Canada
One of my favorite Canadian singer/songwriters, David Keyes was brilliant on this tape, “Andy Hitler” and the only other tape I had, “Harriet The Spy”. Both were lyrical delights colored with rainy day bedroom rock hues.
The experimental project of Kevin Paisley was Static Insect. For a while in the 90s he was very prolific and issued a lot of other artists on his Mutant Cactus label.
Another stalwart experimentalist, Jim DeJong’s project, The Infant Cycle, dives deep into aural strangeness. His original label, Doomsday Transmissions was replaced a few years ago by his current one, The Ceiling. Going strong and going off.
Messing with the weirdness was also the case for Dave Bush’s, Patience Worth. Collage mashing, voices from the shadows, sleight of hand for the ear. Don’t know what happened to him. I believe this tape was also issued on Sound Of Pig.
Mining the subterranean depths, Ron McFarlan was DUST that COLLECTS, an avant garde artist to be sure. He put out a few tapes in the early 90s.
Jaws Of The Flying Carpet was the project of David Bohaterytz, aka Zalnikor. He had traveled widely and even had recorded some of his material in southeast Asia. Their style ran to improvisations bathed in a rock framework sometimes employing ethnic instruments. They were pretty prolific at one time and had other various groups with different monikers.
This one is primarily a solo piano affair with the flitting of birds introduced from time to time. Chris also released poetry works and other tapes with expanded personnel. She is also a fine visual artist.
This home recordist played some drifting keyboards. Not harsh or truly avant garde but more gentle, relaxing and unassuming. He was also a writer who self published at least a couple of books and I believe they were about rabbits.
Dan Lander was (and is) an experimental composer and radio DJ. The tape he sent me to the right was an example of his radio show at the time, “The Problem With Language” which unfolded electronic and unusual sounds.
This split tape featured Kevin Paisley as Tocsin on one side and Julian Yates as SleepingBasementCat on the other. Both were from Ontario at the time and although I did not know Yates music I was familiar with Paisley’s projects of which there were many. He was a key player in the cassette underground at that time with his Mutant Cactus label and his various recording projects. Lots of strange sounds on this one.
Field recordings by Ron McFarlan ( Dust That Collects) from his trip to southeast Asia in 1987. Released in 1991 on the Endogenous label.
Another fine release by Canadian singer-songwriter, David Keyes called, “The Yellow Christ”. A 1986 release on the Utility Grade label.
Kevin Paisley ran the Mutant Cactus label and released many fine, experimental tapes in the late 80s and 90s.This compilation, “The Disarticulation Room” collected tracks by Big City Orch, Hal McGee, ECE, C. Reider and others.
One of Kevin Paisley’s solo project was called Static Insect. This one was called “ Civilzation Memoirs”. Highly experimental manipulations and fiddling with source material. On Mutant Cactus, 1997. Packed in an oversized plastic bag.
A 1997 collaborative mail music effort by Infant Cycle ( Jim DeJong) and ECE ( David Miller). They exchanged source material and shaped it into unrecognizable forms. Released on Jim’s Doomsday Transmissions label.
Vraxoin was the project of Canadian, Adam Hurlburt. Occupying similar territory to William Davison or Kevin Paisley’s work, Vraxoin sound collage space was filled with artifacts from nature, creepy loops, creaking doors, radio broadcasts and other disparate sources.
David Bohatyretz had several projects at one time emanating out of the Ontario region. He had done a lot of world traveling and many times brought an exotic, ethnic influence to his improvised sessions. This 1991 tape to the right was by his project The Rotten Kidz and had a bohemian essence to me at least.
Another of Bohatyretz’ releases, Green Asia. Rambling improvised rock with oriental flavor. David also had the project called Jaws Of The Flying Carpet. From 1990.
Chris Wind was a very underrated artist from Canada who worked in many styles. From piano compositions to electronic keyboards ( as one this 1991 tape to the right), to poetry, she refused to be pigeonholed.
Experimental guitarist Brian Ruryk didn’t put out many tapes as far as I know but what he did issue were excellent microtonal outings of what sounded like guitars being dropped, hammered, detuned and strummed into submission. He would occasionally also do some spoken word on top that was also very disquieting. The tape to the right, Toronto Is A Really Weird Place ( 1987) was backed with, Back On The Sex Planet ( 1983).
Canadian sound collager and sax player, John Oswald is famous for his Plunderphonics release which freely used samples from popular music opening the door to all the messy questions about copyright issues. Before Plunderphonics he was doing the very same thing with his Mystery Tapes releases. On this chaotic, jittery and complex tape Oswald meticulously grafts snippets together for a wild, unsettling ride.