variety of choices, the best place to turn may be towards the most
ignored medium---cassette tape. Not just demos from groups trying to get
a record contract, but everything from college kids making
caffeine-induced beatnik muzak for their own and their friends'
consumption to cassette-only labels. Though the recording industry
tried to make blank tape out to be an evil demon in the '80s via slogans
like "home taping is killing the music industry," the '90s has seen a
resurgence of the cassette as a low-cost way for anybody to be able to
release their own material; it's the zine method for independent music
in more ways than one. The musical directions cassette artists are
taking are often more experimental than many CD releases.
From the jungles of Pittsburgh comes the cassette-only label That Cow,
Inc., which offers various bizarre musics on 45-minute chrome tapes for
a neat $5 each. That Cow's most recent catalog sheet features 15
releases from four artists: Trailer Court Flambe, X Transpose X, Herr
Brine and Coptik Dot. Black Graft is the fifth and newest release from
Trailer Court Flambe, and features a wide array of samples and
soundbites, tape manipulation and "traditional" instruments often piled
atop one another in a seemingly haphazard yet somehow organized manner.
This tape comes in a 45-sized sleeve, an interesting touch atypical even
in the world of intricate handmade packaging.
Then Tingari is a five-member troupe that combines elaborate props,
costumes and choreography, with rhythmically dense tribal sounds and
experimental noise to create a unique approach to music and its
performance. Their self-titled tape, which may not be for sale, is
probably obtainable by writing to the band and requesting info. Though
this cassette is a noble representation of the band, a CD will
apparently be available towards the end of the year and may be
self-released as well.
Often the bane of the existence of many a rock crit and music editor is
the demo; the ratio of total shit to quality is usually around 15:1.
However, there were a few that made it well-worth the seemingly
Herculean labor of listening to 30 or 40 prime examples of garbage over
two long nights to get four good ones for this column. Zonic Shockum's
demo best fits into the traditional category of promotion to potential
record companies. The group has released a number of singles on its own
label (Beef Eater) and the two main people in the band also publish a
zine (Stain), but the tracks here are intended for the ears of other
people interested in bringing Zonic Shockum's music to the rest of the
world. Though a limited number of these cassettes exist, copies might be
obtainable for postage costs. In contrast to the label approach of That
Cow and the demo route of Zonic Shockum is Baba Ghanaouj, whose tape,
Paradise Couch, is intended for free public dissemination. This is
basically a bunch of college kids (possibly on mild psychedelics) making
free-form music for whoever will listen. The liner notes proudly state:
"There are a limited number of copies of this cassette available, so
please feel free to dub it, give it to friends, appropriate sounds from
it, broadcast it, whatever." This method of promotion by encouraging
copying is probably the best way for the burgeoning cassette underground
to grow and thrive, but with only one cassette deck here at carbon 14,
inquiries should be directed to:
Metronome Records, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105-6999 USA
That Cow, Inc., 37 Welsford Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4307 USA
Then Tingari, PO. Box 43952 Tucson, AZ 85733 USA
Zonic Shockum, 307 Wharton St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 USA