Clip of a track created by Transient.

Jupiter’s Orbit (clip) by transient @ tape-echo

Tape-Echo is an online ‘zine posting interviews, reviews, mixtapes and ‘whatever else we feel like’.

Run out of a basement in Bristol by ‘Transient’, and a small group of contributors, they prefer analog ways of doing things: using a typewriter instead of a Mac, playing vinyl not MP3s, brewing their own coffee and reading books, not blogs.

For the moment Tape-Echo is web based because they say that’s the easiest way to reach a large audience cheaply, but the first issue of the ‘zine is in the works.

Tape-Echo provides a platform for up-and-coming producers and visual artists that they feel are doing something special. ‘The internet is full of music blogs that endlessly re-post each other’s content and Tape-Echo is a reaction against that’, says Transient. ‘We provide our readers 100% exclusive content – no re-posts, guaranteed.’

Because of that, the site might not have fresh posts every day; ‘But whatever we do post, you can be sure you won’t find it anywhere else’.

As well as providing interviews, photos and mixes, the group runs a small cassette tape label called ‘Garcia Hotel Duplications’, another backlash against the MP3 and cdj culture. The label is pushing experimental noise music as well as some more beat-centric workouts.

The first release is from a Bristol Duo called BoxDrummingBandwagon who make what could loosely be called hip-hop but sounds more like a selection of children’s musical instruments played by a drunk jazz band.

The releases will be available on cassette only and available through Tape-Echo from mid June. You can listen to previews of their tracks on http://soundcloud.com/boxdrummingbandwagon

As far as Transient’s own music is concerned, he says he listens to a lot of techno and house records as well as jazz and blues, anything with a strong groove. ‘I take all the elements from the music I listen to and try to combine them into a soundscape you can lose yourself in’;.

You can hear more of his beats here – http://soundcloud.com/transient-illmatter

* Transient is the DJ name of local man Alex Digard, currently working in Bristol.

www.tape-echo.com

Twitter – tapeecho