A new compilation titled Erased Tapes 十五, encompassing a two hour cross-section of the label's 15-year history including hidden gems and previously unreleased material, will be available on November 4 to coincide with specially curated festivals in London and Berlin.

The first offering comes from UK producer Kevin Richard Martin aka The Bug and Japanese voice artist Hatis Noit who share their paranormal first collaborative cut After the Storm amongst other unique pairings such as The Art Ensemble of Chicago featuring Moor Mother, Bell Orchestre interpreted by Colin Stetson, Douglas Dare joined by The London Contemporary Orchestra and Ben Lukas Boysen remixed by Kiasmos.

Premiered exclusively via The Wire magazine in form of a free download ahead of their debut live performance at Le Guess Who? Festival 2019 in Utrecht, the track is now finally made available on vinyl and streaming platforms alongside other previously unreleased pieces from electronic producer Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles and Icelandic composer Högni.

“As a solo vocalist and voice artist, I’d always dreamed of floating and being drowned in a beautiful sonic storm. And then I met Kevin Martin” — Hatis Noit

The artwork was created with calligraphy by label founder Robert Raths and designed by Munich-based graphic designer Bernd Kuchenbeiser.

TRACK LISTING

Rival Consoles Them Is Us
The Art Ensemble Of Chicago Mama Koko (feat. Moor Mother)
Bell Orchestre The Stars In His Head / Bernard 33 - Dark Lights (Colin Stetson Remix)
Masayoshi Fujita Book Of Life
Hatis Noit Aura
Anne Müller Nummer 20
Lubomyr Melnyk Son Of Parasol
Daniel Brandt Flamingo
Ben Lukas Boysen Clarion (Kiasmos Remix)
Crayon Ithinkso (feat. Bastien Brison)
Penguin Cafe Harry Piers 2021
Peter Broderick Sonata For The Sirius
Qasim Naqvi Aftertouched
Kevin Richard Martin & Hatis Noit After The Storm
Rival Consoles I Love This, I Love You
Douglas Dare Heavenly Bodies (feat. London Contemporary Orchestra)
Roedelius & Story Spirit Clock
Högni Anda Þinn Guð (feat. Hatis Noit)
Daniel Thorne From The Other Side Of The World
Michael Price Sandham (feat. Shards)
Shards Inner Counterpoint
David Allred The Garden
Nils Frahm O I End

There are very few artists that could compete with the Erased Tapes roster when it comes to throught provoking, modern classical music in the 21st century, and this latest four-track compilation sees them pulling together some of the most effective and beautful pieces from any of their respective catalogues. 

We kick things off with the static music-concrete stillness of 'Fernweh' by Hatis Noit. Slowly pulled synth swells and abstracted twinkling bells are joined by the odd hit of percussion, focusing the disparate organic strands into something cohesive and anchored. It swims with the spirit of Japanese ambient music, but with a little more elctronic interruption and crackling glitched stereo sweeps. 

Masayoshi fujita follows things up with 'Led By A Blue Bird Into The Mountain', drawing melody out of snapping woody hits and organic animalistic wails.There are moments of stillness, but the main refrain here is wrought out of these moments of incidental percussion and the syncopation of a number of elements, crafting melody through reptition. 

Ryan Lee West has always been one of my favourites and sees him here in superb form, abstracting melodies and rhythms with a mix of the vigour of his early years ('Howl' was a particular favourite of mine, and you can still hear the echoes of it here) and the more arty, stretched-out post-club haze. 

This is all before the stunning closer from Daniel Thorne 'Outline Of A Distant Memory' which sees a fractured, world ending static a-la Hecker meet headfirst  with shadowy strings and what could easily be described as a sort of  'train coming out of the fog' rhythmic foundation. It's a wonderful end to a superb compilation, and more evidence (if any were needed) that Erased Tapes are *still* one of the greatest labels around. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A stunning collection of off-piste ambience and drones from some of the greatest artists working in the avant-garde field today, for one of the greatest labels presenting it. Thoroughly brilliant.

TRACK LISTING

1. Fernweh - Hatis Noit
2. Led By A Blue Bird Into The Mountain - Masayoshi Fujita
3. Under Waves, Ascending - Rival Consoles
4. Outline Of A Distant Memory - Daniel Thorne

Erased Tapes release the results of their 20･･－－－0 project on June 12th 2021.

"Especially in this time of isolation we need to remind ourselves of the importance of art, just how magical a medium sound is to express, to raise and answer question marks, to open and mend the soul… it’s the most universally speaking of all languages as it knows no borders." At a time of global separation, Erased Tapes founder and sonic explorer Robert Raths stitched together a project putting what is most important at the forefront — connection. This collection of works by undisclosed artists from the roster gives space and time to appreciate art at its most honest. By shedding the information noise usually attached to release cycles and by bringing music back to the magic of sound, we're presented with an opportunity for exploration when we need it most. Robert spoke to Mary Anne Hobbs of BBC 6Music about how releasing music without revealing its origin through the 20･･－－0 morse code series enabled him to share what him and the artists have been working on in real-time as opposed to the usual delays that come with releasing music.

