Base Camp Beta
A podcast by Shawn O'Sullivan and Gunnar Haslam discussing music, technology, and capitalism. The show explores the intersections of these topics, often with a critical perspective. It is supported by listeners via Patreon.
Episodes
BCB 113 - I'm on the Guest List with M. Geddes Gengras
M. Geddes Gengras joins us this week to talk about recording with The Congos, the late 00s LA scene, and childhood sports memories. Make sure to check out Ged's fantastic new record Guest List on Hausu Mountain: https://mgeddesgengras1.bandcamp.com/album/guest-list and join the PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/basecampbeta
BCB 112 - SH-101 101 (Part 1)
Shawn and Chris dive in to the legendary Roland SH-101. We talk about why it is such a beloved piece of gear - both in terms of its sound and its usefulness as a studio and live instrument - and look in to some of our favorite tracks using the 101 - from Chicago and Detroit jack tracks to minimal wave, IDM, and italo-disco.
Part 2 of this episode is available on the Patreon: https://patreon.com/b
BCB 111 - Community College Philosophy 301 with Nick Klein
Our good friend Nick Klein is back getting the much coveted BCB hat trick. We talk about how different these three eras that Nick has been on the show (2019, 2023, and now 2026) feel and more generally about the interesting questions facing mid-career artists. We talk innovation, community, and also a bit about the increasing difficulty of running a record label in a world full of tariffs and trad
BCB 110 - Cleveland Cryptids with Kiernan Laveaux
Base Camp Beta pivots to video - and what better guest to join us than Kiernan Laveaux! We talk J-rock fashion, getting in to Midwest house and techno, learning to DJ, and The Crow. Video is on our YouTube channel https://youtu.be/qDTszD_xKBc
Thanks to Public Sound Studio publicsound.net/public-sound-studios
Join the Patreon www.patreon.com/basecampbeta
BCB 109 - Superbooth Special
Chris is back from Superbooth 2026 in Berlin with EXCLUSIVE insights on incredible new PRODUCTS you need to buy this year!!! But before you head to the debtors' prison make sure to sign up for the Patreon https://patreon.com/basecampbeta
BCB X103 - Return to Atlantis PREVIEW
In this Patreon bonus episode Chris talks a bit about his early attempts to put out records and we talk some early L.I.E.S. history and the enduring spirit of DIY and being an amateur. To hear the full episode go to Patreon https://www.patreon.com/basecampbeta and sign up for the Alpha Tier.
BCB 108 - Infrasonic Decapitation with Jen Kutler
Jen Kutler joins us to talk about her band whose music is completely outside the audible spectum, making wobbulators, and the enduring DIY spirit. Check Jen's work out at her website: https://www.jenkutler.com/ and join the Patreon: http://patreon.com/basecampbeta
BCB 107 - Into The Field with William Selman
William Selman joins us as we trek out into the field with our starter field recording kit and cringey Jon Hassell texts. We also have a bit of a Critique of Everyday Life special, with Bill talking about his new record "Sanctioned Departures" and Shawn and Chris talking about theirs. Check them all out at https://critiqueofeverydaylife.bandcamp.com/music
And join the Patreon patreon.com/baseca
BCB X102 Preview - Right Showers
Unlock the full episode by joining the Alpha Tier:
http://patreon.com/basecampbeta
In this Patreon bonus episode Shawn and Chris talk about our first attempts at releasing records. At least that was the idea, but as usual we got caught up in many tangents talking about the presence of voice in music, late 00's music journalism, and just what it means to release music these days.
BCB 106 - Doing the Weave with Ron Kuivila
Ron Kuivila of Wesleyan University and Lovely Music joins us for a wide-ranging and decades-spanning conversation. We do a bit of Lovely Music story time encountering friends along the way like Nicolas Collins, Éliane Radigue, and David Tudor, and we talk installations, early work with Supercollider, and the duties that come with being a teacher.
www.patreon.com/basecampbeta
BCB 105 - Desperately Seeking Xenakis with R. Luke DuBois
This week we are joined by composer and associate professor at NYU R. Luke DuBois where we talk about everything from serialism to being negged by Xenakis, from Harrison Ford to synthesizer accessibility, and from Serge history to the problem of oysters not having sex.
