dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 11/10/2026cc @kurtbeals.bsky.social @jagjaguwar.bsky.social secretlystore.com/products/the...secretlystore.comThe Sound Of…Blistering avant-punk made by Virginia teens, 'The Sound of…The Union of a Man and a Woman' squealed and squalled and ear-piercingly feedbacked its way into Charlottesville legend in 1998 and thusly our dilated hearts. Formed when Neil Campbell, John Harouff and Kurt Beals were pre-teens, The Union of… was fully formed 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 11/10/2026Bruce Hornsby standing on the shoulders of giants. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Thanks to @philipsherburne.bsky.social for expressing this concept so poignantly as it relates to AI-adapted music. I really love how he lands the plane on this in the excerpt I shared above from his recent Substack. Full piece: futurismrestated.substack.com/p/fr-192-inf...futurismrestated.substack.comFR 192: “Infinite Personalized Music” Is Just MusicEverything else is merely narcissism 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Tech evangelists keep promising a “personalized” future shaped to fit our every whim and preference. But they don’t understand how this kind of future leaves no room for meaning or for what makes us distinctively human. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 30/09/2026I was reading Minima Moralia… by the German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno, and I came across this sentence: “In the end, glorification of splendid underdogs is nothing other than glorification of the splendid system that makes them so.” I’ve been thinking about it for days. 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Vegas comes out on October 23. And according to Dead Gown’s wonderful label Mtn Laurel Recording Co, the result of Geneviève’s work on it is “all bright lights and dark waters.” You can listen and learn more here: linktr.ee/deadgownslinktr.ee 011
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 13/09/2026In 40 days, Dead Gowns’ new album Vegas will be released. There’s no start to any album this year that’s more stunning, more ambitious than the first two tracks from it. @deadgowns.bsky.social aka Geneviève Beaudoin has created something very special, and I can’t wait to watch it unfurl. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/08/2026And, as originally published in Music Business Worldwide, here is a link to my fully annotated essay, "Rise of the Music-Making Machines": dariusjagjag.substack.com/p/rise-of-th...dariusjagjag.substack.comRise of the Music-Making MachinesHow should we, as independents, position ourselves against the inevitability of AI? 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Thanks so much to @iycforyouth.org and @kellyrosebud.bsky.social for inviting me. Here is a "flipbook" of my full remarks at the UN: online.fliphtml5.com/cqbhq/HumanC...online.fliphtml5.comOn Human Creativity and Music-Making (UN Youth & AI Summit, 2026)Darius Van Arman's remarks to the United Nations on August 12, 2026, regarding human creativity, music-making, and artificial intelligence. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/08/2026I provided a statement consisting of excerpts from my essay titled "Rise of the Music-Making Machines." The ideas from that essay (and from my fabulous panel discussion with @kellyrosebud.bsky.social and Katrine Øgaard Jensen) contributed to resolutions passed by the UN youth that day. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/08/2026The Youth & AI Summit at the UN was so rad. I spoke, as did so many teenagers and other youth, sharing their deep concerns about AI. They were fearless and articulate. It was inspiring. Thanks to them, we have a shot at protecting what matters most, especially human creativity. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 09/08/2026You can register here: www.iycforyouth.org/iyd2026/iycforyouth.orgYouth and AI Summit, August 12, 2026: International Youth Day 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Excited to be joining @kellyrosebud.bsky.social and others at the Youth and AI summit at the United Nations on Wednesday, August 12. (Organized by @iycforyouth.org.) If you’re in NYC then, you can register before midnight today to be able to attend. (Link in comments.) 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 04/08/2026I can’t wait for June McDoom’s new album, “Follow the Light”, to come out into the world (October 16 via @jagjaguwar.bsky.social). june-mcdoom.lnk.to/follow-the-l...june-mcdoom.lnk.toJune McDoom - 'Follow The Light'Listen to content by June McDoom. 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Someplace new and outside of time, barely familiar enough to feel like home yet wholly your own. This is what June McDoom's debut full-length album evokes. And the video for its first single, “Without You”, directed by Bing Cao, is absolutely stunning. www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVAH...youtube.comJune McDoom - Without You (Official Video)YouTube video by JuneMcDoomVEVO 100
Reposted by @dariusjagjag.bsky.socialThe Rumpus @therumpus.net · 30/07/2026“...one of the most haunting and devastatingly edifying American road-trip stories ever written.” Born to Run: Darius Van Arman discusses "The Wind," a short story from @legroff.bsky.social's Brawler (@riverheadbooks.bsky.social). ➡️ buff.ly/qxGk7dw 031
