Aural Innovations Radio: New Lo Finest Show

[jkranitz]

http://Aural-Innovations.com

JULY 24, 2009: NEW RADIO SHOW: LO FINEST

I've uploaded a new show from Lo Finest (show #16). See the playlists below. Aural Innovations broadcasts 24 hours a day in both streaming and download editions. You can go directly to the Radio shows page at:
http://aural-innovations.com/radio/radio.html

ALL LO FINEST SHOWS ARE ARCHIVED ON THE AURAL INNOVATIONS SITE

Lo Finest (show #16)

Lo Finest is a program dedicated to the appreciation of homemade recordings that were made and distributed on cassette tapes during the 1980s and 90s, hosted by veteran home recording artist Charles Rice Goff III.

Buzzsaw - “Tale Of A Tape” (excerpt from very limited edition cassette, unofficial release)
Alien Planetscapes – “Miles Riff” (From Electronic Cottage Volume I)
Rotcod Zzaj – “No Wage Ballet” (From Electronic Cottage Volume I)
Minoy - “Technostress” (From Electronic Cottage Volume I)
60 Cycle Hum – “November, 1986” (from Connection)
Herd Of The Ether Space – “In The Cold Sunlight” (from Other Than Random Modulation)
Deaf Lions – (2 of 26 pieces from Copia)
Astro Epos - (beginning section from Revelation)
Bene Gesserit - “Little Lady” (from Live In Belgium & Holland)
Bene Gesserit - “Erg Habbania” (from Live In Belgium & Holland)
De Fabriek - “Emulate” (from Elegy 3)
Yggdrasil – “Free Form Mantra” (from Elegy 3)

http://Aural-Innovations.com

[rotcod05]

Leave it up to Jerry to let CRG loose in the ether... listening now, what ABSOLUTE finery for those of us who were "in the thick" of those home taper daze... GR8 show, very interesting listen! BLAST from thee past, verzure! Ha! Ha! Ha!

[Don Campau]

Another fascinating program by Charles Goff. And thanks to Jerry for hosting it. A great resource.

[jkranitz]

And note that ALL 16 Lo Finest shows are all on that page. Unlike my other shows, which I rotate out, all the Lo Finest shows are there to stay.

[Don Campau]

Thanks for hosting this Jerry and keeping it on. I have you linked on my radio and blogs page which will be appearing with the rest of the site on Aug 1. You all will be receiving the launch information on that date for The Living Archive Of Underground Music.

By the way, can you update us on your project about the cassette underground? Will it be a book, internet only, or both? And what will be the focus?

Good luck,Don

[jkranitz]

>>can you update us on your project about the cassette underground? Will it be a book, internet only, or both? And what will be the focus?<<

My research is mostly complete. I'm now focusing on getting the first couple chapters wrapped up and putting together a book proposal. I'm very much hoping it will be a published book. But NOTHING will be wasted, because if I can't get it published, it all goes up on the net.

The focus?

I should be clear this is not an index of hometaper artists, labels, etc. The premise of the book is.....

The punk era... the punk roots of DIY... are well documented. And pretty much everyone is familiar with what ANYONE can do on the internet. And you don't have to be a dedicated music fan to be aware that there is upheaval in the established music industry.

YOU guys did your thing in a not so well documented time that was post-punk, but pre-internet. It may seem simplistic, but the use of the postal services, and building networks via small run publications was HUGE. It excites the hell out of me to hear all the incredibly creative works that were produced in that era. And I think I can tell the story in a way that communicates that excitement. Having said that (all shit you in the choir already understand), here's the HIGH level outline (detail omitted):

Background:
Touch on Fluxus, Mail Art, roots of Punk (the well documented stuff but necessary to laying the foundation for the hometapers)

DIY - Creative Spirit:
Why did cassettes encourage creativity and the impetus to ACT?
What kinds of music/sounds were people creating?

Networking:
How did hometapers find out about each other, communicate, and collaborate?
What were the dynamics that drove the development of a hometaper underground in various countries?

Distribution/Promotion:
Distribution
Labels
Promotion

Profiles/Case studies:
** Representative examples. People like YOU Don whose stories and histories are genuinely interesting, fly in the face of the established idea of "success" in the music industry, and I truly believe are of interest to a general audience. (Even though they won't know it until they read it)

From Cassettes > CDRs > MP3s > The INTERNET!:

Conclusions:
Was the cassette era a revolution? (Or just revolutionary?)

The outline is much more detailed than that. But hopefully that answers your Focus question. Robin James is already lined up to write the Forward.

Now if I can just get through this damn project at my day job that's been hindering my leisure time progress the past couple months..... Grrrrr.... I hate money!!!!!!!!

