Preorder The First Entertainment Systems Batch
3.4.15 by Mike Haley

Listen, I know what you’re thinking right now. And the answer is “yes”. There is yet ANOTHER new cassette label launching and my instructions are for you to pay attention to it. I know, I know. You’re drowning. You can’t keep up. It’s toooo hawd!! Chill out, partake in some herbal tea, or non-herbal tea, or non-tea herbals and give Entertainment Systems a glance. I think after you warm up to their opening acts, a three cassette batch of viscous, beat-flecked electronics that is available for preorder now, you’ll agree that they’re worth your time. Let’s examine…

The three artists making up this inaugural batch are Cryptosystem I, Babexo, and Dagir Du. Cryptosystem I spends time on “Mortalscapes” patterning lavish drone sweeps and miniature tinkering, like tiny parts of a watch keeping time or insect wings fluttering in close quarters, to work up soothing rhythms. Those rhythms take the form of comatose beats that splinter through a Play-Doh atmosphere that pad this entire recording. The synthesized sounds on “Last Days Of Youth” by Babexo are carefully crafted and constantly pushing forward. There is plenty of oozing experimentation taking place, but the homebase stays icy and composed. It’s a concoction of abrasiveness and sobriety that fits like a glove with drifting keys, slimy waves, and outsider electronics. Dagir Du ghost rides the slug and dips into a sparkling multiverse of warped samples and static cling numbness. Even with it’s slow moving style, it can be hard to keep up with Dagir Du’s mangled vibes on “Gloom Fortress”, but it’s definitely worth the pursuit. Dig into a mix below, then head over to Entertainment Systems Bandcamp to grip the batch as a whole ($15), or tapes individually ($6).

[PHYSICS] ‎– Only Forever
2.26.15 by Mike Haley

My 8th grade math teacher was an ex-nun named Mrs. Soccorso. She was the kind Catholic educator with a gnarly patina who was pissed she wasn’t able to still hit kids with their parents being cool with it. My desk was in the front of the class, because I was a piece of shit kid who couldn’t be trusted rows back, and Mrs. Soccorso would use it to set up the overhead projector. It was so trippy. All the lights in the room off, except for the low-watt projector bulb illuminating her leathery face inches away. The froth of saliva that would build up in the corners of her mouth like the head of a beer. Those glasses, halfway off her nose, making the bottom half of her eyes ten times larger than the tops. Looking back, this may have been my first psychedelic experience, and explains why I am horrible at the maths.

Flash forward 20 years later (give or take, I’m horrible at math) and Constellation Tatsu releases an incredible Winter Batch with tapes by 夕方の犬 (Dog in the Evening), Opaline, and [PHYSICS]. Three tapes, each pretty incredible, but I’ll be damned if “Only Forever” by LA’s [PHYSICS] doesn’t prompt a recall of smudged dry erase markers projected over grids in a dark room. It’s vacuum sealed X-Files theme sounds, damp laser tweaks, and stylish cosmic rushes all bringing back the bizarre algebraic trips.

“Only Forever” compiles 13 lucky tracks by [PHYSICS], who’s preceding output can be heard on labels like Digitalis, Deathbomb Arc, and others. There are some mega-curious sounds sloshed around, juxtaposed by drifting ambiance and vintage synth animation. Digital glitter and uncoiling springs hover and waft on a sea of foam that rivals that of Soccorso’s mouth. This must have been what I heard while fixated on those hallucinatory bifoculs all those years ago. At least, it should have been. In reality I was probably singing all of “Dookie” in my head instead of letting these neon gummy worms slink through it. There’s no feet dragging or filler on “Only Forever”. The celestial stew is already boiling on the opening track “Orbital Insertion”, a nearly 5 minute mental massage with sparse phasing and a rolling charm, and doesn’t stop the pleasing flow for the next 40 or 20 or 100 minutes. Who knows how long this tape is? MATH, amirite!?

Pick up the Tatsu’s Winter Batch for the stupid low price of $13 (US PPD) here, or snag this guy alone for $6 (US PPD) here. Maybe you’ll be carried back to a time of clip on ties and unfortunately timed, awkward erections. Maybe something else will happen. Only one way to find out.

