23 Skidoo (tape, Sisyfoss Editions)


From discogs: "23 Skidoo are a British band playing a fusion of industrial, post-punk, alternative dance, rock, and world music. The group was named after a mysterious Illuminati phrase that appeared in the work of Aleister Crowley, William S. Burroughs, and filmmaker Julian Biggs. Formed in 1979 by Fritz Catlin, Johnny Turnbull and Sam Mills, and later augmented by Alex Turnbull and Tom Heslop, 23 Skidoo had interests in martial arts, Burundi and Kodo drumming, Fela Kuti, The Last Poets, William S. Burroughs, as well as the emerging confluence of industrial, post-punk and funk, heard in artists such as A Certain Ratio, Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, The Pop Group and This Heat.
Their first 7", "Ethics" was released in 1980, followed by the "Last Words" 7", produced by Stephen Mallinder and Richard H. Kirk from Cabaret Voltaire. A Peel Session was recorded on September 16, 1981 that included Richard. Their debut album, Seven Songs, was released in 1982 and is said to evoke the claustrophobic humidity of an African forest. An experimental EP Tearing Up The Plans was produced without the Turnbull brothers, who were traveling in Indonesia. Guitarist Sam Mills and vocalist Tom Heslop left the band soon after, and with the arrival of slap-bassist David "Sketch" Martin following the break-up of Linx, the lineup remained the same until their disintegration in 2003.
With the Turnbull brothers back from Indonesia where they were exposed to Gamelan, the band recruited Aswad's horn section for the "Coup" 12", which featured samples from Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. It has been alleged that The Chemical Brothers stole the bass line for their "Block Rockin' Beats" track. The Culling Is Coming (1983 - noted for featuring the band live at the first WOMAD Festival) and Urban Gamelan (1984) followed, criticized at the time for their shift towards more abstract sounds. After having been evicted from their rehearsal space at Genesis P-Orridge's 'Death Factory' the band shifted their focus towards hip hop and released a few singles and a compilation album Just Like Everybody in 1987.
In 1989 the Turnbull brothers formed the Ronin label, and released material by Deckwrecka, Roots Manuva, and Rodney P amongst others. They signed to Virgin Records in 1991 and were able to build a new studio with their advance. In 2000 they released a self-titled LP, which featured contributions from Pharoah Sanders and Roots Manuva. This was followed by a compilation of singles, The Gospel Comes To New Guinea in 2002, and for the first time on CD, reissues of Seven Songs and Urban Gamelan. In 2003 the Turnbull brothers liquidated the company. In 2008 LTM reissued the whole back catalog of 23 Skidoo."

Obviously a bootleg of some kind, but this a great live recording, not on discogs


Pero - Alles Wurscht (tape, Graf Haufen Tapes GHT-26, 1984)


From Discogs: "Pero was a hobby painter and musician. He bought his very first KORG MS-20 synthesizer together with his son Karsten Rodemann and started recording music for his own pleasure around 1981. He added drum machines, effects and other synthesizers and keyboards in later years. His inspiration came from a deeply rooted love for musicians such as Klaus Schulze, Cluster and especially Tangerine Dream. Although he primarily performed and recorded for himself as a hobby (he worked in marketing and distribution for a food company), he released three tapes on Graf Haufen Tapes. He died after a long fight with cancer in 2002."

Ptose - Night Of The Reptiles (tape, Ptôse Production Présente K 019, 1983)


Great french electronic band, who sound a bit like The Residents, but more electronic.

S.Core - Morbid Moppets (tape, Afflict Records Aff 005, 1986)


From Discogs:"Active since the mid of the eighties, japanese musician Yutaka Tanaka released his works under the name S-CORE. Early works are all cassette albums he put out on his own cassette label Afflict Records, many of those were recorded via mail collaboration with many sound artists from international underground scene, such as Stefano Biasin (Italy), Telepherique and Trigger B (Germany), Merzbow (Japan), Al Margolis/If, Bwana (USA), Rafael Flores (Spain)." It seems that Yutaka Tanaka disappeared of the face of the earth.

Slauerhoff - De Cassette Van (tape, Schuim En Asch c1, 1983?)


Amsterdam new wave group, who went on to release a couple of pieces of vinyl. This particular release is not on discogs.

Machines At Last (tape, Stichting Stopcontact CC4, 198?)


A duo of Paul Shorthouse and Robert Lawrence with synth music. This tape was originally released by Quick Stab but then licenced to Dutch label Stichting Stopcontact, which is this version and which is not on discogs.

Fasten Boolbis (tape, 198?)


More a demo of some kind of a duo of Ger de Jong (guitar, vocals, bass, synths, percussion) and Ferdi Verhorst (saxophone, percussion, synth, vocals), who announce on the cover they will be doing a tape for Ding Dong, which never happened.

not on discogs

Flexible Response - Hitch (tape, Zimbo 29, 1986)


I am going through the history of Flexible Response in random order. Here is a tape by them from 1986 and Flexible Response is a duo of Rik (bass, rhythm, synth, organ) and Marcel (vocals, guitar, bass) and a guest singer of the cover of 'Just Can't Get Enough'. Nice synth stuff!

not on discogs

Philippe Laurent - Hot Bip Hot (tape, Fraction Studio Fr 2, 1983)


A short two track cassette of two excellent minimal synth songs.

