution of community alongside the emergence of online platforms, and the importance of resonance when it comes to making music and finding others to make it with. And for budding experimental artists, Elliott offered some wisdom into how they can find their people and work toward making a living.

Support Elliott Sharp: www.elliottsharp.com/

Music in this episode, used with permission from Elliott Sharp:The Boreal  (excerpt) -  performed by JACK Quartet

Flexagons (excerpt) - performed by Elliott Sharp and Orchestra Carbon

Port Bou: Words  (excerpt from opera) - performed by Nicholas Isherwood with Jenny Lin, William Schimmel, and Elliott Sharp

Koinoinia - performed by Elliott Sharp on Koll 8-string guitarbass

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“Eventually I got on the microphone, I sang and it was sort of this epiphany, hearing my voice. And that night literally changed my life.” Madison is an independent artist living in New York by way of Miami. She releases music under her own label, G Records, and she’s been featured in numerous tv shows, promos, and commercials. She recently released a trifecta of singles dedicated to female empowerment and her most recent release, the wonder (we are the dreamers), is about the unjust political situation for immigrants in the United States. We talked about her dedication to the underserved, how she uses her voice as a vehicle for empowerment, and the musical night that changed her life forever.

Support Madison: http://noiseofmadison.com/#/

Music in this episode, used with permission by Madison:

"the wonder (we are the dreamers)" - Madison

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Julian Tepper was the bass player in an overlooked band called The Natural History. The band toured around the country in the early oughts and almost made it big. But the band broke up right before the release of their second LP, The People that I Meet, the record that was supposed to (and eventually did) include the original, widely acclaimed song, "Don't You Ever" (made famous by Spoon).

Julian ended up trading music for writing and recently published his third novel, Between the Records, which, among other things, fictionalizes the making of The People That I Meet. In our conversation, we chat about how a songwriting community led to Julian rediscovering his love for music. We also discuss the The Natural History's ongoing relationship with Spoon and what music community looks like in the time of COVID-19.

Support Julian: https://www.juliantepper.com/

Music in this episode, used with permission from Julian Tepper and The Natural History:

"Don't You Ever" - The Natural History

"Ohio Room" - The Natural History

"The People That I Meet" - The Natural History

"The Disassociation" - Julian Tepper

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greymatterfm/message