Cinchel – Worry
2.24.15 by Mike Haley

There’s a lot to appreciate about Cinchel‘s soon-to-be-dropped cassette “Worry” before it’s even popped into the deck. For example, you know that Jason Shanley (that’s his legal name) has a cat named PJ Harvey and feels it necessary to thank both pizza and beer for their contributions to this 45 minute drone boiler, due out the first of March via the Cinchel Bandcamp. A fine start. Almost enough to make me forgive the upside down text on the spine… ALMOST. But let’s get beyond that. Let’s go ahead and pop this navy blue shell into the deck and see where it takes us.

Both sides of “Worry” take the scenic route with 22+ minute vivid soundscapes. “Her Ladder Was Rung With The Love Of Her Friends” canvases side A with crisp, gradual guitar drone and notes plucked with slow-motion fingers. If you were going to mail this track to someone I would highly suggest using a padded envelope marked with “Careful! Extremely Fragile” in a thick, black Sharpie. “A Light Crack In The Wall” gets a bit more compressed and dark on side B. Here Cinchel places the electronics and heavily processed strings in an icebox, getting the frost building around the edges, inducing a horror-vibed chill. Bottom line = “Worry” is a exceptional offering from this Chi-town tone carver.

Like I said about 200 words back, “Worry” isn’t available just yet. Unless you are reading this on or after 3/1/15, in which case, WHAT IS THE FUTURE LIKE!? Do we have hoverboards yet? Do we have flying cars!? Do any of our modes transportation fly for fuck sake?! Well, I guess a bunch already do and have for some time now. But HOVERBOARDS!!

Videos for both Cinchel cuts are available. Enjoy them now why don’t ya.

Late Breaking News!

@tabsout edition of 50 first 10 copies wrapped in one of the paintings from the video for “Her ladder..”

— cinɔhɘl (@cinchel) February 24, 2015

Communicating With (Astral) Spirits
2.19.15 by Mike Haley

Astral Spirits launched last summer as a tentacle of Austin, Texas based Monofonus Press. They’ve been diligent at churning out cassettes by free jazz ruffians and devotees to the avant lifestyle and, in less than a year of operation, have made quite the dent. I caught up with AS’s Nathan Cross about the goings-on of the label on the heels of a brand new batch of tapes.

 

Tell me a little bit about the people behind Astral Spirits
Well, really it’s just me at the moment. I was bouncing this idea around about doing a label but didn’t really have the money or connections to make it happen, and then I started talking with the folks at Monofonus. Morgan, Will, and Cory have all been real good friends for a long time, and they were into the idea, so it kinda started there. Monofonus and those guys have been incredibly supportive and have helped me along with the nuts and bolts stuff and I couldn’t be more thankful. Also I should mention my friend Mason McFee (aka Maseman) has done all the artwork and really nailed it with a whole theme and style.  I don’t think it would make the same impact without the artwork and what he’s done.

Totally. The artwork and aesthetic for all the releases really stands out. Was the plan to have consistent templates and artwork or is that something Mason came up with?
We definitely talked about it a lot. We both really liked the idea of something consistent in the vein of Impulse, Blue Note, ESP, Actuel, even Dave Rempis’ Aerophonic label. I also really like that keeping the artwork similar sorta ties together all these various musical styles. I think it helps with linking some of the crazier free jazz stuff with something like the new Shit & Shine or even the Tredici Bacci tape.  But as far as the actual artwork, color scheme, templates, and all that was definitely Mason’s work. He’s done some really incredible work with it.

