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@ztapes
NEWEST SEASONAL FALL COMPILATION.
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Mouse Trap Interviewtion
Jackson Eudy is a lo-fi music maker from Arlington, Texas. His music is intentionally hard to penetrate both sonically and lyrically, but when you put the effort in you’ll find some beautifully crafted bursts of indie-pop music.
Q: What was your process for recording your new album?
A: I entered into the recording process with the songs just partially written and only a vague concept of the album structure. The acoustic tracks were recorded to a Sony TCM-200DV 1-track tape recorder. The rest were made on a Tascam Portastudio 488 8-track. I tracked the drums first, bass and guitar next, then keyboard, and finally vocals.
Q: How did you get into playing music? Have you been involved in making music since you were young?
A: To give you an indication of how prominent of a role music played in my childhood, my middle name is Neil, after Neil Young. In my adolescence, I formed a band with friends of mine who lived in my neighborhood. I seem to recall us failing miserably at trying to be The Strokes. We simply used a boombox for all of the recordings that we made, and our sole public performance was at a school talent show. By the time that high school began, we had become disillusioned with the concept of becoming rock stars and disbanded.
Q: Who are some bands that you look up to and have inspired your own music-making?
A: I did not entertain the notion of making my own music until I moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas from Arlington, Texas for college. It was there that I became acquainted with the band Swimming, who were instrumental in my choosing to start making music of my own. Brian Kupillas, a member of the band, encouraged me to record and develop my songwriting. It is inspiring to have someone who you look up to care about your music. Swimming is not currently active, but Brian performs as Wandering Lake and plays in a band called Wished Bone with his partner.
Q: Your songs are extremely lo-fi in their recording quality. Was this intentional on your part to add a more intimate feel to the songs?
A: I would welcome it if the low fidelity of my recording allowed someone to have an intimate experience, but that was not intended. There is a pressure in society to have the current technology, and I made a conscious decision to counteract that force by using as obsolete of equipment as attainable. I tried to make the noise difficult to discern, because I wanted the listeners to have to fill in the blanks. When sounds are difficult to distinguish from one another, an effort is required in order to connect the dots. I appreciate the warped and weathered quality that is inherent to recording on cassette, and I think that there is a certain chaos to tape hiss that cannot be replicated digitally. I am not the first person to choose to record on cassette in lieu of higher fidelity equipment. Following the success of Bee Thousand, Guided By Voices were given an advance to record Alien Lanes in a studio. Robert Pollard instead opted to let Tobin Sprout record the album to tape, as he had with the previous release, and he used the advance to financially support himself after quitting his job as a teacher. I do not presume to be a pioneer of the recording technique, but my intention is to take the concept to a new extreme.
(above photo by Todd Hanson)
Q: Do you have an aspiration to play any of these songs live, or is it solely going to be a recorded project?
A: I am not capable of recreating the songs in a solo performance, and I do not think that a live band would be able to translate the album to a live setting. I could be receptive to being apart of a band moving forward, but I would want to record in a manner similar to how we performed. The debut Swimming release was recorded live by Joel Paul, who would go on to be a bassist in the band. There is a sense of reciprocity in those recordings that can only be attained though a group of musicians responding to one other. The band members have a reciprocal relationship with one another. That action and reaction is what attracts me to playing live. It is difficult for me to find other musicians who I can collaborate with, but I believe that playing live has the potential to be a form of performance art.
Q: What themes do you find inspire your lyrics? When you write your songs, do you find that writing lyrics usually comes first or creating the music?
A: The lyric writing was inseparable from the music writing. The stream-of-conscious nature of the words allowed the lyrical themes to remain universal. Similarly, the improvised instrumental performances gave the music a sense of spontaneity. The songs were written for a specific person, who I will not name to spare them embarrassment. The album was originally conceived under the delusion that it would make said person fall in love with me, but their response inevitably fell short of my expectations.
Q: How has moving to Fayetteville, AR from Arlington, TX impacted your own music?
