Do you know what apophallation is? What kind of person would go by that moniker? A total weirdo from the Netherlands, that's who. I'm sure Jeroen de Graaf is a very nice person... actually I'm not so sure because this tape sounds like it was made by a deranged maniac.Verzameling Van Audio Om Kennis te Maken of Omdat je het op Cassette Wilt (Google translation: "Collection Of Audio To discover or because you want to Cassette") collects six tracks from four different releases. And this stuff is nasty. Super loud, white-hot split-second tape-splice, trainwreck at 800bpm-style. That's probably a bit reductive to say as the tape is much more dynamic than that description makes it seem. Between the static squalls, there's a couple beats here, a few pauses, maybe a lull or two, blown-out field recordings and a few seconds of room-mic'd sounds rather than all-levels-in-the-red direct current violence.
Honestly, I'm surprised this is a compilation and as it feels like one coherent piece of savagery. I'm assuming de Graaf went about refashioning the tracks a little to get this effect, just like he made sure the dub was loud and filthy--perhaps the most crucial element for this sort of thing. The sensations of speed and force this tape generates are just ridiculous. I feel like my ears are getting pinned back, maybe it's just the headphones but I'm not so sure...
The tape isn't that long and I think that's one of its strengths. You jump in, get battered to a pulp on this inherently unsafe roller coaster ride and de-train a little dizzy and exhausted but thoroughly exhilarated. Life's harsh and I'm lovin' it.
The flipside features some slightly warbly Dutch folk-pop dug up at a flea market. It's as good a way as any to decompress after the blistering rocket ride on the A-side.
Not sure how many copies of this there are or if it's even commercially available. Good luck I guess. Check the Apophallation website for clues.
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