Electronic Sound Session

Electronic Sound Session
2018-2022
Zesde Kolonne Records/Pravdada/sloow Tapes Co-release

Selection of live improv sessions from 2018 to 2022 on various synths and other strange electronic devices by Jan d'Hooghe, Luk Sponselee, Bart De Paepe, Edwin van Eck, Jean-Pierre vann Rumste, Youri van Uffelen, Lars Senders and Paul Cornelis. Recorded in exotic under the radar places like Hulst, Terneuzen and Kattendijke. Belgium/Holland collaboration.

sloowtapes · Electronic Sound Session

Tractor

Tractor
S/T
Sloow Tapes - CS 60

Archival release from those hazy early 90s Sint-Niklaas adrenaline soaked days by Tractor, a band that rose out of the ashes of Philadelphia '69 (drummer Jan D'Hooghe and guitarist Jimmy Van Landeghem) and Doodt Illegaal (bassplayer Djackies) with Jan writing most of the songs on a one string acoustic guitar. Garagerock and punk molested by the likes of Slayer, Ministry, Butthole Surfers and especially the drummer Danny Arnold Lommen (Gore, Caspar Brotzmann Massaker). This cassette collects what's left from their short existence (1989-1992): two live shows (JH Clichee and Café Commerce) plus a demo. Edition of 50 copies.

sloowtapes · Tractor

Gary Cummiskey

Gary Cummiskey
I telephoned God
Sloow Tapes - CS 40

Gary Cummiskey is a poet, short story writer and publisher living in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is the author of several poetry chapbooks and collections, the latest being Animal eyeball (with Paul Warren) (Dye Hard Press) and Somewhere else (Graffiti, Kolkata). In 2009 he published Who was Sinclair Beiles?, a compilation of writings about the South African Beat poet, co-edited with Eva Kowalska. A revised and expanded edition was published in 2014. His short fiction collection Off-ramp was a finalist for the 2014 Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award. From 2014 to 2016 he was editor of New Coin, one of South Africa’s oldest and most prestigious poetry journals. Collage by Bruno Sourdin. Edition of 50 copies.

sloowtapes · Gary Cummiskey

Algis Fediajevas

Algis Fediajevas
Po trejų metų
Sloow Tapes - CS 40

An oaken prism clothed in precious gems of labyrinthine fingerpicking totems inscribed with carvings of ancestral druids (John Fahey, Robbie Basho...). Let the ripe fruits of the quivering arrow melt from the Lithuanian bow . Edition of 70.

Algis Fediajevas ‘Po trejṷ metṷ’. Lithuanian native Algis from Vilnius is a new name to me and this is his fourth release, on it he sings and plays guitar, lap steel, harmonica, recorder and percussion and is joined by Emma Reed flute and Mark Elliott Akai sampler. It is in the tradition of American Primitive guitarists like Robbie Basho and John Fahey, the songs are sung in Lithuanian, opener Bgantys Ir Sustingę is fairly labyrinthine, with plenty of attack and decay. It’s an immersive listen, with the guitar being the star of the show, songs underpinned by gentle percussion and ringing creaking acoustic guitar. It’s also firmly in the acid folk genre with songs such as ‘Šešė liai’ and ‘kai pašukei’ inspired largely by nature of natural surroundings, he’s well worth checking out. (Terrascope)

sloowtapes · Algis Fediajevas - Po trejų metų

Mascara Snake

Mascara Snake
Mountain Diary
Sloow Tapes - CS 25

Not to be confused with the sometimes Captain Beefheart clarinetist of the same name, this particular Mascara Snake makes instrumental and atmospheric sound collages, influenced especially by Moondog, Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Luc Ferrari. As the snake sheds its skin Pacôme Genty reveals himself, who you might remember from the just as enigmatic La Non-pareille lp he released last year with his duo Des édens (together with Antoine Cortes). Edition of 60 copies.

sloowtapes · Mascara Snake

Alek Novak

Alek Novak
Pod Vodom
Sloow Tapes - CS 54

Serbian dystopian bedroom psychedelia from the one man band Alek Novak that fits these gnarly times very well. Poetic lyrics (so i've been told, I don't speak Serbian) over a psychedelic rock/noise sauce makes perfect listening while walking through shady corners of Belgrade, tasting the last drops of your bottle rakia. 70 copies.