A: In comparison to Arlington, Fayetteville is relatively isolated. While Arlington is centrally located in the Dallas and Fort Worth metroplex, Fayetteville is surrounded by nothing except for the Ozark Mountains. Secluded environments rid their inhabitants of certain distractions that are inescapable in a developed area. Being enveloped by hills, Fayetteville lends itself to introspection. A limitation that moving imposed on me was that I could no longer play loud music, and did not have space to store equipment such as drums or large amps. This drove my music into an increasingly acoustic direction. I have since acquired ample room for musical equipment, but it was a valuable experience for me to have to approach writing in a stripped down setting.
Q: Most of your songs are short in length. What is the appeal of short songs to you?
A: The brevity of my songs is another aspect of my music that is heavily influenced by GBV. Pollard made me want to convey complex emotions in concise compositions. I have always questioned why songs have been structured a certain way for so long. What I strive to create are songs exempt from requirements of what is considered to be a socially acceptable length and quality. I rid myself of preconceptions concerning what a song should be and trust my intuition. I believe that a musical concept is pure at the moment of conception and any further development is unnecessary embellishment.
Be sure to follow Jackson on Soundcloud to stay up to date with his music-making!
moving in Interviewtion
Jordan Fox is the lovely bedroom pop hit-maker that releases music under the moniker moving in. He recently released his debut EP Sunburn via Z Tapes, one of the best lil’ labels out there today. It’s music that sounds like sunlight being filtered through dust kicked up in a carpeted bedroom. In this interview we talk about recording music at home, learning how to work through an eating disorder, and working with Z Tapes to release the new album.
Q: What was the process for recording your album? What was it like getting Warren Hildebrand (who has touched so many albums I love) to master it?
A: I would usually have an idea for a song somewhere strange like in the middle of a grocery store or while in a room full of people. I would immediately pull out my phone and hum it into my voice memos and then later in the week or in the day (depending on my motivation), I would set up my mics and record in my bedroom. My house can get pretty loud at times, so for vocals I would set everything up in my tiny closet and record them in there! It was a pretty comfortable process though, minus the cords all over my room, I hate that so much!
Having Warren work on my music was incredible. He has mastered some of my favorite albums ever, and he has made some of my favorite music! I spent weeks trying to build up the confidence to email him about it and I’m so glad I did. Warren is such a sweet person, it really felt like I was working with a friend and he gave me so much confidence in my music, he brought so much life to the EP that it didn’t have before!
Q: Have you always lived in Fort Worth, Texas? How do you think that environment has influenced your music?
A: When I was very young I lived, like, twenty minutes outside of Fort Worth, but most of my life I have been here! Downtown Fort Worth specifically has influenced my music a ton, I’m not too sure why, but there’s something special about it that inspires me so much. Some of the experiences I wrote about on the EP happened there, some of my favorite memories are there too! So I would say it definitely has played a part in my music.
Q: You recently made a tumblr post about your eating disorder. Do you think that music has helped you tackle some of the feelings that have stemmed from it?
A: I feel like listening to music has helped a lot. Certain songs or words can make me feel confidence in myself and that is very important. I’ve written so many songs about how it has made me feel and I feel like in writing songs I help myself feel like I’m worth something, which helps so much. I want to write more about it in the future because it has had a huge effect on my life, but not necessarily as a way to cope. I want to write about it so people can understand that this is something other people go through and that no matter how badly you want to feel like you’re crazy for feeling this way, you aren’t. Another thing that helps me so much with music is hearing that people like my stuff or connect with it in some way. I am still genuinely surprised that people care about it, but it helps me so much with that and other problems I may be having. Its amazing, it makes me feel incredible!
Q: How do you feel about being categorized as a “lo-fi” musician? Do you feel like what reviewers call “production value” is currently weighed more heavily by reviewers than songwriting itself?
A: I don’t mind moving in being referred to as a lo-fi project at all, although I don’t really feel like its completely accurate. Lo-fi started as a term that had to do with quality and turned into a genre, kinda like “indie” meant independent at first, then turned into a genre.
I think not only reviewers, but even some musicians care too much about production! In my opinion the focus of being a musician should be the quality of the writing, not the quality of the recording. I completely understand why people would want to focus on it, but for me personally I want to put more of a focus on the music itself. Some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard was recorded with low budget equipment! In the future, I want to focus less on the quality of the sound and more on just having fun and creating meaningful music.
