Various Artists - Warmth And Silence -1988- (Cassette, Epitapes), US/International

 

Here we have yet another compilation on Epitapes that was established by Mike Tetrault from Belchertown, Massachusetts. Throughout the 80's dozens of these compilations were created. Each compilation was based around a certain theme and assembled accordingly by Mike Tetrault. Some of the tracks were taken from existing releases while others were sent specially for these tapes. You can read an interesting interview about these cassette series with Mike Tetrault over here.

The title of this cassette "Warmth And Silence" already reveals the type of music that was selected for this compilation: subtle ambient experimental sounds for more than one hour and a half created by a large range of home-taping projects from around the globe. Present on here are quite a few more known cassette culture protagonists like Illusion Of Safety (Dan Burke, US), Hessel Veldman (Holland), DZ Lectric (France),  Hands To (Jeph Jarman, US) and Los Paranos (Christophe Petchanatz, France). 

A curiosity on this compilation is that Mike Tetrault also features a piece by himself in which delicate rhythms create a base for a whispered reading of André Breton's surrealist poem "Freedom Of Love".

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Kindly donated by the Y Create Archive

Various Artists - All Bare Or Dead Forms Under Sunlight Cast Mysterious Shadows On The Snow -198X- (Cassette, Epitapes), US/International

 

Here's another nicely assembled international compilation cassette on American Epitapes that was established by Mike Tetrault from Belchertown, Massachusetts. Throughout the 80's dozens of these compilations were created. Each compilation was given a poetic title, sometimes even in the form of an entire sentence. Some tracks were taken from existing releases while others were sent specially for these tapes. You can read an interesting interview about these cassette series with Mike Tetrault over here. 

All Bare Or Dead Forms Under Sunlight Cast Mysterious Shadows On The Snow is a compilation that covers the theme of “surrealism”. Artists were free to interpret that as they pleased which resulted in a diverse range of sounds. The tape starts with a nice song by the new wave and dreampop group Area that consisted of Henry Frayne, Lynn Canfield and Steve Jones. Continuing the A-side there are a.o. tape-loops by Croiners aka James Levine, electronic home-taping sounds by No Unauthorized and minimal music by The Dead Goldfish Ensemble.

The B-Side starts with Dutch home-taper Odal and furthermore displays a broad variety of music with the avant-garde violin sounds of Adam Bohman, strange soundscapes by Nigel Jacklin (the guy who convinced his music teacher to book Throbbing Gristle in his school Auditorium in 1980 and created the Alien Brains project as well as Verdenskang), surreal sounds by Berlin manipulators Das Synthetische Mischgewebe, improvisation by Italian clarinetist Fabio Martini (part of The Zint Group and collaborator of the great RIO and impro band La 1919), some organ music by Los Paranos and many tracks in-between.

All in all quite a nice compilation with some known and lesser known protagonists of the international cassette culture network of the 80's and a classic of the Epitapes series.

Kindly donated by the Y Create Archive

Get it HERE

Various Artists - A Clicking Sound -198X- (Cassette, Epitapes), US/International

 

The Epitapes were a series of international home-taping compilations created by Mike Tetrault from Belchertown, Massachusetts. Each compilation was given a poetic title, sometimes even in the form of an entire sentence. Some tracks were taken from existing releases while others were sent specially for these tapes.

A Clicking Sound begins with a track by the Dutch improvisation band Gorgonzola Legs which is introduced by Dutch Home-Taper and sound composer Hessel Veldman (aka Y Create). Gorgonzola Legs was a group that consisted of Hessel Veldman, Gert-Jan Prins, Herman te Loo and Jos van Duijne with occassional other musicians like Masaki Oishi. The band played hours and hours of material that was mainly recorded (or not recorded) at an industrial fish warehouse in the Dutch seatown of IJmuiden. Aside from that a lot of concerts took place at various locations throughout the 80's. From appearances at street festivals to concerts at contemporary art museums. By the start of the 90's the project was laid to rest and the members went on in their individual music directions.

Gorgonzola Legs

The compilation continues with the noise-rock band Blowhole that was founded in 1987 in Colorado Springs by percussionist Jeph Jerman and the Barber brothers, with Scott Hiller, Fil Rodriguez and Dr. Soule. Then a couple of anti-musical funny-not-so-funny tracks follow by Norwegian home-tapers Åreknuteknyterne. Later on there are some live registrations in America and Italy by free-impro saxophonist Jack Wright from Pittsburgh. The tape finishes with some great electronic pieces by Regicide Bureau, a home-taping project by Thomas Sutter from Overland, Saint Louis, Missouri. 

Ofcourse there are some other improvised and noisy pieces by other bands and people in-between, but I know nothing about them. All in all a nice selection of totally different tracks. More Epitapes compilations will slowly come to the blog but I have to figure out what is already available and what isn't and see which tapes I should prioritize. Or maybe you people out there have some requests?

Kindly donated by the Y Create Archive

Get it HERE