Various Artists - Audio Alchemy NLOK6

Label : Cassette Mythos

Year : 1987

Country : US

Format : C90

A xerox expose, is what it is. That ill-fated interview album so occasionally sprung about the 80s and scarcely seen since... Interviews of who? A who's who of cassette culture, that's who. Many-a timid artist gives little snippets of info inquiring minds need to know. Brought to your ears by the formidable dAS, if you couldn't guess by the J-card. Beyond the audio content itself, I can't glean much else as to what this was made for and if there were more in a similar vein. Obviously it was an Audio Alchemy initiative, but I don't even know what NLOK6 stands for? Is this ham radio speak? 

Paging the Weatherman.

Here

Various Artists - Cookie Wagon

Label : Dhyana Records - DHY 018

Year : 1999

Country : Allemagne

Format : C90

In a world of such far-flunged conclusions and twisted spiders' webs in terms of international Cosmic Coincidences, it can't be too far-fetched to come to the realization that all of these musical blogs found here on the Wired are just a part of a conspiracy seeded by M.Nomized to spread each and every one of his appearances on obscure cassette compilations. It's always the French, right?

For the first time in this post, I would like to speak seriously, if for a moment. No joke, there is some good stuff on display here. Contained within the (unscanned) brown envelope, a musical world is unleashed. Alright I wasn't being very serious there, but I digress as always. 

Dhyana are a weird case. Of course, it's not like I can't say that about every single label I've posted from here; but they are weird even in the context of this strange conception. This German outfit dabbles in a lot more forms of experimental EM than what is usual, which acts somewhat to the detriment of their comps in my damaged drums. You may like it, but some of the stuff here sounds dated to me. And I like quite a bit of stuff that could be put under such a nebulous label. I dunno, definitely a lot of interesting stuff going on here but man, some of that IDM and DnB kinda stuff didn't age well. Don't take it from me, though, take it from the Man!

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Various Artists - Seventh Sign

Label : Tapehiss Recordings / Greyslade Music

Year : 1999

Country : US

Format : C30

Apocalyptic hyponagogia
Hebephrenic and frens make some likeminded sounds; Cumulative synthpop with a psycho-delic flair, not unlike other releases from this particular tape label.
As I have mentioned fervently regarding this project before, the influence of the Legendary Pink Dots is very pervasive. It even comes with a bit naff vocals that somehow fit the swirling synthscapes surrounding them.

 If anyone has any other releases from this project, I would love to get my hands on them. By download or by purchase, I don't really mind either way. I just hope you guys enjoy it.

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Various Artists - Tête De Bébé

Label : S-S Records - SS020

Country : US

Year : 2006

Format : LP

S-S is a fine label, with it releasing a ton of good stuff and repackaging just the same. And any-body who appreciates Monoshock is good in my book. This particular release, though, doesn't do much for me, toutefois. It's a foreign sequel to the early Ess Ess joint "Babyhead", composed mostly of synth heavy frog garage punx and occasional exp. spasms.

I've not found myself a fan of more straightforward punk musics, especially contemporary forms. I prefer a bit more of a looser structure I guess, though I can't call this uptight. Maybe my receptors are outta whack.

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Various Artists - Hіstory Of K-НIN Bros. Co. 1982-1994

Label : Super Fuji Discs - FJSP222/231

Country : Japan

Year : 2015

Format : CD

Since I am away on a brief vacation without the comfort of my tape player and turntable, I give you something truly sublime. I've held onto this for a little while, first downloaded from a friend on a familiar private tracker. This is a mammoth 11-hour box set chronicling what I consider the epitome of Japanese eccentric pop scene from the silent 80s throughout the roaring 90s.

I believe this came with a book or something of that nature. If you're interested in that, well you're gonna have to pull out the proverbial wallet for that because the download did not come with scans sadly. Though I don't think most reading can decipher runes, I could be wrong as I often am.

Discs 1-6

Discs 7-11

Various Artists - Cruel Beasts

Label : Maboroshi no Sekai - B...018

Country : Japan

Year : 1994

Format : C45

Something special for your Sunday. I'd like to think this is rare, but for all I know this could be shelf fodder in its homeland. This is an early release on the very cool Maboroshi no Sekai label which produced similar albums of this sonic ilk throughout its continued existence. The sounds presented here are of a diverse type all deriving from that all encompassing "experimental" umbrella. Some tracks branch off from the textures sprouted forth from bands such as the Boredoms and the Ruins, the spectrum of noisy mayhem and technically proficient chaos.

