It’s been far too long since the last Tape Transmission but this means there are heaps of excellent releases to catch up on.
Boliden :: Meta (Chemical Tapes)
Really nice reduced loopy techno—kind of a lo-fi The Field spun through a kaleidoscopic lucid dream dappled with summer evening sun.
Donnacha Costello :: Love From Dust (Self Released)
Minimal ambient live performances featuring a simple kit list and aesthetic: A Buchla Music Easel and two effects pedals, no overdubs or loops. Yet, as Donnacha rightly states: “The equipment and the process are never the point but it’s always nice to know.” The result is a glorious, uplifting, epic mind expansion of a release and proof that you don’t need much to make excellent music. Well, a $4,000 synth is a fairly good starting point—thankfully in exactly the right hands here.
Randomform :: Furtherfield (Detroit Underground)
Peculiar yet ace Autechre style splintered glitch. All sorts of synapse tickling audio trickery accompanies obstinately obscure melodies beamed in from another world. Things couldn’t be more aptly described by the Bandcamp write up: ‘…like traveling at warp speed through a wormhole.’
Marconi Union :: Departures (Chemical Tapes)
Perfect spacey ambient explorations in an Eno / Budd / Fripp type vein. A stunningly beautiful release for you to get drifty and recumbent to. Read Igloo Magazine’s full review here.
Journeymann Trax :: Smoke Tape (1080p)
Fabulous retro hardware productions from Vancouver based Bobby Draino. Somehow harnessing that old-school Chicago analogue sound and spinning it through a modern day prism is no easy feat. Positive floaty nostalgic techno—like early Trax records in new hands. Marvelous stuff for heads new and old.
Tengui :: Transference (Broken20)
Deep production skills on display here from Max Bacarach. From bleak dissonance, flanged drones and gamelan to otherworldly techno, Transference is as unsettling as it is beguiling. For the tape version you’ll also get a 55-minute mix of the album, primed for an immersive journey. Keep your eyes peeled, this one surfaces from the murk end of July.
J Albert :: Dance Slow (Exotic Dance)
Proper busted tape hardware excursions into wonked house and techno. Saturated Roland percussion steeped in hiss, playful melodies, driving acidic machine funk, pitch bent spooked vocals and a sense of obscure idiosyncrasy—it’s all here in a release so compelling it will surely be on wax as soon as somebody finds the money and a plant with the time to press it.
