The New Elastic Infinite (A.K.A. Ethan Madarieta) runs the brilliant Global Psychedelia podcast/playlist. NEI and his show are an infinitely limitless resource for mind-expanding sounds of all kinds. Every Saturday, NEI lays a new 2-hour auditory trip on us all, featuring acidic tunes from all across this dimension (and possibly a few others). If you’re a constant reader of my site, then you will simply love Global Psychedelia, so be sure to give it a listen as soon as you can.
It is because NEI is such an authority on all things heady and hallucinogenic, we were so excited to pry into his taste and collection with Liner Notes. Check out his responses below.
RCU: What was the last song that you listened to?
NEI: This morning, the first part (side C) of “Tune In, Turn on, Free Tibet” by Ghost on their album of the same name. I’ve always loved Lama Rabi Rabi so about a decade ago when I saw this shining silver Drag City gatefold I snagged it.
RCU: What was the last album you were obsessed with?
NEI: I often get obsessed with albums – like once a week – and I’m definitely a “whole album” kind of listener. The last one I couldn’t stop listening to was Orgue Agnés’ A Une Gorge, which was released on Three:four Records. I super highly recommend it. Right now I can’t stop listening to Dolphy Kick Bebop’s Smoke a Haiku Cigarette.
RCU: Which artist do you most want to listen to on a Friday night?
NEI: Wow, it depends on how my Friday day went. But usually some heavy freakout or drone like Okhami no Jikan or Vibracathedral Orchestra.
RCU: Which artist do you most want to listen to on a Sunday morning?
NEI: Usually something with calm energy vibes like Alice Coltrane’s Journey to Satchidananda. These days we’ve been listening to a lot of International Anthem records on Sunday morning. Osibisa is a constant, too.
RCU: What record do you wish more people knew about?
NEI: There are so many, really, which is a big part of what I try to do with Global Psychedelia, but one that I just don’t see getting much praise that I think is brilliant is the album O Heliporto en a Cabine Torta by the band from Fortaleza, Brazil, Terceiro Olho de Marte. That’s a recent one (2016?) Or anything by the Belgrade band, Igra Staklenih Perli – but especially Drives and Inner Flow.
RCU: What’s your favorite album to drive to?
NEI: These days either Billy Woods’ album, Terror Management, or Bob Marley’s Talkin’ Blues.
RCU: If you could pull a Groundhog Day and relive one concert that you attended over and over again, what would it be?
NEI: A tie between Built to Spill’s 2001 show at the Bandshell in Boise, ID or Kikagaku Moyo with Moss Folk and Dead Feathers at the Empty Bottle in 2016. That’s where I met one of my heros, Steve Krakow.
RCU: Which artist, living or dead, do you wish you could have a conversation with at a bar over drinks?
NEI: That’s a really tough one. I’m going with Steve Krakow/Plastic Crimewave. He knows so much about music and is an amazing artist, musician, music historian, and all-around cosmic head. I hope someday I could have drinks with Steve.
RCU: What’s the music doc/concert film that you have probably seen the most?
NEI: When I was a teenager I used to fake sick and stay home from school watching the Beatles “Anthology” series. It was like 10 hours long or something and I taped it from TV, religiously excluding the commercials. Definitely seen that an unfortunate amount of times.
RCU: If we blasted a follow up to the Voyager 2 gold record into space, and you could choose just one song to put on it, what would it be?
NEI: I suppose it would help if I knew what was on that disc already off the top of my head. My mind immediately goes to Miles Davis song “Blue in Green,” from Kind of Blue. Something feels so infinite and lonely like outer space about it. But it’s also like a rainy night in some city with smoke and a street lights so it kind of captures a certain human mood. Now I’m thinking that In a Silent Way is more nowhere-empty-space than Kind of Blue, but I just really love “Blue in Green.”
Tune into and follow Global Psychedelia on these various platforms:
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