One may recognize some of the names here, with Japanese underground luminaries like Otomo Yoshihide, Koichi Makigami, and Seiichi Yamamoto making an appearance and also one of my favorite groups from that very subterranean artspace, Harpy. In fact, Harpy's percussionist itoken is the one who chose these artists for this tape. You may recognize him from my Zuppa di Pesce posts awhile back, I really respect his work. Some bands included are avant-proggers Soh Band and psych-noisters Children Coup D'Etat, who turn in some impressive performances. A band I don't recognize is Piranezi, jazzy noise rock for busted eardrums. Lots of unheard tracks here, don't miss it.

Here

Lossless, so don't lose out!

Various Artists - Industrial Folk Vol. 1

Label : Squealer - SQR 014

Year : 1995

Country : US

Format : 7 inch

Since I'm lazy, I'll just paste the review for this I made on Rateyourmusic:

An interesting little document of something of a sound of bygone days, described here as "Industrial Folk"--not Industrial folk as in the traditional music of the worker but of the "merger of folk roots with modern technology" sez the liner notes. Further on, these folkish roots "are modified by the alien technologies available to the modern artist; tape loops, feedback, and the static of everyday life". I feel like I'm padding an essay here, but it is a pretty interesting perspective especially in retrospect.

A number of these artists would not seem too unfamiliar to those who have gone through the underwaternow tape archive. In fact, I associate this time and place and sound and aesthetic with this particular website. A different flavor of cassette culture.

If you could gather any meaning from that melange of text, I mean to say it's a pretty cool EP. I was going to make a grandiose point on how appropriate that something christened "Industrial Folk" would emerge from the fallen follies of the rust belt, when I realized only a few of these groups would qualify as being from said wastelands. 

That's a cool thought, though. "Industrial Folk" as a genre, not Industrial Worker Folk music, which apparently is something that people have categorized, but a designation for the fin de millénaire incarnation of lofi folk found on some-a tape from labels like Shrimper or Bees Make Honey or, of course, Squealer. 

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Various Artists - Cassette Revolution Vol. 1

Label : Narisu Records - CSRN-2501

Country : Japan

Year : 2014

Format : C50

I forgot to post this one, after all the relative trouble I had to go through to get it. Truthfully speaking, I posted this before on a behind-closed-doors kind of site while neglecting my own pet project. I had forgotten my roots, how shameful of me. Anyway, it's here and I can't complain, I need to keep this place's blood flowing.

This is a bit of an odd tape to post here, as its experimentalisms are more latent compared to most other posts here. Dissonance comes and goes, sometimes in favor of a more JPop approach... But there are some (un)hits here, cool stuff all around. I wonder if the Japanese are going to pick up more on the recent kassette kultur revivalism that's been going around the past few years, at least that's what the indie tabloids say. Not like people haven't been putting out tapes consistently since the CD tried to stifle it.

Since I'm a such a generous host, I've scanned and even tried my hand at cleaning the mini-manga (an omake to the cassette, if you will) that came with it. No TL, though. Even though it looks like basic stuff, I can't really read it. Maybe a scanlation group will pick it up and get in tussles with other factions over it.

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Various Artists - LowLife 17

Label : RRR Records - RRR-L03

Year : 1993

Country: US

Format : LP

Hello, here's something I've had for a little while and never bothered to upload for whatever reason. This here is a companion to the LowLife zine which apparently existed and RRR pressed for a coupla times... Too much indeh rawk here for me, don't care for it. There is some good avant moments, however. Murray Reams and Paul Hoskin play together on 'ere, and the mostly unknown band called Cake inverts their more popular and similarly named contemporary with some exp. folk dirges. Tinnitus is cool, too, and befitting of its name. My memory isn't very good, so maybe I imagined what this whole record sounded like in lieu of listening to it again. Well...

Here

It also came with this booklet, presumably the zine in question. It's pretty cool, contains some reviews about now acclaimed cult klassics like Spiderland (a pretty ambivalent review for that one, all told). Some illustrations, too! Pretty... Didn't scan it, though.

Various Artists - Power In The House

Label : Post-Ambient Motion - POSTCASS 002

Country : US

Year : 1988

Format : C90

Another one from the decrepit vault. A benefit compilation of sorts against the demolition of a historic district in Omaha which features many a track from a variety of different in artists in sometimes drastically different fields. From the sound sculptures of Reinhold Marxhausen to the synth funk of Ja'Boi, this a great melange of strange mediocrity. I have the cassette version but it didn't come with a tape, so a kind soul came along and gave me the ripped CD version... in 160kbps.