NYU IDM: https://engineering.nyu.edu/faculty/r-luke-dubois
TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zix9vIUOFF8
Hit the Pat
BCB 104 - Twilight of the Record Store Clerk Guy
Just Chris and Shawn today shootin' the shit. First half we talk about Chris' newly relaunched YouTube series which looks into cybernetics and the work of Roland Kayn, Jaap Vink, and others. And in the back half we do some cultural criticism and eulogize the passing of the record store clerk guy from this cultural coil.
Chris' YouTube Series: https://www.youtube.com/@lasynthesehumaine6932
Hit th
BCB 103 - Multichannel Installation at Fourier's Tomb with Matthias Puech
This week we're joined by Matthias Puech from the GRM (Groupe des Recherches Musicales) and lead developer of GRM Atelier. We talk about his history developing alternate firmwares for Eurorack modules, composing for GRM's Acousmonium, and take a side trip to Fourier's tomb.
GRM Atelier: https://grm.tools/en/atelier.html
Matthias' Website: https://mqtthiqs.github.io/
Hit the Patreon: www.patreo
BCB X101 - Live in the Red Room PREVIEW
Shawn and Chris fly solo in the first of our Patreon exclusive bonus episodes. We talk about our first live sets, covering everything from failing computers and MIDI clock drift to passing out from drinking an entire bottle of chartreuse.
Go to our Patreon and join the Alpha Tier to hear this episode in full: www.patreon.com/basecampbeta
Opening music: Beau Wanzer - Basement Dwellers
basecampb
BCB 102 - Nonlinear Podcasting with Greg Zifcak
Greg Zifcak joins us to talk about early interactions with synthesizers in the Bay Area, becoming a more social shut-in, doing math on the synthesizer, and Moroccan rhythms.
Greg Zifcak - "Chaabishaav" https://ziftracks.bandcamp.com/album/chaabishaav
Greg's Website: https://www.gzifcak.net/
Hit the Patreon: www.patreon.com/basecampbeta
Opening music: Beau Wanzer - Basement Dwellers
basecampbe
BCB 101 - You're On Lava Lamp with John Elliott
John Elliott from Emeralds, Imaginary Softwoods, Spectrum Spools, and more joins us to talk about basement dwelling Cleveland gear flippers, laptops on stage, and how good Pink Floyd sounds on weed.
Imaginary Softwoods: https://imaginarysoftwoods.bandcamp.com/
Hit the Patreon: www.patreon.com/basecampbeta
Opening music: Beau Wanzer - Basement Dwellers
basecampbeta808@gmail.com
BCB 100 - "Basecamp's Back on the Menu, Boys" is Back on the Menu, Boys
Shawn and Chris are back with season 2 of Base Camp Beta premiering a cool 6 years after season 1. In this episode we discuss our new plans for the podcast - namely interviewing fellow artists and trying to figure out what it means to be an artist under whatever stage of capitalism it is we're currently living through. We talk a bit about what we have each been up to recently and finish up by talk
BCB 034 - 909's and Hobart Mixers with P. Leone
On this Very Special Episode of Base Camp Beta, Chris and Shawn trek down to Sheepshead Bay to visit their friend Salvatore Carlino aka P. Leone at his newly opened pizzeria, Lucia of Avenue X. After having some killer slices, they dive into a deep discussion of the topics that really matter: fermentation techniques, dough hydration, what Pete Wells looks like, and answering the age old question o
BCB033 - Flight Path to JFK
Chris and Shawn hike to Prospect Park, eat jerk chicken, and then have a technical glitch while talking about their now-infallible recording process. They reconvene a few days later to talk about the art of learning.
BCB032 - Live From L&B Spumoni Gardens
Live from L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn, NY. We talk giallo and italo-disco, dough hydration, and Richard H Kirk.
BCB031 - Loveland Institute Of Technology
RIP Jasen Loveland
We dedicate this episode to our friend Andrew Smith aka Jasen Loveland who recently passed away. An incredibly prolific producer who immersed himself deeply in his music, we read through his "12 Studio Traditions" - a set of guidelines and traditions for keeping creativity flowing.
Please explore Andrew's work over at his Bandcamp: https://jasenloveland.bandcamp.com/
Outro Mu
BCB030 - Dytiq My Coconuts
Real relaxed show today as Shawn and Chris begin to shoot the shit about Basic Channel's "Dytiq" and Kid Creole & The Coconuts "Don't Take My Coconuts" but quickly get derailed towards topics from sourdough to NFTs.
