Back with the first Tape Transmission of 2016—and what a collection of music we have for you. Gracing our tape heads are selections of vaporwave techno, neck cracking hip hop instrumentals and technicolor BoC revivalism.
Immune :: Breathless (Dream Catalogue)
Hazy experimental vapor spliced with breaks, shoegaze, techno and ambience. Apparently made in various parks and cafes around London with nothing but a laptop, headphones and Reaktor 5, this mystery producer entwines street noise and car horns around shuffling beats and moody atmosphere. “Soundtrack to an episode of drug induced disassociation” comments a Bandcamp user. That may be a fair description but this is as engaging and uplifting as it is a backing track for nervy inner city life. Dream Catalogue is on the cusp of a big 2016—if you are not familiar with the label, this compilation is also a good starting point.
Boreal Network :: Itasca Road Trip (Illuminated Paths)
There’s a real oddball BoC vibe going on here with short vignettes of simple beats, melodies and vocal samples steeped in a technicolor fuzz. On paper you might expect a dull rehash of sounds gone by—it really shouldn’t work at all. It’s also kind of clumsy in parts with levels all over the place and samples rudely chopped in willy nilly but this only seems to add to its charm. Definitely one for fans of revivalist electronica—or even just BoC fans looking for something new. An excellent release which is about to emerge in a different version for vinyl soon on More Than Human.
LNS :: Malign Range (1080p)
Rough and ready electro hardware excursions—lots of lovely little melodies and darkly funked up basslines keep to the rule that ‘simple is better’. Not to do this Vancouver producer a disservice—she’s created a really nice mellow Radioactive Man kind of sound here. A worthwhile investigation, as always with 1080p.
Space People :: SHMM (Styles Upon Styles)
A blistering collection of party time bump and hustle hip hop wonk with stylish vocal samples rubbing up against precise drum programming. It’s a bit of a curve ball release from New York based Styles Upon Styles although nothing less than expected from a label with such an eclectic back catalog.
H. Takahashi :: Sea Meditation (Entertainment Systems)
Delightful explorations of glistening underwater synths—like a cross between Jurgen Muller’s Science of the Sea, a touch of ISAN and new age ’70s and ’80s analog arpeggiation. Achingly pretty sounds from a label with the description “Practical audio solutions for everyday living.”