Is the long-term plan to release mainly free jazz and similar genres, or is that more of a jumping off point for the label?
Yeah, long-term I’d say I will probably focus mostly on free jazz stuff.  I’ve been a huge jazz nerd for a long time and have always felt that this type of music deserves a bigger audience, and especially with a younger crowd (hence why I started by doing tapes). I’ll definitely try to keep things interesting and throw in some less jazz oriented stuff like Nick Hennies & Tredici Bacci. I have a tape from Boxhead Ensemble coming out next month and down the line I have a split tape between Yells at Eels & Circuit Rider UK (both Dallas acts that are very different but both kinda based in improv). I’ll also hopefully start doing some LP’s in the fall and beyond. The first LP will be a studio recording from Icepick to follow up the initial tape.  But I guess at the same time I don’t want to put limits on anything. Right now I just am really focused on a lot of great jazz music/musicians that I don’t think get the attention they deserve.

Let’s talk about that first release, the Icepick “Hexane” tape. It’s a pretty insane collaboration between Chris Corsano, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and Nate Wooley. How did that material make it’s way to you?
I love that tape so much. So Ingebrigt has been living in Austin now for a few years and I’ve gotten to know him well through playing shows here in town and such. He’s an incredible guy. When I first mentioned to him that I was started Astral Spirits I really wanted to put out some of his music/collaborations because of his Austin connection. He gave me that recording and Nate & Chris were both okay with it too. I love that it’s not the best audio quality and that you can hear beers opening and other noises. I think that sorta helps take that type of improv off a pedestal and makes it more accessible to a wider audience. I actually did a release show here in Austin and flew Nate & Chris in and had them play with a few other rock bands and it was incredible. While they were here in Austin they went into a studio for an afternoon and recorded the session that’ll be used for the LP. Really, a lot of the connections I’ve made with other musicians have been through Ingebrigt introducing me to folks and it just sorta builds from there. I’ve been incredibly lucky to meet all these people, and incredibly lucky that they are willing to put out a tape! I’m always a little nervous about mentioning tapes to jazz folks, but it’s been nothing but good feedback so far.

Were cassettes a format you were personally interested in before starting Astral Spirits?
Oh yeah. I’ve got a nice little tape collection. I probably starting really buying tapes 2 or 3 years ago when there was the big push. I think I started buying them when I saw some Keith Fullerton Whitman tapes and haven’t stopped since really. I think they are great because it doesn’t necessarily say anything about the quality of music, but it allows someone who may not know as much about it to try it out because tapes are cheaper. If I buy a tape for $5 or $7 and I don’t like it that much, I don’t feel as bad because at least I heard something new and tried. I think it translates really well to free jazz because they are cheaper and quicker to produce. And you can use live recordings or whatever. It’s easier to get the music out there to people at a faster pace than spending 3-5 times as much on a single LP.

It seems like the edition sizes get larger and larger with each batch you do. I suppose the response has been pretty killer so far?
Yeah, I’ve been pretty blown away at how great the response has been in such a short time. The Icepick & John Dikeman tapes flew out the door. We did a repress of the Icepick (which is dwindling) but we’re trying to find that fine line between printing enough for demand but not too many that they just sit around and collect dust. I think there is definitely an audience for these tapes, but I’m not delusional and realize it’s still very much a niche market. With Shit & Shine & Tredici Bacci I know there is a little bigger of a crossover audience and felt like I could print more of those without worrying too much. Generally I like to keep it around 150 though. I think that’s a nice number for now.

When you sent us the first batch I accidentally left my Walkman and Dikeman tape at the park. It was still there the next day, so I don’t think your audience is the 3rd graders who have recess there.
Haha. Hey man, you never know… Funny enough, when John Dikeman was in Austin recently with Cactus Truck they did play a set at an Elementary school in town. You’d be suprised how well kids will respond to this stuff, especially when they see it.

Maybe the kids at the park just didn’t know what the Walkman was…
that’s probably very true.

