Signifying Something with Safie Flato

About Signifying Something with Safie Flato

Signifying Something is an immersive interview and new-music podcast hosted by Safie Flato. Each episode features an in-depth conversation with a contemporary artist or musician, centered around a distinctive piece of newly released (or forthcoming) work. Through candid dialogue and contextualized listening, the show uncovers how these pieces emerge from personal inquiry, technological relationships, and sonic curiosity. Ideal for adventurous listeners and curious creators alike. Signifyingsomething.com and Patreon.com/signifyingsomething -- Venmo is @Steven-Flato-1 and last 4 digits are 5591 for verification for one-time-donations.

Publisher

Safie Flato

Category

music

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Jul 2025

Latest episode

5 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 Jun 2026

   #14 - Bhob Rainey – Callahan & Witscher, The Unhuman Ear, Canopy of Catastrophes (with Safie Flato)

   Content note: This episode includes discussion of addiction, overdose, and chronic illness (diabetes) of Safie Flato. In the podcast episode, Safie Flato discusses their transition to a non-binary identity and reflects on their past as a former drug addict. They promote their podcast, urging listeners to support via Patreon or Venmo and committing to putting out one episode per month into the near future. Safie interviews Bhob Rainey about his piece "Canopy of Catastrophes," which uses sonification and audification techniques with data from asteroids, stock market predictions, and internet activity. Rainey explains his approach to creating music by integrating human and non-human elements, emphasizing the importance of intuition and learning in his process. He also touches on his work with microtonal piano compositions and collaborations with other artists. Bhob Rainey is a composer / performer. He has a long and well-regarded history as an improviser, known for a masterful yet often understated technique that transforms the soprano saxophone into an electronic-like, textural, or percussive device. He is also known for his ongoing critique of improvisational practice, which has brought influential concepts and stylistic components into the practice as a whole. While Rainey has worked with numerous improvisers globally, he is best known for his solo work (http://bhobrainey.bandcamp.com/), Nmperign (http://nmperign.bandcamp.com/) (with trumpeter Greg Kelley), and his direction of the improvising large ensemble, The BSC (https://bhobrainey.bandcamp.com/album/manual). Rainey also works in the realm of electronic and algorithmic composition. His collaborations in this area are not only with algorithms and electrons, but also with regarded composers such as Ralf Wehowsky, Jason Lescalleet, and Chris Cooper. In 2013, Rainey was awarded the prestigious Pew Fellowship in the Arts for his work in these areas. Signifyingsomething.com and Patreon.com/signifyingsomething -- Venmo is @Steven-Flato-1 and last 4 digits are 5591 for verification for one-time-donations. Music “Five Year Plan” – Callahan & Witscher, from Sorry To Hear That https://callahanwitscher.bandcamp.com/album/sorry-to-hear-that (https://callahanwitscher.bandcamp.com/album/sorry-to-hear-that) “I Love Music” – Callahan & Witscher, from Think Differently https://callahanwitscher.bandcamp.com/album/think-differently (https://callahanwitscher.bandcamp.com/album/think-differently) “Bye Jeff” – Callahan & Witscher, from Sorry To Hear That https://callahanwitscher.bandcamp.com/album/sorry-to-hear-that (https://callahanwitscher.bandcamp.com/album/sorry-to-hear-that) “Canopy of Catastrophes” – Bhob Rainey, from From null lands led, Starrily https://www.subvert.fm/bhob-rainey/from-null-lands-led-starrily (https://www.subvert.fm/bhob-rainey/from-null-lands-led-starrily) Support Patreon: https://patreon.com/signifyingsomething (https://patreon.com/signifyingsomething) Bandcamp: https://signifyingsomething.bandcamp.com/ (https://signifyingsomething.bandcamp.com/)

2. 