sloowtapes · Alek Novak

Mike Hovancsek

Mike Hovancsek
Texture Studies
Sloow Tapes - CS 90

Late night atmospheric soundtracks for two short movies. 'Aea' is an acoustic improvisation with tons of illustrious instruments and contributions on shamisen and shakuhachi by Lydia Schneider and slide guitar by Mohonbeena Soumalaya Mukherjee. 'Antroposcene' is a meditation of floating electronics on our disastrous pollution of the world. Mike Hovancsek is a former member of Pointless Orchestra and collaborated with Egyptian composer Halim El-Dabh (who composed some of the earliest tape music in 1944). 70 copies.

He has releases on Pointless Music (and he was a member of the Pointless Orchestra) as early as 1991, and Infinite Number Of Sounds Recording Company, and yet this is his seventh release only. The four lengthy pieces receive some liner notes in which he mentions that he plays all the instruments but doesn't specify these. There are some guest players, such as Lydia Schneider on the shakuhachi and shamisen and Mohonbeena Soumalaya Mukherjee on slide guitar. The first side is all acoustic, and the second is electronic. What ties these sides together is Hovancsek's rather free approach to sound. On the electronic side, with two versions of a piece called 'Anthroposcene', the music is all about modular synthesizers, resembling all things living on this planet but under attack by humans. The sound changes constantly and sounds like a swarm of bees (or ants, but is that a swarm?) and a great piece. The two pieces, on the other side, are quite different. While also constructed freely, from many recordings stuck together, especially in the title piece, the music has a relatively reflective mood and the most in 'Aea - Espiral'. There is a raga-like drone machine, and on top, we hear what seems to be the processed sounds of the wind instruments. With the slide guitar, this free-style, hippie-like element gets more confirmation in the title piece. Maybe a bit too much on the incense side for my taste, but there is a fine touch of experimentalism to each piece, which saved it in the end. (Vital Weekly)

Based on the bits I’d heard from American artist Hovancsek, I was expecting something of a similar tenor. But this release is split into acoustic and electronic sides, the former featuring wood flutes, dreamy percussion and Indian slide guitar, giving it a bit of an acid folk heft in the vein of Daniel De Vore. The electronic suite is pretty spacy, with lots of oscillator-like bloops and the sort of Bading-esque squiggles you might hear in the background of a classic Star Trek episode. Which is, of course, cool by me. (Byron Coley, The Wire)

sloowtapes · Mike Hovancsek

Seirios Savvaidis

Seirios Savvaidis
Mesourania/Wendy's Wedding
Sloow Tapes CS 40

Compiling two EP's (Mesourania (2019) and Wendy's Wedding (2016) by Seirios Savvaidis (who also plays in The Dead Ends), one of Greece's best kept secrets. Some mind expanding songs that reflect deep knowledge of traditional Greek music by way of sixties and seventies pychedelia and cosmic folk troubadours. Savvaidis's relaxed Greek vocals make you float all the way up Mount Paggaio. Edition of 70 copies.


Seirios Savvaidis is a Greek musician whose work borrows liberally from psych rock of the 60s and 70s, complemented by the more cosmically written folk artists of the time. Compiling 2019's in 2016's Γάμος της Γουέντυ, Sloow Tapes gives a radiant look to his music with this double EP cassette. There are overt nods to traditional Greek music here. Gently surging acoustic ruminate comfortably alongside more muscular bits of personal introspection. Through the complex mechanism of these two EPs, we hear how multiple genres occupy the same space within songs. He even brings in some Laurel Canyon vibes to soften the transitions from sound to sound - he contains these living, breathing worlds, which seem to always exist. It's a definitive ride as we are carried on the backs of his inspirations and watch him interpolate their various lineages. (Beats Per Minute)

