Out Now – NO, digital release by Rinus van Alebeek

one fourtrack, various walkman, a box full of old tapes.

Third part in the tetralogy that started with Noia

 

The first copies of the new C40-release: June Crawford – What that says about me

Sent out for Review, The Last Day on Earth and Unit Audio

Sent out today to reviewers these two packages. The (Polish) post office across the road still uses stamps, which makes for a beautiful finishing touch. Today’s choice was two big stamps showing a (Polish?) pope blessing the masses and a smaller stamp with a picture of orange flowers.

Any advice on who/where to send copies for review is most welcome.

Also, If you order your tape directly from me, you can expect this kind of packaging.

Of course the tapes are also available directly from Kris Limbach, Ben Roberts aka Eclectiktronik Live and from Guillaume Siffert at the Staalplaat shop in Berlin. Midøri Hiranø‘s personal copies have sold out.

address side of packet for The Sound Projector

Address side of Packet for Cassette Gods

Back side of packet for the Sound Projector

Back side of packet for Cassette Gods

Jeff Surak – All Gold

FdW writes about this release

“He’s been around for… I don’t know… more than thirty years and somehow never got the recognition he deserves: Jeff Surak. In the 80s a cornerstone in the world of cassettes, with his Watergate Tapes (he is from Washington, DC) and later on, still at it with a label, Zeromoon and his solo music as 1348 and the group New Carrollton, later on with Sovmestnoye Predpriyatiye when he lived in Russia, and, again later, as V. These days he also curates the excellent Sonic Circuits festival.”

“If I recall this well, it was at Zeromoon I first heard of Rinus van Alebeek, who is these days responsible for Staaltape, the original label name for what many people now know as Staalplaat. These days the tapes are very limited, and have a package in which a lot of labour goes before it is finished. Of this particular tape there were ten made, and new ones will only made once these are gone.”

“It’s not easy to say what Surak does here: it seems that he moves, partially at least, away from the world of drones, sound effects and computer treatments and works around with field recordings more than before, although in one case leaving them untreated/as is. There is also a bit more loops/rhythm in his current work (there was a lot of repetition in 1348). In the various pieces on this tape, Surak explores the minimalism of sounds and puts them together in some highly varied pieces.”

“The somewhat grainy lo-fi textures of his sounds seem present in almost all of these pieces, which is what ties these pieces together. I am not sure how he achieves this quality but it sounds great. Sometimes it reminded me of the very early Cabaret Voltaire, both in ambience and in execution of the music. Experimental, electronic, even a bit krautrock like, but all firmly on the lo-fi side. A great release! Certainly that deserves to be out there more than a handful beautiful copies; it would be even great if there was a possibility to download this!”

There won’t be a possibility to download this, except for these excerpts.

This is the package for the tape that got sold.

*****

contact me at staaltape at staalplaat.com