This Dawn (tape, Thirty, 1987)

Thirty is a sub-division of Zimbo Tapes, and This Dawn is a more of rock band than the usual electronic music on Zimbo. This Dawn was a four piece from the small village of Lisse. The press text, in Dutch, is also included in the zip. This release is not on discogs.

Some Waves (tape, Graf Haufen Tapes GHT-21,1983)


Excellent compilation from Graf Haufen Tapes, includes a scan of the booklet.

Moral - Whispering Sons (tape, Kubus Kassettes, 1982)


Not much information here, but Moral was originally released by Adelservice in Denmark where they were from. Melodic synth music.


Zimbo & Wedge - Poets Due To (tape, Zimbo 6, 1985)


This particular release is not on Discogs. It features music from Zimbo on the cassette and poetry from the poet Wedge, printed in the booklet. Printed is actually not the right word, as it is all hand written and hand collaged. It must have been quite some work, but it looks great. Synth music!

The Value Of Quality (tape, Aerosol P&P AP 014, 1982)


A compilation on a Belgium label with lots of Belgium bands, including various from the Insane Music label. Great experimental and electronic music.


Vietato Ai Minori (tape, Trax TRAX 1081, 1981)


Regrettably Trax is one of the labels I really like, but their releases are hard to come by for this blog. Forbidden for minors is the title of this compilation and I scanned the whole booklet for you perverts.

John J. Lafia - Prayers (tape, Trance Port Tapes trance 4, 1984)


I have no idea who is, or if he's the same as thisMaybe someone knows?


Aart Zwaans - Semi Hora (tape, Exart Tapes EA 003, 198?)


One of those Exart Tapes on Exart which isn't listed on discogs, but De Nederlandse Cassette Catalogus says its catalogue number 003. Experimental synth music by this guy of whom I know nothing else. 

Pascal Comelade - Logique Du Sens (tape, Tago Mago – Camouflage 001, 1983)


French-catalan musician, born in 1955. Comelade began making strange cover songs of rock and easy listening standards with such instruments as singing saw, toy piano etc. He later developed an unconfoundable style, co-operated with artists like Robert Wyatt or Faust, and even counts with a follower band in Japan, the Pascals.

Paul Kelday - Expedition To The Barren Reaches Of Them Mind (cassette, DTW 011, 1986)


British synth player, who is the brother of Phil Kelday (from New 7th Music), who name I have found on many compilations, but hardly any of his tape releases. Quite cosmic, quite dark.

Radiola Cassette #2 (tape, VPRO, 198?)


The Radiola Improvisatie Salon was a programm by Willem de Ridder. His radioprogramm (1980 era) was to play music people would send him on cassette, with no advance listening, just open the enveloppe on the air, play the tape. I posted a tape released by the programm a long time ago, and also their audio newsletter on tape. Today its a tape with six different composers, separated per composer, not per track (no titles given) and we have Enno Veldhuys, Arts, Hessel Veltman [sic], Van Ede, John Zandijk and Wolf Zimmerman. Lots of great synth based music.

not on discogs

Flexible Response - The Punk Process (tape, Zimbo Tapes 18, 198?)


Sometimes I think I have nothing more to borrow (as I do in fact all the rips myself using the original, and take stuff from other blogs and present it as my own, as I often see), and this blog is ending soon, but then luckily I borrow somethig again. Recently I was in contact mister Zimbo and I borrowed for this blog some 80 tapes which I start posting as of now. Various are releases by his own label, the rest from his private collection. One Marcel was the man behind Flexible Response, and he recorded this brutal lo-fi industrial music in 1981. There will be lots more of his music soon.

Not on discogs

PGR/Thessalonians - The Black Field (LP, Silent SR8905, 1989)



Emil Beaulieu - That Velvet Touch (7", RRRecords – RRR 007, 198?)


Tore H. Boe - Sista' EP (7", M/O/L/D – M#O#L#D 6, 2001)


1-2-3 - Cocks And Lions (7", JSO Records Eat 3, 1980)


A Mouse Orchestra - A Lump In Your Throat (7", Robot Records RR-04, 1994)


Barbed - Pocket Reminders / Rolf O.D. (7", Elevator Bath eeaoa 05, 2000)


Incarnate - Decay (Eternal Opuscule #100) (7" flexi disc, Post Contemporary FPCON19, 1996)



Cuddly Toys - Madman / Join The Girls (7", Parole Records PURL 7, Fresh Records FRESH 10, 1980)



Merzbow/Smell & Quim - Seven Inches Inside Vagina (7", Stinky Horse Fuck SHF777, 1996)