So tell me about the second batch you did.
Three tapes: Ballister “The Ballister Monologues”, Will Guthrie “Stepped Stoned”, and Broken Trap Ensemble “Upes”. A lot of folks know Ballister pretty well (Dave Rempis, Fred Lonberg-Holm & Paal Nilssen-Love). It’s a live recording of a show they did here in Austin back in May 2014. Total blistering free jazz stuff. Great as always. Will Guthrie might not be as familiar to some. He’s an Australian percussionist living in France these days. Again, this was a live recording from a solo drum show he did in France and it’s mind-blowing. Builds up from silence to a complete racket of sound. Some reviews have mentioned electronics and other sounds, but it’s all drums/percussion. Broken Trap Ensemble is a new group from the Bay Area featuring Aram Shelton (sax), Teddy Rankin Parker (cello), Kristina Dutton (violin) & Daniel Pearce (drums). I’m particuarlly fond of this one. It’s definitely in the free jazz vein, but has a more new music/classical feel to it with the strings, but again it’s all improvised. Really beautiful stuff. and I’m down to about 10-15 copies of each of those tapes and then they’re gone.

What is Will’s relationship to Arlo and Woody? Please say Grandfather.
Ha. I don’t think he has one at all. He is from Australia after all. But, ya know, I’ve never asked him so I couldn’t say for sure. I’ve had people actually tell me they were afraid to check out that tape because of the name Guthrie and they thought I was putting out some folk rock or something.

That’s where my brain went. Haha.

I love how all the tapes are numbered on the cover, but after hand numbering all these, is that something you regret getting into?
Hhaha. I wouldn’t say regret, but I think at some point in the future that might not be on the cover anymore. It’s a little personal touch that I hoped some people would like.

One of the latest three tapes you just released is the Tredici Bacci / ENPSE split. Did you pair them up yourself?
That was all Simon’s idea. I really loved the Tredici Bacci tape on NNA and got in touch with Simon about doing a tape for AS. He said he wanted to do a split tape with another group based on the Gruppo Nuova Consonanza stuff. And actually it’s basically the same people from Tredici in ENPSE doing improv. I love it.

Besides the stuff you mentioned earlier, anything else on the horizon?
In March/April I have releases from Boxhead Ensemble, RED Trio, Rob Mazurek, Mike Majkowski & SSBT. Lots of other great stuff after that from Wally Shoup Sax Trio + One, The Gate, Kid Millions/Jim Sauter Duo, Taco Bells, Mikel Patrick Avery and hopefully a bunch more in the fall.

You can find Astral Spirits all over the world wide web. Places like this one, and Facebook, and Twitter, and Soundcloud.

UEFTBH / TPHOAAW – Split
2.14.15 by Mike Haley

With the maximum number of words legally allowed on the spine of a Jcard, and 26 minutes of lavish experimentation, Adhesive Sounds has produced quite the formidable split cassette between Underwater Escape From The Black Hole and The Petrified Heart Of An Air Whale. Two project who apparently have no troubles maneuvering through syrupy, abstract territories.

With creamy, looped vocal clips and water-colored ambience, UEFTBH devises Zolpidem zones of flowing waves and focused calmness. Mellow synth chords swim through the first track, “All The Little Cares Fixed”, emitting a complete and total feeling of relaxation. A constant thump – – thump – – thump backbones Mathias Timmerman’s super chill ebb and flow for six and a half minutes. “Stable”, his second and final track on the split, is a collage of processed spoken word and simmering synthesizer beauty that shimmies up the spine for nearly seven minutes. Two keepers.

TPHOAAW bangs out four doses on the flip side. The immediate impression is also a flip in atmosphere. Echoed blows and tweaks of noise rumble atop a lurching, distorted melody for a two minute stretch. A very moist jam, like a dog outside in a thunderstorm. Sam Hatzaras, the big boss man  behind this Toronto-based project, speeds things up considerably with “Kwantum Jool”, the 4:43 piece that follows. The situation is still clammy, but more birds in a rain forest rather than the dog in your shitty neighbors yard. Dude devised a pretty compelling beat to wrangle around a bundle of tropical jams. The tape comes to an end with two tracks of skittish sound wrangling that, while not as cohesive as the bulk of the tape, is still a fun listen. No doubt about it.

Adhesive Sounds has figuratively been on fire so far this year with a grip of nice ass tapes. And it’s only February, mang. Pretty, pretty, preeeetty excited for the A/S 2015 drop. Get yourself going with everything they have available, starting with this humdinger of a split. BUY IT HERE.