Can't win 'em all, I guess.

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Various Artists - Pure Will, Without The Confusions Of Intellect

Label : Livevil Compact Discs - LMCD-1187

Country : Japan

Year : 1991

Format : CD

This was posted on WFMU and Bleak Bliss before but I think it's still worth hearing again. Great collage by some familiar visages and some not so familiar visages.

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Various Artists - Downtown NYC

Label : Virgin Records - 1-90950

Country : US

Year : 1988

Format : LP

The 80s music scene in downtown New York brought a lot of great stuff, including the barrage of eponymous Downtown Music projects, No Wave and other noisy cacophonies. Unfortunately, these scenes are not represented very well here, aside from some more obscure inclusions. It starts off with the title track, a very cheesy eighties anthem about living "downtown". So, yeah.

Some gems are to be found here, though. Tracks such as the second by Mark Johnson, who put out a classic Baroque pop private press album in the 70s. Another highlight is the contributions by Timber side project Rude Buddha and the post-No Wave of Ritual Tension. Some other good things to be found are the minimal synthpop of Soma Holiday and avant-folksong of Songs From A Random House. I don't really care for the rest, sadly. You might, though.

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Various Artists - A Consonant Vowel

Label : C.A.G.E. Records

Country : US

Year : 1988

Format : LP

As the year changes, I don't. Another sound art compilation for your ears and, perhaps the intention of the organizers, brain. Like the last post, collage and industrious noise play a prominent role here. This time, it's centered around Ohio-born sound artistry. Seeing as it was released by the "Cincinnati Artist's Group Effort", it makes sense. Ohioans such as John M. Bennett and Charlotte Pressler make an appearance, as well as Cincy groups like Lopez Sophisticates and Contraption #37. Even a Cleveland projects contribute with the Backyard Mechanics for Language (led by Luigi-Bob Drake, who appeared on Put Down Your Pencil). Other than that, artists from different areas also submit their efforts here. These include the late, great Minóy of California and the ephemeral Wisconsin project Qwa Digs Never Parish. I wonder if Charlotte Schmitz is related to K.D. Schmitz. As an aside, making scans for 12'' LP's on a small scanner is a lot harder than it seems. Happy New Year. 

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Various Artists - Put Down Your Pencil

Label : Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center

Year : 1990

Country : US

Format : C60

Lotso familiar names on this tape. A sound art comp featuring the likes of the BCO, Larry Wendt, Croiners, Al Margolis, and Illusion of Safety. A lot to like here, from the industrial rumblings of Big Red Stain to the silly Plunderphonia of the Tape-Beatles and Ed Special. Wendt's track here in particular is very interesting, an arresting spoken piece describing the lucrative venture of toad farming in San Jose (if anyone has any of his old tapes from Frog Peak/Hollow, let me know). All in all, an interesting experimental collection.

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Various Artists - For Proper Stylus Care

Label : Jalopy Grotto - JG006

Country : US

Year : 1996

Format : LP

A little present before Christmas I suppose: a compilation of relatively obscure Portland bands. Just what you wanted under the ol' tree. This is a bit too conventional for my and this blogs taste, but there is some good stuff here. I especially like the tracks by Rollerball and Lords of Howling, both bands I've taken a liking to. There are also some pleasant surprises with the more obscure acts such as Matt Schulte and Stertorous. Another cool factor to this is the previously unreleased Chokebore track "Nylon", good 90s noise rawking. It's worth noting that the last track ends in a locked groove, I left it recording for awhile and just trimmed it. Can't leave it running forever! Another element to the package is the illustrations contained with the zine it came with (Starbage). I may scan those when I have time.

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Various Artists - Lives

Label : Without Fear / Proving Ground Productions

Country : US

Year : 1997

Format : CD

Here

Various Artists - UHF/Channel 14

Label : A State of Flux / UHF Tapes - ASOF00

Country : US

Year : 1987

Format : C90

Here

Various Artists - La Chair Entre Les Lignes

Label : Panic Records & Tapes

Country : US

Year : 1990

Format : C90

Here

Various Artists - Marvelous Sound Forms

Label : Twisted Village - TW-1045

Country : US

Year : 1998

Format : LP

Here

Various Artists - Bad Alchemy Nr 5

Label : Bad Alchemy - Nr 5

Country : Germany

Year : 1986

Format : C45

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