Si, it’s disheartening to read your post: there really is nothing like the Twisted family, and if the label were to go under, we would be at a great loss.
It’s hard to describe the feelings generated by the all of the artists you have brought together over the past years through this label.
I have nothing but awe and respect for how much you and Benji, Ott and the gang have advanced our music beyond genres; toppling listeners’ conceptions of what it means to experience electronic music.
Please try not to let this thread add to your stress. There will always be forums, trolls, and russian pirates. This is just the world we live in. There is no easy fix, but please let us help. This age of social networking and 0 second leaks requires PEOPLE to bring the value of this music to the populous. We need street teams to say the least 
Fuck man, I’ll stand out on the corner in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan and sell shirts and cd’s all launch week. It means this much to me.
I wish I could share the numerous accounts of how introducing people I encounter to your label’s products have shown them that there is limitless depth and potential in electronic music and that people should demand more from the genre. Unfortunately, I don’t really know how many of these people go out and buy CD’s, but I hope at least a few see the value in contributing.
Please do add a donation link! I met you at the Shpongle 3 NYC launch party and tried to give you a cash donation and you refused. I really do understand what you mean by wanting giving to give people a CD in exchange for their money, but honestly if people are willing to donate regardless, it’s their loss for not getting the physical product. (That’s the other thing: we need to chat about physical products because this is part of the issue.)
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Now to address this russian leak:
Consumers of this 320kbit, 44100Hz rip need to be aware that there are some serious fidelity issues. This “high bit rate” encoding lies like a motherfucker and listening to it quite frustrates me. It almost entirely fails to capture the essence of what makes Shpongle Shpongle. Beyond that, there is clipping throughout and some god awful volume normalization. Listening to this rip as a long time fan of Simon, Raja, and analog synthesizers made me immediately order my copy of the CD. It’s a freaking cock tease I tell you!
It’s quite a shame that those unfamiliar with Shpongle who encounter this rip may never have the joy of hearing the CD. They may think, “gee whats this distortion, I kind of hear something, is this artifacting or the song?”. These users will never get to experience what makes Simon and Raja’s art so powerful because in this rip it is indeed lost.
Now I am even more excited for the CD to ship, because I actually want to be able to hear what Simon is doing so that I can try to figure out how hes doing it! (Impossible I tell you! I’m still trying to figure out how some of the sounds were made in Younger Brother’s Weird on a Monday Night)
So please, encourage your friends to purchase a copy. If not to help support Twisted and protect its future, but to actually get a chance to see why this Shpongle is an evolution of all of Simon and Raja’s past works. The spirit of the concept is deeply entwined within this album.
Sincerely,
-Matt/Wintermute
