THE MINIMAL WAVE TAPES VOL. 1 - VARIOUS ARTISTS (2LP)

The Minimal Wave Tapes Vol. 1 Various Artists on 2LP

Minimal Wave is both a genre of underground DIY electronic music from North America and Europe in the late 1970s and 80s, and the name of the label devoted to unearthing these recordings. The Minimal Wave Tapes is the first official anthology of Minimal Wave music from this label. Most of the songs were originally released on limited edition cassettes or vinyl by the artists themselves, and only a handful of people knew about them. They’ve been remastered from their analog source tapes and compiled here by Minimal Wave's Veronica Vasicka and Stones Throw's Peanut Butter Wolf.

The Minimal Wave musical genre was hallmarked by the use of the analog synths and drum machines manufactured in the '70s and '80s, and characterized by simple music structures made by musicians working in the early D.I.Y. asthetic: recording on tape in their home studios, creating their own album artwork, and often collaborating via postage mail. The fanzine CLEM (Contact List Of Electronic Musicians) was very influential in creating a worldwide community for this sort of music, before digital technology and the internet came into play.

Minimal Wave the label was founded in New York City in 2005 by Veronica Vasicka, who focused the label solely on obscure Minimal Wave recordings, remastering and releasing them on limited vinyl and digitally.

The Minimal Waves Tapes fits neatly into Stones Throw Records' own tradition of compiling or reissuing the independent music of the past which influences the independent music we make today ie '60s funk (The Funky 16 Corners), early '80s hip-hop (The Third Unheard) and West Coast electro/rap (Arabian Prince's Innovative Life) to name a few. Featuring 14-tracks on gatefold 2LP.

The Minimal Wave Tapes Vol. 1 Various Artists Track Listing:

1.  Way Out Of Living - Linear Movement
2.  Flying Turns - Crash Course In Science
3.  Radiance - Oppenheimer Analysis
4.  Who's Really Listening - Mark Lane
5.  Tempusfugit - Tara Cross
6.  Blurred - Turquoise Days
7.  Mickey, Please... - Bene Gesserit
8.  Moscú Está Helado - Esplendor Geometrico
9.  Reassurance Ritual - Das Ding
10. Just Because - Martin Dupont
11. Game & Performance - Deux
12. Things I Was Due To Forget - Somnambulist
13. My Time - Ohama
14. The Cabinet - Das Kabinette