Episode 135, Some Assembly Required

Episode 135, Some Assembly Required

01 CCC – “Lust Train”
02 Steev Hise – “Beatle pound”
03 People Like Us – “Sugar and Splice”
04 Myeck Waters – “Things to do in Denver when you're on a train”
05 DJ Food – “The Sky At Night”
06 Steve Dirkx – “I believe it”
07 Think Tank – “Baphomet”
08 DJ Earworm – “We need a filthy war”
09 Sudden Head Trauma – “Untitled (track one)”
10 Splatt – “Better'n bread”
11 Kid Koala – “Skanky Panky”
12 Woulds – “Dirty bomb twist”
13 Silica Gel – “S***heel”
14 DJ Danger Mouse – “Encore”


Use this address, for your pod software:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/some-assembly-required/JSpD

SAR Q&A x 2008

Happy New Year... There were over forty artist features uploaded again this year. The list follows, with links to each and every one. Enjoy...

Thanks for listening!
Jon Nelson



The Angel


Wayne Butane


Cassetteboy


Cast of Thousands


Coldcut


Copycat


Brian Joseph Davis


Thomas Dimuzio


Divide and Kreate


Escape Mechanism


DJ EZG


John Fleetham


Gel-Sol


Go Home Productions


Dickie Goodman


Grateful For The Dead


I Cut People


Douglas Kahn


Hugo Keesing


Listen With Sarah


DJ Lobsterdust


Mr. Meridies


Matt Mikas


National Cynical Network


notv


Oh Astro


Bob Ostertag


Owen O'toole


DJ Qbert


DJ Quest


DJ Riko


Tom Roe


Kelly Patrick Ryan


Savage Ohms


Secret Mommy


Social Security


Natasha Spencer


The Square Root Of Evil


Stark Effect


Stunt Rock


team9


Value Village People


David Weir


Want more?
There were over forty Q&As uploaded in 2006, and in 2007 as well. They're all linked to from the bottom of the SAR Interview page, where you'll also find a list of all the phone interviews we've done with SAR artists over the years (most of which are now available to listen to online)...

Check it out HERE.


www.some-assembly-required.net

I Cut People

I Cut People

I Cut People is California's Nicholas Smith. He has 4 records out on his own label, and several with a project called GITAR (with Ellipse Elkshow), including one on the way on the Seeland label, in 2009.

So far, I've only had a chance to play tracks off of his 2008 release, "Dumbed Downers," but the cut-ups there were dense and intense, revealing more and more each time you listen. His site features plenty of mp3s, so try them out for yourself, and take a look at the videos and visual collage while you're there. A sort of anti-drug video, titled "Todd Gamblin" was particularly amusing, I found. Check it out HERE.

Without further ado, here's the SAR Q&A with I Cut People...


*Name: I Cut People

*Are there any additional names used to describe this project: Nope.

*Do you use a pseudonym? Yes.

*Members: Nicholas Matthew Smith

*Founding Members: Me (Nicholas)

*Tape manipulations, digital deconstructions or turntable creations: If I had to pick one, I'd probably choose "digital deconstructions.”

*Another genre descriptor: “Finger pointing music”

*Why you use this descriptor: Woody Guthrie said it about his own music. Also, I usually describe my audio as being more of a literary experience than a musical one. That's how my girlfriend describes it.

*Location: Santa Rosa, CA

*Original Location: Evansville, IN

*What is your creative/artistic background: I started playing geetar and moved onto traditional classical music composition at the age of 19. I studied under David Wyatt in Indiana until I moved to San Francisco, CA to study at the S.F. conservatory of music. After hearing the last track of the Soft Pink Truth's album, “Do You Party,” I was intent on creating a whole album of nothing but cut up voice. I really didn't like all the rules that went along with traditional classical music. I'm not saying that all those rules that I learned went to waste. I still apply a lot of them to the audio I create today. One rule I still use is to never lose the audience's attention. Using this rule causes me to spend the time making sure each sentence cut is important and meaningful. Since moving on from traditional western music, my friend Todd Huber and I have started an artist collective called, buildings building themsel(VS) media machine, that focuses on recycling media. I am also in a group called, GITAR w/Ellipse Elkshow.

*History: I Cut People has been around for about 3 years.

