• MYSTERY CIRCLES •
manifestation documentation…
Two words that outline Mystery Circles approach to releasing music as a label.
Based in Las Vegas, Nevada - Mystery Circles has been releasing music from a wonderfully curated roster of international artists including bahía mansa,
, Almanacs, Hiroshi Ebina & Tyresta.Label founder David has been sending an amazing selection of releases my way for some time, I finally thought it was time to get in touch and propose a guest mix feature. We went on to exchange a few words between us - from France to Las Vegas and the mountains of Japan where David is currently - we discussed some elements of the label’s past, present and future to accompany this exclusive mix for Sonic Tapestries.
Hi David! Thanks for taking the time to share your story and to have put together such a wonderfully woven mix for this episode of Sonic Tapestries. I want to start by asking you about your environment — you're based out in Las Vegas — to what extent does the city influence and impact your musical direction?
I can’t say the city itself has a particularly overwhelming influence on the label, but some of the surrounding desert landscape is certainly inspiring. We moved from LA a few years ago to save money and be closer to some family. Vegas has the overwhelmingly obvious over-the-top party stereotype, but there are some interesting things going on in the city’s unique arts district and Chinatown areas. The locals I’ve made connections with are super friendly, unpretentious and kind. Surrounding the city is some of the most fantastic desert landscape in the world. We fortunately live very close to Red Rock Canyon, which I highly recommend to anyone visiting the area. It’s known for having some of the best year round rock climbing in the world, and provides endless miles of epic hiking. I’d also recommend more nature-minded visitors to check out Valley of Fire State Park, Lake Mead and Mt. Charleston - all which are within super close reach of the city. Although these landscapes don’t necessarily define a particular musical direction, the environment does give me strong moments of personal inspiration.
The Mystery Circles label roster features artists from all over the world. Tell me how do you approach sourcing and connecting with new artists?
I’d say it’s pretty random but organic - probably a lot of recommendations from friends, connections, and I guess just stumbling on sounds at the right time. Sometimes submissions, but that’s a little more rare - it’s so hard to keep up with! There are so many people doing so many interesting things with art + music these days - it’s very overwhelming. I really have to try and limit my time to engage with it intentionally, or it will go in one eye / ear and out the other. I’m quite open minded with what MC releases, although a lot of the selections do seem to stay in the realm of some sort of textured ambient or experimental synth music… I guess I haven’t strayed too far from those kinds of sounds - I’m enthusiastic for ambient that is heavily textured, a little psychedelic / new age-y, maybe a little off-kilter mood wise… that being said, I’m open to many genres of music and hope to explore some other things in the future. I hear MC referred to as an “ambient label” a fair amount, but I don’t think I necessarily intend to communicate any sort of super cohesive statement. There’s a lot of amazing labels I admire that curate so tightly musically and visually. Sometimes I find myself wondering if I should run things in a bit more of a hyper-focused direction, but at the end of the day I prefer each release to have its own distinct vibe.
“In my experience, most people who are involved in many of these microgenre / experimental music worlds are excellent human beings, and I truly appreciate the ability to connect with like-minded good people all around the world”
I totally agree about finding it challenging to keep up with submissions! So much to listen to and engage with… how challenging do you find it running a label in this digital age?
For me the main challenge is finding time. I’ve got a regular job that can be quite busy so at some points it can be difficult to give things the attention I’d like to. Planning, organising, communicating, packing, shipping - it’s a lot of work and at times can have me feeling quite overwhelmed. But it’s worth it. I’ve been trying to slow down a little bit and have a little bit of help lately - shout to Carolyn aka Tangent Universes. I’m lucky to work with people who understand what this is all about and are not typically in a huge rush. As far as all the noise / saturation / etc - there’s so many small labels and artists competing for eyes and ears. It feels like it has quadrupled in the last 3-4 years - this does make things a little more difficult, but at the end of the day I’m just happy so many more people care about this kind of music culture. We’re lucky to have a small but loyal following, and I think the artists we work with understand what this culture is primarily about. In my experience, most people who are involved in many of these microgenre / experimental music worlds are excellent human beings, and I truly appreciate the ability to connect with like-minded good people all around the world. Aside from the music, I’m in it for the long haul primarily for this reason. Whether I am able to work on 2 or 20 releases a year, I'd like to continue working on this for as long as possible.