Q: Where does the name of your project come from?
A: moving in is supposed to be a play on words of “moving on”. Sunburn is about me reliving memories I had made in a relationship and accepting that it was over and moving on from them. Before I started recording it, I realized that I was only one step away from starting to move on, and that step was the album, so I thought it was a nice representation of that.
Q: One thing I absolutely love about Sunburn is that it creates such a coherent atmosphere that’s so easy to get lost in. Were you intentionally trying to create that sonic mood, or is it something that just naturally happened?
A: I love that it made you feel that way because it was definitely something I was going for!! When I was writing those songs, it felt natural for me to have a lot going on with the music. There are a lot different vocals harmonizing, some tracks have multiple layers of guitar parts and keyboards too! With this project I just really wanted to have a full sound, I wanted people to be able to get lost in it!
Q: How did you get connected with Z Tapes? What was it like working with Filip (the founder of Z Tapes) to distribute the album?
A: I’ve been listening to artists on Z Tapes for a while now, I’ve always been a big fan of the label. Me and Filip had messaged a few times before I even put out music with this project, and when I put out my first single he was super supportive with it. When I put out sunburn I saw that he bought it and I messaged him to thank him and he brought up releasing it with Z Tapes, which was huge for me. I had wanted to be a member of the family for such a long time, so I was really excited.
Working with Filip has been amazing. He is such a sweet and genuine person and he has made me feel so welcomed. Everything has been super comfortable and I love that, he makes it feel like it’s more than just a label, its like a family. I truly believe that Z Tapes is putting out some of the best bedroom pop music there is, and its so nice to know that the person behind it genuinely cares about not only the artists involved, but the supporters! I am so happy to call him a friend and to be able to work with him.
Q: What are the main influences on your music, whether bands, artists, life, etc.?
A: I draw influences from so many things! As far as music goes, right now my biggest influences are John Frusciante, The Magnetic Fields, The Cure, A$AP Rocky, Elvis Depressedly, Animal Collective, Drake and Midori Kida. Outside of music; memories, the beach, October, run down dollar stores, libraries and anime all inspire me more than I can really understand!
Q: Besides music, what are some of the other things you like to do to occupy your time?
A: I’m not very good at anything else, but I love to make origami, doodle, collect cute things, take photos of things that make me feel warm & fuzzy inside, read manga and obsess over the paranormal. Astral projection is fun too!
Q: Do you feel that music and spirituality intersect in any way?
A: Spirituality is interesting for me. I’m not religious at all. I follow science and focus on what science can prove is real for my beliefs, but at the same time I know I have seen and felt spirits around me all of my life, so in that sense I am very spiritual. I think spirits and trying to figure out what a spiritual afterlife could be if there is one at all is a huge part of my daily life, so it definitely ties into my music. I believe that when you are aware of spirits around you, they can have an effect on what you’re doing (in my case, music) even if you’re completely unaware that they are doing it. I hope to write a lot more on the topic of spirits or what I believe the afterlife could be in the future!
Q: How has it been for you to hear the reactions of all these people listening to your music, which is something so personal for you?
A: Hearing the reactions has been absolutely incredible. I honestly NEVER expected to get this much support. When I put out Sunburn, I expected it to get maybe 100 plays on Bandcamp in a few months. I figured maybe my family would listen to it and maybe a few friends… So when so many people started telling me they liked it and so many people supported it I felt this feeling inside me that I’ve never felt before. A feeling of happiness, confidence and honor that my life experiences were touching people in any way at all. I have always had the mindset that I am nothing special and never thought anyone would care about anything I do, so it blows my mind that people care, I still don’t understand why, but I’m so thankful. Its one of my favorite parts of being a musician. In the past few weeks I have felt more confidence than I have in a very long time, and I owe that to the people who support me.
Q: What are your plans for the future of moving in?
A: As for moving in, I’m not sure. But, I can say that there will be new music from me within the next few months that I am very excited to share! Also shows, and maybe some merch too!