*Born: I was born 7-10-80 in Evansville, IN

*Motivations: I’m motivated by our mental environment. It’s hard not to rearrange all the media that is constantly barking down our throats.

*Philosophy: Unlike a lot of artists who do what I do, I don't really focus too much on copyright. The audio is more about exposing liars.

*How would you like to be remembered: As someone who actually cared.

*Web address: icutpeople.com


www.some-assembly-required.net

Episode 222, Some Assembly Required

Episode 222, Some Assembly Required

01 Go Home Productions - “Kinky Madonna”
02 World's Worst Jukebox - “Say Something”
03 The Throw Up - “aug29b”
04 DJ Marvel - “Turntable Menace”
05 DJ Le Clown - “Sympathy for Sandman”
06 John Doe / 1200 Hobos - “A Knight's Tale (side B)”
07 Escape Mechanism - “Cycles”
08 I Cut People - “Patsy Credit Card Decline (With Ellipse Elkshow)”
09 Antediluvian Rocking Horse - “Long Sweet Dream”
10 Norwegian Recycling - “How Six Songs Collide”
11 Pop Chop - “Comp-elation”
12 DJ Earworm - “United State of Pop”
13 Splinter Test - “Untitled (Track 22, Electric Newspaper - Issue Four)”
14 People Like Us - “Millenium Dome”
15 Greater Than One - “The Ballet Of The 3 Feathered Sardines”


Use this address, for your pod software:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/some-assembly-required/JSpD

Stunt Rock

Stunt Rock

Stunt Rock is an electronic musician and publisher with about ten releases and a zine to his credit. After spending some time reading through some of his Betamax blog, I can also say that in addition to making music, he's a talented and insightful writer as well.

Here's a quote from his myspace page, about himself, which may put his work (and response) into perspective:

My name is [Billy]. I am a musician/performer/f***ing joke. My stage name is/was Stunt Rock. For a while I was also a stand-up comic and prominent illustrator. Most of all though, I am a failure and a worthless human being. I put pointless creative endeavors ahead of familial and financial obligations and used these endeavors to make mockeries of my relationships. As a result I have totally f***ed my life up. There was a time when I believed in what I was doing, I thought that in the end it would all pay off because I would be able to prove to my loved ones (family and women) that I was worth something. Unfortunately, the creative endeavors I ventured on were childish acts of selfishness.

That's just a segment. Check out his myspace page to read more.

Most artists have probably had more than their fair share of dark days, and while most people just struggle privately, Stunt Rock has chosen to incorporate these feelings more directly into his art. Read on to learn more about how one artist is mastering the art of self righteous, self loathing...

By the way, his sound collages are pretty good too!

Without further ado, here's the SAR Q&A with the very talented... Stunt Rock...


*Name: Stunt Rock

*Are there any additional names used to describe this project: REGRET™ Instruction Manual, although that's not really a moniker or name, it's more of a parallel project I work on that sometimes seems to garner a little bit more of an audience. I'm almost thinking I should delete my reply here and move it to the question above. Technically, I guess I would call the whole project Stunt Rock and REGRET™ Instruction Manual. Perhaps I should move this reply to another section altogether. It seems to me the very nature of a fill-in-the-blank interview would pose problems for many people/artists, especially when your primary focus is less traditional forms of expression. I guess I'm losing focus. I make music under the Stunt Rock name. I also produce a very sporadic book called REGRET™ Instruction Manual, of which I am way more proud. Both of these projects are very near and dear to my heart and I'm not good at explaining them to people.

*Do you use a pseudonym? Sometimes I use my real name in the hopes someone would attempt to destroy my credit report, but so far this hasn't proven effective.

*Members: I more recently have begun working with a few friends, but "Stunt Rock" is me for the most part. And it's just me that does the book, except for my proofreader/editor who is also my guitarist when I need it… Hey, I get it! This is neat! It's like those emails my aunt sends around in which people answer by-the-numbers questions to tell you things you didn't know about them. Do you need to know my social security number, as well? That guy from that bank in Nigeria needed it and when I gave it back to him I never heard anything back. [Billy] is me, but I'm kind of in a predicament here because in the previous answer I clearly indicated I have some friends with whom I occasionally work, but I don't really want to list them and give them too much credit, you know?

