Stephen Mejias

I say this all the time, but I’ll say it again: I cannot keep up with all of the great new music that’s being released. It’s coming from all over the world, it’s beautifully packaged, and it’s lovingly presented by people who care deeply about their relationships with the artists and the listeners. This is a wonderful time for music, and, therefore, a wonderful time for hi-fi.

Today, I’m listening to Jannick Schou’s Act of Shimmering, a new vinyl-only release limited to 300 copies and made available by Experimedia, a home for sounds that reliably fascinate, enthrall, enrich.

Indeed, Experimedia has quickly joined Type, Domino, De Stijl, Matador, Not Not Fun, Rune Grammofon, Preservation, Digitalis, just about everything distributed by Forced Exposure, and more (happily, I could go on and on), as one of my trusted and treasured sources for challenging, rewarding, fun new music.

The importance of a record label? Just as I can trust a good magazine editor to deliver honest, worthwhile content, I can trust a good label to deliver sounds and objects that will enhance and deepen my understanding of the world around me, my place in it, my enjoyment of it.

Experimedia is brought to us by Jeremy Bible, an artist and musician with a great appreciation for the kind of work that I want in my life. I can purchase anything from Experimedia—anything—and know that I will enjoy it. For me, such a relationship is a beautiful and invaluable thing.

Like many similar endeavors—things that enter the world as labors of love—Experimedia has been something that Jeremy has embraced only in his free time. The recent success of his work, however, has allowed him to dedicate more time to it. We should consider ourselves lucky: Soon, Jeremy will be focusing his time and energy on developing the relationships he’s formed through Experimedia, releasing new material, and, hopefully, reaching more like-minded listeners. That Jeremy can turn a passion into a full-time occupation is not only evidence of his dedication to the work, but also a sign that even in this digital age (or, perhaps, in response to this digital age), there is growing interest in physical media and the truly outstanding music it contains.

Of course, Experimedia is involved with digital media, as well—most of the label’s releases can be sampled via SoundCloud and there are several free items available for download—but the physical object is the thing. Experimedia’s releases are made to be cherished, held, loved.

With Act of Shimmering, Jannick Schou dives into a warm sea of sound, so many rich droning, glistening, warbling textures developed with guitars (I imagine) and heart (I am sure). This is the sort of music that surprisingly, almost paradoxically, seems to love being played on the hi-fi: The music is allowed to reveal its many layers, colors, warmth, and its impressive size, filling the listening room with energy and emotion. Of course, I need it.