Fault Radio Label Spotlight: Squirrels On Film
Local Bay Area heroes Brian Hock and Solar Langevin have teamed up to create one of the most exciting labels to come out of San Francisco: the cheekily-titled Squirrels on Film. In 2016, Hock, aka producer and DJ C.L.A.W.S. (drummer for SF indie freaks Bronze and co-promoter of the now-legendary Hostile Ambient Takeover parties) joined forces with Solar, longtime SF DJ & co-founder of the Sunset Soundsystem (one of the longest-lasting party promoters in the Bay whose summer campout is the stuff of West Coast legend) with an ear towards launching a label dedicated to music that lies “outside of strict genre guidelines”.
With each release gorgeously wrapped in psychedelic dystopian sleeves that perfectly reflect their contents designed by New York visual artist Bert Bergen, SOF’s ethos includes hefty doses of techno, electro, wave, acid and dub, infused with Solar’s extensive DJ’ing sensibility and Hock’s keen musicians’ ear.
The artist roster includes a host of local luminaries, from man-of-the-moment Sepehr (Dark Entries) to stalwart SF scene DJ and producer Tasho Nicolopulos. Here in ambient mode as Its Own Infinite Flower, Kit’n’C.L.A.W.S., a collab between Hock and minimal techno legend Kit Clayton, and Bayview Acid Squirrels. Another Hock collab with SF-via-Chicago DJ Tyrel Williams who, along with Hock, also runs white-label vinyl imprint (Immortal Sin.)
The SOF family has grown beyond the borders of the Bay as well, with releases from Mexican darkwave techno DJ/producer Lokier and Floridian bass wizard Chris Mitchell contributing recent 12”s with global attention. Mitchell’s cross examination of Southern bass dynamics with modern acid techno is particularly engaging, barely released at the time of this writing but already gaining traction worldwide. Texan LDY OSC (The Bunker) is up next in the lineup with her EP due in May 2020.
Squirrels On Film continue their attack on 2020 with a new radio show for local online underground music station Sutro.FM. Squirrels On Radio broadcasts twice monthly, hosted by Hock, and Solar continues to DJ worldwide.
Favorite Releases:
