Category Archives: UPDATE

DAIS050 Chris Brokaw – ‘Now, Forager’
Chris Brokaw’s resume over the past 25 years reads like a “who’s who” of indie rock alumni. Starting as the founding member of Codeine and followed up by fronting rock mainstay Come, Brokaw has established himself as a renaissance man of songwriting. Collaborating with Liz Phair, John McEntire (Tortoise), Rhys Chatham, Evan Dando, Glenn Jones, Thurston Moore and even a brief stint with GG Allin, it is sometimes easier to list who Chris Brokaw hasn’t played with rather than everyone who has crossed his path. After his time with Come, Brokaw lent his talents to bands such as Pullman, Consonant and The New Year…constantly evolving and changing his pace and rhythm. Nowadays, Brokaw stays booked by a constant tour schedule and his duties with Dirtmusic alongside Hugo Race (of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds fame). When the dust settles in the off-season, Brokaw finds himself a more mature career path as a composer of film scores and soundtracks. Previous works for lauded independent art-house films such as I Was Born, But… and Road made Brokaw’s instrumentals a familiar tone amongst the independent film community. After a slew of solo releases from labels such as 12XU, Atavistic, Brokaw’s own Capitan Records and his highly praised acoustic outing on Vin Du Select Qualitite, Brokaw sat down with the award winning film Now, Forager to score it’s lucid narrative outlining the story of two lovers joined in the unusual scenario of mushroom foraging which pushes their unstable relationship to its limits. Limited edition of 500 vinyl copies featuring previously unreleased songs and bonus tracks not found in the film.

DAIS032 Thee Majesty – ‘Live at the Pezner 1999’ LP
For the past 20 years, the elusive collaboration between Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle / Psychic TV / COUM Transmissions) and Bryin Dall (Hirsute Pursuit / A Murder of Angels) has taken on various members and formations over the years, always keeping a steady focus on it’s balancing act of ambient sound and cryptic verse. Considered by most to be P-Orridge’s “sound poetry” accompanied by Bryin Dall’s unusual instrumentation backdrops, recordings of this project has been selectively sparse with only a handful of rare performances to create evidence for its existence. This unique live document captures Thee Majesty at its most flexible, changing up tone and structure at a moments notice and harmonizing the abstract poetry of P-Orridge’s obtuse wordplay and apocalyptic banter and Dall’s meditative and complex drones. Recorded live in 1999 at the famed Pezner Theater in Villeurbanne, France. Featuring a guest appearance by legendary instrumentalist Mark Cunningham of No-Wave pioneers Mars and John avanti. Limited to 300 vinyl copies with reminiscent liners by Bryin Dall.

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STRATA01 North Col – ‘One’ C45 $5
on purple cassettes – Edition of 25. Late night feedback laced jams from Milwaukee, WI. Sometimes meditative, sometimes walls of noise.

STRATA02 Disguised as Birds – ‘We Buy Gold’ C40 $5
on pro dubbed/imprinted yellow cassettes – Edition of 100. Disguised as Birds final EP. Nice and heavy indie sounds from Milwaukee, WI along the likes of Jawbox, Shiner, Fugazi, etc.

STRATA03 The Fassbinders – ‘Earthworm’ C55 $5
on pro dubbed/imprinted orange cassettes – Edition of 100 – Earthworm jumps from psych to country to druggy pop with some garage tossed in for good measure. From Madison and Milwaukee, WI.

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Paper Tiger – ‘Leaf Bones’ CS $5
With Paper Tiger’s second release, these Hyper-ambitious, smile-til-you-laugh, electro-psych-pop songs are easily accessible to the ears, yet something about them is freshly strange and may not be for everyone. Really original and genuine music, we love it over here at Gray Cake Tapes! ltd. edition of 25.

Itchy Cricket CS $5
This is Itchy Cricket’s first release- Beautifuly brittle soulful banjo sing songs. Mostly improvised and recorded in the back seat of an old Volvo. About as honest as it gets. ltd. edition of 25.

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II025 – Tuluum Shimmering – ‘The Sky Tree’ C120
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II026 – Peasants – ‘Sawngs’ C48
Some live jams recorded in Washington Park… Communing with the Earth. Sitting in trees with leaves in your hair.