Be sure to follow moving in on Twitter and tumbl with him on Tumblr!
welcome to my blog
coffee or something?
CANDY - Why Won’t U
I don’t mind I’ll be left behind Among the dust I’ll pass the time Oh, My hair is getting thinner Oh, My teeth are falling out Oh, I’m tired of being the sinner Oh, I’m crippled by my doubt
“…has the bleached, dusty atmosphere of happy memories or old photographs, sounding like it’s floating from a gramophone in a lonely 50s summer house, sweetly evocative of a lost type of paradise.” - Elsie by Fox Academy (iamafox), out now on Z Tapes (cc. start-track). Read the full review over at Wake the Deaf.
Gorgeous Bully
Z Tapes (a really amazing cassette label) just released this collection of 4 of the 6 EPs (or, 4 of 4 if you consider bullring and better demons to be too small for Ep). Anyway, Gorgeous Bully is music for wanting anything else but what you are right now but, the what/who/where you are right now is actually not too bad. Sometimes you just feel like that though, and that can be okay I guess. I guess, also, the next step is to not want to feel that you are feeling like that but that initial feeling ain’t so bad so now you’re just a total mess. (Is that feeling sorry for yourself?) Fave tracks: misery loves company, beauty don’t give a shit, adjusting to change, 925
<a href=“http://ztapes.bandcamp.com/album/n-w-o-b-h-m”>n.w.o.b.h.m by gorgeous bully</a>
https://ztapes.bandcamp.com/album/the-closer-to-you-the-safer-i-feel
ztapes.bandcamp.com/album/split My split with Brittle Brian, Henoheno, and pet cemetary is out now on Z Tapes !! go purchase a copy!!!! ❤️🌾🌻😊🌰
Unlove Interviewtion
Lucas is a “lo-fi” musician based out of Madrid. He recently released his debut album “light comes in, you’re forever” under the moniker Unlove. On May 31st it’ll be released on cassette via Z Tapes. His music fits equally well as a soundtrack for late night staring at the ceiling or sunny days on the beach. In this interview he talks about his process for recording the album, what it’s like being a musician in Madrid, and dealing with trying to get his music heard by the world.
Q: You just released your first album. What’s the backstory behind it?
A: “light comes in, you’re forever” is a collection of songs which have no apparent coherence, but I think it all made sense in the end. They’re thoughts, experiences and moments that I try to encapsulate in songs. I remember the day before publishing it I had my doubts and was just about not to release it, it felt like showing myself naked to the whole world, it was very scary really, but I’m glad I got that out of my system, now that I released it I feel pretty empty, but relieved.
Q: What’s your process for writing and recording your music? Did you self record the entirety of your new album?
A: Yes, I recorded and mixed everything. The process for this album was very messy and unorganized, “no”, for example, was a song I wrote about two years ago which didn’t really fit in my band, “swept away (another sunrise in briny beach)” was written a year ago when my girlfriend lent me her ukulele, then one day I decided to make a solo album and bought a mic. I spent two or three months writing and recording the album, I would write a song and record it, and while recording it I would listen to it and say “hey, a nice keyboard could fit this part” and just add it on the go, I had a lot of fun and learned at lot, it was my first time with electronic music too, and I had a “anything goes” philosophy with the album, anything that I liked made it into the album. I wasn’t worried that an electronic track wouldn’t fit next to an acoustic one and next to a 60’s like song.
Q: Are you originally from Madrid? How is the music scene there?
A: Yes, the music scene is pretty small but very kind and welcoming, everyone gets along, it’s mostly Emo and Screamo tho, there isn’t a “pop” or “lofi” or whatever you want to call it scene, so the album made little to no impact here, my friends liked it tho, so there’s that.
Q: You utilize the internet a lot in your own self-promotion. What has been your experience with trying to get your music heard?
A: As I said, I knew the album wouldn’t be as listened as much as I wanted to if I just promoted it over here, so I made a Twitter and started following the artists I liked and started tweeting, I also posted it on a couple sites and I think I got really lucky, an awesome label, Z Tapes, took interest in the album and now it’s going to have a physical release and that’s really crazy. I’m fascinated with how kind people have been thus far, I’m receiving lots of messages from people telling me how much they liked the album and it all means the world to me, hell, people are even giving me money!
Q: Why do you choose to write music in English as opposed to Spanish?
A: I always thought English was a very musical language, the way you can say a lot with so little. I love Spanish too, I sing and play in a couple bands (Saint Clementine and Verano while we’re at it) and one’s in English and the other one in Spanish, as for Unlove, I really didn’t think it through, it just seemed right, it came naturally. I studied English all my life and even lived a year in Bath so I’m not forcing it or anything, even though I’m well aware my English isn’t perfect, I’m happy with the album’s lyrics. Now that I think of it, maybe I wanted to create some kind of barrier to my close friends and people from my environment hoping they’d never take a close look at the album. Anyway, I’m comfortable singing in English and I’ll keep it that way.
Q: Since this album was written over a long period of time do you see it as a sort of time capsule for these memories?
A: Totally, I wanted to make an album I could revisit in five years and remember who I was at that time, it’s a portrait of the person I am, the person I think I am, I didn’t want to impress anyone or try to appeal to people, I just wanted to make honest and sincere music and I think I did, whether it’s good or bad is up to the listener.
Q: What helped you separate an Unlove song from being either a Saint Clementine or Verano song? When you write a song do you have it specifically in mind for one band or another?
A: When I’m writing music for my bands I have another mindset, I have to take keep in mind the other instruments, and the ideas of my bandmates, which are always great, but with Unlove I have no limits, I don’t think “I can’t add this keyboard or this electronic drums because I won’t be able to play it live” cause I don’t think I’ll ever play these songs live, maybe I do it sometime, but I’ll figure something out and they won’t sound the same. I think people associate music with albums and live concerts and that has a negative effect in the artist while his creating something. They are separate things and I personally don’t think that you have to “prove” anything playing it live after releasing it, the album is the work of art, the live show is a different experience. So with Unlove you could say that the mindset is “no rules, no boundaries.”
Q: Do you get discouraged at all after having put so much work into an album and only having a relative handful of people listen to it? Or, for you, was this never about people listening?
A: It may sound cliche but I made this album for myself, we musicians are probably the most egocentric people you’ll come across, and I don’t think that’s inherently a bad thing, I talk about myself, or about people I know who are, in the end, part of my environment and define who I am. For me the greatest lyrics are from artists who are talking about themselves, who are being honest and are figuring things out, and the best thing about music is that people connects with it when it’s pure, because we’re all little humans with the same set of emotions and fears and we’re incredibly different from each other and identical at the same time. I’m not getting to the point of your question, to sum it up, I didn’t make it for anyone who isn’t me, but I want people to listen to it because I’m very proud of it, and if this album means anything to anyone, if someone listens to it on the bus to school, after work, just after meeting someone who you know (because you know) will be important for you, at the end of the summer, anytime really, then that’d be just perfect.
Q: Some musicians choose to write extremely personal lyrics while others have a tendency to distance what they write from their personal self. Which of those two styles would you say you tend to lean more toward?
A: I think I switch styles a lot in this album, and if you read the lyrics it’ll be very clear, there are some lyrics that are more straightforward than the others, for example, “no”, “swept away (another sunrise in briny beach)” and “fix me up”, while the rest are more conceptual and abstract, like “kylo ren” and “instagram witches & brand new grimoires” but I don’t think they’re less personal, in the end they are all written by the same person and I can’t help but be really intimate and open when I’m making music. However, it’s far easier for me to explain I song like “no” than explaining “kylo ren” because when I write lyrics that are more abstract I let the unconscious part of me take control and pour everything out, but that’s not less me, god I’m awful at explaining things.
Q: How did you start making music? Are you self taught?
A: I started playing guitar when I was 14 or so, had this really amazing teacher for a year when I was living in Bath, his name was Guy I think, which I always thought was pretty funny, then I tried with another one when I went back to Madrid but all he wanted for me was to learn blues scales and boring stuff so I quit. I learned by playing a lot of nonsense and learning my favorite artists songs, so thanks Ultimate Guitar and Guitar Pro.
