Dictaphonia

Dictaphonia #5 lineup so far...

2009-10-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here listed below is what I have received for Dictaphonia #5 so far. If you have not yet contributed to Dictaphonia, or even if you have previously contributed, please send a 3-minute audio work on microcassette. This will probably be the last volume of Dictaphonia!

01 Otolathe
Tampa, Florida, USA
"Tannenberg 1410"

02 William Wesley & The Tiny Sockets
Pounding Mill, Virginia, USA
"If something comes up with the fuzz I ain't got no buzz"

03) Rajun Cajun
Plant City, Florida, USA
untitled

04) Heffalump Tramp
Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England
"Bird terrorism crashes plane"

05) Ceramic Hobs
Blackpool, England
"Punk rock ist nicht tot"

06) Mi.T.-CON (Michael Thomas Roe and Conrad Schnitzler)
Atlanta, Georgia, USA and Dallgow, Germany
"micro-jam"

07) Charles Rice Goff III
Kansas City, Kansas, USA
"Take A Letter"

08) M.Stactor
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"Egg Blood"

09) Mannequin Hollowcaust
Kingsport, Tennessee, USA
"waste not/want not"

10) Ironing
Gainesville, Florida, USA
"Alachua"

DICTAPHONIA FEST, November 7, 2009 Gainesville, Florida

2009-09-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hal McGee presents:
Dictaphonia Fest
Saturday, November 7, 2009
7:00 PM
The Laboratory
818 W. University Ave., Suite C
Gainesville, Florida
$5.00 admission

A showcase of microcassette experimental audio art
featuring performances by participants in the Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation Project.

Performers must use microcassette in some way in their performance and it must be a prominent part of the sound.

There will be a 9-minute time limit on performances and performers will only be allowed to use minimal gear,
with a plug and play aesthetic and quick gear setups and breakdowns.

Performers will play through a small mixer and two 10-watt guitar amplifiers provided by me.

Keywords: lo-fi, lo-tech, minimalism, conceptual audio art, DIY, homemade experimental music

22 scheduled confirmed performers:

M.Stactor
William A. Davison of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Richard Orlando
Flushing, New York

William Wesley & The Tiny Sockets
Pounding Mill, Virginia

Mannequin Hollowcaust
Kingsport, Tennessee

Vagina Teeth/Jesus Teeth
Clemmons, North Carolina

Projexorcism
Hickory, North Carolina

Su Sous Toulouse En Rouge
St. Petersburg

Black Beast Of Arrrghhh
St. Petersburg

Justin Robert
St. Petersburg

Krysten Davis
Tallahassee

Waterdigger
Polk City, Florida

Rajun Cajun
Plant City, Florida

Big Sugar Victorious
Seffner, Florida

Otolathe
Tampa

Fiver's Stereo
Jacksonville

Jamison Williams with Jay Peele
Jacksonville

SOS aka Astral Fields Farmer
Jacksonville

Two Woos -- Kathy Burkett and Doug Burkett
Lady Lake, Florida

Ironing
Gainesville

Mark McGee
Gainesville

minimum of none
Gainesville

Hal McGee
Gainesville

Dictaphonia 4 Microcassette Compilation now available!

2009-08-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

Volume 4 of the Dictaphonia Microcassette project is now available on a homemade microcassette release - see lineup of artists below

23 artists, 60 minutes of sound recordings made on microcassette, released on microcassette

this is a homemade product! featuring simple homestyle packaging each tape comes with a j-card cut out of a USA road atlas (each one is different)

with a black and white photocopy insert with collage artwork on one side and a list of the artists and their piece titles on the other

$6.00 postage paid USA and Canada $7.00 Air Mail postage paid everywhere else

PayPal to haltapes1 @ aol.com

Go to this page on my web site for more info on the artists, plus pictures of the artwork

The first three volumes of Dictaphonia are available online and in their original microcassette format - info links at the page mentioned above

