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Not A Diving Podcast with Scuba
#118 Tom Vek: Blockchains, fragmentation, and a post-format world, "It always comes back to songs"
D:U:LIVE is coming in June! My first live shows since 2013.... London / Bristol / Manchester - all tickets: scubaoficial.io/live
Tom Vek is a solo artist from the UK who has been signed to majors, indies, and been self released. He was in the news recently in the debate surrounding James Blake's Vault platform, penning an opinion piece on the subject in the Guardian.
So obviously we discuss all that stuff in this conversation, as well as his own contribution to the music distribution development conversation - the Supercollector blockchain platform.
We also get into his journey as a musician, from his extremely great first album 'We Have Sound' through a difficult period on Island/Universal, via his various excursions in tech and up to the present day.
Tom is a great guy whose music I've been a fan of for many years and you're gonna enjoy this conversation!
If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.
You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.
Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.
Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlist
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50. #50: Dance Music Deserves To Be Destroyed By AI
53:31||Season 2, Ep. 50No, really it does. In this episode we discuss a series of articles recommended by friend-of-the-show Darren Hemmings in this substack post.As the title suggests, we consider the ethics of AI music from two separate angles. And finally we look at the increasing dominance of standup comedy in the ecosystem of live events. I will never stand being accused of cynical ragebait! --NEW MERCH STORE: Support the podcast with a purchase from our new line of awesome merch. Tees, hoodies, water bottles... etc! Cheap worldwide shipping!Visit the store here: hotflushrecordings.com/shop--Listen to the Not A Diving Club radio show: https://soundcloud.com/scubaofficial/sets/not-a-diving-clubYou can now discuss the show on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicNotDiving/If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist00:00 Intro03:58 Changes in the business of social media08:08 dBridge Substack post16:35 Is algorithmic influence any different to human influence?19:44 Why musicians hate the press24:52 Dance music deserves to be destroyed by AI35:03 The success of standup comedy 41:37 Transgressive comedy vs music51:48 Conclusions
49. #49: Thoughts on Trillionaires
38:49||Season 2, Ep. 49What does the new age of oligarchy mean for the future of art and the cultural sector?And what can we learn from previous era of extreme inequality?Weighty question on this episode of the podcast...--NEW MERCH STORE: Support the podcast with a purchase from our new line of awesome merch. Tees, hoodies, water bottles... etc! Cheap worldwide shipping!Visit the store here: hotflushrecordings.com/shop--Listen to the Not A Diving Club radio show: https://soundcloud.com/scubaofficial/sets/not-a-diving-clubYou can now discuss the show on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicNotDiving/If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist00:00 Intro02:30 Elon, Tesla, and SpaceX07:23 The Gilded Age10:34 Andrew Carnegie27:27 Busting the Trusts31:24 Help needed now36:36 How left wing are you?
48. #48: I was WRONG about music and corporate money
28:54||Season 2, Ep. 48NEW MERCH STORE: Support the podcast with a purchase from our new line of awesome merch. Tees, hoodies, water bottles... etc! Cheap worldwide shipping!Visit the store here: hotflushrecordings.com/shop--Corporate money is the wellspring of great art... discuss!Also, the demise of Nina, Juno Download, and eventually Subvert. --Listen to the Not A Diving Club radio show: https://soundcloud.com/scubaofficial/sets/not-a-diving-clubYou can now discuss the show on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicNotDiving/If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist00:00 Intro03:18 Money and art11:04 Downloads are dead23.33 Conclusions
47. #47 Carl Craig: from Motown to Techno via The Electrifying Mojo
01:34:59||Season 2, Ep. 47NEW MERCH STORE: Support the podcast with a purchase from our new line of awesome merch. Tees, hoodies, water bottles... etc! Cheap worldwide shipping!Visit the store here: hotflushrecordings.com/shop--Carl Craig is a producer, DJ, and label owner from Detroit. A feature-length documentary, Desire: The Carl Craig Story, is available to stream now. Listen to the reissue of 'Meditations' LP.We discuss the history of Detroit music, the development of techno, the influence of other areas of popular culture on dance music, and the breadth of his musical experiences from playing guitar in bands as a teenager to being a current artist-in-residence at Michigan State University.This is a conversation with a true legend who does not disappoint! --Listen to the Not A Diving Club radio show: https://soundcloud.com/swufm/scuba-not-a-diving-club-14-1You can now discuss the show on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicNotDiving/If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist00:00 Intro02:00 The documentary07:15 Judging artists' work14:08 Jungle and the UK rave scene20:29 Breakthrough and early material25:20 Popular culture and dance music31:55 Collaboration and solo work35:48 Bring back guitars41:55 The Electrifying Mojo54:46 Techno and Motown01:01:58 Frankfurt vs Berlin01:08:50 Black music and diversity01:19:47 Artist in residence at MSUFCU
Bonus - Singles Club: 2 minute reviews of the UK Top 10
