Cassettes
- Thread starter tbtommyb
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Fozzie Bear
Well-Known Member
blossie33
trailer trash
Arabic music still works best on tape, I find. I've got hundreds of them. Mostly Yemeni, but also Iraqi, Egyptian, Syrian and a few from Somalia. For some reason this music sounds great on a worn-out cassette, maybe the wobble adds to the feel of the music? Will post a picture of my collection at some point.
Cassettes are still the main medium for music in Yemen. The tape shops are always an experience, to say the least. Most traders have modified their tape machines with an ultra-ultra fast fast-forward and backward function. That way, when you ask what a certain tape is like he can quickly show you the highlights by whizzing through it and randomly stopping and playing. I reckon some of the shops there can rewind a tape in under 15 secs.
You've reminded me of all the Arabic music tapes I bought on trips to Egypt in the early 90's, still have them packed away in a box!
In fact I still have all my cassettes but I've not really looked at them for some years.
When I was first in London in the late 90's I used to buy mix tapes in Camden, think I have a lot of Roots and Dub stuff as I was quite into that at the time.
seventh bullet
sovietwave
I see what you mean, yes.
Delroy would've been here before me, if he still posted here.
ska invita
back on the other side
I just had a memory of buying a Jah Shaka Live tape in around 92 from HMV Oxford Street and taking it home and feeling utterly ripped off because of the fucked up sound quality - i wasnt made of money and what kind of a joke was this recording! To be honest im still not that over it 
it was about a tenner IIRC!
that whole soundtapes sound takes some getting used to
ETA: Just found a bunch of those Shaka tape rips here
http://shaka.reggaeclub.org/tapes.html
ETA: Bah, no audio rips
just the covers
it was about a tenner IIRC!that whole soundtapes sound takes some getting used to
ETA: Just found a bunch of those Shaka tape rips here
http://shaka.reggaeclub.org/tapes.html
ETA: Bah, no audio rips
just the covers
Last edited:
klang
klang
would love to hear that.I just had a memory of buying a Jah Shaka Live tape in around 92 from HMV Oxford Street and taking it home and feeling utterly ripped off because of the fucked up sound quality - i wasnt made of money and what kind of a joke was this recording! To be honest im still not that over it
that whole soundtapes sound takes some getting used to
ETA: Just found a bunch of those Shaka tape rips here
http://shaka.reggaeclub.org/tapes.html
ETA: Bah, no audio rips
what's the shaka foundation project?
klang
klang
get them out! i'd be very interested in seeing them / hearing sound clips.
ska invita
back on the other side
IIRC its something about sending money over to Ghana? Some kind of plot of land there? I forget.... or is that an AbaShanti thing im confusing it with.... not sure now
klang
klang
50p well spent then.
ska invita
back on the other side
here we are:
Shaka has also established the Jah Shaka Foundation to carry out assistance with projects in Ghana, where the foundation has bought 7 acres (28,000 m2) of land in Agri, thirty miles outside of Accra.[7] It has also managed to distribute medical supplies, wheelchairs, library books, carpentry tools, drawing materials and records to clinics, schools and radio stations in the Accra area establishing important links with the local communities.[1] Shaka himself was actually a youth worker years ago, and has regularly been quoted encouraging youths to study geography and history so they know "whats happened, where it's happening and who's doing it".
Shaka has also established the Jah Shaka Foundation to carry out assistance with projects in Ghana, where the foundation has bought 7 acres (28,000 m2) of land in Agri, thirty miles outside of Accra.[7] It has also managed to distribute medical supplies, wheelchairs, library books, carpentry tools, drawing materials and records to clinics, schools and radio stations in the Accra area establishing important links with the local communities.[1] Shaka himself was actually a youth worker years ago, and has regularly been quoted encouraging youths to study geography and history so they know "whats happened, where it's happening and who's doing it".
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
Tapes are very big in noise music and amongst the artier end of that there are various ideas of the temporary and unique nature of performance, so that idea of decaying physical medium would fit in with that. Maybe someone here knows a bit more about that thinking?
Of course the other feature of noise music is that lots of acts sell about 20 copies, so it fits in with that too. And the idea of being awkward and different.
blossie33
trailer trash
They are not anything very exciting - mainly classic arabic dance tunes and a bit of pop (I went to arabic dance classes and workshops for quite a number of years, hence the particular interest).
Yeah, it allows very limited runs (loads of labels bring out 20 - 50 copies of an album) - partly I think that's a realistic assessment of how many physical copies you're likely to sell, partly it adds a sense of exclusivity.
I think there's also a bit of a nostalgia element to it too, harking back to the days of the 1980s industrial tape underground.
Fozzie Bear
Well-Known Member
It's the mixtapes friends have made us I really love (sadly I seem to have lost all mine over the years) - little bits of history, time, place and a relationship all wrapped up in 90 minutes of magnetic tape and a hand-made insert.
I see you have some there mwgdrwg - can you tell us anything about them?
I see you have some there mwgdrwg - can you tell us anything about them?
ska invita
back on the other side
jsut checking out that Divine Styler thing - never heard of them before - not perfect but interesting stuff and definitely of its time
other than that i had pretty much all those tapes too
ska invita
back on the other side
klang
klang
that is amazing
heres how it playsback
i wonder what you need to get it to play though
wow
mwgdrwg
Be a Pisces. Jam.
Yeah, I've got loads of tapes that friends made in school, one 90 minute tape full of house and hip hop taped from John Peel in the 80s, and other various radio shows. There's quite a few compilations and mixes made on decks by mates in Uni in the 90's, loads of house. But the best find of all....was a jam of my shoegaze band from 1993! I need to rip it to soundcloud. My mate even did a cover for it with photocopies and laminated it
I have pics and will just hunt them out...
mwgdrwg
Be a Pisces. Jam.
yes! Get it ripped mate.
I need a mini-jack to mini-jack lead? It's really funny as I have the 'master' which includes us talking away and fucking up takes...
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