geoff mullen “tropical contact high b/w live @ casa” c32 cassette

• tropical contact high (1)
  
• tropical contact high (2)
  
• tropical contact high (3)
  
• tropical contact high (4)
  
  
• live @ casa

april 2012 release ; ... simply killer tape of geoff’s :: aleatoric electro-acoustic collage work (the a-side) ; prepared acoustic guitar scrabble cut with yamaha cs-50 warble & field recordings from some of new england’s most esteemed coastal zones all but buried under a morass of tape-warble & assorted pan-fidelitial garble in a way only attainable through geoff’s hands / idiosyncratic methods ... then :: a complete solo live set (the b-side) recorded on our joint tour w/ pete swanson last fall ... further tape-echo wooze & in-situ, “room-toned” scrape in a stereo-heavy array bouncing off the walls & minds of those present at montreal’s casa del popolo that fateful august night :: ... this does a great job at allowing you to re-create the geomul live experience in your fortress of solitude ; it is of course highly recommended to any / all champions of contemporary sound ... ps. speaking of, our young man is all grown up & will be embarking shortly on his first european tour !!! make sure to catch him at the following places on the following dates :: geoff mullen, solo european tour, may 2012 may 09 – cafe oto, london may 10 – espace en cours, paris may 13 – bar a bateau, antwerp may 15 – hs63, brussels may 16 – cave 12, geneva may 17 – plattfon, basel may 20 – occii, amsterdam may 21 – vpro radio session, hilversum may 24 – radio gagarin, hamburg may 25 – .hbc., berlin may 28 – n.k., berlin

draft press release...

geoff mullen, tropical contact high / live @ casa draft d016 / tape / edition of 125 providence-based musician geoff mullen's newest release, tropical contact high / live @ casa, takes the form of concrete-soundscapes that hint at the sub-aquatic realms of 20000 leagues under the sea. recorded last summer, mullen documents his "beach bum" explorations of the various coastlines and natural environments of the northeast by collaging field recordings with various tape improvisations. jagged fragments of prepared guitar, bubbling synth textures, and cyclical passages of sun-faded tape loops emerge in this beautifully crafted aural-vacation. [c32 tape / pro-dubbed & imprinted]

stefan tcherepnin / christopher delaurenti “heavy analog electronics vols. 2 and 3” c35 cassette

• among middles
  
• seconded
  
• four athwart
  
  
• penultimate horizon

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stefan tcherepnin & christopher delaurenti, heavy analog electronics vols. 2 and 3 draft d015 / tape / edition of 125 bleed the capacitors: heavy analog electronics vols. 2 and 3 is the second release in a series of tapes by stefan tcherepnin and christopher delaurenti that document their work as an improvising duo (following up their first volume on banned productions). performing on serge analog synth and touch-controlled transistor circuit boards respectively, the duo launch raw electronic sounds that dance around the stereo field with jagged logic. dense noise bursts collide and fracture within tight response dynamics, interspersed with silence. reminiscent of early noise pioneers, this work fuses noisy textures and active improvisation to create a finely crafted set of music with jarring momentum. [35 min / pro-dubbed & imprinted]

lander 5 “epiphyte hall” c20 cassette

• epiphyte hall
  
  
• a binary wave

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lander 5, epiphyte hall draft d014 / tape / edition of 125 over the past year, operative founder scott goodwin has unveiled a continuous stream of new projects, including his duo vepa with pete swanson, the polyrhythmic house project polonaise, and his latest solo outing lander 5. epiphyte hall showcases goodwin's gift for creating innovative, rhythmic synthesizer music that feels as rooted in classic minimalism as it does house music. constructed with analog and digital fm synths, digital effects and a sequencer, epiphyte hall delivers two analog-heavy cuts that gallop and scramble through an array of pulses and abstract timbres. [c20 tape, pro-dubbed & imprinted]

rm francis “microtopies” c42 cassette

• grand opponent - connor
  
• gistxxt
  
• and every grief gave a sound, flat on the stone mantle
  
  
• omniated
  
• the herbivores collection
  
• this impossible fog
  
• on a [redacted] rode disappointment
  
• sun/michael/tunnel/world
  
• day 3

draft press release...