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 29/07/2026If I haven't shared this with you yet, please go to @therumpus.net and check it out there (see link below). I hope you get something out of it. Also, please consider supporting The Rumpus with a membership. therumpus.net/2026/07/28/b...therumpus.netBorn to Run: The American Road Trip Myth & Lauren Groff’s “The Wind” - The RumpusThere is a sinister breeze blowing throughout the story, like the big bad wolf that is always stalking the piggies and the sheep. It’s often lingering right outside the gates or behind the wall, somet... 010
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 29/07/2026Also, being one of the longest-running indie lit and culture magazines, @therumpus.net cares deeply about the quality of what they publish, as evidenced by the many rounds of editing I went through, which helped immensely. (Special thanks to @jbrookewrites.bsky.social and @latriagraham.bsky.social.) 220
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 29/07/2026It's my first time being published in a non-music publication. I'm proud it's in such a prestigious publication—currently owned by @roxanegay.bsky.social and @debbiemillman.bsky.social—that strives to be a platform for risk-taking voices. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 29/07/2026I wrote a piece of literary criticism reviewing @legroff.bsky.social's short story "The Wind". It examines the American road-trip myth, the impact of generational violence, and why some of us view connection and openness as dangerous vices. It ran yesterday in @therumpus.net! 110
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 25/07/2026Unplanned Bon Iver set happening now at Eaux Claires festival. First live performance of @boniverwi.bsky.social songs by Justin Vernon since August 25, 2023. Justin is covering for Kevin Morby, who is now on paternity leave! (Congrats again Kevin and Katie!) 010
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 10/07/2026open.spotify.com/album/0yZchh...open.spotify.comMY SKYSCRAPER - Album by Nirosta Steel | SpotifyNirosta Steel · album · 2026 · 17 songs 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 10/07/2026ulyssa.bandcamp.com/album/my-sky...ulyssa.bandcamp.comMY SKYSCRAPER, by Nirosta Steel17 track album 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 10/07/2026"my real name is love. and I love to sleep alone" 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 10/07/2026"let's get serious. we're lost in music. we're lost in music" 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 10/07/2026So many incredible moments on this album, Nirosta Steel's "My Skyscraper." Ulyssa’s Eric & John meticulously culled & curated from 40 years of works by Steven Hall, co-conspirator to Arthur Russell. #whenlabelsdogood Pure, unadulterated magic from beginning to end. & I love the description below. 111
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 21/06/2026omg, I get to make dad jokes all day long…and they have to laugh at everything! 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/06/2026Thank you to those indie stores that have started VOICE here in the United States. My Secretly colleagues and I are here to help in any way we can. 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/06/2026These are the places where culture evolves and thrives, where our connection to each other is fortified, and where we can positively expand what it means to be human. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/06/2026As the world becomes more algorithmic and music and cultural discovery becomes more "predestined"—despite some of our humanist efforts—we have to continue supporting indie record stores, as well as indie bookstores and other third spaces where we are free to focus on each other and our community. 210
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/06/2026I know firsthand from that experience that there is no substitute for the deep and thoughtful interactions that can happen at a record store, which lead people in your community to discover and share new music with each other. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/06/2026…: too often, the music industry at large has not given enough consideration to what this important conduit for music discovery and connection to great art needs to thrive. When I founded Jagjaguwar, I was working at an independent record store in Charlottesville called Plan 9 Records. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 18/06/2026My career in the music industry and the businesses I am now part of ( @jagjaguwar.bsky.social, Secretly Group, Secretly Distribution, etal.) would not exist without early and critical support from independent record stores. And Rough Trade US's Stephen Godfroy is right… lnkd.in/edcnrK6Amusicbusinessworldwide.comIt’s time independent music retail found its VOICE - Music Business WorldwideThe following MBW op/ed comes from Stephen Godfroy, Co-Owner of independent music retailer Rough Trade… 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 16/06/2026He continues, "We’re not making records that are just going to go sit on the shelf — these are records we’re continually repressing all the time anyway.” 