BCB029 - The Slow Cancellation of the Future
The Base Camp Crew talks about Mark Fisher's 2013 essay "The Slow Cancellation of the Future", neoliberalism's effect on production and consumption of culture, and how 100 Gecs throws a wrench in to all of it.
Mixed by David Tatasciore
Opening music: Beau Wanzer - Basement Dwellers
basecampbeta808@gmail.com
BCB028 - Base Camp's Back On The Menu, Boys
Base Camp Beta is back and we're talking about RA and Boiler Room getting $1 million grants, the use of the word "community", and we try to imagine what a future for music could look like.
Opening music: Beau Wanzer - Basement Dwellers
basecampbeta808@gmail.com
BCB027 - Construction Time Again
It’s Season 2 of Base Camp Beta and we’re back from a break of what seems like 20 years. We talk about Coronavirus (obviously), its impact on underground music, and (hopefully) the death of the neoliberal order. We then dive into Depeche Mode’s undersung masterpiece “Construction Time Again” and try to imagine the eco-communist future we all deserve.
*patreon* *patreon* *patreon* www.patreon.com/
BCB026 - Staten Island Scene Report with Bryan Kasenic
BCB returns for 2020 with Bryan Kasenic to talk about The Bunker turning 17, how to run a label in 2020, and the always changing dynamics of New York nightlife.
But really we spend the first half of the episode talking about pizza.
Opening music: Beau Wanzer - Basement Dwellers
basecampbeta808@gmail.com
BCB024 - On The Beach With The Shah's Son
Just the original crew today talking about Xenakis’ “Persepolis” and telling family stories about the Shah’s son. We also tell the story of our friend Peter Daou, talk about streaming and back catalogues, and analyze Reviewbrah and Guy Fieri’s analogues in music.
Special surprise guest Dave Wagenbach of Bubblesound Instruments! https://www.ctrl-mod.com/collections/vendors?q=bubblesound
Reviewbra
BCB023 - 3 - Clubland And Its Discontents Part 3 - Veronica Vasicka And Stuart Argabright
Unfortunately the recording of the second panel with Sybil Jason and Ryan Martin got screwed up. The demons of the Zoom recorder strike again.
So here is the third and final installment of "Clubland and Its Discontents" - a series of panel discussions exploring the dialectics of dance and non-dance in the New York Underground in collaboration with the Interzone festival.
On this panel we talk ab
BCB023.1 - Clubland And Its Discontents Part 1 - Scott Mou and SSPS
First of "Clubland and Its Discontents" - a series of panel discussions exploring the dialectics of dance and non-dance in the New York Underground in collaboration with the Interzone festival.
On this panel we talk about the "lost" years of the late 90s - early 00s in NY with Scott Mou (Queens/Jane/Other Music) and Jon Nicholson (SSPS/Porkchop/Excepter).
Recorded live at Good Room in Greenpoint
BCB022 - Black Pilled Field Recording Ken Doll with William Burnett
Speculator drops by with a fancy microphone to talk about the YouTube biz. Check out Will’s show Talk Video https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD-qgVQIiEpUQEcTnWHh4Iw
*patreon* *patreon* *patreon* www.patreon.com/basecampbeta *patreon* *patreon* *patreon*
Daywalker + CF - Insectorium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ODuapxOaM
Black Deer - Apex Break https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWf30ZRQW_I
Wil
BCB021 - Sandwell District Was Born At The John Wayne Airport with Juan Mendez
We’re psyched to have our friend Juan Mendez aka Silent Servant call in from a payphone somewhere in the valley and regale us with tales of faxing Submerge, early Sandwell District, and LA nightlife. Not much more needs to be said - enjoy the ride…
*patreon* *patreon* *patreon* www.patreon.com/basecampbeta *patreon* *patreon* *patreon*
Spacemen 3 - Walking With Jesus (Demo Version) https://www.y
BCB019 - Spoken Word Youtube Comments With Sanna Almajedi
This week our friend Sanna Almajedi drops by to talk some cultural theory, dive deep into Nuyorican spoken word, and share with us some 7000 year old Egyptian rave. We also talk about our first concerts, what we listen to in the shower, and stromboli. Be nice in the comments - you may just make a friend!
DJ Sanna - Ethereal Beatbox https://soundcloud.com/etherealbeatbox/dj-sanna
*patreon* *patre
BCB018 - Sipping White Claw At The Copacabana With C Spencer Yeh
Our friend C. Spencer Yeh drop by this week to talk sober partying and how hard it is to actually have deep conversations and make friends sometimes. We also talk about Spencer’s work at Spectacle theater and indulge in some movie talk. The rest of the episode is about music, from the impending return of schaffel to italian minimalism and Copacabana.