I am still accepting contributions to the Dictaphonia project! Send a 3-minute sound piece on microcassette. Dictaphonia #5 will probably be released in late September, if I receive enough material to fill up a 60-minute tape by then. You can send a track even if you have contributed before. Go here for more info on submitting, including the postal address to send your tape to

Dictaphonia 4 Microcassette Compilation

SIDE A

01) Sparkle Girl

Seattle, Washington, USA

"A Series Of Tubes"

02) Mark Sonnenfeld

East Windsor, New Jersey, USA

"Nagging Haunt"

03) Igloo Martian

La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA

"The Pocket-Sized Beat"

04) Enstruction

Seattle, Washington, USA

"Agglomeration"

05) The Lexington Steele

Clemmons, North Carolina, USA

"Untitled No. 1 (for Shirley)"

06) Cellular Terror

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

"Electronic Fingerprints"

07) Witch With Flying Head

San Francisco, California, USA

"They Call Him Neato Bombeleato"

08) Dave X

Carterville, Illinois, USA

"Wire/Recorder"

09) Kathy Burkett

Lady Lake, Florida, USA

"Japanese Dachshund"

10) minimum of none

Gainesville, Florida, USA

"more talk"

11) Bryce Beverlin II

North Oaks, Minnesota, USA

"Mounded Cramphole"

SIDE B

12) Front Gauche de l'art/Hermann Kleid

Rennes, France

"Étude pathétique pour violoncelle un jour d'orage"

13) The Saint Petersburg Institute Of Noise

Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA

"I Never Road A Skateboard"

14) H.G. Wells

Seattle, Washington, USA

"Jesus Razor Blade"

15) The Montreal Nintendo Orkestar

Hampstead, Quebec, Canada

"The Great Origami Lobster (Dictaphone Version)"

16) The Silent Committee

Northampton, England

"Long Way Down"

17) Frog

Gainesville, Florida, USA

"Cryptically Titled"

18) Projexorcism

Hickory, North Carolina, USA

"Mother Teresa Of Calcutta"

19) Hal McGee

Gainesville, Florida, USA

"Download This!"

20) Super Pizza Party

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

"Pizza 3000"

21) Gerechtigkeits Liga

London, England and Berlin, Germany

"Kill-Burn"

22) S.O.S. aka Astral Fields Farmer

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

"Synchro-Expansion Microphone"

23) Dave Fuglewicz

Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA

"D-Enabled Tripton Zone"

review of Dictaphonia #3 by JLIAT in Vital Weekly

2009-08-19T03:04:00.000-07:00

Vital Weekly 692

DICTAPHONIA MICROCASSETTE COMPILATION VOLUME 3 (Microcassette by HalTapes)
In all 23 tracks on this release of various material, the better I think realizing the nature of the media which in this case plays a significant part of just what is going on. Those interested can still buy the recorders to play this series, which raise a number of questions, one regarding modernism and what has subsequently followed, even to the extent that post-modernism is seen by many now as passé - we might be in a period "after theory". Certainly the microcasstte raises McLuhanish issues (theories!) which are/were "modern" - the alter ego of the present virtuality where even the medium has disappeared, perhaps the message has returned but its now empty theory-less and floats in MP3 MP4 Voc Ogg MOV flak. whatever - computers will automatically find the codec. but what is left in the virtual is the idea of a virtual and so non-existent individualism of Stirner (via iphones which make farting noises) who appears on this comp and who predicted the future and all this freedom, via torrents, posted on blogs, etc. I have been more concerned with wasps this summer than swine flu. Not w.a.s.p.(s) but something like that did for Stirner. this tape remains a tragic reminder of rationality and sense - and also property and object. (jliat)

Dictaphonia #3 now available for free download!

2009-08-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation Volume Three

is now available for free download as individual tracks on this page on my web site

I offer high quality 320 kbps mp3s for listeners with high speed Internet connections and lower bit rate 64 kbps versions of for the convenience of those people with slower and dial-up Internet connections.