rm francis, microtopies draft d013 / tape / edition of 125 newcomer rm francis debuts his first solo release, microtopies, a meticulously constructed set of works that took an entire year to complete. using the computer to generate software patches and process hacked thrift-store keyboards, francis layers time-stretched timbres that aimlessly warble within odd, congealed masses of compressed texture. sound surfaces reveal the micro-artifacts inherent in digital audio processes, which take on a life of their own. these sounds are then crafted into rich, miniature sound worlds that seem as organic as they do chemical. ghostly meditations lift, weightlessly shape-shifting, gently deposited into cloudy pools of resonance. at times melodic, at times academic, this hybrid of automated sounds and finely tuned craftsmanship leads to a fresh approach, and an excellent listen. [42 min / pro-dubbed & imprinted]

matt carlson “particle language” long playing record

• an entity appears
  
• retinotopic maps
  
• the perceptron
  
  
• robot nostalgia
  
• saccades
  
• eunoia
  
• dear translucent beings:

draft press release...

matt carlson, particle language draft d012 / lp draft is pleased to announce the release of matt carlson’s solo debut lp release, particle language. following up his stellar solo works for gift tapes, including stereo face and gecko dream levels, carlson advances his signature electronic compositions, venturing into weirder, tweaked realms of morphing synthesis and bent perception. particle language guides the listener through an effervescent cauldron of unstable energies and molten, robotic detritus into a shifting stereoized vacuum-space. sounds effortlessly arch and skim this reflective pathway, propelling us into the depths of our unconscious minds. embedded with outsider music reference points and metaphysical undercurrents, carlson’s modular synthesizer mastery and ingenious use of tape and vocoder has unearthed grey-void atmospheres overflowing with otherworldly aural apocrypha – a uniquely warped vision. i’ve known matt carlson since 2003. ever since then i’ve been blown away by his role in every creative context i’ve had the pleasure of witnessing. from solo performances to 12-hour improvisations to standup comedy / free improv to music for dance to performances of his modern classical compositions, he is all over the map. his wildly diverse musical curiosities have lead to his involvement with numerous collaborations, including the drone trio bonus, the eccentric pop group parenthetical girls, the portland art collective oregon painting society, and his current role in the amazing golden retriever. over the years, i’ve come to recognize that carlson’s musical ability far outweighs that of any of my peers, but more significantly, i’ve seen his artistic vision develop into something entirely unique and original – and it is this vision that i am especially excited to present to you. jason e anderson, gift tapes / draft mastered by timothy stollenwerk lp, 40 minutes :: dmm pressing color jacket and labels, insert, clear plastic outer sleeve edition of 500

alex barnett “push” c20 cassette

• push
  
  
• temple
  
• unseen forces

draft press release...

d011 :: alex barnett, push :: tape chicago-based alex barnett had remained under the radar until last year, when he unleashed four striking synth tapes known as the "section series" for labels catholic tapes, nihilist, pizza night and chronic boom soundsystem.  primarily focused on his work with noise band oakeater over the past few years, he has secretly been crafting his own solo vision.  taking hints from classic synth soundtrack visionaries, his music takes the form of brooding b-movie soundtrack miniatures, but without the use of sequencers (in his live performances you'll find him juggling multiple keyboards). push stays true to the dark synth roots of barnett's previous releases, utilizing duration and repetition to build powerful music from simple yet heavy progressions.  the side-length title track opens up with a pensive set of keyboard stabs, slowly transforming into an ultra-badass hijacker jam with a minimal techno undercurrent.  on side b, "temple"s creeping midnight brawler fuses strings with crumbling synth patches to give rise to an ominous stalker death stare, while "unseen forces" continues where the first side left off, another heavy cut for the sketchers that haunt the chicago nights. [c20 tape :: pro-dubbed, imprinted, edition of 200]