Jerry

[Don Campau]

Incredible Jerry. This will be an essential resource for those wishing to investigate this small but important musical and sociological slice of life.Your work and efforts are going to be much appreciated by many now and in the future.

I hope to do much the same with my own site but it is all from my own perspective ( as is yours of course). I have thought about this for years while I continued to debate how to do it. I just could not get my head around doing a real, complete history.
Then I realized it had to be from my own point of view, what I saw and heard. So, people will get left out of course. However, that is why I'm calling it The Living Archive. I can always add to it and have others help me do so. It will never be complete but hopefully fills in some details and info for those that care.

Continued good luck with all,
Don

[rotcod05]

Incredible Jerry. This will be an essential resource for those wishing to investigate this small but important musical and sociological slice of life.Your work and efforts are going to be much appreciated by many now and in the future.

I hope to do much the same with my own site but it is all from my own perspective ( as is yours of course). I have thought about this for years while I continued to debate how to do it. I just could not get my head around doing a real, complete history.
Then I realized it had to be from my own point of view, what I saw and heard. So, people will get left out of course. However, that is why I'm calling it The Living Archive. I can always add to it and have others help me do so. It will never be complete but hopefully fills in some details and info for those that care.

Continued good luck with all,
Don

I know quite a few of us (Bret included) are in the process of writing "memoirs", as well... I'm about 30% through with a working title of "Rotcod Zzaj - A Sdrawkcab Yhpargoib"... it's more documentary than "story line", but should enlighten some as to my "motivations" for the whole DIY/hometaper/experimental performance kind of thing...

[jkranitz]

>>This will be an essential resource for those wishing to investigate this small but important musical and sociological slice of life.<<

It's my hope that whatever I produce inspires others to take up this subject. I have experience with the tools of academic inquiry. But I'd really like to see a career academic dive into this. And there's lots of angles the topic can be approached from.

>>DON: Then I realized it had to be from my own point of view, what I saw and heard.<<
<<ZZAJ: I know quite a few of us (Bret included) are in the process of writing "memoirs", as well<<

I can't emphasize enough the importance of doing this. Your detailed stories are the PRIMARY RESOURCES that researchers need. Much of my research was conducted through interviews and pouring through publications from the era.

But research aside, the stories are genuinely interesting, and often downright fascinating. What got me into this topic was through years of doing Aural Innovations, I found that the most interesting artists I was communicating with, those who were producing the most interesting and varied work, and those I was forming bonds with, were those that were part of this particular underground. I originally interviewed Bret Hart, Dick Metcalf, Hal McGee and Charles Goff III for Aural Innovations, well before I caught on to this topic. After a while I started to clue into this thing they shared in common.

You were there, you did it, you're still doing it.... DOCUMENT it

[rotcod05]

>>This will be an essential resource for those wishing to investigate this small but important musical and sociological slice of life.<<

It's my hope that whatever I produce inspires others to take up this subject. I have experience with the tools of academic inquiry. But I'd really like to see a career academic dive into this. And there's lots of angles the topic can be approached from.

>>DON: Then I realized it had to be from my own point of view, what I saw and heard.<<
<<ZZAJ: I know quite a few of us (Bret included) are in the process of writing "memoirs", as well<<

I can't emphasize enough the importance of doing this. Your detailed stories are the PRIMARY RESOURCES that researchers need. Much of my research was conducted through interviews and pouring through publications from the era.

But research aside, the stories are genuinely interesting, and often downright fascinating. What got me into this topic was through years of doing Aural Innovations, I found that the most interesting artists I was communicating with, those who were producing the most interesting and varied work, and those I was forming bonds with, were those that were part of this particular underground. I originally interviewed Bret Hart, Dick Metcalf, Hal McGee and Charles Goff III for Aural Innovations, well before I caught on to this topic. After a while I started to clue into this thing they shared in common.

You were there, you did it, you're still doing it.... DOCUMENT it

Yer' right, of course, Jerry... ergo some notes about my oib... 'sides, some of us REALLY ol' phartz' have to "get it written" before we're dribblin' our porridge all over our shirt collars... ha! ha!

[jkranitz]

I'll add that people should feel some inclination (preferably bubbling with enthusiasm) to document their experiences. Putting one's life into words isn't for everyone.

[rotcod05]

I'll add that people should feel some inclination (preferably bubbling with enthusiasm) to document their experiences. Putting one's life into words isn't for everyone.

I have to agree, Jerry... & FOR those less inclined to write - they MUST visit Don's LIVING ARCHIVE project (at http://www.doncampau.com/livingarchive.htm ) & READ about the TRUE indies - a GREAT site!!!