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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2015 12:16:32 GMT -6
Just wanted to hear your opinions, guys. When it comes to ('underground') Unblack stuff, do you prefer CD releases or would you like to see some more music cassettes from time to time?
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Post by Kerrick on Feb 3, 2015 12:52:08 GMT -6
Definitely CD. I have a few tapes from bands just because that's the only format they released 'em on, but it's kinda a hassle, especially if they don't come with digital downloads. My car's tape player died a while ago so I replaced it with a CD player with a USB input. I just hook up my iPod and am good to go. A CDr is just fine and fits well with the rest of my collection!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2015 14:09:30 GMT -6
Cd's is way more usefull. Cassettes has the charm and feel from the good old days. I like that. But I prefer Cd's
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Post by drawnsword on Feb 3, 2015 14:42:03 GMT -6
The massive and undying cassette culture within the Black metal underground should be reflected within the Unblack movement and more so because it is even more underground. It is a way to bring black metal back to its roots, a return to the DIY ethos, primitivism and shadowy mystique the movement was built upon. Although black metal has long since been absorbed into the establishment, there’s no time like the present to take it back underground. I believe the cassette tape medium is a true symbol of the underground music scene. Cassettes passed into redundancy within pop culture and the music industry at large well over a decade ago, but have remained in use by all kinds of buried underground networks. While cassettes are often derided for their audio deficiencies being prone to dropouts and hiss these perceived flaws are part of the charm with Black metal’s emphasis on creating a dark, murky and detached atmosphere. Not only is the cassette a cheap way of reproducing and distributing music, they can can run longer than vinyl and CD, have smaller portability, are less easily damaged in transport and use, and they start from the position where they were stopped. The fact that the music is being released on a format which many find unacceptable only adds to the clandestine nature and mystique of these bands and the music they create. I think when releasing an album on cassette if you also put it out alternatively as mp3's or CD you have defeated the purpose and miss the point!
A couple of years ago i came across this hardcore guy on the net sharing these very interesting comments about cassettes tapes...
"I've only seen Cassettes become a thing in hardcore recently. I think the appeal is that it's a way to release a demo or an EP for next to nothing but still have it look semi-professional (as in not a stock blank cd with a paper case). Being able to do a quick run of about 50-75 tapes for under $100 (labels included) is a great way for younger bands who don't have the funds for vinyl (and no one really buys cd's anyway in my experience). I know of bands who have their first practice on a Monday and their demo out on tape by Friday because it's cheap and takes about fifteen minutes for someone to dub the tapes if they know what they're doing. 50 tapes for $100 sell em for $4 each. Now that band has enough to do some t-shirts or drive to the next town and play there. Tapes are also more inexpensive to buy at shows and therefore easier for bands to sell. My band has released 3 cassettes so far, each with multiple runs of 50 and sold out of all of them so people definitely still have cassette decks. As far as sound quality goes, most hardcore bands who put out tapes usually have a really low-fi blown out sound to their recordings anyways. I can't think of any reason for bands, at least punk/hardcore bands, not to use cassettes."
and this BM fan boy's comments...
"From the start, black metal has been anti-establishment, and the culture of tape-trading falls right in line with that ideology. Tapes are not for the mainstream - they're limited, difficult to play, and wear down fast. But they reinforce the sense of belonging to that community when they're purchased or get passed around. it seems that the aesthetics and production quality of black metal really suits the cassette medium. A lot of early first-wave black metal was deliberately intended to sound raw and lo-fi. Early Gorgoroth or the live bootlegs of Mayhem come to mind. In fact, most of these recordings were originally released on tape. The initial appeal of cassettes was that they were a cheap, no-frills way to pick up on new and interesting music."
and...
