Tabs Out

cassette podcast focusing on noise & experimental sounds

Tabs Out | New Batch – Rotifer

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New Batch – Rotifer
4.26.17 by Mike Haley

rotifer

Ding! Two orders of Rotifer up and ready for ingestion. The 99th and milestone 100th release from the label utilize contrasting zones and maneuvers to tantalize that state-of-the-art brain of yours, but both get the job done in their own special ways.

Handling burnished beats and borrowed sounds from the worlds of hip hop and soul is VV005, a Nevada City, CA resident with their first physical release “Lagrano Ruins.” The 42 minute debut is a collection of marginally modified samples, shuffled together into blurry, beat-based compositions. The cover image of juggler handling torches and blades (and a shark?) couldn’t be a more detached comparison to the mellow vibes held within. “Lagrano Ruins” is a total relaxer.

Back for a fifth round on the label is Estonia’s Ratkiller, the left field electronics project of Mihkel Kleis, full of ticks, caffeinated quirks, and squirmy, oddball movements. Ratkiller has a spirited way of bobbing around the audio color wheel, making pinning them down into a set category a difficult task. The sounds are consistently animated and interested though, that is for sure.

Both tapes are editions of 40 and available from Rotifer Cassettes in a silky smooth batch deal!

Tabs Out | Cabo Boing – Blob On A Grid

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Cabo Boing – Blob On A Grid
4.25.17 by Mike Haley

cabo

It’s understandable to wonder, perhaps at length, what alternate plane of existence “Blob On A Grid” leaked from. Surely it wasn’t created in this one. Yet it was, that is precisely Haord Records‘ bag after all. From the totally bugged-out assortment on their “Haord’s Bunchla” compilation to the sugary peculiarity of Macula Dog, Jimmy Sanchez & His Crystal Balls, Jake Tobin, and others, Haord have been turning over rocks in caves and climbing to the top of the tallest truffula trees in search of audio extraordinariness. Their latest disclosure is a dozen bounca-whirl songs from Cabo Boing.

If Mark Mothersbaugh had the gumption he would have made “Blob On A Grid” years ago, and it would have soundtracked many a Pee Wee’s Playhouse episodes. Not a single second of it’s eccentric no-wavery antics wouldn’t cozy right up on Chairry’s fluffy cushion. That is fact, not opinion, and in no way open for debate. In reality it was made by Brian Esser of the synth duo Yip-Yip. If we are being honest with each other, and I think we should, I like it much better that way. Splashy imagination is smudged wall-to-wall, no way cowering in the corner, playing coy, only poking out every now and then. It is on full display – nay – on overload. These tunes are dayglo and chafed from perpetual movement. As each track ends, sometimes in under a minute’s time, quick contortions take place so the next can unload it’s enthusiastic energy. Unabashed friskiness scampers into perplexing modes, all pitched-vocals and jagged electronics jerking in unison, backlit by colorful, dynamic textures ready to tweak at a finger’s snap. Get happy.

The visual presentation is a foolproof manifestation of the audio, one that I mentioned here.  I shan’t bore you any longer with details. You should be buying a copy of this now!

Tabs Out | Stephen Molyneux – Wings and Circles

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Stephen Molyneux – Wings and Circles
4.24.17 by Kat Harding

wings

Stephen Molyneux, from Denver, put out a tape in February on No Kings that is a relaxing foray through folky improvisation. “Wings and Circles,” with beautiful radar and map views printed in orange and blue on cream paper, is a work of art both inside and out. A map of the night sky graces the inside of the art work, with the Stuart Friebert quote “My body wants the place where the wings and circles are.”

“Wings and Circles” hums awake with tones from an electric organ. The tape was recorded in a basement, which usually brings dark connotations, but this is a warm and welcoming place. Dulcimer, melodica, pan pipes, banjo, lap steel, and percussion all make appearances in the music. It’s engulfing and relaxing, like a warm summer day, or a thick blanket in the winter. The tones echo and vibrate through the space, with clinking bells punctuating the song randomly, like they’re blowing in a gentle breeze. The track is divided by lengths of silence, but it doesn’t feel like we’re switching songs. It feels like we’re taking a breath before continuing the same track, just a different verse. The gentle purring of the organ carries us through the track and it’s more than 16 minute length is perfect to lull you into a trance.

Side B starts off with sharp banjo and lap steel, already louder than side A, but still relaxed. This is a front-porch pickin’ side, with an adept player experimenting with a familiar instrument. The clear chords disintegrate into humming and echoing, like an amp buzzing after the last verse. At about six minutes in, the organ picks up in full effect, giving serious church procession vibes. While we contemplate our sins, the organ continues, with clanking bells twinkling through. With the organ as the backbone of the song, the track meanders along, adding new sounds layered on top. Both sides add to give you more than thirty minutes of soft organ music to unwind to. Prime listening spots include hammocks, beach towels, couches, beds, or any other place to get a moment’s rest.

Get a copy of the C32, an edition of 100 copies, on Molyneux’s Bandcamp page.