What was it that inspired you to follow this path in setting up a label releasing experimental/ambient music)?
I’ve been pretty passionate about music in general ever since I can remember. I think my path is probably similar to a lot of people around my age who have an interest in this kind of music - playing in bands in the late 90’s, most heavily rooted in the DIY underground punk scene. Things were maybe not quite as broad musically as they are now, but there was always an open-minded and “ethical” sort of approach to making and releasing music that always stuck with me. To make what you wanted on your own with no restrictions, ignoring the standard music industry practice of it all - that always felt right to me. While not perfect, a lot of people involved were creating things with good intentions - starting their own labels, making zines and playing in bands on their own terms. Figuring it all out with what felt like pretty limited resources. It really was an inspiring time.
I was on a tour sometime in the 90’s, playing some random space somewhere in the midwest, and the opener was just a person noodling a synth, cross legged on the floor. I honestly don’t remember many details - I’m not exactly sure what city it was in, who the performer was or what the synth they used was… (although I know I have a pic somewhere!) I remember it being some pretty challenging noise, and thinking the sound was quite terrible / not to my taste. But at the same time I felt truly inspired by this person. It’s not something I was used to seeing, and it stuck with me. I had a small but growing interest in electronic music at the time, and I remember this moment piqued that interest further. It’s funny how something so vague in my memory can feel so inspiring. Some cultures must have a word for this specific feeling, right?
I think it was shortly after that tour that I got hold of a Yamaha S03 drum machine and a cassette 4-track. I’d sit noodling in my room for hours, making these tapes with no intention of finishing things or releasing them. It was satisfying to just make little vignettes with no pressure and no restrictions. If I was feeling down, the pure process of creation made me feel a little better mentally. I’ve lost most of those tapes, but some of those vignettes stick in my head to this day. I attempted playing in various bands in the mid-2000’s but nothing ever really clicked for more than a few months. I continued to noodle on synths / guitars / drums / etc for a while, but it eventually faded as I started working a more serious job. I still had a strong interest in all kinds of music, but mostly stopped making things for quite a while.
I’m not necessarily a huge “gear” person, but in the early 2010’s the analog synth renaissance was getting quite strong, and I was inspired by this. I’d been eyeing some things up for a while, thinking that it would be fun to make some music in the bedroom again. Moog released their Sub Phatty in 2013 and the timing was right - I instantly grabbed one. I fell in love with it, and started a project that I called Warm Binary. I started making some things that were quite similar to what I had been doing years ago, but now there was a simple way to share it - Instagram started to allow short videos. And that was it - posting on Instagram allowed for simple instant connection with like-minded people around the world. The more I connected, the more I felt there were so many synthesists and experimenters that I’d love to help document. So, a few years later I started doing just that, with a similar mindset that was curated back in my DIY basement punk days. I think it’s been about 7 years at this point? I hope to continue for as long as possible!
What is the strangest item in your office/studio?
My office / studio is quite utilitarian at the moment, so it’s filled with records / tapes / CD’s, packing materials and some music gear (with much of the space taken up by an electronic drum kit). Nothing too strange, but I might mention my Elektron Sidstation. I believe it was one of the first machines Elektron made. It’s based off the old Commodore MOS6581 SID (Sound Interface Device) chip. I grew up with 80’s tech / computing / video games, and the sound of it is quite nostalgic for me. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to power it on for more than a few years now, and I haven’t been able to find someone with enough confidence to work on it. There’s MOS chip emulators out there, but there was something about the particular GRIT of the actual machine… it could get quite out there and strange with some experimentation. It just has such a unique character - I wish I could turn it back on. It’s been a minute since I’ve tried… (any tech / synth heads with knowledge / suggestions out there - hit me up!)