   10 Jul 2025

   #13: Matt Weston: "Fear of Insomnia"

   (This episode was originally released October 8th, 2021) On today's episode, Steve Flato speaks with Matt Weston. Steve and Matt discuss Matt's musical upbringing; his time studying with Milford Graves and Bill Dixon at Bennington College; his time in Chicago in the mid 90's; and Matt's trajectory over the course of his career. Weston plays percussion and electronics, and has performed throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. He has appeared on CNN, VH1, and CBS TV. He has studied and/or collaborated with Arthur Brooks, Bill Callahan/Smog, Bill Dixon, Kevin Drumm, Paul Flaherty, Charles Gayle, Milford Graves, Mary Halvorson, Le Quan Ninh, Bob Marsh, Ben Miller (ex-Destroy All Monsters), Roger Miller (Mission of Burma), Jim O’Rourke, Jeff Parker, Jack Wright, and many others. His work has earned critical praise from such publications as the Wire, the Village Voice, Signal To Noise, Cadence, All About Jazz, Grooves, and Bananafish. His solo works have garnered international acclaim, as have his recordings with Barn Owl, Tizzy, and Thrillpillow. He has recorded for the Tautology, Sachimay, Breaking World Records, Imvated, Crank Satori, BoxMedia, and Drag City labels. He currently records for his own 7272Music label. In addition to his solo work, Weston is currently a member of the Arthur Brooks Ensemble V; and Arc Pair with drummer Amanda Kraus. Visit signifyingsomething.bandcamp.com (https://signifyingsomething.bandcamp.com/) to donate to the show and get a lossless download of Matt Weston's "Fear of Insomnia". intro & background music: steve flato "fear of insomnia" used by permission of Matt Weston

3. 

   10 Jul 2025

   #12: Christina Carter (Charalambides): "Poetry"

   (This episode was originally broadcast September 2nd, 2021) Steve Flato talks with Christina Carter (Charalambides) on today's episode of Signifying Something. During a terrible period of loss from 2008 to 2014, Christina created some of her best solo music. Much of it remains unheard to a large audience as they were released in very small editions on CD-R and never released digitally. Steve and Christina discuss her solo discography as well as her early childhood influences; the art school system; her improvisational approach to songwriting; the artist/listener relationship; a transformative live experience with Joe McPhee; the importance of participation in the artistic process; the difficulty of singing other peoples songs; the live experience and the life energy of live music, and why Christina didn't want to play live at first. Check out signifyingsomething.bandcamp.com (https://signifyingsomething.bandcamp.com/) for a free/pay-what-you-want download of the episode as well as "Poetry" from Christina's Texas Modern Exorcism album. Intro / bed music - Steve Flato 34:25 "Centerpiece" - from Masque Femine by Christina Carter 53:50 - "Poetry" - from Texas Modern Exorcism by Christina Carter 1:05:30 - "Letter L" - from Imaginee by Christina Carter 1:09:13 - "Ascend Mem" - from Imaginational Anthem Vol 2 by Christina Carter 1:32:25 - "Ice" - from upcoming a capella record by Christina Carter 1:35:40 - "Lady Friend" - from Texas Blues Working by Christina Carter End / bed music - Steve Flato Featured tracks as lossless downloads are available at our Bandcamp: signifyingsomething.bandcamp.com

4. 

   10 Jul 2025

   #11: Johnathan Cash (Sunk Cost, Breakdancing Ronald Reagan): "Metal Slug"

   (This episode was originally broadcast August 23, 2021) On today's episode of Signifying Something, Steve Flato talks to Johnathan Cash (aka Sunk Cost). Johnathan formerly played under the alias Breakdancing Ronald Reagan. Since moving to Hollywood, Johnathan has been recording under the alias Sunk Cost; a love letter to Japanese and American harsh noise and experimental electronics. Eschewing the noise/comedy parody of Breakdancing Ronald Reagan, and his youth, he and Steve explore Johnny's recent changes, his shows in the Austin and Denver noise scenes, and other topics surrounding his past & future. "Sometimes you get so deep into parody that you lose the original intention of what you were even focusing on. It's like, I was making fun of noise so much that i was like, damn, I do like noise, though... Noise is fun, that is something i'll take to my fuckin' grave. it doesn't have to be funny, but it is fun to hear. It's a cool, fun sound." - Johnathan Cash

5. 

