Sunshine Ltd. is dead. As sad as that is, the world is a better place because of what it bestowed upon us: 31 killer fucking records. I’m sure I would have done a Label Spotlight on Sunshine at some point, but its demise made me get my shit together. So I asked Josh Mason (drone extraordinaire and Sunshine monarch) to elaborate on his intentions. I read his obituary for Sunshine on air, but there’s also a transcript of it below.
There are still a handful of items left in the Sunshine shop (not just the 3 that I mentioned on air) that are on sale and wholly worth your cash. And even though the Sunshine site says Mason’s Alone In The Kingdom is out of stock, you can nab a copy on his personal Bandcamp page. Again, highly recommended.
I mistakenly mentioned on air that Sunshine had a Bandcamp page where you could still stream everything. This is not the case. You can stream one song from each release on the official Sunshine Ltd. page, and Josh has some of his work streaming on his Bandcamp, but that’s it. Sorry for leading you astray.
Update on Mason's next book/download release: It's called Hellified Irie and it'll be out on FET Press, hopefully within a month or two. It's a "black and white art book made of found images, my own photography and writings/musings made while recording [the music]." The book is the physical component of the release, the music will only be available digitally.
If Sunshine Ltd. is new to you, you’re in for a fucking treat. And if you’re already familiar, then this will serve as a sweet swan song.
Rest in peace, Sunshine Ltd.
The reason I decided to halt Sunshine activities was two fold. 1) It had a little bit to do with money but mainly (2) it had a lot to do with time and energy (or lack thereof).
I came up in a time when you could (try to) order records from randos by sending cash inside of birthday cards to an address in the back of a magazine and praying that you actually got something in return. On a rare and awesome occasion you’d get a personal note back from the artist(s) and that made it even more important because the whole thing wasn’t instantly gratifying and you made a connection. Sunshine was something I felt very passionately about, and I wanted to try and make something that was of good quality and value that people would connect with in a similar and important way. I told myself when I started that if I could reach just one person with what I was doing it would be worth it.
Unfortunately, times have changed and at the end of the day, I just did not have the mental energy to keep up with all the people/things/places I needed to know in order to move this kind of physical art in a digital world. All along I have been working full time and treating SLTD as a part time thing (but with full time ambition). Little by little I felt overwhelmed by this idea that people don’t really want to sit down, physically, with records (albums) and their concepts anymore. The people (bless ‘em) who write about music have to have eyes in the back of their skulls and 4 arms in order to cover it all. I’m not sure how many times I answered the question “Does the tape/record come with a download?” At some point, it all collided and I just decided that the world didn’t need another label… and more importantly, it didn’t need another one that was operating at less than full capacity. There are a lot of great labels out there run by people with great visions who are going at it 110%, which is more than I could offer.
It’s possible that I might do something else in the future, but for now there are other creative things I want to explore and learn. Over the years Sunshine provided me with the ability to meet all kind of listeners and artists from around the world… and therefore I accomplished everything I set out to do. I learned a great deal and I have nothing but gratitude for all who bought records, those who recorded them, and those who sang their praises. Thanks to everyone for being excellent.
Playlist
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Otium Sanctum by Josh Mason on Otium Sanctum (Sunshine Ltd.) -
Breach (Surrounded) by David Andree on In Streams (Sunshine Ltd.) -
Water by Josh Mason on Temple Bell (Sunshine Ltd.) -
Catenary by Hakobune on Whispering In Their Presence (Sunshine Ltd.) -
Cermernik by Letna on Horizont (Sunshine Ltd.) -
V2_4 by Brad Heyne & Josh Mason on Vapor (Sunshine Ltd.) -
Dying In A Canoe by Josh Mason on The Symbiont (Sunshine Ltd.) -
Six by Cody Yantis on Starvation Winter (Sunshine Ltd.) -
False Claimant by Indian Weapons on Messiah (Sunshine Ltd.) -
Ikkunasta Näkyvä Ikkuna by Olli Aarni on Koittaa aika (Sunshine Ltd.) -
The Resignation by Gareth Flowers & Josh Mason on Silent Period (Sunshine Ltd.) -
Certain Words Again And Again by Billy Gomberg on Certain Words Again And Again (Sunshine Ltd.) -
No Computer by Josh Mason on Alone In The Kingdom (Sunshine Ltd.)