I've noticed quite a few of your artists feature field recording in their work - how important is this practice to the signature sound of Mystery Circles?
Although I am interested in process and narrative - and I know it means everything to some artists - I personally find myself enjoying music a bit deeper when I am not overthinking how it was made or even about what the artist is intending to communicate. It’s not that I completely ignore those things, I just have a habit of veering off into my own world when something moves me. That being said, the process of field recording is something I enjoy and admire very much and personally dabble in on an almost daily basis. I’ve been working on some of my own music again, and a huge chunk of it has been formed by simple and gritty phone recordings. It makes sense that a lot of music I am attracted to and want to release includes it.
What projects do you have in store for 2024?
A fair amount! On May 14th we have an album with Lesjamusic, an incredible synthesist from the UK. I’m a huge fan of his work. A track from that is included on the mix I provided (The Bygones). There will be a tape edition featuring art by our super talented connection Ava Nikpay (who created the album covers for Elin Piel’s Mystery Circles releases). After that, a few super short tape runs (15-20) on some requested back catalog stuff, and I’ve been working on some things to create a sublabel that I’m hoping to launch in the Summer. The best place to follow us for updates is on Bandcamp or Instagram.
If you would like to contribute your sounds or propose a feature for a future edition of Sonic Tapestries, please write me here with links/codes/wavs:
sonictapestries@gmail.com
Date of Broadcast : Thursday 25th April via Threads
NEXT EPISODE - Wednesday 19th June 2024
Listen on Mixcloud // Soundcloud
TRACKLIST
T.R. JORDAN - Dynamics (Dwell Time II) - Past Inside The Present
QOA - LIQUEN (SAUCO) - Leaving Records - 04:38
GALECSTASY - Stone Flute (Main Theme) (Stone Flute) - Lo Recordings - 06:40
TREM 77 - Far Away From It All (Topography Mix) (Topography EP) - 09:40
A LILY - Issa, Kuljum, Għal Dejjem Żgħażagħ (Saru I-Qamar) - Phantom Limb - 13:00
SKEE MASK - thank u (C) - 16:09
MASAYA OZAKI - Opið Rými (Mizukara) - laaps - 18:58
WALTER MAIOLI - Campane Degli Angeli (Caverne Sonore) - 26:53
JONATHAN BÄCKSTRÖM QUARTET - White Like Silver (Jonathan Bäckström Quartet) - We Jazz Records - 31:18
LOFTING - Mending (All That Leaves) - Crash Symbols - 34:22
NATURAL FLAVORS - Let’s Just Stay Here (Now Zoning) - Aural Canyon - 38:56
—MYSTERY CIRCLES MIX—
YUMI IWAKI - Lamp Until You Sleep (Spin A Tale) - Muzan Editions - 44:10
NICOLAS MALDONADO & SUSANA PINEDA - Tea House Garden (Affinity) - 46:24
GO OUTSIDE - First Nature (live from my living room 03-24) - 50:55
TOKYO BEDROOM ORCHESTRA - Zazen (Ima) - 54:52
LESJAMUSIC - The Bygones - Mystery Circles - 1:00:20
WAVEFILER - Lithospheric (Farads) - Mystery Circles - 1:03:52
SAM PREKOP - Community Place (In Away) - 1:09:20
- - Did it matter (Life came breaking in) - 1:12:20
NICOLAS MALDONADO - It’s OK (Pointing to the Moon) - 1:14:04
EARTHROOM - Reeds (Heuristic Environments) - Mystery Circles - 1:17:10
BOBBY JEWELL - Wind 1.4 (Wind & Water) - Katuktu Collective - 1:20:40
WYOMING TOAD - Geology (Nature Center) - Fantasy Audio Magazine - 1:24:07
STEGONAUTE - Lofimily (Stegonaute) - Mystery Circles - 1:27:08
Sonic Tapestries • S2 E3 w/ Mystery Circles