This episode is not work safe.

British author McDonald’s outstanding SF novel channels the vitality of South America’s largest country into an edgy, post-cyberpunk free-for-all. McDonald sets up three separate characters in different eras—a cynical contemporary reality-TV producer, a near-future bisexual entrepreneur and a tormented 18th-century Jesuit agent. He then slams them together with the revelation that their worlds are strands of an immense quantum multiverse, and each of them is threatened by the Order, a vast conspiracy devoted to maintaining the status quo until the end of time. As McDonald weaves together the separate narrative threads, each character must choose between isolation or cooperation, and also between accepting things as they are or taking desperate action to make changes possible.

Interview with Ian McDonald, author of Brasyl.

We discuss what Brasyl is about; which part of the triptych came first and how he wove in the other two braids of the story; his previous novel, River of Gods; Suba’s São Paulo Confessions; pitching reality television programs like his protagonist, Marcalina Hoffman; Moacyr Barbosa, the man who made Brazil cry; John Hemming’s book, Red Gold; Jean-Babtiste Falcon, inventor of the earliest computer?; themes of exploitation; my interview with Lou Anders, editor of Pyr; the pressure of the expectations to have all his future novels take place in “exotic” locations; why he avoided writing about Carnival; reviews of Brasyl in Brazil; how Ireland has become boring; programs that his character Marcalina pitched and developed htat he might have enjoyed watching; how the Q-blades in Brasyl work.

Featured song is “Fiorina” by Lu Horta.

This episode is work safe.

Royal Sapien is New York City-based producer and DJ, Ben Mautner. At the moment Ben is planning DJ dates around New York to spread his unique fusion of house and breaks. He has had sets featured on Proton Radio, Tune Exposure, XM Satellite Radio, the Balance Record Pool Show, and hosts Decibels, a monthly show on Proton OnDemand.

Interview with Ben Mautner of Royal Sapien.

We discuss making iPod friendly songs and jeep beats; how he began his msuic label, Olaris Records; why he shut down his internet radio station; wher ehe makes most of his money as an electronic musician; the difficulty of touring at night clubs in the U.S.; designing book covers; new media he finds useful to promote himself as an artist; other bands and musicians he compares himself to; how we feel about Twitter; using remixes in the dance community to raise money for AIDs awareness; the crass consumerism of electornic music magazines; why the relationship between the artsits and the listener is so much more intimate than that that exists in mainstream music; his approach to remixing songs; how he became a DJ and a producer; his favorite song as a child; playing his music for his father; attending raves and spinning and running events as a teenager; where he got the name Royal Sapien; remixing Tilly and the Wall’s “Bad Education”; the electro influence.

Featured songs are:

This episode is work safe.

Deejay OM’s “Reheated Naan and Curry” is a rich musical and cultural experience beyond what most expect from a producer these days. Avoiding the temptations to merely go through the motions as a beatmaker, OM has created an album full of life and vigor, relying on an overall theme but not being bogged down by it. The music on this record is unlike what most people have heard or even imagined, and they should count on a wild enjoyable ride when the literal and proverbial needle drops.

Interview with DJ Om.

We discuss the influences of Reheated Naan and Curry and where he found the music; unrecognizable beats; the inevitable comaprison of Reheated Naan and Curry to Dan the Automator’s Bombay the Hard Way; how Ken Lee became involved in producing Reheated Naan and Curry; how his relationship with the Galapagos4 musicl lable began; what led him to become a deejay and producer of music; how he performs Reheated Naan and Curry and how the live performance differs from the CD; his upcoming performances.

Featured songs are:

1. “East Meets West”
2. “Ganeesha in Space”
3. “Silk Dealers of New Delhi”

This episode is work safe.

Nacional Records is an ADA/Warner Music Group-distributed label founded by artist manager Tomas Cookman. The label’s philosophy is to bring the best in Latin alternative, Hip-Hop, and Electronic music to Spanish and English speakers alike. Among Nacional’s releases are the solo debut from Aterciopelados frontwoman Andrea Echeverri, as well as albums from Aterciopelados, Nortec Collective, Sara Valenzuela, Nortec member Panoptica and a compilation produced in conjunction with KCRW entitled “Sounds Eclectico”.

Interview with Tomas Cookman, founder of Nacional Records.

We discuss the success of Nortec Collective; what kind of label is Nacional Records and their roster of artists; how Nacional Records began and his role in the label; signing Aterciopelados and Manu Chao; how Nacional Records artist representation differs from other labels; what he’s looking for when he signs artists to Nacional Records; my conversation with Lou Anders of Pyr about the effects of globalization of the music industry; how he met Bitman & Roban; why the rooster is part of Nacional Records’ logo; aspects of how the music industry has changed in the last 10 years he finds the most useful or the more problematic; online music stores versus brick and mortar music stores; upcoming summer releases from Nacional Records; Camilo Lara of the Mexican Institute of Sound.

Featured songs are:

1. “Tengo la Voz” by Nortec Collective
2. “Answer 2 the Beat” by Bitman & Roban
3. “Hey Tia!” by Mexican Institute of Sound

This episode is not work safe.

“[Lou Anders] has been opting for trying to maintain a consistently high level of literary quality. What Pyr has begun to publish, and yes, thus far fairly consistently, is … science fiction written specifically for experienced and intelligent readers of science fiction.” - Asimov’s Science Fiction

Interview with Lou Anders, the editor and director of Pyr.

We discuss Pyr, the science fiction imprint from Prometheus Books; his role at Pyr; how Pyr began and how Pyr is different from other science fiction/fantasy imprints; Joel Shepherd’s Crossover and Ian McDonald’s Brasyl; publishers that have a following; where the name Pyr came from; the artwork that appears on the covers of Pyr books; John Picacio cover for Fast Forward 1; Stephan Martinière book cover of Ian McDonald’s River of Gods; artist Richard M. Powers; how he finds the cover artists for Pyr; recent and upcoming releases from Pyr; Kay Kenyon’s book, Bright of the Sky; Joel Shepherd’s book, Breakaway; Justina Robson’s book, Keeping It Real; my previous interview with Steve Eley, editor of Escape Pod; the emerging themes in science fiction in the 21st century; Bruce Sterling on Korean hop hop; how the SciFi channel almost missing the boat with Doctor Who; the escapsim/literature debate; the subversive nature of science fiction; how Star Trek addressed racism; will Pyr adapt new media strategies.

Featured song is “Freakshow” by Ostrich Head.

This episode is work safe.

Less than a year after recording our beloved album Ojai, the two of us found ourselves holed up in a cold and desolate area deep in the Adirondack Mountains. The Gold Brothers offered us their family’s lodge on Crane Point of Blue Mountain Lake, New York. For the month of April we engaged in a grueling battle between multiple forces; the love of music, the fear of ghosts and our passion to outdo Ojai (what was now to be the antithesis of this experience).

Interview with Clark Stiles and Nathan Khyber of The Good Listeners.

We discuss the influence of Easy Rider on their song, “Weathertop”; recording Crane Point Lodge in upstate New York in April; how they found out about the lodge; the differences and simularities recording Ojai and Crane Point Lodge; incorporating ambient sounds into their music; recording a song a day; why “I Dig the Tarot” is the cumulation of all their musical tricks and techniques; their live performances with film; sources for their videos; adding drummer John Wicks and trumpeter and keyboardist Stewart Cole to the band; revisiting Crane Point Lodge after recording the album; their upcoming performances.

Featured songs are:

1. “Weathertop”
2. “I Dig the Tarot”
3. “Isolation Booth”

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