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LAYNE GARRETT – ‘winter tape 2014’ C36
Improvisations on prepared resonator guitar and prepared electric guitar. It is all about rhythm (loose but insistent) and texture; occasionally wavering melodies sneak in. Sometimes subtle and sometimes totally blown out. Something like the blues is hiding in there somewhere. Recorded direct to cassette using a variety of mic-ing techniques, winter 2014. Hand-painted covers.

WEED TREE – ‘[] [] [] [] []’ C62
Improvised drums and guitar from Washington DC duo of Amanda Huron and Layne Garrett. Live recordings from 2012-3. Goes everywhere from a minimal no-wave vibe to fancy free-improv textural explorations to ecstatic flailing. Hand-inked covers. Edition of 50.

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CASK – ‘CASK’ C91 $8(US)/$12(CAN)/$15(World)
CASK is a UK drone super group of sorts, featuring the likes of Chris Gowers (Karina ESP), Alex Smalley (Pausal, Olan Mill), Simon Bainton (Pausal), and Katie English (Isnaj Dui) joining forces to help you drift away to the maximum. With a running time that exceeds an hour and a half, their self-titled debut is well suited for lengthy relaxation sessions or even sleep accompaniment. Combining guitar, flute, synthesizer, and vinyl samples, it’s clear upon first listen that this is a group of friends and collaborators with history that runs deep and they’re extremely comfortable playing with one another. Individual elements of the sound seem to mesh smoothly into one, but a closer listen reveals great detail and tight interplay between each musician. Excellent for both passive and active listening, this is a release that truly earns the “epic” tag, and it’s one you’ll want to return to continually and experience in brand new ways. Pro-dubbed and imprinted chrome cassettes, featuring designs by Caroline Teagle. Comes with a free digital download code. Edition of 100.

Glass House – ‘Keeping to the Void’ C44 $8(US)/$12(CAN)/$15(World)
After last year’s split with Even the Dew is Porous, we’ve been itching to share more from this excellent Brooklyn/Philadelphia duo. On ‘Keeping to the Void’, Ian Collier and Eric Brannon continue to advance their ability to create soundscapes that are paradoxically massive and intimate. Processing a heavy mix of piano, vocals, field recordings, as well as stringed and percussive instruments, each piece has an entirely distinct sound, exploding with both dark imagery and grandiose beauty. There’s something distinctly cinematic about this music, which is no surprise given the members’ backgrounds in film production. Still, they manage to create pieces that are in no way heavy handed nor emotionally manipulative. Instead, their audio journey through the void invites you to conjur up your own imagery to accompany the magnificent sounds. What will you see when you open your ears and close your eyes? Pro-dubbed and imprinted chrome cassettes, featuring designs by Caroline Teagle. Comes with a free digital download code. Edition of 100.

Bedroom – ‘Shade & System’ C44 $8(US)/$12(CAN)/$15(World)
It’s always a pleasure to present new music from longtime friend and label cohort Michael Chau. After a split with Afterlife and two previous full-length releases on the label, Chau delivers another total stunner with ‘Shade & System’. The release is built around two long form pieces that were played during live sets throughout 2013. Both compositions find Chau carefully juggling a variety of synths, samplers, and subtly-used drum machines to build toward climaxes that are overwhelmingly satisfying. Chau has proven his ear for beautiful melody on past releases, but this time he takes it over the top. With each new element added to the mix, the emotional impact grows exponentially. The long form compositions are surrounded by five shorter works that chart new territory for the project, using modular synths to chop pop samples and field recordings into hypnotic abstractions and undulating rhythms. It all adds up to Bedroom’s strongest release to date and another perfect excuse to turn the volume up and shift your gaze toward the clouds. Pro-dubbed and imprinted chrome cassettes, featuring designs by Caroline Teagle. Comes with a free digital download code. Edition of 100.

Andreas Brandal – ‘Hidden Rooms’ C40 $8(US)/$12(CAN)/$15(World)
Norwegian master of the macabre Andreas Brandal returns with his second release for the label. ‘Hidden Rooms’ once again showcases Brandal’s outstanding musicianship through nine pieces that are brimming with mystery and cloaked in a dense shroud of darkness, but somehow catchy at the same time. Similar to 2012’s ‘Turning Point’, the release could easily be mistaken for the soundtrack from a lost horror film from the 70s or 80s without being stylistically derivative. While nods to the likes of John Carpenter and Goblin are crystal clear, this music is so much more than a simple throwback. Leaning heavily on synths, acoustic guitar, and bass, Brandal’s exceptional compositional skills are on display throughout, and his ability to shift the atmosphere through moments that are full of dread at times, delicate and beautiful at others, and even playful in parts is effective enough to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. The fact that he isn’t getting paid big bucks to soundtrack films seems like a damn same, but at least we get to enjoy Brandal’s work on tape until Hollywood gets it right and snatches him up. Pro-dubbed and imprinted chrome cassettes, featuring designs by Caroline Teagle. Edition of 100.