23 artists, 59 minutes

recordings by:

Neonworm

Mannequin Hollowcaust

Karl J. Paloucek

Justin Robert

Carl Holmes

Ooy

Fludd

JLIAT

Bisexual Swinger

Alan George Ledergerber

Stirner

auvikogue

mortuus auris & the black hand

Johnny Brewton

Master/Slave Relationship

Big Sugar Victorious

EGG

Vultures

Ecoute La Merde

Lindsey Leepe

Retarded Children

Raw Mummy

William Wesley & The Tiny Sockets

Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation 4 upcoming

2009-08-12T04:35:00.000-07:00

Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation Volume 4 will be available on Friday, August 21, 2009.
See probable lineup below.

I am still accepting contributions to the Dictaphonia project! Go to this page for submission info:http://www.halmcgee.com/dictaphoniasubmissionguidelines.html

Dictaphonia #3 will be available in its entirety online in about five days
It is still available for purchase in its original microcassette format:http://www.halmcgee.com/dictaphonia.html

The first two volumes of Dictaphonia are still available in their original microcassette format, plus available for free download:
http://www.halmcgee.com/dictaphoniavolumeone.html
http://www.halmcgee.com/dictaphoniavolumetwo.html

Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation #5 will be a special answering machine edition in which anyone can telephone Hal McGee's microcassette answering machine and leave a one-minute message - starting soon
Write me to request the telephone number.

Dictaphonia Fest, a showcase of experimental microcassette audio art featuring performances by participants in the Dictaphonia project, will be held Saturday, November 7, 2009, at The Laboratory, 818 W. University Ave., Gainesville, Florida, USA.

Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation 4
probable lineup

01) Sparkle Girl
Seattle, Washington, USA
"A Series Of Tubes"

02) Mark Sonnenfeld
East Windsor, New Jersey, USA
"Nagging Haunt"

03) Igloo Martian
La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
"The Pocket-Sized Beat"

04) Enstruction
Seattle, Washington, USA
"Agglomeration"

05) The Lexington Steele
Clemmons, North Carolina, USA
"Untitled No. 1 (for Shirley)"

06) Cellular Terror
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
"Electronic Fingerprints"

07) Witch With Flying Head
San Francisco, California, USA
"They Call Him Neato Bombeleato"

08) Dave X
Carterville, Illinois, USA
"Wire/Recorder"

09) Kathy Burkett
Lady Lake, Florida, USA
"Japanese Dachshund"

10) minimum of none
Gainesville, Florida, USA
"more talk"

11) Front Gauche de l'art/Hermann Kleid
Rennes, France
"Étude pathétique pour violoncelle un jour d'orage"

12) The Saint Petersburg Institute Of Noise
Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA
"I Never Road A Skateboard"

13) H.G. Wells
Seattle, Washington, USA
"Jesus Razor Blade"

14) The Montreal Nintendo Orkestar
Hampstead, Quebec, Canada
"The Great Origami Lobster (Dictaphone Version)"

15) The Silent Committee
Northampton, England
"Long Way Down"

16) Bryce Beverlin II
North Oaks, Minnesota, USA
"Mounded Cramphole"

17) Frog
Gainesville, Florida, USA
"Cryptically Titled"

18) Projexorcism
Hickory, North Carolina, USA
"Mother Teresa Of Calcutta"

19) Hal McGee
Gainesville, Florida, USA
"Download This!"

20) Gerechtigkeits Liga
London, England and Berlin, Germany
"Kill-Burn"

21) S.O.S. aka Astral Fields Farmer
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
"Synchro-Expansion Microphone"

22) Dave Fuglewicz
Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA
"D-Enabled Tripton Zone"

Hal just bought a microcassette answering machine - look for Dictaphonia #5, the answering machine compilation!

2009-08-07T02:24:00.000-07:00

Last night I won an auction on eBay for a Panasonic KX-T5100 dual microcassette telephone answering machine. If it actually works well, and I assume it will (but I will fully test it of course), I will make an announcement inviting people to contribute to Dictaphonia #5, The Answering Machine Compilation.

