Craig Murphy releases music as solipsism (written in conjunction with Ed Drury) and also runs the label Herb Recordings. Herb is a UK label based in Glasgow, Scotland representing artists from many different int'l locations.

UDR: What was the impetus for establishing Herb Recordings? Is the internet Herb's main venue? What is the basis for selecting artists for the Herb catalouge?

Craig: I first had the idea for Herb Recordings around October 2005. I had toyed with the notion of starting my own label before then, but the timing wasn't right. The label became official in January 2006 and it's been 'all systems go' ever since. The first artist signed for Herb was solipsism (myself) and I then went looking for great artists who were doing music that really impressed me, and Herb has basically grown out of that. At this point, we have some of the best new artists around, artists who can go to the very top of their genres and beyond. We've also got guys like Mark Franklin who has been on the scene for years, and has released on great labels like Warp, Black Vinyl and a whole host more... Mark's list of previous releases is frightening.

We're not stuck steadfastly to one sound either. I look for an overall sound, but would not dismiss an album if it wasn't rigidly within a certain style. This ethic has allowed Herb to branch out rapidly, and it's meant we're now catering for styles such as IDM, ambient, down-tempo and post-rock. Personally, I believe that all these styles fall under one umbrella and I'm perfectly happy and confident meshing them together.

We use the internet as a means of promotion and distribution, it's also a great way of networking with fans.

The basis for selecting Herb music is basically 'do i love it?' and ' do i feel that it's right for Herb Recordings?' If the answer to both is 'yes' then i will release it. Up until a few months ago, I contacted most of the artists myself after finding their music online. This dynamic has changed though, as the label has grown, and now I get demo propositions from artists of genuine quality, more often than not.

Herb is a record label. There is a vast difference between online music distributors and people like ourselves. Importantly, most OMDs a) give music away for free, b) allow anyone to upload music to their servers, and c) cater for any and all genres. There is no quality control and virtually anyone with fruity loops can upload their music... as long as they have an internet connection ;)

From the very first day it has been Herb's mission to deliver our music on CD. Despite reports in the industry of the death of the CD, we firmly believe that both artists and fans alike deserve a physical release. And while it may be more economically sound to solely go down the digital route, we've always put integrity before commerce and will continue to do so in the future. We started out releasing on the digital format as, quite simply, that's the way to go these days. We will continue to work at 'full steam ahead' in this market because it is the future and there's going to come a time when it will be the primary format the consumers buy. So it would be foolish to abandon it once the CDs are out. Herb will deliver the music to our fans on as many fronts as possible.

To be honest, most of the obstacles Herb has encountered have been pretty small and easily manageable. There's been a few glitches but that's par for the course and it makes you a stronger label when you come out the other end. If you plan ahead and you prepare yourself for any perceived obstacles then it puts you in a much better position to deal with them, and they don't seem as troublesome. This is true in all aspects of life, and it's a simple ethic, but effective to work from.

UDR: Talk a bit about Natural Environments. Was there a specific theme behind the selections for NE? Also, talk about the recent mixes that followed NE (i.e., Rubens, solipsism, cheju). Were these mixes planned? How did this come about? Did the artists solicit themselves to you?

Craig: With Natural Environments I wanted to explore different areas of contemporary ambient & downtempo music, while at the same time offering a platform to new artists whom I felt deserved to be heard. There was no real concept running through it as I think that would be pretty much unachievable. A concept album is a very personal thing in my opinion, and each of the artists represented on the album would have had their own ideas or concepts behind each of their tracks on that album. Furthermore, many of those tracks have came from other bodies of work which themselves again may have had a conceptual basis. So trying to thread 11 separate concepts into one binding concept could not have worked.

The title of the album related to the fact that each of the artists represented were working in their own "natural environments", this is what they did best and it was intended as a showcase of their natural talents.

Choosing the tracks was extremely difficult, I must admit. We were inundated with submissions for it and there were many tracks that didn't make the album that would possibly have made another compilation. Some of them were too similar in style to tracks that were already appearing on the album, and I wanted each track to offer something different; not completely different, but enough to show the scope and range of the artists and of Herb as well.

I also wanted to work with artists who wanted to work with Herb and release their music through us. Many submissions came from people who were just looking to get a track released and they weren't too interested in the label itself; artists who do tracks in all sorts of styles to maximize their earning potential and exposure. That was of little use to us as we were looking for artists who believed in the music they were producing; this being their art and not merely a demostration of how they can do music to order. So each track on the album was a little piece of the artists themselves, if the artist doesn't believe in what they are doing, you can't really expect the public to believe in it either.

Natural Environments has been great for Herb as it's brought me into contact with some artists I not only admire, but respect also. Many of these artists were the first building blocks of Herb and they've given us a solid foundation to build the future upon.

The free Herb mixes weren't spin-offs from Natural Environments though they did feature quite a few tracks from the compilation.

The idea of these, basically, was to condense a wide selection of Herb music into the one piece, if you like. These would then be used to showcase the talent on the label. Many of the artists who appear in the mixes joined herb after Natural Environments was released and they were designed to show people how the label is progressing both quantitatively and qualitatively. It was also intended as a means of promoting the artists who actually created the mixes and to help get their names out there.