Special Rate to Purchase all Four New Cassettes: $26 USA/$32 Canada/$37 World

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HP60: CONSTRAIN – ‘Excide’ C26
Harsh cut-up electronics, frantically mangled & arranged. With emphasis on tape loops & sound collage. Featuring new, unreleased and live material. Housed in a white vinyl clamshell case w/ insert. Originally released at the most Los Angeles performance. Edition of 20. only 7 left !

HP61: VASCULAE – ‘Effort Towards Regression’ C47
Two long tracks of expertly paced & composed harsh noise from Jonathan Borges (Pedestrian Deposit, Everyday Loneliness) Paying strict attention to organic textures and layering. Dense low-end rumble, crackle & piercing feedback. Edition of 100.

COMMITMENT #2 zine
Second installment in the Commitment series, this issue featuring solo & collaborative works by Kevin McEleney & Luke Tandy. 5.5 x 8.5, b&w, 9 pages. Edition of 30.

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CLAY RENDERING – ‘waters above the firmament’ 12″
This second EP from Mike and Tara Connelly’s Clay Rendering follows on from their heavy debut ‘Nature’s Confusion’ and further develops their compositions through four pieces that draw you in with a slow, swinging weight. References are hard to draw but the tracks here recall everything industrial, metal, ambient, and 90’s rock. additional production assistance from Dominick Fernow and additional synth from Robert Beatty. ‘Waters Above The Firmament’ and “Myrrh Is Rising” were written in the dead of winter…”The Pest” and “Temple Walking” in the heat of summer.

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Exiting Blue – ‘Cassette One’
Digital Purism was created in FL Studio, with one prized VST synth given a mid eq boost and recorded. Everything else was recorded using Pure Data with basic oscillators , mastered in FL Studio and outputted as .wav or .mp3. There were no analog instruments used in this recording, no bent circuits, no pointless overuse of archaic pedals and certainly no contact mics placed in a fridge, thrown down a mountain and recorded. Inspired by Whitehouse’s BirthDeath Experience, Merzbow’s original move to laptop usage and Florian Hecker’s ‘Acid in the style of David Tudor’.

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Son Of A Bricklayer – ‘Out Of The Fire’ C20 $8
From the eerie tone-setting introduction to the final beats drum slap – Out Of The Fire marks another masterpiece of Copenhagen’s Son Of A Bricklayer. The drumming is intricate, deliberate, and rolls at a steady tempo. The samples are create a fascinating backdrop, yet it is so nice to hear the upfront drum beats. Out Of The Fire presents a journey through Embers and Vapors – the burning movements like a flicker of a flame that bounce as the music gets heavy and dances at its breaks. The beautiful of Son Of A Bricklayer’s production is how he balances the album and intertwines the movements of soft and hard, the drums slam to a stop at just the right moment for the atmosphere or piano to come in and carry you faintly into the next movement. The skillful craftsman bridges Out Of The Fire like smoke lingering in the wind. Featuring artwork by Bethaniens Dust – conceptual box casing and light brown cassettes limited to 116 copies.

Feend/Manofue Wurdz – ‘Novaturient’ C41 $6
Novaturient is often referred to a lost word… yet its meaning is about desiring change in one’s life- something so many of us can relate too. Allow Feend and Manofue Wurdz take you on this soulful journey of desire, as the two Southern California beat producers bring 41 minutes of mellow beats and chilled sounds. Feend has been a favorite of ours for awhile now, following up 2013’s Secrets, Novaturient introduces us to more heavy beats that take their time coming across the speakers like a fine polished wine the presentation and discourse is intoxicating. Manofue Wurdz without hesitation introduces his side with a definitive construction of samples and beats. Jazzing his style up, Manofue Wurdz continues the progression of downtempo beats that you can just chill to. Overall Novaturient is laid-back on its approach but finely tuned as such an enjoyable release. Limited to 109 beautiful blue cassettes.

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