More details to come, after I fully develop the idea, but anyone and everyone will be invited to contribute a short audio recording of absolutely any sort. This will allow even those people who don't own microcassette recorders to create their own microcassette recording!

In the announcement I will state that if you want to contribute, send me an e-mail to get the telephone number. Contributors can call up and leave messages on the machine either anonymously, or they can state their name. This compilation will be released simultaneouly on microcassette, and online as two continuous mp3s of each of the two sides of the microcassette tape that I will load into the machine to record your telephone calls.

Contributors will be able to contribute more than once as long as you all promise to make short recordings! - from 15 seconds up to a couple of minutes.

I am looking for a lot of variety in the messages, style-, content-, and mood-wise, a big grab bag audio trash heap collage: rants, weird little sound effects, cryptic voice messages, funny, sexy, surreal, paranoid, confessions, hate messages, pranks, jokes, static, buzzing, feedback, dream recollections, lo tech electronic sounds, little poems and stories, etc. In other words, I prefer shorter, less-developed, fragmentary recordings that will be elements in a larger whole.

I will make an "official" announcement here and on MySpace, Facebook, and by e-mail announcement when the project is ready to start.

6 more contributions received - Dictaphonia #4 is nearly full

2009-08-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

In the last week or so I have received six more contributions to the Dictaphonia project. This brings to 19 the total of contributions received that will be on Dictaphonia Volume 4, with about 4-6 more needed to fill up the compilation.

86) The Montreal Nintendo Orkester

Hampstead, Quebec, Canada

"The Great Origami Lobster (Dictaphone Version)"

87) The Silent Committee

Northampton, England

"Long Way Down"

88) Bryce Beverlin II

North Oaks, Minnesota, USA

"Mounded Cramphole"

89) Frog

Gainesville, Florida, USA

"Cryptically Titled"

90) Projexorcism

Hickory, North Carolina, USA

"Mother Teresa Of Calcutta"

91) Hal McGee

Gainesville, Florida, USA

"Download This!"

two microcassette works released by the Saint Petersburg Institute Of Noise

2009-07-31T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Saint Petersburg Institute Of Noise recently made available to the public two new microcassette works by Dictaphonia Compilation Project participants.

[s.p.i.n.job11]
Black Beast of Arrrghhh "Vietnamese Democracy" mc-90

Put well concealed cash in an envelope and send it to:
S.P.I.N.

P.O. Box 56845

Saint Petersburg, FL 33732

You can listen in streaming audio and download a 23-minute microcassette recording by Vagina Teeth/Jesus Teeth.

I have enjoyed listening to both and these recordings are both good examples of the possibilities presented by microcassette works and releases.

2009-07-24T03:06:00.000-07:00

DICTAPHONIA Microcassette Compilation 3

is now available

23 artists

59 minutes of sound recordings made on microcassette, released on microcassette

Go to this page on my web site for more info

recordings by Neonworm, Mannequin Hollowcaust, Karl J. Paloucek, Justin Robert, Carl Holmes, Ooy, Fludd, JLIAT, Bisexual Swinger, Alan George Ledergerber, Stirner, auvikogue, mortuus auris & the black hand, Johnny Brewton, Master/Slave Relationship, Big Sugar Victorious, EGG, Vultures, Ecoute La Merde, Lindsey Leepe, Retarded Children, Raw Mummy, William Wesley & The Tiny Sockets

this is a homemade product!featuring simple homestyle packaging

each tape comes with a j-card cut out of a magazine (each one is different)

with a black and white photocopy insert

with collage artwork on one sideand a list of the artists and their piece titles on the other

$6.00 postage paid USA and Canada

$7.00 Air Mail postage paid everywhere else

PayPal to haltapes1 @ aol dot com

three more contributions received in recent days

2009-07-23T15:38:00.001-07:00

In recent days I have received three more contributions, all of which will be on Dictaphonia, Volume Four. This brings to 13 the total of contributions received that will be on Dictaphonia Volume 4, with about 10-12 more needed to fill up the compilation.

