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Evocative Objects: Bratislava’s new tape label

Bratislava’s music scene is vital. There are several noteworthy producers, projects, clubs and lately also labels.

Published April, 2017

Czaszka Rec: ‘raw ideas since MMXVI’

Czaszka is a relatively new addition to the sprawling tape scene. Established by Polish expats Michal Fundowicz and Karolina Pietrzyk and Oliver Spieker living in Edinburgh and Berlin respectively, Czaska is hard to categorise in terms of sonics - and better so.

Published September, 2016

Új Bála – Boka (Baba Vanga, 2015)

Új Bála is a solo project by Gábor Kovács, a Hungarian musician and visual artist. Active in numerous music projects, Új Bála sees him embrace the (basement) dancefloor.

Published April, 2016

I LOVE 69 POPGEJU / Piča z hoven – LIDUMIL HERETIK

The idea to release a split came from ◊►≈ sometimes in the sumer of last year. It was a good challenge for us because we had just bought a synth few months prior to that and started to work on new material.

Published March, 2015

Ratkiller – Comfortably Declined (Baba Vanga, 2015)

A shimmering coating envelopes the buoyant beats, that retain an inherent nostalgia, not in a sentimental sense, but in a sense of extatic retro bonvivant atmosphere. No wonder one of his unwitting influences was Hieroglyphic Being, notable for his idiosyncratic approach to dance music.

Published January, 2015

Kokum/SZO – Splt (Farbwechsel, 2014)

Farbwechsel’s recent releases are becoming more different, offering a broader range of musical genres. This change is welcome since their lo-fi and dreamy house-driven sound slowly started to become a bit worn-out.

Published December, 2014

Souvenir de Tanger – Souvenir II

As Muslimgauze’s magnum opus gets re-released and re-listened by a new generation of listeners, and his numerous epigons emerge and disappear, the merging of Oriental tropes in Western electronic music doesn’t seem to cease to interest up-and-coming producers in occidental bedrooms. Many question the earnestness of the ventures of the likes of Vatican Shadow, but this discussion, we rather skip here.

Published July, 2014

Budapest on tape

“Every mix tape tells a story. Put them together and they add up to a story of a life.

Published May, 2014

The Pink Cowboys of Forum Absurdum

One can always find something charming in a primitive and almost vulgar expression of music. This split tape serves as a shining example.

Published April, 2014

Sister Body – Lucifer Efekt (Tesla Tapes, 2014)

Although the activities of the Prague based Klangundkrach collective seem to have been put on a halt as of late, the legacy of this post-noise label/collective, which was quite an extraordinary achievement in Central Europe (check out our podcast about this scene here), remains. From the fertile sonic soil of this relatively small group the increasingly successful Lightning Glove, now signed to Tesla Tapes, has emerged.

Published March, 2014

RSS Boys – N00W and their tribal shamanism

Very tribal. Those two words resonated through my head as I put on the latest RSS B0YS release and rhythms started to emanate in my room.

Published February, 2014

Alpár / S Olbricht + Carla Under Water (SicSic, 2014)

The Budapest scene of the last few years has garnered attention, because of its cross-pollinatory nature, specific sound revolving around the Farbwechsel label. Lo-fi house, analogue electronics, vintage techno have become staples of sonic map of the Hungarian capital.

Published February, 2014

Reclaiming rave: Lightning Glove – Fantasmagorie interiéru

Lightning Glove is a Czech project that emerged from the murky circles of the Prague noise/psychedelic collective Klangundkrach. A trio, accompanied by a visualist, Lightning Glove strive to resurrect rave from its sad sold-out existence, as they told us in an interview: The music has inherent allusions to the likes of Excepter or Suicide, with a dash of Coil or Throbbing Gristle for a good measure, a psychedelic lo-fi guttural onslaught that you can listen to and groove to, as well, aiming for the treshold between psychedelics and post-dance, with yearning vocals, delayed samples, tweaking the hidden ghost out of their drum machine, to create an aural shamanistic excercise.

Published March, 2013

Sangoplasmo summer sounds

Following their lofi electronics spring installment, featuring the likes of Ensemble Economique or Decimus, this time the Polish label returns with a summer selection that features artists from their home turf, as well as the cultish K Salvatore aka Jason Meagher and Pat Murano. Sound-wise it follows in a more experimental, avantgardish vein.

Published June, 2012

Sangoplasmo is back with 4 new tapes (incl. Felicia Atkinson, Burial Hex and thousands of frogs)

The great Polish label Sangoplasmo is one the most interesting imprints to emerge from this region over the past few years, having released the likes of Aranos but also several oddly beautiful albums by the likes of Lutto Lento or Katapulto. It’s 2012 release schedule starts off with a bang - with no less than 4 tapes.

Published February, 2012