   10 Jul 2025

   #10: Seth Graham (Orange Milk Records): "From the valley"

   (This episode was originally broadcast August 17, 2021) On today's show, Steve Flato speaks with Seth Graham. Seth Graham is a Ohio based visual artist, composer and co-owner of Orange Milk Records with an academic background in Philosophy. He focuses on compositions which highlight tropes across a broad range of musical genres using midi data, Max MSP and samples. His intention is to manifest intersections of classical avant garde and modern popular music with compositions ranging from playful sample arrangements to dense digital synthesis. Seth Graham’s work has been published by music imprints Orange Milk, Noumenal Loom, We Time Audio. He was commissioned by the Russian Ensemble Kymatic to write 4 pieces in tribute to Philip Glass that was performed during 2017 at the Museum of Media and Arts in Moscow. He has been written about in Rolling Stone, NPR, Tiny Mix Tapes, Impose, FACT, and other publications. We discuss Seth's discography, particularly the new record with Mari from More Eaze, "The Heart Pumps Kool-Aid" under the alias ---__--___. We also get into Seth's ultra-conservative parents and his upbringing in Japan as an English-speaking boy from Ohio; intuition in the creative process; the importance of an artistic space and managing home life with time for art and music; composition and the process behind "Gasp" and "No.00 in clean life" (Seth's previous solo albums). Music video link for "When you're hot around the narcs" by ---__--___: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmZJgwS7oVQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmZJgwS7oVQ) Intro Music: Steve Flato "Julius Eastman - NY metro xylophone player (feat meteronori)" is featured after the intro. "From The Valley" - featured track "When you're hot around the narcs" - featured before outro Outro music: Steve Flato Featured tracks as lossless downloads are available at our Bandcamp: signifyingsomething.bandcamp.com

6. 

   10 Jul 2025

   #9: Jen Kutler: "In Loving Memory of Being Touched"

   Steve Flato sits down with artist and musician Jen Kutler to discuss her piece “In Loving Memory of Being Touched”. Jen Kutler is a multidisciplinary artist that often works with queerness, femininity, and intimacy. Her performances feature many of her instruments incorporated with immersive field recordings to explore common and discrepant experiences of familiar social tones in immersive sound and media environments. Using discarded hospital equipment, Jen created this piece at the beginning of quarantine out of a yearning for one of the most basic human needs— touch. The listener hooks electrodes to their body (similar to a TENS pain relief device) and gentle shocks “touch” the listener in time to music played via WebMIDI on a website. The whole thing is housed in a clear cube filled with circuits and LED’s that connects to your computer via USB, and features a beautiful illustration of hands, reaching out to something, printed on one of the circuit boards. Steve and Jen discuss the process of creating and the context for "In Loving Memory of Being Touched" as well as an upcoming record (out Feb 12) that uses empathy as a device to generate sound. Previous projects have sonified the female orgasm, used vibrators as instruments, all in an attempt to re-contextualize and transform the common themes found in her work.

7. 

   10 Jul 2025

   #8: Keith Rowe & Jon Abbey (Erstwhile Records): "A Response to Treatise"

   (This episode was previously broadcast on August 14th, 2020, however, the interview was recorded in October 2018) On the show today, I’m joined by Keith Rowe, who was a founding member of AMM, a free improvisation group from the mid-1960s. With him is Jon Abbey of Erstwhile Records, who over the last 20 years has seen his label closely intertwined with Keith’s work. Since the late 1990s, Erstwhile Records has been releasing some of the most exciting and challenging recordings within this area of music, many of them involving Keith. Keith Rowe is a musician and visual artist, perhaps best known for popularizing the “prepared guitar” — that is, an electric guitar, laid flat on a table and played with various objects- motors, springs, toothbrushes, you name it. Keith is also well known for his use of the radio as a musical instrument. This interview was recorded in October 2018 while Keith was in New York performing what was likely his last American show following a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. Keith was kind enough to give us an unreleased piece to accompany this podcast called “A Response to Treatise”. It’s available for a free lossless download at our Bandcamp with accompanying notes and annotated pages of Treatise. credits for A Response to Treatise (2002): recorded Feb 8, 2002 in Austin by Tom Carter mastered by Toshimaru Nakamura thanks to Rick Reed, Richard Pinnell & P.G. Moreno/Epistrophy Arts dedicated to Sherrie Lynn Streeter (1959-2010) (Please see the .pdf included with this download on our Bandcamp download of this episode, signifyingsomething.bandcamp.com, for further notes by Keith)

8. 