83) Front Gauche de l'art/Hermann Kleid

Rennes, France

Étude pathétique pour violoncelle un jour d'orage

84) The Saint Petersburg Institute Of Noise

Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA

"I Never Road A Skateboard"

85) H.G. Wells

Seattle, Washington, USA

"Jesus Razor Blade"

DICTAPHONIA FEST November 7, 2009

2009-07-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Hal McGee presents:
Dictaphonia Fest
Saturday, November 7, 2009
8:00 PM

at The Laboratory
818 W. University Ave., Suite C
Gainesville, Florida 32601
USA

A showcase of microcassette experimental audio art, featuring performances by participants in the Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation Project.

Larry Bruce, the proprietor and Chief Scientist at The Laboratory, has confirmed the date. The Laboratory is a new cafe located in midtown Gainesville that serves wine, beer, coffee, espresso drinks, and gourmet sandwiches, and snacks.

Performers must use microcassette in some way in their performance and it must be a prominent part of the sound. There will be a 9-minute time limit on performances and performers will only be allowed to use minimal gear, with a plug and play aesthetic and quick gear setups and breakdowns. Performers will play through a small mixer and two 10-watt guitar amplifiers provided by me.

I do not yet have a confirmed list of performers because it is four months away and things can change but these Dictaphonia project participants have expressed interest in performing:

Kathy Burkett (Lady Lake, Florida)
Otolathe (Tampa)
Su Sous Toulouse En Rouge (St. Petersburg)
Vagina Teeth / Jesus Teeth (Clemmons, North Carolina)
Krysten Davis (Tallahassee)
Fiver's Stereo (Jacksonville)
Ironing (Gainesville)
Mark McGee (Gainesville)
Waterdigger (Polk City, Florida)
Richard Orlando (Flushing, New York)
Jamison Williams (Jacksonville)
Belltonesuicide (Easthampton, Massachusetts)
Mannequin Hollowcaust (Kingsport, Tennessee)
Carl Holmes (London, England)
Big Sugar Victorious (Seffner, Florida)
Sonic Disorder (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Ed Cooper (Hickory, North Carolina)
William A. Davison (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
The Raytownian(s) (Huntsville, Alabama)
William Wesley & The Tiny Sockets (Pounding Mill, Virginia)
minimum of none (Gainesville)
Alan George Ledergerber (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Douglas Burkett (Lady Lake, Florida)

Anybody else?

Dictaphonia #1 and #2 blogged by Dual Track

2009-07-17T05:19:00.000-07:00

Dual Track blogs classic, hard to find, and out of print audio and video recordings of experimental, avant garde, and noise musics.

Dual Track has already blogged Dictaphonia Volume One and Dictaphonia Volume Two!

You can download both compilations in bundled files including the artwork. Dual Track presents high quality versions of the compilations with a respectful tone and proper spirit appropriate to the Dictaphonia project.

Check out Dual Track's Dictaphonia #1 blog listing here

And just published this morning, here is Dictaphonia #2 on Dual Track

several submissions received for Dictaphonia Volume 4

2009-07-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

I have received several contributions which will be on the fourth volume of Dictaphonia.

73) Sparkle Girl
Seattle, Washington, USA
"A Series Of Tubes"

74) Mark Sonnenfeld
East Windsor, New Jersey, USA
"Nagging Haunt"

75) Igloo Martian
La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
"The Pocket-Sized Beat"

76) Enstruction
Seattle, Washington, USA
"Agglomeration"

77) The Lexington Steele
Clemmons, North Carolina, USA
"Untitled No. 1 (for Shirley)"

78) Cellular Terror
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
"Electronic Fingerprints"

79) Witch With Flying Head
San Francisco, California, USA
"They Call Him Neato Bombeleato"

80) Dave X
Carterville, Illinois, USA
"Wire/Recorder"

81) Kathy Burkett
Lady Lake, Florida, USA
"Japanese Dachshund"

82) minimum of none
Gainesville, Florida, USA
"more talk"

Dictaphonia Volume 2 now available for free download

2009-07-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Listen in streaming audio and download individual mp3s of the tracks on the Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation, Volume 2

I offer two versions of the mp3s, one at 320 kbps for high speed Internet connections, and one at 64 kbps for dial-up and slower connections.

