MKay (aka Michael Kelly) is a culture tech researcher (on Substack:
), YouTuber, and the founder of Shelfy, a social app built for thoughtful sharing. In this episode of The J-Card Podcast, he talks with us about building an AI twin of himself, the slow death of music scenes, why modern YouTube feels broken, and how Discord servers might be the digital equivalent of DIY venues.We also dig into why AI music like “Velvet Sundown” is ethically sketchy, what the film industry can teach us about fixing creator culture, the case for collaborative scenes over siloed influencers, and MKay’s next project: Hyperthesis, which combines video essays with app prototypes.
And of course, we wrap with a mixtape—featuring Dome 3000, Palmistry, Vanessa Amara, and more.
The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.
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⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 - Intro to MKay
01:40 - What’s Stuck in Your Head?
04:48 - Creating an AI Twin
09:21 - Ethics of AI in Music
16:48 - The Tech Industry vs The Music Industry
19:52 - Building Digital “Scenes”
25:27 - Hyperthesis: Cultural Essays + App Prototypes
28:11 - Where to Find MKay Online
29:43 - What Is Shelfy?
31:08 - Mixtape Begins: Nature is My Church
33:24 - "Arcadia" by dome 3000
34:32 - "A Tune for Us" by DjRUM
36:14 - “just another step" by Anatole Muster
38:43 - "Last Night I Dreamt I Was Alone" (Loukeman Remix) by Vegyn
40:56 - “L.L.L” by Woesum
43:20 - "HEROINES” by Palmistry
45:40 - "Pulled Me in Dark" by Giant Claw
48:16 - "Right Here & Upside Down" by Vanessa Amara
51:23 - "Love Won’t Love You" by Vanessa Amara
53:01 - Mixtape Wrap-Up
53:42 - Game Segment: Music Tech Tier List
01:14:25 - Plugs & Outro
