January 2012 ( with sound selections)
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Cassettes USA compilation January 2012
Cassette cover scans , information and downloadable/streaming link to hear selected songs. Link above.
artist/ title/ label, city ( of artist ), year
1. Exiles/ Kalimba Mania from Kalimba Mania/ Esfoma recordings, St Louis, MO 1989
Wonderful and intimate thumb piano excursions from this duo of Jay Zelenka and Greg Mills from the St Louis area.
2. Barney Jones/ Eardrum Timewarp from The Hall Oo gates/ audiofile, Wheaton, MD 1987
Synth and electronic tomfoolery from a tape released on audiofile from 1987. Non melodic envelopes of mooginess.
3. Fact 22/ Fantastic Planet, Grind from Fantastic Planet/ Black Music, Columbus, OH 1988
Fact 22 was James Towning from Columbus, OH. He received reviews in Option and Sound Choice and I think that’s how I heard about him. Sort of a progressive rock style mixed with more modern beat driven songs. Lots of keyboards and drum machines and snidely synthwave vocals.
4. Tom Nunn & Doug Carroll/ Insecticidal Maniac from Redrum / Spilling Audio, San Francisco, CA 1993
San Francisco Area instrument builder Tom Nunn in collaboration with cellist Doug Carroll in an all improvised, minimal affair. Very nice textures from this compilation cassette called “Redrum” released on Eric Hausmann’s Spilling Audio label in 1993.Other artists included David Barnes, The Miracle, Triptic Of A Pastel Fern, peter Hinds, Your Host Bobby, Russ Stedman and others.
5. The Low Road/ By The Wall from The Low Road/ no label, Philadelphia, PA 1990
Some real nice acoustic americana on this tape by this quintet from Philly.
6. The Unknown Eyes/ The Look Of Cilantro from The Look Of Cilantro/ Mars Music, Pacific Grove, CA 1986
Home grown reggae stylee from Josh Mars, then of Pacific Grove, Ca. Josh did a few of these reggae stylings and also more experimental projects. Later he went moved to Tulsa and in addition to other things had a collab project called Mars Dark releasing some music with Ken Clinger, John Sandin and Don Campau.
7. Larry Mondello Band/ I Brought You A Gift The Warbler/ Mondello Music, Collinsville, CT 1994
Some really messed up sonic fuckery with a low battery, broken cassette recorder from this insane band from Collinsville, CT. They appear to be playing in some kind of perverted rock context aided and abetted by weird horns, pause button and who knows what else.
8. Lawrence Fishberg/ Turn Of The Sensory from Malinformed/ no label, New York, NY, 1987
I have always really gone for the autochord lo fi confessional nature of Lawrence’s songs. His humor and individual personality is revealed with warts and all. Great stuff from his 1987 cassette.
9. Cyclops Joint/ Obsessive Revelation Beast from BOH presents/ The Bureaucracy Of Hope, Houston, TX 1992
A split tape from this Texas label that threw down electronic and experimental gog and drone. On this track the exp band Cyclops Joint, who was a fave of mine with their droniness, mine found sound and dark current. Joined on this tape in other places by Wunderglass and Ustad Oni ( another drone fave). From 1992.
10. Children/ Flowers from Sleep/ Mule, Orlando, FL, 1988
I had forgotten the dark shadows feeling of this tape. This duo of Thomas Burke and Michael Bradley go all deep and impendingly doomy on this1988 tome. The deep voice reminded me of Zan Hoffman with a bit more drama. Backed by decaying piano and weird effects. Pretty damn convincing.
11. Frozen Amber/ Je Suis Le Chat, Le Lune from Frozen Amber/ Sound Of Pig, Great Neck, NY 198?
Kris Force from San Francisco was the main guy in Frozen Amber and on this tape he recruits others like David Gardner, Al Margolis, and a person named Oberon for a violin based detour into the realm of shadow and forest duff. Nicely done.
12. Dreamhouse/ Palisades from Talking Pictures/ no label, New York, NY 1983
Home recored on a 4 track Tascam the duo of C Teague and S Keister lurk in the grayness, the margins of dust…droney and experimental improv the way I like it. From 1983.