   9 Jul 2025

   #7: id m theft able: "'bout half a gallon of dripped weight lo$$"

   (This episode was originally broadcast May 17, 2017) id m theft able is a performer and improviser from Portland, Maine. He sits somewhere in between the areas of noise, free improvisation, sound poetry, and performance art by using voice, found objects, and electronics. He has given hundreds of performances across 4 continents in settings ranging from the scummiest of squats to the fanciest of festivals. Today he brings a voice-only improvisation called ‘Bout Half a Gallon of Dripped Weight Lo$$ He and Steve Flato have their second conversation after Steve forgets to turn the recorder on the first time. They discuss id m theft able’s early experiences with tape recorders and shortwave radios without knowing other people were exploring similar areas; an experience with a music theory teacher and a lie about John Cage; his gradual movement from composition to improvisation; the idea of creating art as an inadvertent mating call; comedy in experimental music; subjectivity, emotion, and communication; self-esteem and using art as a tool to shape your self.

9. 

   9 Jul 2025

   #6: G. Lucas Crane (Nonhorse): "Comfortable?"

   (This episode was originally broadcast April 25, 2017) G Lucas Crane speaks with Steve Flato on today’s episode of Signifying Something. Crane is a sound artist, performer, and musician whose work focuses on information anxiety, media confusion, and new performance techniques for obsolete technology. He is one of the co-founders of the experimental art and performance space the Silent Barn, located in NYC. He makes collages of reconstituted sample-based sound using the medium of cassette tape and has been in bands such as Woods, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice. His solo work is released under the name Nonhorse. Crane and Flato discuss playing with time and the nature of an instrument based on recordings of previous events; how people continue to use technology that is useful to them regardless of whether it’s “obsolete” or not; the importance of creating encounters with yourself in a performative setting; the diaristic nature of Crane’s sample library; associations with sound; listening and playing as two discrete modes of interacting with his material; musical problem solving; achieving a trance-like state during a performance; performance conventions in experimental music and otherwise; imperfection within the context of looping; tradition and vocabulary in what is usually considered “non-traditional” music; and what art can achieve beyond the expression of the author. Intro & background music by Steve Flato Featured music "Comfortable?" by Nonhorse

10. 

    9 Jul 2025

    #5: Sarah Hennies: "Pressure"

    (This episode was originally broadcast on March 30th, 2017) In my work) there’s this sort of underlying belief or tenet that whatever sound we’re hearing probably has a lot more going on with it than we’re either aware of or are giving it credit for.” - Sarah Hennies Today’s episode is all about identity and understanding yourself through your own creations. Sarah Hennies joins us and premiers the piece “Pressure”, which is created entirely from one piece of percussion: the hi-hat. By varying the pressure of the foot pedal on the hi-hat, Sarah changes the quality of the sound and the various tones that are emitted. Different speeds on the metronome are set and multi-tracked, and the results are presented as they were recorded. The result is a cascade of overlapping percussion sounds that can be felt physically in the body. Sarah discusses how a piece like “Pressure”, which is one of the first recorded examples of her composed music, gave her clues about herself. At one time, it seemed like a good idea to use this approach in her music. She came back to the idea of music that can be “felt” later in life, and realized she touched on it with “Pressure” at a previous time. Looking back with renewed clarity, Sarah was able to gain insights about herself at that time in her life and use this to create a more refined work. At another point, Sarah decided that physically demanding, labor intensive performances were going to be her focus. What does that say about her? There was a reason she came up her ideas at a specific time in her life. Sarah saw inadvertent signs in her music, and now she uses these signs and layers of meaning purposefully as tools in her compositional process. Intro & background music by Steve Flato Featured music "Pressure" by Sarah Hennies

11. 

