SGSr_037

the magic of errors was the thirty seventh catalogue release. it is available in digital format.

building on the synthetic foundations originally heard on ‘play machines’, ‘the magic of errrors’ seeks to reduce the overall fidelity by introducing cassette technology to the recording phase. each song began as improvisational noise laid out to cassette, then recorded digitally for further manipulation, then round tripped again through cassette to degrade the audio further. the introduction of physical distress to the recording medium helped grind the audio into nearly pure noise. 

“we’d been kicking around these old cassettes between us, and thought it might be fun to start abusing the medium more intently. so we recorded things out to cassette then started manipulating those in the computer. we did lots of ultraviolence to the cassettes themselves: microwaves, burying them in the dirt, pissing on them; those got recorded back into the machine so we could try and make them into something meaningful. it’s a pretty extreme record, all things considered, from the process and back again…so much noise, intentional or otherwise.”  

spanning nearly an hour, ‘the magic of errrors’ is a stark reminder of the powers of analog tape, a medium seemingly consigned to the dustbin of history. from the unstoppable hiss of ‘bermuda pentangle’ through to the airy warbles of ‘a breathless hush’, these three songs stand uniquely in the catalog of entries from the valley of wolves.  

for fans of industrial noise, experimental ambient, cassette damage.