Dictaphonia 2 is still available for purchase in its original microcassette format.

recordings by
Dave Wright, Richard Orlando, Mark McGee, Sonic Disorder, Douglas Burkett, Jamison Williams, Zebra Mu, Ian Watson, Crap Last Tape, Kurt Gottschalk, Julie Schubert, Dada Action Group, Andrew Coltrane, The Raytownian(s), Belltonesuicide, blanco estira nuestro (+) hermana Hélice, Fried Marlenstahl, NXP, Rez Epo, Hanson Ono, Death Factory, Douglas Ferguson, Melissa Lovely & Justin Waters Here And Thereian Duo, Pony Payroll

Dictaphonia Volume 3 will be released on July 20th.

recordings by
Neonworm, Mannequin Hollowcaust, Karl J. Paloucek, Justin Robert, Carl Holmes, Ooy, Fludd, JLIAT, Bisexual Swinger, Alan George Ledergerber, Stirner, auvikogue, mortuus auris & the black hand, Johnny Brewton, Master/Slave Relationship, Big Sugar Victorious, EGG, Vultures, Ecoute La Merde, Lindsey Leepe, Retarded Children, Raw Mummy, William Wesley & The Tiny Sockets

Purchase and download for free Dictaphonia Volume 1

I am still accepting contributions for the Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation Project
Guidelines

Dictaphonia Volume 3 lineup announced

2009-07-08T04:08:00.000-07:00

The third volume of the Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation Project is now full and complete. It will be available on July 20, 2009.

Dictaphonia Volume 1 is available in its original microcassette format and for free download.

Dictaphonia Volume 2 is available on microcassette and soon will be available in its entirety for download.

Dictaphonia Fest will be held Saturday, November 7, 2009 at The Laboratory, 818 West University Avenue, Suite C, in Gainesville, Florida, USA - a showcase of microcassette experimental audio art, with performances by participants in the Dictaphonia Project.

I am still accepting recordings on microcassette for the Dictaphonia project - Submission Guidelines.

Dictaphonia Volume 3

Side A

01) Neonworm
York, Pennsylvania, USA
"Panic Attack"

02) Mannequin Hollowcaust
Kingsport, Tennessee, USA
"shrapnel bath"

03) Karl J. Palouček
Berwyn, Illinois, USA
"Phonorail"

04) Justin Robert
Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA
"Nylon/Mylar"

05) Carl Holmes
London, England
"Impulse Response"

06) Ooy
Tokyo, Japan
"Subway"

07) Fludd
Genova, Italy
"Reso-Nuances"

08) JLIAT
Norfolk, England
"Beethoven's 9th - Bonus track (Movement 5)"

09) Bisexual Swinger
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, USA
"The Exercist"

10) Alan George Ledergerber
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
"I like to scare myself."

11) Stirner
Almelo, The Netherlands
"digita4dictaphonia"

12) auvikogue
Ulm, Germany
"heima®t/exp - lost concert series vol. 1"

------------------------

Side B

13) mortuus auris & the black hand
New Malden, Surrey, England
"Ena Ari Nea"

14) Johnny Brewton
Pasadena, California, USA
"Frequency Oblique No.001"

15) Master/Slave Relationship
Los Angeles, California, USA
"Give"

16) Big Sugar Victorious
Seffner, Florida, USA
"So Pissed Off"

17) EGG
Pasadena, California, USA
"Transmutations in Juarez"

18) Vultures
London, England
"Attacked By Plastic Spiders"

19) Ecoute La Merde
Lavancia, France
"Le Grand Guignol"