Satanic Propaganda Records is a strictly tape-only label. Each tape is crafted to emanate the dank, alluring aura of authentic cult, very DIY, yet still of the highest quality and above all relics of an ageless, clandestine aesthetic infinitely worth the effort unearthing. The label CEO stated in Zero Tolerance magazine "cassettes give a special atmosphere to the music and it's essence. It's also a very fast way to release stuff worth the attention."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2015 14:56:41 GMT -6
I'm a CD guy all the way. I listen to most music straight from my computer, and it's MUCH easier to digitize a CD than a cassette. And you don't have to worry about a CD wearing down. Once you have that music digital, you can listen to it as much as you want.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 12:40:19 GMT -6
Cd is my first choice, although the cassette tape does have a certain charm to it, and I have quite a few in my collection
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Feb 4, 2015 20:16:07 GMT -6
Drawnsword, your post really inspired me. The releases I've all done post year 2000 have all been digital and CD, but... I actually don't like CDs. Never really did - but I know its still a medium people like. (I mean, I wouldn't be pressing CDs if people didn't buy them)
Tapes "wear out", yes... but not as fast as CDs. All it takes is one eye lash sized scratch on a disc to all but ruin it. I've heard enough "skipping" for a lifetime. CD cases have these little teeth that break when packed with anything else and then those teeth dig into the disc body, ruining it.
A cassette cases are much more durable in my opinion as well.
Like MP3 players, cassettes don't skip when you bump them.
The last tape I wore out was Disencumbrance - The Betrayal. Before that, a bunch of Pale Horse tapes. (anyone remember that Christian death metal band?) It didn't sound too different actually, and it took a LONG time to really notice some muffling of the sound.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 20:27:58 GMT -6
I remember Pale Horse! They had a song on the third SneeuwStorm compilation.
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Feb 4, 2015 20:47:04 GMT -6
What kind of storm now?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 21:21:01 GMT -6
They're a Dutch label.
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Post by Kerrick on Feb 5, 2015 11:04:17 GMT -6
Metal Helm has Sneeuwstorm Produkties samplers available. I have two of 'em. They've got some decent stuff on them but also a lot of pretty crummy stuff (intentionally bad, joke black metal, etc.).
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Post by drawnsword on Feb 5, 2015 14:47:33 GMT -6
Drawnsword, your post really inspired me. The releases I've all done post year 2000 have all been digital and CD, but... I actually don't like CDs. Never really did - but I know its still a medium people like. (I mean, I wouldn't be pressing CDs if people didn't buy them) Tapes "wear out", yes... but not as fast as CDs. All it takes is one eye lash sized scratch on a disc to all but ruin it. I've heard enough "skipping" for a lifetime. CD cases have these little teeth that break when packed with anything else and then those teeth dig into the disc body, ruining it. A cassette cases are much more durable in my opinion as well. Like MP3 players, cassettes don't skip when you bump them. The last tape I wore out was Disencumbrance - The Betrayal. Before that, a bunch of Pale Horse tapes. (anyone remember that Christian death metal band?) It didn't sound too different actually, and it took a LONG time to really notice some muffling of the sound. Good point! I'v been playing and collecting tapes since the early 1980's and very few of them are damaged. (about 4 i think) Yes seriously i still play them regularly and buy secondhand copies, sometimes find still sealed tapes too. Tape decks also stand the test of time, all my stereo's CD players skip or died and have DVD players hooked up so i can still play CD'S, yet my stereo in the lounge, studio and car tape decks still work fine as. Over all these years of playing music tape decks have been the one enduring and truly consistent! My Disencumbrance - The Betrayal and Pale Horse - Mournful tapes still play fine, i think if you treat cassettes gently and always rewind them when shelving they will last. Here's hoping you release the Eversole material on cassette!
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Feb 5, 2015 23:19:46 GMT -6
I'm thinking even Ankou Awaits on cassette sounds very appealing...
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Post by rideronawhitehorse on Feb 7, 2015 9:53:16 GMT -6
I love the sound of cassette for black metal because it blends the instruments together better than cd or mp3 and because you get a full course meal instead of fast food since you have to listen to the album as a complete work of art vs just skipping through to one or two tracks you are into.
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Feb 11, 2015 22:00:59 GMT -6
Good point Troy. I'm sure I'm botched plenty of atmosphere skipping intros, interludes, and slow parts.
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