New Batch – Moss Archive
2.11.15 by Mike Haley

I always pluralize Moss Archive. Moss Archives just seems right to me. But I think label head Joe Bastardo is mega-OCD, so let me triple check that I got it right above…..

Okay, looks good. So Moss Archives just did the world a favor and put out two new cassettes by Adderall Canyonly and Blostma. Both blackened nugs of crisp, dank energy. Both home dubbed editions of 50 copies with artwork that looks like invitations to a funeral. Both necessary cassettes, or “cassettessary™”. Here is the situation.

MOSS 15 finds Adderall Canyonly in first-rate form on “Beneath The Crystal Canyon A Spark Remains”, an eight track C32. AC (not to be confused with Animal Collective, Alice Coltrane, or Anal Cunt) has been quite the prolific artisan over the past few years, with stellar output on Tranquility Tapes, Jehu & Chinaman (now J&C Tapes — Thanks, Obama), and Field Hymns to name a few. The signature radiation bursts and shimmering pinches are present in classic form, readily available to hypnotize and/or char the senses, as Canyonly delivers operatic kosmische music. But that isn’t the be-all and end-all on the trip. Infused through this hour hour grandiose jammer is some earthy space music with synths, guitar, and tambourine (??) providing some low-key, multi-planetary spaghetti western soundtrack music. It’s a hell of a drug. See for yourself.

MOSS 16 is a self titled C38 from Blostma. A new name to me, and you wont hear any complaints about this inaugural experience. Menacing vocals, occasionally with a putrid gargle, and distorted guitar shredding given the tin can treatment. Blostma incorporates elements of black metal, dark ambient, and punk to compose six fairly beast songs. It’s like someone took teenage angst and shook it up in a Pepsi Kona can down by the old train tracks. And I mean that in a good way. I think one can only mean that in a good way??? Blostma a pretty sweet surprise / departure for the label, and that sort of thing is always welcomed. Have at it.

Both tapes are currently available from Mosses Archive for a five dollar bill each, plus shipping & handling. Check the archives while you’re there. Archives. ChiveSSSS.

Ratkiller – Comfortably Declined
2.10.15 by Mike Haley

I don’t know much about Estonia, other than it’s where Skype was created and it’s rather small population. One of it’s 1,315,819 residents is Mihkel Kleis, who can be found sailing from cluster to cluster of plasmic soundholes as Ratkiller. Kleis has a sprinkling of cassette releases, including a handful on the most excellent Rotifer, but “Comfortably Declined” is the first effort I have had the pleasure of hearing. Many high fives to Baba Vanga for pushing it out of their birth canal.

Ratkiller gets the ball rolling with a muggy confab of Casio’d squirts. Simple keyboard drum patterns and miscellaneous notes that are less ‘dance party’ and more ‘eating-a-spaghetti-sandwich’ vibed. A motif that quickly changes as the spools spin. Zappy synth filters and bouncing about the house beats are introduced, along with a sort of mutated Shaft soundtrack philosophy. Is this cat Ratkiller a bad mother? Shut your mouth and you’ll find out. Copious zones are explored on this overflowing cassette, from polished 80’s prom pop to exploratory sampled hip hop, sometimes in the same track. And always wonderful.

Fantastic artwork brings the whole thing together. Sit back, grab a spaghetti sandwich, and funnel Ratkiller into your ears. Purchase a copy here before you are unable to do so.

Three Legged Race – Rope Commercial Vol. 2
2.6.15 by Mike Haley

Not so much the sounds from inside a genie’s lamp as the sounds from inside the head of the genie inside a genie’s lamp, “Rope Commercial Vol. 2” by Three Legged Race controls it’s anxiety and crafted jitters with undeterred aplomb. Most could only imagine the thousand-year thoughts of a blue-skinned wish granter, sealed up with nothing but a whole mess of time, waiting for someone to finally give his brass residence a rub down. Robert Beatty (see also: Hair Police) converts them to electronic form then flushes it out the pipes for 20 of the gnarliest minutes you will experience for a while.

