Music by Skype

Guitarist/keyboardist/electronic-manipulator Marcelo Radulovich is a founding member of veteran San Diego group the Playground Slap. Blending punk, jazz, psychedelic, and funk, the band has been extant for 33 years. Radulovich also writes and records solo material, creating ambient collages of techno, industrial, pop, and trance.

“My musical collaborations tend to produce the most offbeat tracks,” he says. “I have an MP3 single coming out soon on dPulse that I did with David J, former Bauhaus bassist and current San Diegan, called ‘Hank Williams to the Angel of Death.’”

Another collaborative effort, Me Me the Moth, pairs Radulovich with Salem, Massachusetts–based Neil Carlill of the band Vedette. “We met through MySpace,” says Radulovich, “and we began writing songs early in 2008. First we exchanged ideas, and then files — instrumental tracks, solo tracks of voice, guitar parts, and lyrics. Then I pieced the songs together at my home studio. At the end of some eight months, we had enough material for a full CD, all done without ever having met! Even though everything was done through the Internet — email and regular Skype meetings — it flowed very naturally. The songs sound as if we were in the same room at the same time.”

Me Me the Moth’s debut album The Weirding Valley was released in June.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC?

“Always a tough question, but experimental pop, dada funk, and surreal rock are all tags which have been used. I like lush and rich productions. The music is very colorful, with lots of funk in the rhythm, loud in the bass, and with electronics, sampling, and processing that gives it a futuristic feel. Most of the songs are under three minutes, and they come in English and Spanish.”

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

1) Augustus Pablo, King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown. “I love the production, rhythms, and colors.”

2) Various Bali artists, Saron of Singapadu. “Incredibly beautiful and mysterious music.”

3) David Bowie, Low. “One of my favorites.”

4) David J and René Halkett, Nothing/Armour. “Amazing record David J did with some of René Halkett’s poetry. He put out a seven-inch of it some 25 years ago and recently released a CD of it with another track called ‘The New God,’ which I highly recommend.”

5) Frank Zappa, We’re Only in It for the Money. “My favorite Zappa album. For me, this provided a big education in editing, production, songwriting, and the use of sampling.”

WHEN’S THE LAST TIME SOMEONE YELLED AT YOU?

“I was jaywalking a few years back when a cop intersected my path, stuck his head out the window, looked me in the eye, and yelled, ‘Do you know why God made crosswalks?’ I froze. Before I could say anything, he continued, pointing at me with his cop finger: ‘To keep people like you from getting tickets!’ Then he drove off.”

NAME A SUREFIRE MONEY-MAKER...

“Not music, I can tell you that much.”

IDEAL SUPERPOWER?

“How about to have everlasting life, so I can keep making my art forever and ever.”

UGLIEST THING IN YOUR CLOSET?

“A 1970s navy polyester coat with big, stupid wooden buttons. I can’t seem to part with it.”

YOUR GOLDEN-TURKEY MOVIE AWARD?

“Oliver Stone’s The Doors. The band has never been my favorite, but I’ve liked a few of their songs. This movie made me hate the sons of bitches. Took me a few years after seeing it to sort of like the Doors again.”

VIDEO GAME JONES?

“Pac-Man. There’s something special about being chased, always on the run, eating, always eating. I also like video poker because it’s so mathematically intriguing.” ■