Just short of five years ago, the Contort Yourself label issued a truly splendid collection of global 1980s DIY sounds that were initially released on cassette tape, but for the reissue were grooved into four sides of vinyl. Now, with 80s Underground Cassette Culture Volume 2, the label is delivering an equally grand follow-up, with the set’s 21 selections delving into the subgenres of minimal wave, post-punk, industrial, and experimental electronics. As listenable as it is eye-opening, it’s out now digitally and on 2LP with gatefold sleeve, printed inner sleeves, and insert.
Given the description above, listeners with insight into the subterranean 1980s might gather they have a handle on what 80s Underground Cassette Culture Volume 2 has in store, but a mere spin of the sides reveals the contents to be more expansive than one might expect, as opener “Under the Church” by the German post-punk outfit (possibly a solo project) Die Achse dishes a few surprisingly inviting (as opposed to foreboding or antagonistic) guitar flourishes. However, please don’t get the idea that Die Achse was flirting with the mersh.
“Peace of Mind” by the Italian outfit Nostalgie Eternelle, delivers an immediate contrast, ushering in vocals and beaucoup alienation. It’s a solid transition into the slow ooze ominousness of “As Your Told” by the UK duo Years on Earth, a track that would’ve worked perfectly on the soundtrack to a z-grade horror flick filmed on videocassette in some joker’s backyard in the mid-late ’80s (as the cut dates from ’82).
While this collection’s Volume 1 included Merzbow, a legitimately huge name in u-ground circles, this set is loaded with obscurities, as I’d rate the USA’s If, Bwana (the prolific project of Al Margolis) as amongst the better known entries on Volume 2, with “Tiny Bladders” a killer dose of gnawing industrial menace and non-dance rhythm. It leads into another legit surprise, as “Attempt to Rap” by Germany’s Stefan Schrader takes clear inspiration from early rap-electro trailblazers like Afrika Bambaataa. Newcleus and the Egyptian Lover (thankfully, nobody attempts to rap, as the cut is all instrumental).
Side two opens with the intriguing industrial-post-punk spiral throb of “Bump Beat” by the US-based Misteek, and follows it with the stutteringly catchy electronic rhythmic fiesta “CV In” by Sweden’s M. Rendell. From there, the incessant pulse of “Bienvenidos a Neuchatel” by Spain’s Dix Ferro hits the sweet spot between industrial and dark wave, and “Open Window” by France’s Sluik encourages taking a plunge from the titular orifice (“jump, jump, jump, JUMP”) as minimal synth-wave is the bedrock.
The echoey industrial funk of “Pressure Level” by the UK’s Pornosect is another unexpected twist, as the sound’s not that far afield from what dance club groovers like Information Society were doing a little deeper into the decade. But darker and more lo-fi, the track isn’t an outlier, instead flowing pretty seamlessly into the cyclical electronic experimental buoyance of “Projectile Fascination” by Australia’s excellently named The Horse He’s Sick (and bookending nicely with the Misteek’s side opener).
Side three begins with another high(er)-profile artist, France’s M. Nomized, whose “Nitsed” is gradually layered instrumental synth wave (released in 1983, it ends with a sound strikingly close to a stuttering CD). “Life is Short” by John J Lafia would fit into a dance-punk mixtape/playlist without a hitch (maybe the most surprising thing about it is how it was cut in the USA). And then “Newton” by Spain’s Interaccion begins in the experimental zone before adding infectious if never full-on dancy rhythms and finally landing in angsty synth-wave territory.
“Spürhund” by Germany’s Die Mysteriösen is a fascinatingly strange fusion of the soundtrack to Liquid Sky and lo-fi reggae. Also from Germany, Homage a Brinkman offers “Französisch,” which starts out in almost giallo soundtrack mode, at least until the vocals enter; after that, we’re squarely in the realms of the Neue Deutsche Welle.
The final side opens with “Tekno Pop” by Solanaceae Tau, with music perhaps fitting the description of the title but far more fuzzy and restless (to the brink of stressed-out) than that genre’s norms. Are they also from Germany? Why, indeed yes they are. It leads into “The CIA, It Dance” by France’s Ob Ovo Sha 261, a left-field cut adding some Duane Eddy-ish guitar and a Peter Gunn-ish rhythmic foundation. While not amongst my favorite cuts here, it goes down okay.
“We Are All Children of God” by Belgium’s Collectionism starts out with a recording of (I’m assuming) an American preacher, a rather familiar tactic for industrial-aligned groups of the era, but one dissipating rather quickly here in favor of an experimental instrumental approach. In a late twist, “Anstalt” by Germany’s U.P.M. hits the ear a bit like Fad Gadget, a sound that carries over into closer “Slightly Mental” by France’s Wolfgang Wiggers, which introduces saxophone to the equation.
As a final thought, I like how Contort Yourself’s sequence doesn’t overly represent the transgressive end of the subterranean ’80s spectrum. Instead, the record flows with the variety detailed above. And even better, all the cuts on 80s Underground Cassette Culture Volume 2 have been fully licensed from the artists, making this a stand-up undertaking all-around.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