20) Lindsey Leepe
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
"Skyward Celebration"

21) Retarded Children
Novorossiysk and Saint Petersburg, Russia
"Support Service"

22) Raw Mummy
Nagasaki, Japan
"A straw and water"

23) William Wesley & The Tiny Sockets
Pounding Mill, Virginia, USA
"Wisdom Teeth"

three more Dictaphonia submissions - from Novorossiysk, Nagasaki, and Pounding Mill

2009-07-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

Today when I got home from work I found three packages containing contributions for the Dictaphonia project:

70) Retarded Children

Novorossiysk and Saint Petersburg, Russia

"Support Service"

71) Raw Mummy

Nagasaki, Japan

"a straw and water"

72) William Wesley & The Tiny Sockets

Pounding Mill, Virginia, USA

"Wisdom Teeth"

Yesterday I worked on the master of Dictaphonia 3. After receiving these three tracks the third volume might be full, or I might have room for one more track. I will know in a few days when I add these three submissions to the master. This coming weekend I will create the artwork and start making tape copies. I also will publish mp3s of Dictaphonia 2 very soon. It is my plan to mail out the first contributor's copies of Dictaphonia 3 on Monday, July 20.

Hal McGee announces new Wire Recorder compilation project

2009-07-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

You are invited to contribute to my new Wire Recorder compilation project! Keep your submission to less than 360 feet in length (approx. 109 meters). Deadline for the project was November 1, 1948.

proposal for Dictaphonia Fest

2009-07-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

I am working on setting up a Dictaphonia Fest in early November.

My friend Chris Miller and I went and had coffee at The Laboratory last evening. The Laboratory is a new cafe that just opened up here in Gainesville - they serve coffee, beer, wine, and gourmet sandwiches. We discussed numerous things with Larry Bruce, the proprietor. He calls himself "Chief Scientist" and wears a lab coat. When I pitched the idea of a microcassette-based show he seemed to like the idea!

I am going to propose Saturday, November 7th to him.

The idea in a nutshell, for now, is that I will invite only participants in the Dictaphonia project to come to Gainesville to perform at the show.

Performers must use microcassette in their performances and it must be a prominent part of the sound. The artists will be asked to perform short sets of under nine minutes.

Interesting, eh? I say interesting because I think it will be a real challenge to the the performers - in most cases the Dictaphonia artists used microcassette to RECORD what they were doing. This performance idea challenges them to use that machine as a performance instrument - to process sound with it, or whatever, however. Other than to stipulate that the performers "must use microcassette in their performances and it must be a prominent part of the sound" I won't give any further direction... other than to urge them to use minimal (and preferably lo tech) gear, with quick setup and breakdown times. It is my hope that the performers will do more than just play back a microcassette tape while they make other sounds, but at a bare minimum that would be acceptable.

I am also considering using only small guitar amplifiers, and I am CONSIDERING stipulating that everybody play through the same small amps that I will supply. Oh, and one more thing - this won't be billed as a Noise show - I prefer the term experimental music (or audio art). I am not sure yet, but I might bill it as a showcase of microcassette art.

It will probably be produced under the "Hal McGee presents" banner.

Three more Dictaphonia tracks received

2009-07-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

In recent days I received three more Dictaphonia contributions:

67) Vultures
London, England, UK
"Attacked By Plastic Spiders"

68) Ecoute La Merde
Lavancia, France
"Le Grand Guignol"

69) Lindsey Leepe
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
"Skyward Celebration"

three more recordings received, radio airplay, Hal McGee interview

2009-06-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

In the last several days I received three more contributions, all of which will be on the upcoming Dictaphonia #3. I need to receive about seven more contributions and then #3 will be ready to go! - probably sometime in July.

The track by Master/Slave Relationship is the first new MSR recording in over a decade.

