MODUS PONY “Systemmetry” C5 (Superpolar TaÏps)

 

This is Superpolar TaÏps cassingle series #6, and I’ve checked out #4 (Qualchan.) and #5 (German Army) already, so you should probably go back and check those out. You’ll also find the likes of Adderall Canyonly, Nicholas Langley, and Superpolar TaÏps’s own bleed Air among the releases (a veritable Who’s Who of the international experimental tape scene – this is your third reminder). This time we’re checking in on moduS ponY, and it’s like this whole series was curated with me in mind. How many moduS ponY releases have I tackled? German Army, Qualchan.? It never stops getting old. And here on “Systemmetry” we get two and a half minutes of lovely guitar, synthesizer, and rhythm track, a mathematically precise, avant-garde replication of a music box. Sure, it’s not really a music box tune, but it follows a similar pace, rhythmic pattern, and simple arrangement that, when taken altogether, sounds like the work of a master tinker, one whose deliberate placement of all elements reveals an intricate connection of each piece. We’ve come to know this of moduS ponY throughout the years, yet we can still marvel at it when it confronts us head on. And yes, this one has an unstreamable B-side too, so get to a tape! “2ystemmetry” is too weird looking a track title to pass up.
 
https://moduspony.bandcamp.com/
 
https://superpolar.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan

GERMAN ARMY “What Brought You Here” C5 (Superpolar TaÏps)

 

Continuing in the Superpolar TaÏps cassingle series following that Qualchan. one, which also features the likes of Adderall Canyonly, Nicholas Langley, and moduS pony, among others (still a veritable Who’s Who of the international experimental tape scene), we come to one of the most prolific artists you can imagine, the San Gabriel, California, duo German Army. Long known for their “critique [of] US imperialism and nationalism,” GeAr has built their brand on punishing sonics, often bordering on electronic or industrial, featuring tribal rhythms and spoken samples, and smashing at the façade of the status quo until it shatters, splintering into abstract fractals that are arguably more beautiful and interesting (and fair) than what came before. On side A of their C5, GeAr blitzes through “What Brought You Here,” a taut drum-and-bass number flecked with ethereal echoes and faded tones. It’s right out of the German Army playbook, and it satisfies every craving you’d think it might. The B-side is called “The Form of Now,” but if you want to hear it, you have to get a tape … no streaming! Which is fine, the tape’s more fun anyway.
 
https://germanarmymusic.bandcamp.com/
 
https://superpolar.bandcamp.com/
 
--Ryan

QUALCHAN. “Bumper Music for the End Times.” C5 (Superpolar TaÏps)

 

Qualchan. shouldn’t be a stranger to you, and you can check their discography (a bit of which I’ve written about over the years) by clicking on the link below, or searching online by yourself, I don’t know, it’s your call. Also a thing that shouldn’t be a stranger to you: Superpolar TaÏps’s cassingle series, which has featured the likes of German Army, Adderall Canyonly, and Nicholas Langley, among others, a veritable Who’s Who of the international experimental tape scene. Each artist gets five minutes, 2.5 minutes a side, and Qualchan. peppers side A of their tape with a hearty dose of plunderphonic slow jams, an instrumental hip-hop vape track called “Bumper Music for the End Times.” Imagine if DJ Wally had smoked just a little less weed, refrained from including the giggle-inducing speech samples, and bumped up the crispness level from “dank” to “woozy” and you get the gist. As for side B … well, you’ll need to get your hands on a copy of the tape for that one, titled “To Fall in Love at the End of the World.” You’re not allowed to stream it – the authorities have their eye on you.
 
https://hangontoyrego.bandcamp.com/
 
https://superpolar.bandcamp.com/
 
--Ryan