five Bubble criteria – VI (2 Sept 22)

Categories: Releases

five Bubble criteria (fBc) is a bleed Air side project. A mix of experimental rock, spoken word, sparse electronics, tape effects. Lo-Fi. 

“Five Bubble criteria deal in a kind of dissolving fantasy Americana built on twanging guitar lines that melt into broken AM radio white noise chatter. On “Reservoir”, the addition of a spoken narrative by Chip Perkins moves the sound away from abstract, doomy ambience towards denatured horror commentary, like a video game that has swapped the living dead for the citizens of Twin Peaks. As the record closes, its style changes again, “Vays-Rays” concocting a wobbly jangle that sounds a bit like if Nouvelle Vague had covered the Smashing Pumpkins. If it’s completely odd, it’s also completely brilliant.” 

(Spenser Tomson in The Wire, November 2022) 

“The bleed Air side project takes on a Labradfordian-mindset of tape splicing and spoken word cacophonies; transient noise bursts & out of body hilarity ensues.” 

(Tabs Out cassette podcast, Jan 2023) 

Carnedd Aur – Beetles

Categories: Releases

Following the long sold-out ‘Blessing of the Hand​-​Sanitizer’ cassingle, superpolar Taïps is very happy to present the first full-length release by prolific and versatile artist Simon Proffitt, here under his Carnedd Aur moniker. 

Here’s Simon’s take on ‘Beetles’: 

“After a few years of exploring drones / tones / field recordings (as Cahn Ingold Prelog), fictional ritual trance (as The Master Musicians of Dyffryn Moor) and the outer limits of acoustic instrumentation (as Simon Proffitt), the Carnedd Aur project came about as an answer to the question of whether I was capable of writing electronic pop music. 

It turns out that I am not – at least, not yet – but what arose instead was actually far more satisfying. Armed with just a MicroKORG, bought years earlier for a one-off gig in a swimming pool and then not used since, I set about trying to make shorter pieces with a focus on rhythm and melody of the kind that my parents (harsh critics of my other work) might not actually like, but might at least understand as music. 

Carnedd Aur translates into English as Gold Cairn, a sort of Welsh-language take on Cahn Ingold Prelog. 

I’ve long been fascinated by evocative common names for species (mushrooms, moths etc), and especially so in the case of beetles – these names add a layer of mystery and magic to creatures that are well known from a distance but fascinating and alien when viewed close up. It seems to me that there’s a definite link between shuffling drum machine rhythms and busily meandering insects, between shimmering synth pads and shiny, multi-coloured wing-cases.” 

Read more about Beetles here.

CARNEDD AUR DISCOGRAPHY 

Moths (Wormhole World, 2020) 
Hel Bwyd Cennad y Meirw (Exotic Spresm, 2020) 
Music for the Welsh European Funding Office (Exotic Spresm, 2019)  

credits

releases August 6, 2021 

Written, performed and recorded by Simon Proffitt at the Museum of Dust, January-March 2020 with a MicroKORG and Toshiba Satellite L300.

Cassingle #6: moduS ponY [SPT08]

Categories: Releases

I first came across modus pony’s music on a split tape released by Cologne’s Strategic Tape Reserve. His genre-spanning, intricate guitar/bass/synth arrangements immediately stood out (of course next to the artist behind VLK, whom we’ll welcome soon as part of this cassingle series too). Because of its complexity, “Systemmetry/2Systemmetry” could be perceived as a concept album condensed to two times 2.5 minutes. However, this time, the multi-instrumentalist reveals even more of his experimental side – bubbling analogue synths compete with free jazz guitar scales and it’s not clear who’s gonna win this gentle battle. Btw: Does your tape have auto-reverse? This is the opportunity to use it. moduS ponY resides in California, USA. – bleed Air

The Cassingle Series

Categories: Releases

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.

bleed Air (SPT02)

Categories: Releases

bleed Air’s debut full-length is a mix tape blending dark ambient, playful electronica as well as experimental beat and drone.

A journey into warm, analogue noise, echo and soundscapes, sometimes resembling a soundtrack for a yet to be filmed low budget sci-fi movie. When Robot choirs start singing or broken analogue circuits and filters start doing what they want, it can get wacky, but we think it always remains pleasant to listen. Mostly analogue electronic gear, often of the cheaper and not exactly hip kind, and tape effects were used.

It is recommended to listen to each side of the album in one piece.

bleed Air lives in Cologne, runs this label, loves his Omnichord OM-27 and his tape echo too.

Ball Geographie – Live at Budokan (SPT01)

Categories: Releases

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