How can such a beautiful poet exist?  You're my inspiration, Rudy. Thank you.

SCULPTURE 1 / I cant sleep when i think of you

INTERVIEW + TRACKLIST >  https://inverted-audio.com/feature/opal-tapes/
ORDER MERCH > https://everpress.com/invertedaudio

For our second merchandise collaboration we team up with @opal-tapes to present a limited collection of premium organic tees and jumpers, adorned with a four-way print designed by Berlin-based musician, illustrator and artist @fredmannnn.

For the occasion, Stephen has recorded a 100% Opal Tapes retrospective label mix, providing a shape-shifting auditory journey through Opal Tapes' discography, composed entirely from music released on Opal Tapes and sub-labels Black Opal, VANILLA, and Zabte Sote.

In our interview, we discuss why Stephen founded the label, the importance of the work behind Opal Tapes' impeccable A&R, their considerations when reaching out to artists and supporting their craft, and sharing the story of how Opal came to release music from legendary artists Max Ravitz aka @PATRICIAAA and Brian Leeds aka @huerco_s — plus the story behind the simple yet enigmatic name.

100%

100% Opal Tapes

Sucker For Pain Feat Official_LJ_ & HoodieBK (prod.jeanparker)

From the composer: “Pufferfish can change their appearance by expanding or contracting their bodies at will by swallowing air or water. Known and respected for its dangerous toxicity, the pufferfish must be expertly prepared by a master sushi chef or the result can be a highly unpleasant or even fatal meal. On the other hand, if prepared properly it rewards the anxious diner with a delicious culinary experience accompanied by an overall feeling of well-being or euphoria.”

Things to think about:

Do you think the composer is trying to tell a narrative with these sounds?
How does repetition work in this piece to create structure and alter our understanding of certain sounds?

"Pufferfish" by Mark Wingate (1996)

Fragmentation // Eyot Soundscape

BS083 - Passage through the blue mist w/ Prince of Gosplan
@dekatmemwa

Prince of Gosplan (the alter-ego project behind the De Kat Memwa guestmix series) joins our own podcast with a sonic collage to explore and re-assess personal memories, emotions, events and places.
His "Passage through the blue mist" mix ties altogether classical music and jazz, melancholic poetry, Eurasian folk, spoken word and field recordings from his St. Petersburg native city. A blend of sorrow and hope: lending emotional depth while hinting at a spark of light in the darkest corners of the soul. Far from freezing you in time with cumbersome memories, this spiritual passage through the blue mist shall trace a movement from anxiety and loss toward an inner renewal.

Here are a few words from Prince of Gosplan about his mix:
"This is probably the most personal thing I’ve done under the Prince of Gosplan name. It’s a space where the imagined and the intimate blur — where I try to process memories, emotions, and places by shaping them into a kind of sonic essay. Maybe I’m overcomplicating it, and all these semiotics only make sense to me. In the end, it’s just a selection of tracks that were mixed in particular order, but the process itself feels strangely therapeutic to me. And that’s reason enough to keep doing it.
This particular mix was also shaped by impressions from reading diaries, works of autofiction, and essays — stories where protagonists face emotional challenges, yet eventually find the strength to move forward. That narrative arc resonated deeply with me. In fact, the cover of the mix features a frame from Hedgehog in the Fog by Yuri Norstein — a masterpiece that I see as a quiet meditation on getting lost, confronting inner fears, and coming out the other side altered, maybe softer, maybe stronger. Each sonic fragment in this collage carries part of that transformative journey. It flows through symbolic phases: drowning; resurrection; fragile and quiet joy; sadness and disorientation; then movement, searching, and finally rebuilding with a hope for better. And yes — blue is my favorite color. It holds sorrow and light at once, and to me, that’s where transformation begins."

Artwork taken from "Hedgehog in the Fog" (1975 Soviet animated film directed by Yuri Norstein).