Spectacle Theater http://www.spectacletheater.
BCB017 - BDS & MIDI Organizing with Samir Eskanda
A hearty sandwich of an episode, the meat of which is an interview with Palestinian musician and activist Samir Eskanda. We talk about BDS organizing and tactics for musicians and music listeners to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. We also discuss the BDS movement’s focus on institutions rather than individuals, and how the same cannot be said for the reactionary backlash.
The bre
BCB016 - Blog House (Seltzer Mix) Feat Steve Mizek
Steve Mizek - of Little White Earbuds and Argot Records fame - joins us this week to talk about the heyday of mp3 blogs and the many ways in which the music media landscape has changed since then. We ruminate on the importance of the record label in 2019, worry about mid-2000s blog house returning, and mourn the death of the mix podcast by remembering some of our favorites.
*patreon* *patreon* *p
BCB015 - Couldn’t Get Evicted With Nihar Bhatt
We’re joined this week by Nihar Bhatt - producer, DJ, party thrower, and label partner of CZ. We talk about San Francisco, the “canary in the coalmine of capitalism”, and reminisce about the constantly changing (read: getting evicted) party scene in the Bay Area. We try to tackle the issues of scarcity in the music scene and try to imagine a future where everyone can throw the cybergoth party that
BCB014 - Witch House Never Dies feat Sybil Jason
A spectre is haunting music - the undying spectre of witch house. Sybil Jason aka Farced joins us for this week’s Base Camp Beta where we for some reason talk about witch house and how it never really went away. We also talk about DIY culture and the lengths one used to have to go to before the internet (say, having to go trackdown bootleg CDs in Jersey City) as opposed to a cultural cosplay now f
BCB013 - The Beach Beneath the Subway feat Ania and Maroje
Never mind your half eaten hot dog, welcome to BCB, episode 13 in which we talk: Weird Science with Ania Waluk and Maroje Tabakovic, future communes, mountains vs. the beach, the frightening skeleton of Ocean City (NJ), TM, NY vs Chicago hot dogs, saxophone as the hot dog of the music world, how Subway changed my life. We also discuss songs from Tenor Saw, Five or Six, Tuxedomoon, and Hauster. Not
BCB012 - Base Camp Burning Man Fundraiser
Base Camp Basic this week with the original zoo crew - no guests - just pure, uncut base camp. We talk about the Boiler Room, Burning Man, and the Grateful Dead. Like any trip, though, you gotta break on through to the other side where we actually talk about good music like Stephen Mallinder, Duet Emmo, and *ahem* electro-industrial.
Any way, help give us all steampunk makeovers for our big Burni
BCB011 - Mumbo Sauce With Tajh Morris
Tajh Morris aka Turtle Bugg moved to Detroit last year and misses five things about New York - on this week’s episode, we investigate those five things while snacking and drinking (as usual) and recording our first offsite episode at Base Camp Uptown (Chris’ apartment). We get progressively drunk and stoned and start to ramble about Heaven 17, politics in pop music, and learning.
We also talk abo
BCB010 - With Long Time Listener, First Time Caller Anthony Parasole
It’s guys night on the podcast, so friend of the show Anthony Parasole stops by to talk guy shit: John Carpenter, Thom Yorke’s moany-ass voice, virtual clubbing, and why you may as well toss a suitcase full of cash out of a helicopter instead of press a record. We talk a lot of music, too - focusing on Synewave classics, Damon Wild, Tommy Musto, Dennis Ferrer, Success-N-Effect, and The The. And we
BCB009 — The Silence Of The Juuls feat Selwa Abd
This week’s Base Camp Beta, our ninth episode, features Moroccan-born, New York-based special guest Selwa Abd, better known by her musical alias Bergsonist, with bonus appearance by Greg Zifcak aka Wav Dwgs and part of Eats Tapes.
We talk the vagaries of sharing and discovering music in the digital era, playing live shows with very little to no prior experience, going out on a Tuesday night to se
BCB008 - Aliens and Alea feat Doug Lee
Base Camp Beta is down a Chris (Miller) but up a Doug (Lee), who visits to tell us the story of An-I. We muse over compositional techniques, the rise and fall of disco edits, music's cross-cultural effects, and the history of trance. Later, we're joined by surprise guest Jon Santos, who tells us a bit about the mid-90's San Francisco rave scene.
