The Dead Drop

TRUTH & MUSIC with THE CONSPIRACY TAPES

Pao De Silva has been making moody, cinematic, and abstract electronic music as THE CONSPIRACY TAPES to great cult acclaim. We talked about finding truth in your music, his latest release, working with https://spareorgan.bandcamp.com/, plus the pains and triumphs of trying to build communities. Find his music on https://theconspiracytapes.bandcamp.com/... https://theconspiracytapes.bandcamp.com/ *** *Contains samples from Surrogate Prey's "Cottonmouth." Used with permission.

DOUGLAS CANDANO | On Surreal Stories and His New Book

Doug Candano is the author of the new book of surreal short fiction "Infinite Lives, Infinite Deaths" [https://www.penguin.sg/book/infinite-lives-infinite-deaths/](Penguin Random House SEA). His literary writing has won several national level awards, including the Philippines Free Press Literary Award and the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature. He has also written for film and theater and has a side career as one of the country’s top competitive eaters. He works as a freelance research consultant for dev't programs. Follow Doug on his author page: https://www.penguin.sg/book_author/douglas-candano/ *** *Contains samples from Surrogate Prey's "Cottonmouth." Used with permission.

SUPERPSYCHOCEBU | Queen City High Times W/ Ara and Chris

Chris Linaban (director) and Ara Chawdhury (producer) are the creators of the 2016 Bisaya stoner movie SUPERPSYCHOCEBU. With a cult following growing over the years (screenings during 4/20), in 2024 they now have screenings in the US and Philippines. The filmmaking and real life partners look back on how they made the movie and what it means to them now. superpsychocebumovie.com/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7N9aQEupCE * Contains samples from Surrogate Prey, used with permission.

CASTRO SMITH | Engraving Myths on Jewelry and Filipino Folklore

CASTRO SMITH is one of the best known intaglio engravers in the world. The Filipino-British carver of jewelry and art pieces is based in London, known for his intricate work on signet rings. The signet rings often sell out fast at Dover Street Market and other upscale merchant platforms. It’s also captured the attention of A-list celebrities such as Elton John, Jeremy Strong, the actor in HBO’s Succession, and Anya Taylor-Joy from Queen’s Gambit, who have gone straight to Smith to commission pieces.  From A-list actors to professional gamers, scientists to elite athletes, Smith’s work caters to that mystery point between owning something tactile and precious, and celebrating life’s milestones.  Because it’s the bespoke process that makes Smith’s work pregnant with meaning. When people come to him to mark events, celebrate anniversaries, or cement personal symbols on jewelry that’s when a custom piece transcends the material. It becomes an object of personal mythology. Something beyond jewelry. Something edging closer to totemism.   On this episode of The Dead Drop, Smith talked to me about growing up Eurasian, about his childhood in Cagayan De Oro and Newcastle, his love for aswang stories and other Filipino lower mythology creatures, and how this almost 5,000-year-old art of carving on gold and metal is finding a resurgence with some unlikely young clients.   Follow Castro Smith on IG : https://www.instagram.com/castrosmith/  Visit his shop to commission a custom piece: https://castrosmith.com/ *** Contains samples from Surrogate Prey, used with permission. This podcast is powered by Anchor.

BASALT SHRINE | Burning Up the Sludge Swamp & Track By Track of "From Fiery Tongues"

Extreme slow metal at its tastiest. Hailed as genre-defying and a tour-de-force, BASALT SHRINE's debut LP is burning up the Pinoy sludge swamp like someone freed a quartet of gleeful arsonists.  The Filipino doom/post-metal super group is composed of Bobby Legaspi (Surrogate Prey, Malicious Birth), Rallye Ibanez (Ex-Religious Nightmare, Surrogate Prey) and Ronaldo and Ronnel Vivo (Dagtum, The Insektlife Cycle, Abanglupa, Imperial Airwaves, Ex-Hateure).  On this interview we go through each of the tracks on their excellent album "FROM FIERY TONGUES", their thoughts on extreme music, and how they found a hack for performing their previously studio-only songs live. Buy the digital album on their Bandcamp: https://basaltshrine.bandcamp.com/releases [https://basaltshrine.bandcamp.com/releases] Buy the physical releases on the ff platforms. Electric Spark (Netherlands) / Vinyl www.electricsparkrecords.com [https://www.electricsparkrecords.com/] Surrogate Rec. (Ukraine) / Jewel Case CD www.surrogaterec.com [https://www.surrogaterec.com/] Cruel Nature Records (UK) / Special Edition Cassette Tape cruelnaturerecordings.bandcamp.com [https://cruelnaturerecordings.bandcamp.com/] Three Moons Records (Poland) / Limited Edition Cassette Tape www.threemoonsrecords.com [http://www.threemoonsrecords.com/] Aim Down Sight Records (Germany) / Limited Edition Cassette Tape aimdownsightrecords.bandcamp.com [https://aimdownsightrecords.bandcamp.com/] 𝗨𝗦𝗔 Electric Talon Records (Philadelphia) / Digipak CD / Cassette www.electrictalonrecords.com [https://www.electrictalonrecords.com/] 𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗔 PAWN (Ph) / Cassette Tape pawnrecords.com [https://pawnrecords.com/] Harrowing Industries (Indonesia) / Digipak CD harrowingindustries.bandcamp.com [https://harrowingindustries.bandcamp.com/] *** Contains samples from Surrogate Prey [https://surrogateprey.bandcamp.com/], used with permission. This podcast is powered by Anchor.