BS083 - Prince of Gosplan

Rudy Francisco - Scotch Tape -EP- - 12 Monster

This is the first song I wrote that I felt was good enough to show people. Super excited to share more music with you soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_IgDakjlpo

Lyrics:
 
Not sure how you felt about the way that your front teeth hit me when you kissed me
But then again it’s best we leave that night in bed
Not sure how you felt about the way that your friend groped my friend in the corner
But then again it’s best we leave that night dead

For you’re a great archeologist the way you’re digging up my past
Summer love was never something that was made to last
And as winter grew closer; you grew colder
No wonder why we never love sober

Not sure how you felt about the way that your front teeth hit me when you kissed
And as I recall your lips were something of a faded red
Not sure how you felt about the way that my friend couldn’t help but look at your legs
But to be fair your body’s engraved in my head

But you were high like a rocket ship the way you broke the ozone
You know I’m only trying to get you out of the friend zone
But as winter grew closer; you grew colder
No wonder why we never love sober

No my mama didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no
No my mama didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no
No my mama didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no
No my mama didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no

She didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no
She didn’t raise no

Mama Didn't Raise No (Acoustic)

Who Will Love U

I was the one who loved you even though you gave me a thousand reasons not to. Our greatest joy and greatest pain come in our relationships with others.

Lost Winter Love

Witt Lowry - Changes (Slowed)

Never Leave

Sad Sometimes by loyalties x Emma Oliver 
Release Date: July 10th

Sad Sometimes (loyalties x Emma Oliver)

Soar.

Hey, I'm Here For You

Addiction

:: MaliFoliSofia ::
Mali is a country in Westafrica which Stini Arn has visited regularly over the past ten years. Foli means “music” or “rhythm” in Bambara. And Sofia adds a philosophical touch, Stini Arns personal attempt of an interpretation by composing the recorded sounds she heard in Mali. It shows her fascination for a world which is accoustically based on work rhythms, her fascination for the uninhibited and intentional use of repetitions, that create a magical event out of an action or a word, a meditative evocation, a meaningful act or in other words: music!

Stini Arn (CH)
| sound artist |
Stini Arn is a sound traveller that collects and researches sounds and uses them for her musical compositions for theater, film, radio plays and installations. For her performances she invents instruments that produce sound from daily objects and work tools. Koffertechnik is one of them that she made from a wheeled suitcase which contains the electronic device and serves at the same time as the sound producer with its wheels, handle and plastic shell. Webstall is her latest work which consists of a loom that transforms to a musical instrument by added electronical and mechanical elements that amplify and and modify the rhythmic sound of weaving. Her inspiration were several trips to Mali where there still don’t exist machines for most of the work and which makes the place very musical by the man-made rhythmical sounds. Especially the story about the pounding of the women with the mortar which was the inspiration for the men to create the drum, was a revelation for her.
WEB :: www.stiniarn.ch / www.taktstoff.com

Stini Arn :: MaliFoliSofia

SHINE Ft. SOTO

Rudy Francisco is one of the most recognizable names in Spoken Word Poetry.  He was born, raised and still resides in San Diego, California. At the age of 21, Rudy completed his B.A in Psychology and decided to continue his education by pursuing an M.A in Organizational Studies. As an artist, Rudy Francisco is an amalgamation of social critique, introspection, honesty and humor. He uses personal narratives to discuss the politics of race, class, gender and religion while simultaneously pinpointing and reinforcing the interconnected nature of human existence. 
 
Rudy Francisco seeks to create work that promotes healthy dialogue, discourse and social change.  Furthermore, Rudy has made conscious efforts to cultivate young poets and expose the youth to the genre of Spoken Word Poetry via coaching, workshops and performances at preparatory schools and community centers. Rudy has also received admiration from institutions of higher education. He has conducted guest lectures and performances at countless colleges and universities across the nation. 
 
Rudy Francisco has shared stages with prominent artists such as Gladys Knight, Jordin Sparks, Musiq Soul Child, and Jill Scott. He is also the co-host of the largest poetry venue in San Diego, competes in domestic and international poetry slam competitions and had the honor of being nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Ultimately, Rudy's goal is to continue to assist others in harnessing their creativity while cultivating his own. Rudy Francisco is the 2009 National Underground Poetry Slam Champion, 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion and appeared on TV One’s “Verses and Flow”

Rudy Francisco - Scotch Tape -EP- - 12 Monster

Rudy Francisco

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