    9 Jul 2025

    #3: David Kirby: "Mixdown"

    (This episode was originally published in March 2017) David Kirby is a software programmer by trade and a musician primarily working in the medium of cassette tapes, making rhythmic tape collages that surprise and confuse. He describes his work as “an open air experiment exploring psychophysical defecation in virtual spaces.” Using handheld recorders, he manipulates and molds his sounds by physically interacting with the cassette players by varying the pressure on the buttons as well as other mysterious techniques. He does not employ effects but rather lets the tapes and his interaction with them speak for itself. His cassettes come from wherever he can find them, and no sound is out of the question. Often unexpected, incredibly rhythmic and playful, and sometimes completely confounding, David’s tape works are represented by the piece showcased today, “Mixdown". He and Steve Flato have known each other for quite some time, crossing paths via various internet platforms like Soulseek and web forums over ten years ago. Their conversation is as playful and unexpected as David’s music, covering a wide range of topics such as David’s experience living with a medicine woman in the mountains of South Carolina; his net label Homophoni; psychedelic drugs and experimental music; dimensional listening; the connection between improvised music and failure; his current avoidance of four-track tape machines and preference for simple handheld recorders; the falling availability and rising cost of cassettes; what the format of cassette tapes offer as a unique experience separate from vinyl or digital; the distinction between using tapes as instruments vs. as an end-product for the listener; David’s thoughts on recordings of improvised music and the loss of data involved; the loss of physical media as digital distribution becomes more widely adopted; the connection between electroacoustic improvisation and jazz; and booty shorts. Intro & background music by Steve Flato Featured music "Mixdown" by David Kirby

12. 

    9 Jul 2025

    #2: Matthew Revert: "borntwo"

    (This episode was previously broadcast March 15, 2017). Matthew Revert is a writer, musician and designer from Melbourne, Australia. His music has been released by labels such as Kye, Erstwhile Records, No Rent Tapes and caduc records. Today he joins us on Signifying Something and presents an outtake from an upcoming LP, entitled “borntwo”. Fear, risk, and expressivity are the themes that Matthew and Steve Flato discuss on today's episode. Topics include why Matthew feels it’s important to be out of his comfort zone while engaging in the creative process; why he wouldn’t describe his music as “experimental” — or describe his music as anything but “songs”; music as a therapeutic process; how Matthew approaches words in his music vs. words in his novels; not being embarrassed by using “hackneyed” tools (like drenching your voice in reverb) in his creations; how he recorded an entire record while suffering from the flu; and the importance of empathy in film scoring and how Revert approached his first project for the screen; and why labeling your art before you make it can be paralyzing. Intro and background music by Steve Flato Featured music "borntwo" by Matthew Revert

13. 

    8 Jul 2025

    #1: Lea Bertucci: "Oracle (Quartet Version)"

    (This episode was previously published in 2017) Lea Bertucci is an interdisciplinary artist, composer and improviser working with installation, sound, and projection. As an instrumentalist, she focuses on an electro-acoustic preparation of the bass clarinet that heavily utilizes speaker feedback. In recent years, her projects have expanded to site-specific compositions for electronics and instruments, multichannel sound installations and music concrete collage. Her new album, All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, is being released on NNA Tapes at the end of March. On this initial episode of Signifying Something, Steve Flato and Bertucci play and discuss her composition Oracle (Quartet Version). From there, the conversation goes onto explore Lea’s process in making a composition for voice— an instrument she has not studied— and how she demos and listens to these scores without being a vocalist herself; beating patterns in notes, microtonality, and just intonation; her focus on the spatial aspects of the room where her works are performed; Schoenberg and “New Music”; systematic composition and rule-based work; the pieces made at her Issue Project Room residency— Cepheid and Cepheid Variations— and their exploration of resonance; extended instrumental techniques; Lea’s multichannel piece, Double Bass Crossfade (which appears on her new NNA release All That Is Solid Melts Into Air); her approach to her tape music and her view of digital processing in that context; Lea’s ongoing concert series Dense Mesh; and how to know when you’ve finally finished a composition. Links: Artist Statement Generator: www.500letters.org/form_15.php (http://www.500letters.org/form_15.php) Lea Bertucci's website: http://lea-bertucci.com/ (http://lea-bertucci.com/) Intro & background music by Steve Flato Featured music by Lea Bertucci

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.