solipsistic NATION No. 251: Ember Music

One of the things that thrills me most about the label showcase on solipsistic NATION is that it gives me the opportunity to discover even more new music with a mix that is is lovingly handpicked by the labels founders. In today’s case that would be Kurt Lorenz and Bill Bendrot of Ember Music.

Ember Music is an artist-run label and I think that’s the other reason I’m excited in particular about today’s show. Not only are there more and more labels releasing great electronic music but music labels are also quickly mutating and exploring just exactly what a label is supposed to be. Clearly, the monolithic major labels that ruled the industry for so many decades is a thing of the past. Oh, they’re still there, lumbering about desperately trying to evolve to the new environment that the asteroid that is the internet has created. Now is the time for smaller, more nimble labels to flourish in their particular niche in the ecology of electronic music. In Ember Music’s case it’s distributing music through services like SoundCloud and Bandcamp on behalf of the artists on their roster and giving the talent the lion’s share of the revenue. Refreshing, huh?

I mention that because Ember Music really is a wonderful label and if you enjoy any of the music you hear on today’s show then I encourage to purchase just one track by one of the artists from today’s mix. If you’re feeling especially generous, buy a few songs. Maybe an entire album. Anything to support the artists and Ember Music. There are links below to all the artists who appeared on today’s show. The rest is up to you.

Join us again next week for a very special conversation with Silent RecordsKim Cascone about his seminal compilation album series, From Here to Tranquility.

See you then!

  1. Known Rebel “Herz Aeon”
  2. SkyFix “Make Believe Songs”
  3. Interview with Kurt Lorenz and Bill Bendrot, founders of Ember Music
  4. Mr. Sandbags “Like a Lonely Ghost, He Haunts”
  5. Murat Esmer “Pathway to Better Dumps”
  6. Nordmach “Once a Short Story”
  7. Kurt Lorenz “Subcutaneous”
  8. Interview with Kurt Lorenz and Bill Bendrot, founders of Ember Music
  9. MobiusB “The Dream”
  10. Akisma “Mountain”
  11. TraisKin “Alice: Longtitude 180”
  12. Savaran “Crossed Wires”
  13. Interview with Kurt Lorenz and Bill Bendrot, founders of Ember Music
  14. Slaphappy Mortician “Telecommunications Breakdown”
  15. Nordmach “Bag Drop”