Cruel Diagonals – Carapace [Cassingle #14]
“‘Carapace’ and ‘Oneiric Amplitude’ (Side B, bonus track) are tracks composed entirely from my voice. Here, I’m exploring themes of the subconscious, namely the dream state and its ability to communicate vital shifts within our healing before our conscious mind becomes aware of them”, says Megan Mitchell.
She composes unsettling, ethereal music under the alias Cruel Diagonals. A jazz and classically trained vocalist, Mitchell performs and creates in numerous capacities.
Cruel Diagonals is an outlet for destructive sample processing, vocal exploration, and a palette for inter-media contemplations and applications. Influenced by early experimental filmmakers such as Maya Deren and Kenneth Anger, Cruel Diagonals has been described in cinematic terms, evoking moods and montages of an eerie, surrealist timbre. Warped field recordings and layered vocals incite a beckoning to a phantasmagorical, metallic-tinged state of existence.
Visit www.crueldiagonals.com for more.
Cassingle #2 – The Master Musicians of Dyffryn Moor [SPT04]
25 Artists. 25 C-5 (that’s 2:30 per side) cassettes with two tracks (exclusive B-side). Strictly limited to 10 hand-dubbed copies each. Custom design.
superpolar Taïps proudly presents the second release of its Cassette Single series.
The Master Musicians of Dyffryn Moor are a ragtag band of percussionists from a parallel Wales where rituals and folklore dominate contemporary life.
The “Blessing of the Hand-Sanitizer” ritual gives thanks for the anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties of this in-demand substance, and aims to ensure its plentiful supply. The ceremony documented here took place in Llangollen, and was led by local elder Carnedd Aur.
The “Blessing of the Spam Filters” ritual gives thanks for protection against unwanted pharmaceutical offers and banking scams. Timing of the ritual is crucial, and 2:30 is generally believed to be the optimal length. Less than this, and the filters are feared to become ineffective. Longer rituals, on the other hand, are thought to lead to an increasing number of false positives.
The Cassingle Series
Updated 11 September 2023
35 Artists. 35 cassette singles. Exclusive B-sides. Individual artwork. A limited number of hand-dubbed copies per tape and artist. Eventually, all tracks will be released on a compilation (digital/cassette), planned for sometime in 2024. That’s the SPT Cassingle series in a nutshell.
The first two batches of three were released on Friday 6 November and 4 December 2020. First artists were Tiger Village (SPT03), The Master Musicians of Dyffryn Moor aka Carnedd Aur and LLWCH (SPT04), Harald Sack Ziegler (SPT05), qualchan., German Army and Modus Pony. T
Contributing artists: Orca, Attack! (Elizabeth Joan Kelly & David Rodriguez), Cruel Diagonals, moduS ponY, Nicholas Langley, Emerging Industries of Wuppertal, Phirnis, Whettman Chelmets, Aros E-V, Carlos Perea Milla aka Melquiades, qualchan., German Army, Stichflamme Dormagen, bleed Air, Ball Geographie, Leaaves, Francesco Ameglio/I Was Listening To Tapes In Tokyo, Tiger Village, The Master Musicians of Dyffryn Moor, Harald Sack Ziegler, Daniel Saylor, Adderall Canyonly, Jamie Orlando/Zigra, The Tuesday Night Machines, Robin Barnick, Therapeutische Hoergruppe, QST, Von Heuser, Chorchill, Cinchel, Hualun, Ffion, Letters from Mouse, Goodparley, YOCKO O.NE feat. prinz-ip aka A Gogol, Xqui.
Further details on individual releases and artists on Bandcamp or here.
Ball Geographie – Live at Budokan (SPT01)
Many references and elements come to mind when trying to describe Ball Geographie’s music: From Chamber Pop to Disco. From Lo-fi to High-End. Found sound referencing the likes of Studio Braun. Fully conscious use of presets, but only when they make full sense. Beats. No improvisation, everything is always structured to the maximum. 80ies vibes, folky guitars, timelessness …. It is electronic, and acoustic.
Ball Geographie lives, works and produces his music in Cologne, Germany. He loves his Boss DR-550 and its HiQ sound. Kalimbas, musical toys and Dictaphones too.
-> Read more on the artists page