"All the information, all that noise… As much as it can help give context, it also takes something away. It tends to cloud your senses and take away from the magic of when you first hear something that’s completely unknown to your ears. How wonderful a sensation it is to just listen and let the music speak for itself without prejudice or the need for any references." — Robert Raths

“I suppose finding words and meaning to describe this release would be next to impossible. This recording was a real joy, to go back to our humble beginnings. To have the freedom to create art only for ourselves was truly sublime” — Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie of A Winged Victory For The Sullen

Erased Tapes rounds off a jubilant year of tenth anniversary celebrations with a very special release, 1+1=X, a set of exclusive music from every artist on the label. Featuring never before heard tracks from Nils Frahm, Kiasmos and A Winged Victory For The Sullen, 1+1=X sees Erased Tapes artists come together to make an album as a collective. Sharing the same space, instruments and each others’ capabilities during a residency at Vox-Ton studio in Berlin, they recorded 20 songs to mark the label's 10-year history.

Between August 2016 and 2017, each artist arrived with a new composition or an improvisation to record at Vox-Ton. Run with much love and care by Italian engineer Francesco Donadello – who has worked on many Erased Tapes recordings before including A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Michael Price and Lubomyr Melnyk – it is one of the few studios left where it’s still possible to record fully analogue, isolated from the city noise and in a room that can fit a large ensemble. Reflective of the communal spirit, 1+1=X is the result of an ambitious undertaking; to create a singular record as a collective, not just a compilation of songs, that celebrates the benefits of community over individuality and improvisation over rigorous planning.

“As much as Erased Tapes probably wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the digital age, we should also remind ourselves of what we are capable of without it,” adds Raths. “1+1=X is a testament of what can be achieved when we work together as a collective, which is more than the sum of what we can achieve as individuals.”

The majority of songs on this album feature contributions from multiple performers, whether it’s Nils Frahm duetting on the keys with Arthur Jeffes of Penguin Cafe, Kiasmos being joined by Högni and a string ensemble, Douglas Dare’s one-take ‘Darling’ featuring Rival Consoles on synths, Masayoshi Fujita on vibes and Raths himself controlling the tremolo on his voice. Peter Broderick’s ‘The Perpetual Glow’ meanwhile, brings in a full big band and choir where everyone present, including the studio staff, was invited to grab any instrument and join in. Every song has a unique story and approach – in-themoment decisions and little accidents that could only come out of these kinds of circumstances where people work together in the same space, sparking off each other and their environment. Even Rival Consoles’ remix of Daniel Brandt’s ‘Blackpool Sands Forever’ was conceived of in the studio kitchen during recording breaks.

Japanese vocal performer Hatis Noit decided to bring a field recording of the ocean with her, which she had taken near the Fukushima power plant after participating in a memorial ceremony for the opening of the evacuation area. It is also no coincidence that the album opens with ‘Brutal Moderna’ by Qasim Naqvi (Dawn of Midi) and A Winged Victory For The Sullen’s ‘Long May It Sustain’, which were both recorded on the day the U.S. election results came in. “Qasim asked me to read the news headlines with a stutter over the top of his piece. It was an oddly beautiful experience which brought all of us together on a day when spirits were otherwise a bit low,” says Peter Broderick. “I thought this residency was a wonderful idea. In fact I would have loved to be there for more of it. I made some amazing new friends, some stronger bonds with old friends and some wonderful pieces of music that I’m honoured to be a part of. Robert has often described Erased Tapes as a family, and perhaps above all else this was just his earnest effort to bring the family together. I hope we’ll have some reunions in years to come!” 

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracklisting:
Disc 1
1. Qasim Naqvi - Brutal Moderna
2. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Long May It Sustain
3. Rival Consoles - Ritual Song
4. Nils Frahm - Frau Dehlholm
5. Daniel Thorne - Iroise
6. Daniel Brandt - Blackpool Sands Forever
7. Douglas Dare - Darling
8. Michael Price - Eyn Hallow
9. Kiasmos & Hogni - Zebra
10. Ben Lukas Boysen - Pending
11. David Allred - Ahoy

Disc 2
1. Anne Müller - Bel Tono
2. Lubomyr Melnyk - Palisade 1
3. Hatis Noit - Inori
4. Masayoshi Fujita - Spaceship Magical
5. Hogni - Mani
6. Peter Broderick - The Perpetual Glow
7. Arthur Jeffes & Nils Frahm - Up Is Good
8. Daniel Brandt - Blackpool Sands Forever (Rival Consoles Remix)
9. Penguin Cafe - Wheels Within Wheels (Greg Gives Peter Space Remix)

Vinyl Tracklisting:
A1. Qasim Naqvi - Brutal Moderna
A2. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Long May It Sustain
A3. Rival Consoles - Ritual Song
A4. Nils Frahm - Frau Dehlholm
B1. Daniel Thorne - Iroise
B2. Daniel Brandt - Blackpool Sands Forever
B3. Douglas Dare - Darling
C1. Michael Price - Eyn Hallow
C2. Kiasmos & Högni - Zebra
C3. Ben Lukas Boysen - Pending
C4. David Allred - Ahoy
D1. Anne Müller - Bel Tono
D2. Lubomyr Melnyk - Palisade 1
E1. Hatis Noit - Inori
E2. Masayoshi Fujita - Spaceship Magical
E3. Högni - Möni
E4. Peter Broderick - The Perpetual Glow
F1. Arthur Jeffes & Nils Frahm - Up Is Good
F2. Daniel Brandt - Blackpool Sands Forever (Rival Consoles Remix)
F3. Penguin Cafe - Wheels Within Wheels (Greg Gives Peter Space Remix)