We also cover a lot of music in this episode! As tr
BCB007 - Vampires Don’t Play Games, and Other Self-Marginalizations feat Lorraine Sangre
New York City DJ and Producer for three thousand years and counting, L. “Your Friend is My Stranger” Sangre (@lsangre) joins Base Camp Beta to talk about anti-social media, beverages of choice (blood), the wages of fear, brilliance of Chris & Cosey, accrual of meaning, and everyone’s favorite analyst, Dr. Frasier Crane. We’re listening.
Check Lorraine’s soundcloud @lsangre and her show at BASEMEN
BCB006 - La Techno Continua ~ASMR~ feat Aerin Ercolea
Aerin Ercolea aka @mxsilkman from Cleveland’s In Training collective joins Shawn, Chris, Katie, Chris, and Rachelle for a wide-ranging episode covering the Red Brigades, queer raving, capitalist reproduction, and Darude’s 9/11 memorial events. We start at Italian operaismo and leftist theory and end up drinking natural wine and eating fancy cheese like the petit bourgeois we truly are. We also tal
BCB005 - Community College Philosophy 101 With Nick Klein
Friend of the show Nick Klein joins us for some real pessimist hours - we’re bumming each other out about everything from careerism to higher education to the idea of recorded music in a cool 60 minutes. Nick also shares with us three tracks that mean a lot to him - Robert Hood minimalism, weird 80’s japanese industrial-funk, and classic Chicago house.
Check Nick's soundcloud @nick-klein
and his
BCB004 - Electro-Eco-Communism With Ben Allen
BCB004 - Electro-Eco-Communism with Ben Allen
Episode four of Base Camp Beta, where CZ, Chris, and Shawn are joined by Knoxville, TN based scientist, promoter, and activist Ben Allen @dialecticsines. We talk about how to throw community-focused parties, how to fold political activism in with those parties, and how to bring people together (spoiler alert: it’s the *brand*). Later, we talk about De
BCB003 - All That Is Solid Melts Into Tech-House feat Saheer Umar And Asya Gorbacheva
BCB003 - C O S M I C M A N H A T T A N or: All That Is Solid Melts Into Tech-house feat Saheer Umar and Asya Gorbacheva
Shawn, Katie, and Chris tend bar for episode three of Base Camp Beta and invite our friends Saheer Umar and Asya Gorbacheva over for a wide-ranging chat, jumping our way around topics such as:
*being a DJ with no friends
*faking your death
*The Secret, and how to manifest you
BCB002 - Corporate Influencers feat Cindy Li
Episode 2 of Base Camp Beta, in partnership with ABSOLUT Vodka, Boiler Room, and Saudi Aramco. We’re thrilled to have our very first guest, Cindy Li aka @cl_lit, on to talk about the spread of corporate influence in nominally “underground” music scenes, the need to #synergize with your fellow #brands, and get in touch with our inner Instagram influencer. We also dig in to Dat Oven’s “Jet Set” - a
BCB001.5 - Taurine Comedown
Beta is back, covering last week's hottest news - the closure of RBMA and Red Bull Radio. Old hat, you say? We also cover some even older hats, talking Ron Hardy edits, house music anti-canons, and Scott Walker.
Cameo from Katie Rose talkin' 60s pop.
Opening music: Beau Wanzer - Basement Dwellers
Produced by Rachelle Rahme
Mixed and Edited by David Tatasciore
basecampbeta808@gmail.com
BCB001 - Waveform Transmission
Episode One... ePisode 1... ep-1... and it's a big one. Chris, Shawn, and the other Chris (CZ) lay out our plans for discourse domination by talking about perceived authority in music criticism (it sucks), the tyranny of curators, and Jeff Mills' sinister gatekeeping.
Speaking of - the records we're discussing today are Jeff Mills - Waveform Transmission Vol. 1 + 3
VNV Nation YouTube dancers htt
Recommended
10000 MINUTES
1000 Things You Should Know
1000x
1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales
1001raah | هزار و یک راه
1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories & The Best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1001 Songs That Make You Want To Die
100 Famous Dogs
#100MasterCoaches with Mel Leow, MCC
100% Mixtape Podcast
100 With The Hunter's
10-41: A UCSO Podcast