Side A starts by Beatty building up a feeling of restlessness by layering insistent loops with squirmy and soaked fidgets of sound that will have you guessing which way is up, but not getting lost in blitz. That time the genie realized it was his birthday, but completely forgot which one. That time those two stoners found his lamp, but instead of rubbing it and setting him free, they just smoked weed out of it. The mosquito outbreak of 1332. All the memories are mapped out over “Ex-Locksmith”, “Oporagen”, and “Equipment”, the three tracks before the flip. “Blossom Oroduct” is just as juicy. Just as loopy. Bassy notes repeat like clockwork, as do a ding-dong doorbell, behind a swelling mist of gurgle. A casual toe-dip into the memory-water before taking the full plunge. The final two tracks on “Rope Commercial Vol. 2” are sort of fucking perfect for the tape. “Empty Timeline” [listen below] has an exhaust of urging electronics and a simple snare while the phrase “Too early, too late. Too volatile to wait” repeats as if that poor ol’ genie has been torturing himself with the phrase since Romanticism. That sad fuck. I just noticed he doesn’t even have a name. Anyway, the tape closes with an ultra-clammy crawl through the bottom of the bottle with “Ill-Use Vocal Score”. Years of mildew polluting the old gleam. Nice.

When all is said and done it’s sorta difficult to believe only 20 minutes have passed, which is a damn good sign. The layout stands out to me as well. The cover comes across as a letterpress design and is super clean, but not clean at all. Does that make a lick of sense? Extra points for putting the length of the cassette on the spine, which I guess is my new favorite thing? I had no clue I even gave a shit either way until seeing this. Bravo, Three Legged Race. Bravo, Vitrine (that’s the label responsible btw). You fuckers killed it.

“Rope Commercial Vol. 2” (which, if you were wondering, is a follow up to “Rope Commercial Vol. 1. A 12″ picture disc available from Underwater Peoples) is limited to 150 hand numbered copies on black cassettes with black and white labels. I can’t actually tell if it’s “out” yet, but it looks like you can grab a copy here, and perhaps soon from TLR’s Bandcamp.

 

New Batch – Dumpsterscore Home Recordings
2.4.15 by Mike Haley

I assume that after it’s dozenish years of curating DIY grey scale greatness, with release numbers in triple digit territory, that most noise denizens are familiar with Dumpsterscore Home Recordings. If not, I would advise a plunge into their back catalog where you’ll find plenty of stalwart turbulence, including much from label head Andrew Quitter’s various projects (under his own name, Regosphere, Suburbia Melting, et al). Go ahead, I’ll wait……. Caught up? Good. Now let’s get to the three latest cassettes.

All part of the ongoing DS C20 series, which I can only assume was birthed by a bulk grip of C20’s out of a church dumpster or something, are tapes by Arjen Schat, Self-Shadowing Prey, and Shift. Each bringing their own brand of chilling sound affairs. I don’t have the tapes in hand, and only excerpts are readily available on the world’s widest web, but I think it’s safe to say that a complete listening to these mugs is sure to please. Arjen Schat’s “CrO2” dons flickering analog synth jaunts and pensive drone canvases. Looks like his two side-long stretchers have no problem floating up into the sky and lingering in the clouds. “Illusion To Illusion” is three tracks from Portland’s A. Brasfield, appearing here as Self-Shadowing Prey. Kindly offered up are cutthroat and clammy oscillations and a thicket of opaque, horror inspired arpeggiated chords. Solid enough to make a clunk under your foot, but slippery enough to get your shoes caught. Rounding out the batch is veteran  power electrician Shift. Expect a severely savage encounter from Martin Willford on “Ruminations”, as resentful vocals slice through throbbing static electronics. Definitely brings the strength others in this style tend to lack. A relentless effort indeed.

Arjen Schat and Self-Shadowing Prey tapes are both editions of 50 copies, while Shift gets the 100 treatment. All are available for $7.00 (ppd in the US) or as part of a combo deal from Dumpsterscore. Sample excerpts from all of them here —>