sloowtapes · Seirios Savvaidis

Wendingen 1918

Wendingen 1918
Recherche Dans Le Rêve
Sloowax 008

After a couple of limited art releases on Des Astres D’Or (now Astres d’Or) this is the first more widely available release of Wendingen 1918. Aural analogue surreal investigations by the trio of Raymond Dijkstra (Asra, bhaavitaaH bhuutasthaH, Santasede), Bart De Paepe (Ilta Hämärä, Innercity, Bombay Lunatic Asylum) and Frédérique Bruyas (Emmanuel Dilhac, La Poupée Vivante, Nivritti Marga). A hybrid mix of dynamic electronics, spatial sounds and poetry expressing a dazzling physical whole. Wendingen 1918 is dedicated to the early 20th century Dutch architectural magazine Wendingen that was associated with expressionistic architecture: it attempted to distort reality to express subjective, emotional experience. Edition of 300.

Best of 2021 (Soundohm)

This LP is the third LP by Wendingen 1918. Band member Raymond Dijkstra released the two previous LPs were released on his Des Astres d'Or. As with many of the releases on that particular enterprise, these are highly limited (25-40 copies) and usually don't make it to these pages. Of this new LP, 300 were made, so my first introduction to their music; may also be the case for more people. The other two members are Bart de Paepe and Frederique Bruyas. The latter is a regular collaborator of Dijkstra, and I must admit I don't know too much about De Paepe, other than he worked with Timo van Luijk as Ilta Hämärä (see Vital Weekly 1137). Wendingen 1918 refers to a Dutch magazine for architects and designers, and the first issue is from 1918. [wiki:] "Wendingen initially was an important platform for Dutch expressionism, also known as the Amsterdam School, and later endorsed the New Objectivity." As with much of the music I heard from Dijkstra (solo and others), this is another improvisation work. The four pieces are quite different. 'Je M'abandonne à la Fièvre Des Rêves' opens up here and a play of strings and percussion, rambling and rattling, and it comes with a bunch of delay and reverb, so it has a bit of a distant sound. 'Recherche Dans Le Rêve' (at seventeen minutes the most extended piece; this side of the record is over twenty-four minutes) reminded me of Nurse With Wound, with similar studio improvisations. Lots of drums rolling about, lots of cymbals, Bruyas' voice and the studio used as an additional instrument. It cuts random bits of sound in and out of the mix. The shortest piece is 'My Days Have Been a Dream' is also the quietest piece here, with slow violin moves, doubling and drifting away. This piece could have been a solo piece. Following the quietest is the loudest piece, 'Façons D'éveillé', which is a Korg Monotron synthesizer manifestation. The first few minutes are subtle, with some piano notes, but it's there alright when it starts. The piano and, later, string instruments stay there as well, but the biting sine waves of the synthesizer leave a strong imprint. Do not expect the sort of noise that Jliat would review, but it is louder than the three previous pieces. I must say it is also not the sort of improvisation that I thought was that great. Everything that happened in the background sounded of more interest to me but was too distant to reach. Despite that, I thought this was a very good record, full of exciting improvisations. (Vital Weekly)

sloowtapes · Wendingen 1918

Keiko Higuchi x Manuel Knapp

Keiko Higuchi x Manuel Knapp
Summoning Ancient Spirits
Sloow Tapes – CS 72

Sprawling sublime archaic noise electronics from visual artist Manuel Knapp (C.C.C.C, Tim Blechmann, Government Alpha) and vocal acrobatics by Keiko Highuchi (Albedo Fantastica (with Sachiko)and lots of others). Floating somewhere beyond harsh and hazy psychedelic dreams into the blackness of a Japanese night. Edition of 70 copies.

sloowtapes · Keiko Higuchi x Manuel Knapp

Vibration of Words

Vibration of Words
Jazz Poetry from Hungary
Sloow Tapes – CS 50

Classic recording of Hungarian-American poet/translator Gabor G. Gyukics together with Hungarian improvisers Béla Ágoston, Viktor Bori and Csaba Pengő, exhaling words and sounds in surreal late night jazz clouds of instant composition. Gabor G. Gyukics is a minimalist nature poet with a philosophical beat outlook. He translated Attila József, Endre Kukorelly and Attila Balogh in English, and Ira Cohen in Hungarian. Edition of 70.

sloowtapes · Vibration of Words