280. Sam Valenti

280. Sam Valenti

From Scratching the Surface by Jarrett Fuller

January 7, 2026 · 54 min

About this episode

Jarrett Fuller interviews Sam Valenti IV about the intersection of music and design, the cultural significance of record labels, and curatorial roles in the digital age.

Sam Valenti IV is the founder of Ghostly International, a music label and art company he founded in 1999 and known for experimental electronic artists like Matthew Dear, Tycho, and Galcher Lustwerk. On the occasion of Ghostly’s 25th anniversary, they just released We’ll Never Stop Living This Way: A Ghostly International Catalogue, a large coffee-table book celebrating the label’s artists, designers, and ethos. In this conversation, Jarrett and Sam talk about the relationship between music and design, the record label as a cultural brand, and the role of the curator in the age of the algorithm. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/280-sam-valenti — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

People in this episode

Host: Jarrett Fuller

Guest: Sam Valenti IV

Topics covered

  • music
  • design
  • record label
  • cultural brand
  • curation
  • algorithm

Keywords

  • Ghostly International
  • Sam Valenti IV
  • music label
  • art company
  • experimental electronic
  • curator
  • algorithm

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ghostly International

Books & works: We’ll Never Stop Living This Way: A Ghostly International Catalogue

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