Q: Why did you name this project Unlove?
A: I think it’s a beautiful word, being english my second language words look different to me and I find that some sound and look really good while they may look simple and common to the rest they amaze me. I believe it suits the music very well, but I don’t want people to think that I’m always sad or that all my songs are depressing, I don’t think they are, some can be more melancholic than others but they tend to be in between emotions, maybe dysthymic but mostly confused, perplexed, I don’t know if this makes sense to you. The name also sounds like a Smiths song (Unloveable) and that’s always good.
Q: If you could collaborate with any musician or band that’s out there today who would you choose to work with?
A: There are way too many, Katie Dey is probably my favorite right now, Mat Cothran and Sam Ray too. I’d also like to join Godspeed You! Black Emperor before I die.
Q: Do you worry that people might see you as a “one note” band in terms of theme? As you mentioned at first glance it might look like your songs border on melancholic most of the time.
A: I’m not really afraid because as I told you, not all songs have to be sad, and I don’t think the songs in the album are depressing, I can’t choose how a song is going to be, I just let it flow and I don’t force anything because I know that if I try to make a happy, or a sad song, is not going to be honest. I don’t plan anything, if they come out sad then so be it but I’m not planning it beforehand. I can’t say how my next music will be but I’m not worried, everything will turn out ok in the end.
Q: What do you see for the future of Unlove?
A: Lots of music, it’s the only thing I can do half well, so yes, expect more releases and improvement in each one, I’m constantly learning.
Make sure to follow Lucas on Twitter, like Unlove on Facebook, and tumbl with him on Tumblr!
Track Premiere: ‘Diet Coke’ by Lake Michigan
London-based singer-songwriter Christopher Marks has spent the last few years exploring the sounds of folk and slowcore through his acoustic solo project Lake Michigan, and his latest batch of recordings will be arriving this summer, just several months after he unveiled his stunning debut studio album ‘Further’.
The new EP is entitled ‘Gleaming’, and is scheduled for release on June 1st through Z Tapes on a limited run of 70 cassettes, and Out of Sight Zine is delighted to be streaming the latest single; ‘Diet Coke’.
It’s an ambient, enamouring ballad that occupies a space somewhere between happy and sad, and offers a moment of peace in the otherwise busy urban landscapes of modern society. The lo-fi recording adds a hazy tint over the gentle finger-picked guitar and echoed percussion, channeling a meditative yet emotive vibe similar to that of An Amiable Medley.
Chris has called this EP “an experiment in creating a release with a consistent mood and atmosphere, despite the songs not sharing a subject matter and also despite my lack of equipment”.
Stream ‘Diet Coke’ and find more info below… (Mobile users click here)
Keep reading
Got a box of mighty handsome Ashland cassettes from @ztapes delivered to us by our ever lovely post lady. This little bunch will be available at upcoming shows, but you can get yr copy now from the Z Tapes interwebs headquarters!
moin moin
フロム・チェコのオストラヴァは、Magdaléna Mandorlaという女子による一人ユニットで、moin moin。2014年頃よりbandcampで作品を発表し始め、今月、スロバキアのテープ・レーベル、Z Tapesより『Dawn』のカセットを発売しました。
個人的なことで恐縮だけど、何年かぶりに熱を出して寝込んでいました。レモネードとマーマレードのパンが体に染み渡る、そんな病み上がりの朝に聴く音楽は?いったい人間と云うのは脆いもので、体調が少しでもおかしくなると音楽なんてまるで受け付けなくなります。逆に言えば音楽は体にダイレクトに入ってくる芸術だからこそ、体の状態が万全じゃないと受け入れることが出来ないのです。さて、閑話休題。チェコの乙女シンガーと云うことだけで100点満点だけど、少し幽玄系の朦朧乙女な歌いっぷりが、それこそ熱に魘されているかのような酩酊感で、この緩さと遠さが体に優しい感じです。
Dawn by moin moin
Artist : moin moin
“Part organic and part not, as if a whole load of natural things have been gathered up and cobbled together to make a coherent pattern” - Let’s Go by @inluvwithaghost, out via @ztapes. Artwork by @snnns.