*Founding Members: Getting back to me, it's seriously really just me. I'm starting to think maybe I should skip this question or delete it, but I don't know if there's some type of strict format I am supposed to be following. Like, does this go into a PHP style sheet, or is it just CSS? I'll assume I need to reply. I, [Billy], am the founding member, but I wouldn't say I really set out to start some type of band, or anything. Initially I wanted to embarrass my family and spurn people I didn't like. That's not really a "founding," though. Man, can I change the question a little to suit my answer better? I really wish I was more popular/mediocre so I could qualify for a telephone interview like DJ Spooky.

*Tape manipulations, digital deconstructions or turntable creations: Uh … something to do with me, my Betamax, my drinking problem(s), isolation. That's not really a term, though. You're looking for buzzwords, I can tell. This question is probably only here so you can try to coin new music terms before anyone else. Can I just go with "Betamax?" Sounds like: Betamax. I always thought the term "ear-rape" was funny, but I realize a majority of the people into obscure electronic music usually have some type of issue with rape, stemming from either guilt about being involved in some type of unmentioned sexual encounter with a questionably coherent partner, or as a victim of something similar at the hands of "that uncle I haven't seen since I was child." Regardless, I try to steer away from such things.

*Another genre descriptor: I was seriously just going to copy and paste replies from your website into each of these questions and see if you noticed. Get it? That would be like Plunderphonics! Instead of typing my own replies, I Mash-Up other artist replies! I f***ing hate my life. More than that I hate people trying to justify their s****y music with artistic words they make up.

*Why you use this descriptor: I really have never even tried to articulate what it is I am making. In fact, I can't even really stand when people try to do this, let alone have a four question section trying to get me to come up with something. I hate it even more, though, when people call it "art." I just thought of a new question idea: Ask people how they came up with their name. I don't have an interesting story about that, but I just thought of it and maybe it would be good. You don't even have to give me credit, which is a common thing amongst artists making obscure electronic music.

*Location: Zion, Illinois.

*Original Location: I'm from unfulfilled promises, disappoinment, and resentment.

*What is your creative/artistic background: Did not complete 2-year degree in art.

*History: Mother's basement to present, so, approximately 10 years, but I only lived in my mom's basement for half that time.

*Born: Late 1970s. Zion.

*Motivations: I drink alone a lot. I don't actually like many of my friends and my dislike of those with whom I surround myself motivates my music. Also, fear of dying, and fear of being suffocated by debt. I guess that's what motivates me to go to my real job. I have no motivation when I make art. I used the word "art!" Hypocrite! For five minutes in 1998 I thought I might get a blow job out of it, so that was very motivating, but I almost instantly realized that wouldn't be happening. Sometimes, once in a great while, I get motivated knowing something I create might make the vast majority of my music peers jealous because they don't have enough talent to do something themselves. Usually they just steal (sorry, Plunderfy™) the idea and dumb it down for audiences that live in Europe or on either coast of the US. Then they get a PR person and go on tour and act like what they are doing is really profound.

*Philosophy: I ensure I can create and recreate all my music while in an alcohol black-out. I wish I could make popular music that got reviewed on blogs, but it just isn't going to happen. I wish I was a spoiled trust fund kid from Rhode Island who makes "noise," and stupid s*** like that. Then I could act like every system sound my computer makes is something important. I once saw these "noise acts" from Rhode Island and it just sounded like they were running spell check in Microsoft Word, coupled with some lame-ass drone behind it. These guys make money! I wish I lived on either coast where the standards for entertainment are so f***ing low you could make drone music or mashups or some combination therein and be well-regarded, but unfortunately I live in the Midwest, where people require a little extra effort out of their music because they are f***ing stupid and like Staind. This has doomed me to obscurity. Also, I live on peanut butter sandwiches; I just don't f***ing care.

*How would you like to be remembered: LIVE FAST DIE. I totally just ran out of Scotch. What the f*** is my problem? And for christ's sake, it's a Tuesday.

*Web address: Please tell people to buy my new album here: http://www.dowiepartners.com/regret
and also make sure they visit my Betamax blog here: http://www.dowiepartners.com/betablog


www.some-assembly-required.net