28:05|MERCH DROP! Support the podcast with a purchase from our new line of awesome merch. Tees, hoodies, water bottles... etc! Cheap worldwide shipping!Visit the store here: hotflushrecordings.com/shop--Singles Club is a series of podcasts we do over on our Patreon. Sign up for less than the price of a cup of coffee to get all 20+ episodes!--Listen to the Not A Diving Club radio show: https://soundcloud.com/swufm/scuba-not-a-diving-club-14-1You can now discuss the show on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicNotDiving/If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist
46. #46 The truth about Ticketmaster, and why Chaotic Good's unscrupulous marketing campaigns are actually good for music
33:23||Season 2, Ep. 46MERCH DROP! Support the podcast with a purchase from our new line of awesome merch. Tees, hoodies, water bottles... etc! Cheap worldwide shipping!Visit the store here: hotflushrecordings.com/shop--The bulk of this episode is a deep dive on the Live Nation / Ticketmaster situation.We look at the system of practices that has developed since the merger in 2010, the recent ruling, and the possible future arrangements in a world where the ruling (currently subject to appeal) is put into practice.But separately, we also discuss why the Chaotic Good marketing approach is actually a good thing for music...!--Listen to the Not A Diving Club radio show: https://soundcloud.com/swufm/scuba-not-a-diving-club-14-1You can now discuss the show on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicNotDiving/If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist00:00 Support the podcast03:00 Is Chaotic Good actually good?07:28 Ticketing31:41 Closing
45. #45 AI sceptics and the boomers who want to save independent music
35:03||Season 2, Ep. 45MERCH DROP! Support the podcast with a purchase from our new line of awesome merch. Tees, hoodies, water bottles... etc! Cheap worldwide shipping! Visit the store here: hotflushrecordings.com/shop--This week on Music Not Diving we decouple from the Youtube feed and get into the ongoing debate around AI. Sceptics like Ed Zitron have come to prominence with their doubts about the viability of business models of the big AI firms, but in music Suno is busily destroying artistry and the effect of the general LLMs has upended other bits of the industry too.So what does this all mean?And we also learn about the ceiling of the Rolls Royce Phantom and what that might mean for vintage mix consoles.Bob Lefsetz piece on the Indie Alliance: lefsetz.com/wordpress/2026/03/31/the-indie-alliance/Shawn's referenced piece: firstfloor.substack.com/p/the-majors-are-ushering-in-an-eraTed Gioia referenced piece: www.honest-broker.com/p/four-steps-to-hell--Listen to the Not A Diving Club radio show: https://soundcloud.com/swufm/scuba-not-a-diving-club-14-1You can now discuss the show on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicNotDiving/If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist00:00 Intro02:00 Future of the pod06:50 The Indie Alliance12:30 Major labels and AI15:00 AI scepticism20:17 New Suno model29:20 Rolls Royce and music
44. #44 Watches and musical wonders: the Rolex-ification of music
33:14||Season 2, Ep. 44MERCH DROP! Support the podcast with a purchase from our new line of awesome merch. Tees, hoodies, water bottles... etc! Cheap worldwide shipping! Visit the store here: hotflushrecordings.com/shop--What does the music industry have in common with Swiss watches? Quite a lot, as we discover on this solo episode of the podcast...The latest Morgan Stanley Swiss watch industry report can be viewed here.--Listen to the Not A Diving Club radio show: https://soundcloud.com/swufm/scuba-not-a-diving-club-14-1You can now discuss the show on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicNotDiving/If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist00:00 Intro05:52 The current landscape10:08 Volume vs luxury14.07 The key players19.11 How the successful acts do it24.32 Can listeners pick up the slack?27.10 The real problem30.20 Conclusions
43. #43 Techno in India Part II: FILM on the challenges of making music in India
51:32||Season 2, Ep. 43MERCH DROP! Support the podcast with a purchase from our new line of awesome merch. Tees, hoodies, water bottles... etc! Cheap worldwide shipping! Visit the store here: hotflushrecordings.com/shop--Music Not Diving touched down in Bengaluru, aka Bangalore, for the opening night of DJ El Sid's Ends & Means party, and also to record podcasts at the Bangalore International Centre with two of the most important people in the contemporary techno scene in India. This is part II...Sanil Sudan, aka FILM, is one of the best electronic producers to come out of India. Based in New Delhi, he has been involved in all aspects of the scene over the past decade and more: DJing, promoting parties, running one of India’s first booking agencies (UnMute), as well as making beats as FILM and other aliases including the techno-focused Tyrell Dub Corp. 'We discuss his production process, differing approaches to studio techniques including classic synths and sampling, hidden resources to be found on Youtube, the challenges facing Indian producers, the development of a distinctive Indian sound, as well as his time spent in Berlin as part of the Border Movement Residency (BMR) program. This is a great conversation with a big talent operating in a difficult environment. Get involved! Check out El Sid mixes on Soundcloud. --Listen to the Not A Diving Club radio show: https://soundcloud.com/swufm/scuba-not-a-diving-club-14-1You can now discuss the show on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicNotDiving/If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist00:00 Intro03:10 FILM06:11 From pro-gamer to promoter08:30 The "No more parties in Delhi" experiment11:45 Learning Music Theory mid-Career15:45 AI Slop and the value of human emotion17:54 The cultural necessity of sampling22:00 Studio talk27:00 The Berlin border movement residency32:30 Post-COVID clubbing & Spotify fatigue37:30 The corporatisation of Boiler Room41:45 Forging an authentic Indian sound49:10 The global hustle for Indian DJs