released April 4, 2022

THE PROJECT IS THE PROCESS

For a long time, it was assumed that certain archived cassettes recorded mostly on a TASCAM 244 porta-studio were inaccessible due to the difficulty in acquiring a functional machine to import them into a digital audio workspace (DAW). These tapes, which were created between 1984 and 1996, contain many hours of material which, while mostly available in their original mixes, offer excellent potential for remixing and reinvention, should there be some way to access them. During work on the 0 = II collection in December of 2021, certain experiments were done using a standard stereo cassette deck in an attempt to reconstruct these analogue four track sessions. Basic digital audio editing software proved suitable in terms of correcting aspects such as tape speed variations between the TASCAM and standard stereo decks (the former playing at double normal speed) and for reversing audio tracks which were paired on what would be the B-side of the tape on a regular deck. These tools, coupled with discovering the optimum settings to use on the playback cassette deck for tape bias and noise reduction, made it possible to restore four track masters in a Logic Pro DAW and re-sync the isolated individual tracks again. Once within a new session file, it was then possible to enhance and augment them in a myriad of ways. The process of working on each composition then become one of cultivation so that it would blossom as its audio seeds took root and then began to grow according to their latent dispositions. It was a balancing act of seeking to maintain the fundamental essence of the original composition while extrapolating what could be integrated into it to bring it into a more fully realized, properly produced reinterpretation.

THE MADNESS OF THE METHOD

For this album, from a pool of approximately 100 cassettes, 10 pieces were remixed utilizing no more than three tapes. This set, as it stands, represents source material drawn from the earliest days of working with multi-track recording equipment. At the time they were created, personal knowledge and abilities were at mere novice levels, therefore they were often of less than “professional” recording quality. Within that limitation, every effort has been made to find ways to enhance the source material without sacrificing its character and nuance.

The graphic imagery utilized for this collection was primarily acquired via screen-grabs from experimental films produced in 1984. These productions were originally shot on 8mm film and then transferred to 3/4” UMATIC video in 1994 for archiving. Those videos were then converted to digital media in 2005. Pen and ink drawings utilized for overlays were done by hand in the early 1990s. Textural components used for final graphic layering utilize stock photographic source material.

All materials procured, created, manipulated and assembled by ANAZANAUT during the period from February 1st through March 28, 2022 (unless otherwise noted).