Filthy Broke Fest on Oct 3 @ SuperPosition / Interview with Parlay Droner

Filthybroke Recordings is a record label that has recently migrated in part to the east coast from Arizona. With major players in CT and RI, the east coast is about to get bumping, and to celebrate this there will be Filthybroke Fest #1 held October 3 at SuperPosition in Meriden CT.



I got a chance to speak with Parlay Droner, artist on Filthybroke, their chief physical artist (he drew the logo at the top of this article, along with countless other super impressive artwork) and all around amazing fella about Filthybroke Fest.

So Parlay, how did you first get involved with Filthy Broke?

Well, I was secretly making music and beats for the first time after a 3-year hiatus, and decided to release these now-gone-&-forgotten tracks onto soundcloud... Soundcloud, like all internet resources, has its fair share of *use* amidst the cultural and intellectual decay that social media tends to inflict upon humanity. After about a month of fiddling about on soundcloud, I was led to Filthybroke Recordings, coincidentally through one of my personal artistic/sonic spirit mentors, Odd Nosdam (of cLOUDDEAD/Anticon reknown). Filthybroke was started between 2012-2013 by Michael J. Collins (Filthybroke MJC out of Arizona), which later integrated Jake Homen (Morbidly-O-Beats from Chicago) into the label. I listened to everything on Filthybroke's page, and it was all incredible stuff to me, his releases really spoke to my sense of integrating sound exprimentation into compositionally unique, head-nodding beat tracks. 

They had already collaborated with the electro legend Stephen Mallinder of Cabaret Voltaire, was in a working relationship with independent Dutch record label, Fremdtunes, and the currently up and coming gangster-pop genius of Zackey Force Funk (half of Demon Queen with Tobacco). Their ethic appeared to be fueled by brilliant, prodigy-minded and child-like imagination that was openly community-driven, while celebrating the artists and their idiosyncratic styles. TOTALLY my cup of tea!

MJC and I connected and began talking about music, life, art, the delicate fabric of human emotions, everything. I was honored that this simpatico individual, who has been professionally involved in releasing music since 1998, was digging my art and sounds. After a few weeks of established kinship, we began exchanging recordings through e-mail, and casually created what would become the very first SPLNSHNTS track.

Check this interview with MJC on fremdtunes.com

So, two brothers in sound, discovering one another a country's distance apart. What are your favorite tracks that have come out on Filthy Broke?

Oh man, well Filthybroke ended up releasing their first vinyl earlier this summer called Earwax: Volume 1 aka FBR001, which coincidentally has several of my favorite tracks released by FBR: "Montego Bay" produced by MJC featuring silken soft mood making vocals by THE inevitable Zackey Force Funk, "Klaus", an homage to Werner Herzog's favorite actor/enemy Klaus Kinski, produced by powerhouse Morbidly-O-Beats and featuring the raptastic stylings of local New Haven singer/songwriter/rapper extraordinaire Ceschi of Fake Four Inc... and my personal favorite... a STUNNING, heartfelt Odd Nosdam remix of one of MJC's original tracks "Archetype One"... This record will be available to buy directly from MJC at Filthybroke Fest on Friday October 3rd at the nesting house of florida=death, Superposition, in Meriden! I EFFUSIVELY recommend it, because there are like 20 left!

So tell me about this Filthy Broke Festival taking place at Superposition in October.

In light of a life-altering change in the world of MJC, he will be returning to his roots here in New England to join our lovely community of artists, musicians and like-minded individuals, and REALLY shake things up in the process by introducing the East to Filthybroke Recordings. With MJC moving to the area, I decided that the only way to truly open the community up to him is with a welcome gathering in the form of the greatest show I could book with some of our mutual favorite artists and collaborators. The show will feature such amazing artists traveling out (JUST TO PLAY THIS SHOW), Walter Gross from DC, as well as illuminating local acts as Tick Hive, florida=death, myself and new two-piece project, the Rifles Repeating, and the indomitable CESCHI RAMOS to tie the whole thing together! AND SO MUCH MORE! It's actually going to be bonkers!

This bill is insane! How did you get all these people together?

HA! Well, I've been a busy networking beaver this past year, having connected with Walter Gross through mutual associates and tape label, I Had An Accident Records, out of Annapolis, as well as collaborating on remixes and other projects with all of the other artists at one point or another. When I mentioned MJC was coming out to the Northeast, it seemed like everybody knew exactly how good of a fella MJC is and jumped at the chance to play this solid bill at such a lowkey and magical spot in CT. It really should be quite an eclectic mix of folks coming together to share a common love for community and music outside of the regular wheel house for this part of the country! I'm super excited for it, especially since there may be other suprise guests performing that are in the process of getting back to me about their availability to play! I am also hunting down some local visual and performance artists who may be interested in making this event an audio-visual exploit of massive proportions!