We've kept the mixes free because we wanted to say thanks to the people who have shown us such great support in our first year.

They are released via the web simply because you can get the music out so quickly and to such a diverse range of people from all points on the globe, that there really is no viable alternative these days. People from all over the world have downloaded and continue to download the mixes and this is great for both Herb and the artists. It's a nice feeling to be sitting here in the UK and open emails from people in Russia, China, Australia, America, etc., saying how much they've enjoyed the mixes. We're a UK label but our music and our thinking is global and it's as important to me to make an impact abroad as it is at home.

The free Herb mixes were planned and there are more planned for the future also.

It came about because I emailed all the artists and asked who would be interested in doing some Herb mixes. I have to say, I've been absolutely delighted with the mixes so far and I'm looking forward to the new ones when they're finished. This is something we will most likely continue to do for many years.

UDR: Talk about the origin of your music, solipsism, & your working relationship with Ed Drury.

Craig: I first started recording under the name solipsism about 4-5 years ago. Before that, I used a variety of names including Digitalis, The Psychedelic Love Commando and Craig Murphy. I'd never released anything under those names though.

Ed Drury is a good friend from across the Atlantic who also happens to be a really diverse and talented musician. He's from Portland, Oregon, USA and we first got to know each other about 3, maybe 4 years ago. We both posted music on mp3 sites and when I first discovered those sites Ed was already a really well known and respected artist in the e-community. We both used an internet forum called indiehangout where people would post music along with irreverant chit-chat, and about 2 and a half years ago (could be 3) we started collaborating on tracks. These were largely experimental, electro-acoustic ambient tracks with Ed featuring on didgieridoo and sometimes bongo drums.

We gradually refined and redirected our sound, retaining some of the more experimental elements while discarding others in favour of something that's more pleasing to the ear melodically. Ed appeared on my first two albums featuring on a couple of tracks from each release. On the No Pressure album, 9 of the 10 tracks were co-written with Ed and he was then firmly implanted as an integral part of solipsism and the new sound. The other track was co-written with Kingbastard.

UDR: Solipsism, in theory, maintains that the individual self is the whole of reality. Many of the artists on Urban_D RADIO, and those working under Herb, are somewhat solipsistic, in stark contrast to chart music. It seems more artists are making records in bedrooms & on computers with a 'do it yourself' attitude. Is Herb drawn to the cloistered artist?

Craig: Solipsism is a theory I've always been intrigued by. In the classical sense, it's merely a thought experiment with no practicality in the real world, but I believe you can lead a solipsistic life and switch off the real world to live in your own world, sometimes by choice and other times it gets switched off for you. If you believe in your own personal world, then who are others to say it's not real or tangible? I've never been a group animal.

Solipsism plays a part in the music also because again, listening to music can be a highly solipsistic experience. When I stick on a pair of headphones, shut my eyes and zone out to Pink Floyd or Frank Zappa for example, then personally I feel as if I'm going into a different world, albeit an imaginary one.

I spend at least 10 hours a day in the studio, either working on my own music or on the label. It's a very solitary experience but I like this solitude as I can then feed from it and hopefully relay it to others through the music. I don't think solitude or solipsism are necessarily bad things. Governments try to get everyone behaving alike so they're easier to control, and if you step out of the group then it's frowned upon and turned into something negative. Solipsistic approaches to life can be entirely positive though, if you use the experiences as a tool for creation or enlightenment.

I don't think you can compare what we do with chart music, just like you can't compare a banana with a spanner. It's two completely different worlds....that's not to say that I think all chart music is bad and all underground music is good, far from it. Chart music is mainly quite grim because people in power are feeding them on this style of music and portraying it as the only music out there. The charts only cover a very narrow band from the vast spectrum of styles that are out there, and even then it's only the most commercial strands of these styles that get through. Art and business rarely mix well, and the current chart systems we have today are excellent examples of how this is so.

Thom Yorke is a good example of how much things are changing. The internet and the home computer have totally democratized the music industry to such an extent that almost anyone can record music now and get someone to listen to it. I think this has been a great thing for music as it's allowed many new labels and artists to emerge that are adding a real touch of colour to what was for so long a very dull landscape.

I do think this trend will continue because we live in different times now, though I don't necessarily think it's a result of new technology or availability. I think it's more a reflection of an age where people are becoming more socially aware of such things as global warming, global poverty, the foreign policies of the West, etc., and rejecting what the government and media feed them. People are waking up to the fact that for many years we've been controlled through media such as TV and radio, and through commercialism. So just as they're now switching off to what they're told and switching on to what they find out for themselves, they're also switching off to commercial music and are looking for something with more meaning and depth.

Herb is drawn more to this style of artist or music because it's what we believe in, and we will always be an artist-focused label where freedom of expression prevails.

>>Download Herb Recordings' Featured Artist Pcast!

>>Download solipsism's Mixed Herbs (1:08:02 / 62 MB)

>>Download Rubens' Mixed Herbs (41:57 / 38 MB)

>>Download cheju's Mixed Herbs (1:03:21 / 58 MB)