4 Track Tapes 85-86
by Runningonair
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Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Purchasable with gift card
£5 GBP or more
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumComes in square gatefold lancing case (no plastic). Art work by Joe Evans.
Includes unlimited streaming of 4 Track Tapes 85-86 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.ships out within 3 daysedition of 50£7 GBP or more
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Full Digital Discography
Get all 12 Runningonair releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Ceres, B.A.U., Conspiracy Theory, 4 Track Tapes 85-86 Gold Edition, 4 Track Tapes 85-86, More Than Machine Remixes, Elemental States, Septimal, and 4 more.
Purchasable with gift card£29.73 GBP or more (50% OFF)
1. |
Ident
00:28
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2. |
Partition
04:18
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3. |
Arps
04:13
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4. |
Piano
02:41
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5. |
Recess 1
00:40
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6. |
Triptych 1
02:32
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7. |
Triptych 2
04:21
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8. |
Triptych 3
04:44
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9. |
Recess 2
00:28
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10. |
Hydrocarbon Clouds
03:53
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11. |
Questions
04:16
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12. |
Recess 3
00:48
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13. |
Setting Off
01:45
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14. |
Up
01:52
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15. |
Production Line
02:17
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16. |
Recess 4
00:37
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17. |
Crossing the Border
06:35
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about
The title, “4 track tapes 85-86”, might suggest a direct lift, clean up and remaster, but this is far from the truth.
Comprising of a selection of musical sketches and demos, the material on the tapes was never intended for release.
Instead, the tapes have been languishing in storage for around 30 years. However in 2017, concerns about the
longevity of the originals lead to transferring to digital. This was the first time I had heard the material for many years;
I was surprised by how many of the tracks I remembered and by how much I liked them. It really felt like discovering a
treasure trove. Yes, it’s all early stuff, poorly performed and lo-fi sound but without pretention. Naïve really. At the
time I wasn’t really listening to much pop music and so there was minimal influences from that area. Although the
tapes were littered with performance mistakes the sound has an almost clinical quality at times, typical of early digital
synths.
When I considered turning the material into a functioning album, I wanted to find a balance between the authenticity
of the original and potential gains of current music technology. I did this by setting certain boundaries, the most
important being only material from the original tapes could be used.
While performance mistakes could be fixed relatively easily, the lack of drum tracks was a bigger problem. At the time I
didn’t have a drum machine and would instead resort to banging a few tin cans to try to get some form of percussion
part. This rarely worked. Of course, true authenticity would demand I didn’t add anything new, but I felt it really
needed the lift drums could bring. Fortunately, I did occasionally get brief drum machine loans from various sources
and recordings of these were on the same tapes in the form of unfinished tracks. From these sound sources I
constructed sympathetic drum parts, attempting to create something that I could have done at the time.
Additionally, I allowed myself the luxury of enhancing the sound quality within certain limits, essentially sticking to
basic EQ, reverb and stereo widening.
Although the enhancements have changed the character of the tracks greatly, certain key ingredients remain; the
wonky ever-changing tempos and improvisational playing remain intact, and they still feel like the original tracks,
although they do sound richer. I’m sure the younger me would have wanted to go much further.
Joe Evans 2020
Comprising of a selection of musical sketches and demos, the material on the tapes was never intended for release.
Instead, the tapes have been languishing in storage for around 30 years. However in 2017, concerns about the
longevity of the originals lead to transferring to digital. This was the first time I had heard the material for many years;
I was surprised by how many of the tracks I remembered and by how much I liked them. It really felt like discovering a
treasure trove. Yes, it’s all early stuff, poorly performed and lo-fi sound but without pretention. Naïve really. At the
time I wasn’t really listening to much pop music and so there was minimal influences from that area. Although the
tapes were littered with performance mistakes the sound has an almost clinical quality at times, typical of early digital
synths.
When I considered turning the material into a functioning album, I wanted to find a balance between the authenticity
of the original and potential gains of current music technology. I did this by setting certain boundaries, the most
important being only material from the original tapes could be used.
While performance mistakes could be fixed relatively easily, the lack of drum tracks was a bigger problem. At the time I
didn’t have a drum machine and would instead resort to banging a few tin cans to try to get some form of percussion
part. This rarely worked. Of course, true authenticity would demand I didn’t add anything new, but I felt it really
needed the lift drums could bring. Fortunately, I did occasionally get brief drum machine loans from various sources
and recordings of these were on the same tapes in the form of unfinished tracks. From these sound sources I
constructed sympathetic drum parts, attempting to create something that I could have done at the time.
Additionally, I allowed myself the luxury of enhancing the sound quality within certain limits, essentially sticking to
basic EQ, reverb and stereo widening.
Although the enhancements have changed the character of the tracks greatly, certain key ingredients remain; the
wonky ever-changing tempos and improvisational playing remain intact, and they still feel like the original tracks,
although they do sound richer. I’m sure the younger me would have wanted to go much further.
Joe Evans 2020
credits
released May 1, 2020
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Runningonair UK
Outlet for the music of Joe Evans / Runningonair.
discography
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Sep 2023 -
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May 2020 -
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Sep 2015 -
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May 2012 -
Mar 2013 -
Oct 2012
contact / help
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