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 16/06/2026“The idea is, if you can make those records 16% more efficient and also show fans of those records … that it is viable, maybe it makes it a little bit easier next year when we go out to ask other artists to jump on board,” [Ben] Swanson explains. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 16/06/2026A special thank you also goes to our affiliate in New Jersey, Independent Record Pressing, for regrinding and reusing overstock from independent record companies, including our own. In a sense, IRP is leading the charge to ecologically "reincarnate" so-called dead stock. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 16/06/2026So proud of our approach to reducing our carbon footprint by manufacturing vinyl records from recycled materials. Great credit goes to my Secretly Group partner, Ben Swanson, who consistently pushes all of us at Secretly to use less energy and fewer raw materials. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...latimes.comVinyl records are back, but they're polluting the planet. These labels are trying to helpThe resurgence of vinyl records has taken a toll on the environment. Labels are banding together to help alleviate production effects. 121
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Kurt Beals remembers that night, too. … “Tons of people were in bands in high school, but a lot of them were writing Nirvana and Pearl Jam knockoffs at that time,” he said. “I do get some satisfaction from looking back at it and saying what we were doing then was genuinely weird and unusual…” (3/3) 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 02/06/2026“Most people that were there were probably annoyed, because they were hoping for some soft, plaintive singer-songwriter music,” Van Arman said about first seeing the Union. “These 3 high school kids just performed this incredible set. And so, of course, I was excited about working with them.” (2/3) 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 02/06/2026An excerpt from the article (in three parts) The Union Of A Man And A Woman was something altogether different: skittering guitar, & roiling bass and drums. The trio made an appearance at the Tokyo Rose one evening amid a raft of players with acoustic instruments best suited for an open mic. (1/3) 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Geoff Turner—fixture of the DC music scene, producer & engineer—helped them create an extraordinary record unlike any other, a screeching, avant-garde maelstrom you would never imagine coming out of middle, rural Virginia. (@jagjaguwar.bsky.social is reissuing it on vinyl for the first time.) 110
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 02/06/2026I fondly remember the few days I spent at WGNS Studios in Northwest Washington, DC, with these three high school kids from Staunton, Virginia: KurtBeals, John Harouff, and Neil Campbell. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 02/06/2026The NPR station in southwest and central Virginia, WVTF/Radio IQ, aired a nice story about the label I founded, @jagjaguwar.bsky.social. Radio journalist Dave Cantor interviewed me about the label's early years, when it was still based in Virginia. www.wvtf.org/news/2026-05...wvtf.orgAfter 30 years, Jagjaguwar revisits its ‘Virginia Years’Darius Van Arman, like so many others, wound up in Charlottesville to attend the University of Virginia. He initially studied math but said he wasn’t fully invested in academics. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 31/05/2026“The best that can be said is that some of us are struggling. And what we are struggling against is that death in the heart which leads not only to the shedding of blood, but which reduces human beings to corpses while they live.” —James Baldwin on being American (from “Nothing Personal”, 1964) 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 21/05/2026If only the law were shaped more by principle and the pursuit of equal justice, and less by politics and the defense of power. 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 21/05/2026The headline for the Supreme Court ruling we’re still waiting for: Supreme Court Permits Lawsuits Over Human Beings Seized by the United States Centuries Ago 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 14/05/2026But when I think about what is great art, or who is a great artist, it’s what and who challenge consensus or the status quo, sometimes even demolishing it. 000
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Its approach to arriving at an “average” consensus feels a lot like how generative AI and LLMs such as ChatGPT serve up a middling notion of what is good or what would appeal to the most people. 100
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 14/05/2026The recent New York Times list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters has been bothering me. 110
dariusjagjag.bsky.social @dariusjagjag.bsky.social · 13/05/2026It’s not on Spotify, but you can listen to it and buy it at the link below. (I bought MP3s of it and play it on the @bandcamp.com app I downloaded to my phone.) potionspotionspotions.bandcamp.com/album/potion... 010
