Sam Valenti IV, Ghostly / Herb Sundays

💭 Thoughts on having a discovery mindset, Dam-Funk, and looking for more things to get lost in.

Sam Valenti is the founder of Ghostly International, a record label celebrating 25 years in business, that has released music by artists such as Ginger Root, Julie Byrne, Dua Saleh, Mary Lattimore, and Kate Bollinger, and also works on product collaborations (Vans, Timex, Warby Parker). He’s the co-founder of All Flowers Group, a new label group with the founders of Secretly Group (Bon Iver, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers), and has been sharing playlists from musicians and artists on his Herb Sundays newsletter since 2021.

🔮 How to make things better going forward

After a few years of continual future shock, both in technology and in social norms, I’ve finally condemned any thought about “things will return to…”, instead, wondering how we can make things better, more interesting, more compelling going forward. Also pushing against what is deemed normal now too, how can we continue thinking “against the culture” in flux, part of which is staying away from every movement, which came from this Judy Chicago quote from the Times: 

“It’s very difficult to think against the culture, which is what I’ve done for my career,” she said. “And in order to do it, I had to have an immense amount of psychic privacy.”

🤝 Re-committing to learning

As the canon continues to change/erode/evolve, I like the idea of being a permanent student. I use my newsletter Herb Sundays as an excuse to learn about and study artists doing interesting things. I ask them for a playlist which is a nice way inside someone’s head but then I write a “pre-death obit” (my original name for this project) where I try to give flowers to that person. It’s sort of a “lifetime achievement award” but less sad, and earlier in one’s career.

The project forces me to be in student mode, and also to really sit with people’s work for that week and re-commit to learning. 

As a result the thing I've been really focusing on, mindset-wise, is  ‘anti-legacy’ which I'll define as being unconcerned with long term or personal outcomes and instead doing what's “right” for the moment/project. I’m increasingly realizing that the people who impact your life most, outside your friends and family and teachers, are people whose names you’re not likely to learn. They are not as focused on making a name, instead they want to make a difference. 

Since I’m a dad I’ve been inside the kid’s TV space so I wanted to watch the Street Gang documentary recently which is based on the book. It reminds you that doing anything great is really a collaboration of amazing people and ideas, many of whom are not famous, but they are arguably more important. It’s pushing back against the tyranny of fame in favor of value.

💡 Having a discovery mindset

I am working to avoid any pushback on listening/viewing style, or any moralization of self that doesn’t lead to better enjoyment of culture. I’ve had some of my fave film viewings on tiny plane TVs, and discovery songs via algo, so no holds barred. So “to stream or not to stream” or physical versus digital media isn't the actual dichotomy I think. It’s probably a dearth of good taste leadership. This is partially a loss of as many site/magazine column inches for music compared to yore. I think you have to go upstream a little into the adventure / discovery mindset to find pleasure in art, whether it's reading or just talking to people or however you source things.  If you're only relying on whatever platform that serves you media to educate you on said media, then you’ve done fucked up. 

So my answer is that I think of “shopping” or even just grazing as a form of consumption is my favorite. It is both a mindless and mindful activity which is more nourishing to me than just pure playback right now. Even discovering a brand I like in the wild or seeing an old record, taking a photo and then checking it out and then buying it vintage online is great. I have been enjoying being in Los Angeles this year where there are an awful lot of nice retail music/book/clothing experiences that merge the new with the old, my favorite type. Shop clerks are always my favorite resource.

🗺️ Looking for more things to get lost in

I have noticed more about “friction” in culture lately. Obviously you’re not talking about the majority of people when you entertain friction in your product or experience, but one of our core tenets at Ghostly is to observe/reward “good friction” which I take to mean as thinking about the unessential moments that people really enjoy like going to see a film at the theater when could watch on your phone/laptop/tv, or time-consuming things, like going to a record store, reading a print magazine/newspaper, etc. We’ve been at such a breakneck pace to remove these things from culture that it feels like we’re finally able to assess which of them are actually important. It’s the lossy things, like the inconveniences that we choose that define us, not as laziness but as willful assertions against the productive banal. Probably tied to the Vonnegut quote about being on earth “to fart around.” Looking for more things to get lost in.

In music, the stories (brands in this case) that come to mind were about sort of rarified experiences like Devon Ojas’ set-ups at various museums, The Triolgy Tapes label’s further push into clothing, or Cindy Lee’s album which started only at a GeoCities site, as they require some effort to get to but you remember your interaction with them. Concerts are the differentiator too, like Ginger Root’s shows who we work with at Ghostly, it becomes something else when you see it live. It’s a thin line between stunt and ritual, so more artists will likely try to find this special ground where able. 

On another tip, I dig the skateboarding editorial brand Jenkem which is not my main lane, but provides insider access and outsider allure.  I am also loving the mantras of producer/DJ Dam-Funk (IG), who reminds us just to mind our business and keep making stuff.

🎶 The importance of listening hours

As silly as it sounds, I can’t live without good music and a way to listen to it. I was between headphones (broken, lost, tangled) and had just finished moving house and didn’t have a good home set-up. It’s sort of less about perfect fidelity, but you need to get some volume on it. Getting back in the car helped me recreate a listening experience that satisfied me. Whenever my listening hours go down, I’m always poorer for it. 

Follow Sam on Instagram, X, & Linkedin and check out his Substack here. 

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