Tabs Out

Austin Cassette Fest
4.30.14 by Mike Haley

Area cassette heads who do not live by the strict policy of not messing with Texas should check out the Austin Cassette Fest on Saturday May 17th. The day long event, hosted by Graveyard Orbit and Sound Dessert, will take place at the MASS Gallery in East Austin starting at noon. Local and surrounding labels like Crash Symbols, Fleeting Youth, Tape Escape, Ritual Tapes, and more will be slinging cassettes straight at you. The day will also feature a cassette-only DJ (so CJ I guess?) set from The Vegetable Kingdom and a few other live acts.

$5 will get ya in the door. Another $5 will get ya into the after party at a place called Cheer Up Charlies, which I am assuming is a Willy Wonka themed bar. Here’s the Facebook event page so you can be like “I’m going”. I’m sure it will be a reel good time. Get it? Did you get that? Cassette puns are special.

Here is a sampling of sounds released by a few of the labels involved with the Fest. Enjoy!

Plains Druid Wants You To Get Lost
4.28.14 by Ian Franklin

There is a certain charm to a C10, or even a C12. It’s concise and upfront. It doesn’t make excuses or unnecessary delays. It’s a minutely porous construction which is presented and burned away in a fantastic immediacy. A C125 on the other hand (holy shit, 125!?!?), that’s a whole different beast entirely. You can get lost in a 125. You can lose yourself in a 125. And I think that’s exactly what Plains Druid’s new release “Super Real Islands” on Blue Tapes is hoping to achieve.

UK’s Blue Tapes’ 11th release is “Super Real Islands”, a pro dubbed edition of 100 each with unique artwork as an accompaniment to the luscious synth explorations within. Fantastic drones swirl all around your three dimensional aural cavities, flowing over each other in wave after wave of pulse width modulation. Drizzled with fluttery arpeggiations and swashes of filtered noise, harmonious melodies drift and sway in the summer breeze. Rhythmic structures develop and pulse with a lifelike quality, propelling the journey farther forward. Spontaneous House-like variations are woven into digital polysynth bath with staccato pulses of bass drum. Serious head zones lay within. Recommended listening for all body travelers, space jumpers, projection analysts, and office employees.

Check out the teaser video below and jump over to the Blue Tapes website to book your brain a spring cleaning with the full tape.