telecult powers “stars are the eyes of god” c48 cassette

• hecate’s fountain: initiation to the temple of pei
  
  
• inner spaced
  
• no sleep til nibiru

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d010 :: telecult powers, stars are the eyes of god :: tape performing with custom-built synthesizers, occult synth duo telecult powers creates abstract electronic music to explore mysteries, mystic states and magickal systems. after forming out of early collaborations between members mister matthews and witchbeam, the duo moved from cleveland to brooklyn where they continued to develop their work over the past few years. currently based in both brooklyn and new orleans , telecult powers remains an active creative force in the underground community. telecult's recorded work can be found on their own label temple of pei, as well as deception island, baked tapes, pizza night, and a few others. telecult powers' newest release, stars are the eyes of god, enlists the help of two prolific collaborators: hecate’s fountain is telecult joined by lala ryan (of excepter) ; inner spaced is telecult and john elliott (of emeralds, outer space, and imaginary softwoods). on side a, hecate's fountain's "initiation to the temple of pei" spins spheres of spacious textures which serve as a bed for lala ryan's tripped-out acid-tinged dadaist vocals. reminiscent of cosmic joker's gilles zeitschiff, the trio concocts the perfect blend of alchemical theatrics and kosmiche music. on side b, inner spaced launches into "no sleep til nibiru," opening with a gushing wall of white noise that shape-shifts into an array of cyclical sounds. the three synth players craft a heavy dark-matter space, with slow, methodical pacing and intention. this tape traverses new landscapes of abstract synth and space music, as wholly engulfing side-length tracks provide an expanded telecult universe. [c48 tape :: pro-dubbed, imprinted, edition of 200]

j. hanson “new ruined maps” c30 cassette

• sawjig
  
• summer oscillating
  
• astoria
  
• patch of shade
  
  
• mountain by lake
  
• jets to now-here
  
• traffic in the mission
  
• 2:35 am

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d007 :: j. hanson, new ruined maps :: tape released november 2010 over the past few years, portland resident josh hanson has developed his own completely unique voice, crafting beautiful music with a blacet modular synthesizer and tape loops. josh hanson follows up last year’s gift tapes release with his latest album, new ruined maps (collected 2009- 2010), is a collection of compositional ideas wound together to form unfamiliar terrestrial landscapes that feel as futuristic as they do ancient. taking inspiration from '70s synth music and ethnic musics, new ruined maps travels through melodic passages, soft timbres and moments of complex rhythmic patterns like a lucid dream. captured in pristine fidelity and professionally mastered to tape by timothy stollenwerk at stereophonic sound. [c30 tape :: pro-dubbed, imprinted, edition of 150]

atlantic triangular trade “velvet satellite” c30 cassette

• ticket exchange
  
• sporting
  
• breakfast
  
• cape & horn
  
  
• red & white intervals
  
• velvet satellite

draft press release...

d006 :: atlantic triangular trade, velvet satellite :: tape released november 2010 tulsa-based digitalis head brad rose has been an insanely productive artist over the past few years, releasing tons of music on his label and still managing to create a constant stream of solo work as north sea, charlatan, and ajilvsga, on top of seemingly endless collaborations. now add to that list his new project: atlantic triangular trade. velvet satellite is a strictly digital venture. it's an immersion of computer electronics, midi sequencing and vst processing, melding both computer generated techno and distanced soundscapes into colorful lights and carnival melodies. in this odd universe, fragments of data intersect amidst an undercurrent of techno pulses and spinning beats. these wandering circular shapes create a definable dizziness within the auditory cortex. [c30 tape :: pro-dubbed, imprinted, edition of 100]

a. diller “still life” c60 cassette

• still life (1)
  
  
• still life (2)

draft press release...

d003 :: a. diller, still life :: tape released october 2010 still life is an outsider's sampling of half forgotten urban environments, cracked electronic soundscapes that form abandoned cities replete with radioactive fallout. brooklyn-based adam diller leans toward his more experimental side, creating his first cassette release from a variety of sound sources: field recordings, synth, electric piano & sampling keyboards. layered synth passages, textures, and melodies seamlessly mix, often making it difficult to distinguish the source. the result is a truly innovative soundscape work. diller's diverse background consists of free improvised music (bnsf on locust), ultra minimal acoustic improv (doublends vert on line/12k), deformed free jazz/hip hop fusion ($.99 dreams, self-released cds & lps), and audio production. [c60 tape :: pro-dubbed, labeled, edition of 100]