OK lets talk releases. Any Filthybroke releases coming soon yr excited for? What about Parlay Droner/The Rifles Repeating/SPLNSHNTS?

Most recently, FBR put out a VERY limited tape release for HOOT from Colorado called "Lost Breath". This album is fantastic, and HOOT (Tanner Pain!) is a quality producer and multi-talented individual that really put his heart into this album. "What Do You Do?" is one of my stand alone FAVORITE tracks in recent memory! (http://filthybroke.bandcamp.com/album/fbr002-hoot-lost-breath)

As far as Parlay Droner is concerned... I have been sitting on a year's worth of recordings ranging from half improv, half compostion, that will be manifesting in a tape release that I will be completing in the VERY near future, as well as a dozen other improvs, drones, and remixes that may need to find their way out soon as well... Maybe Obscure Me Records? Maybe Filthybroke? We'll see (wink wink. haha)... The Rifles Repeating is a new two-piece of mine that just formed from another compatible music partnership in the form of my friend Ian and I, which will continue to explore our love for improvisational soundscapes and noise experimentation which may ultimately form into compositionally tightened "anti-songs"... Be on the look out for a release from us as well!

Most precious to me, however, is SPLNSHNTS... MJC and I have been organically growing this project with a sense of happenstance and found inspiration for almost a year now, and with Filthybroke doing teaser uploads onto soundcloud, we have developed a cult following i the form of some of our biggest influences and idols! Odd Nosdam, Charles Hawyard (This Heat), Benito from LA, and dozens more that I could namedrop have raved about our songs, and its really been a shock to my system to see where humility, creativity, and courtesy could take you. We have almost a full LP's worth of songs with a handful more to complete before we call it a finished record, however with the prospect of guest collaborators coming on board to lace the album with surprise and intrigue, we couldn't be more loaded with anticipation.

Who are some of your favorite local acts and albums/songs?

Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville, forever... Hahahahaha... Seriously though, Connecticut is a really bizarre state... For being just over 5000 square miles, it has such a range of clique'd and unique "scene" diversity that you'd think there existed a dimensional rift expanding between other time periods (mostly the 90's), and musically iconic major cities... The place is fucking weird, man... I can honestly say, though, that some of the most interesting and beautiful music I've ever heard has come from our local folks... "Post Information" by florida=death is a sleeper, it fucking slays. From start to finish the LP in its entirety stands as a major contribution to how I see music traveling outside of established genres, and it really was has been an honor to have contributed to their cause and beared witness to the cultivation of their music over the years. One of my all-time favorite bands and definitely one of my most prized albums... Phemale out of New Haven is a performance that has progressively transformed into one of the most mind-bending experiences that I've ever seen... Its beautiful, elaborate, twisted, and seriously next-level stuff, definitely a must-see to believe... A relatively newer band that emerged this past year that I am absolutely over the moon about is l o o m from Bethel. Some of the most poignant, honest, and gorgeous songs about life and change and self-exploration delivered by one of the most intensely delicate voices I've ever heard, backed by a powerhouse of a band. I've seen their lovely front-human, Dani, perform countless intimate acoustic sets (which remains a personally biased favorite), but with a full band in tow to deliver the music with her, the bias disappears as the talents of all four members of the band standd out in equal brilliance. Their live shows are fucking incredible, so keep an eye out because they will EASILY be a household name among indie fans. A couple favorites by them "Strange Thing" and "Heaviest Metals"... There is one really obscure album that was given to me by a dear friend: Thank You Mr. Keating - the Baxter Special. Wow. Literally a hidden gem in the mountains of music that exists in this state that gets across every point that I feel every band TRIES to make, but falls short, which blows my mind every time i hear it! My favorite track being "Five Will Get You Ten"... Tick Hive with his ever expanding collection of tape loops and samples! Sheer madness delivered with clever knob twisting magic strewn about his pieces.

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There you have it, get to SuperPosition at 50 High Street Meriden on October 3rd for this crazy ass show!

Facebook Event Page info

FilthyBroke Mjc is making a mass exodus to New England for the fall, and I want to welcome his amazing ass the RIGHT way! Some VERY special guests will be performing!

Walter Gross (Walter Gross) - abrasive, ambient, erotic... This man will blow your mind!

Florida=Death - CT's hidden gem of jaunt, masters of the tape and time travel

Ceschi Ramos - the legendary flagship founder of Fake Four Inc. makes his Superposition debut

TICK HIVE - Swervivalism from the Elm City

Parlay Droner - Solo flights of ambiance and rain dance...

The Rifles Repeating - two-piece noise magistrates!

also: a TRULY SPECIAL DEBUT mini-set with MJC as SPLNSHNTS!!!