64) Master/Slave Relationship

Los Angeles, California, USA

"Give"

65) Big Sugar Victorious

Seffner, Florida, USA

"So Pissed Off"

66) EGG

Pasadena, California, USA

"Transmutations in Juarez"

Michael Barrett played the first five tracks from Side B of Dictaphonia #1 on the June 19th edition of his I ll-Planned Escape Route radio program in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Dave X interviewed me on the June 20th edition of his It's Too Damn Early radio show. You can download the interview on this page on my web site - look in the left margin. Later in the same program he played the first seven tracks from Side A of Dictaphonia #2. On his June 27th show he played the entire second side of Dictaphonia #2.

I am still accepting contributions to the Dictaphonia project.

Guidelines

Information on Dictaphonia #1

Info on Dictaphonia #2

I bought a new microcassette recorder for $9.49

2009-06-24T00:50:00.001-07:00

I need a new handheld portable microcassette recorder so on Monday I bid on a new Olympus J300 microcassette recorder and won it for $4.25 plus $5.24 shipping, handling and tax. These are offered directly from Olympus, the company that originated the microcassette back in 1969.

So, for those of you who have been wanting to contribute to my Dictaphonia Compilation project, but having been lacking the microcassette recorder, here is your opportunity.

Igloo Martian has been wanting to contribute to Dictaphonia but lacked a microcassette recorder. He bid on and won an Olympus J300 offered by Olympus Auctions and won it for a total of $10.43 ($4.85 plus $5.85 for shipping, handling and tax).

Olympus has a lot more available at this link. Put the word Pearlcorder in Search.

Dictaphonia #3 - Five more contributions received

2009-06-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

In the last few days I have received five more contributions for Dictaphonia, all of which will be on Dictaphonia #3 (bringing the total to 14 out of about 24 needed to fill up the compilation):

59) Alan George Ledergerber
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
"I like to scare myself."

60) Stirner
Almelo, The Netherlands
"digita4dictaphonia"

61) auvikogue
Ulm, Germany
"heima®t/exp - lost concert series vol. 1"

62) mortuus auris & the black hand
New Malden, Surrey, England
"Ena Ari Nea"

63) Johnny Brewton
Pasadena, California, USA
"Frequency Oblique No.001"

BORING excuses

2009-06-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

Many of the people whom I have invited to participate in Dictaphonia send a similar, lame reply:

First, complaining about the "rules" and guidelines.
My guidelines are why my compilations rule. :)
But they can be summed up in one sentence:
"Dude, send me a recording on microcassette, not longer than 3 minutes".

Second, many people complain that they don't own a microcassette recorder.
The proper reply to give me is: "Hal, I do not own a microcassette recorder, but I will purchase one".
They can be purchased on eBay for just a few dollars! In fact, Olympus, the originator of the microcassette, is selling new J-300 microcassette recorders for a starting bid of $0.99! I saw one sell last night for $3.52 (plus $4.95 shipping).
Many people have written to me telling me that they are buying a microcassette recorder so that they can participate in Dictaphonia.

Or, third, I get the reply that "I am too busy with other projects right now".
Yeah BUT how many microcassette compilations have you been on?!
Dictaphonia is an ongoing project. If you don't have time for it now, send something when you do.

For those who are interested in contributing to the Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation Project, I am still accepting recordings. You can find submission guidelines here

Dictaphonia Volume Two is now available! plus discogs.com listing info

2009-06-20T03:05:00.000-07:00

DICTAPHONIA Microcassette Compilation 2 is now available
24 artists
61 minutes of sound recordings made on microcassette,
released on microcassette
Go to this page on my web site for more info

recordings by Dave Wright, Richard Orlando, Mark McGee, Sonic Disorder, Douglas Burkett, Jamison Williams, Zebra Mu, Ian Watson, Crap Last Tape, Kurt Gottschalk, Julie Schubert, Dada Action Group, Andrew Coltrane, The Raytownian(s), Belltonesuicide, blanco estira nuestro (+) hermana Hélice, Fried Marlenstahl, NXP, Rez Epo, Hanson Ono, Death Factory, Douglas Ferguson, Melissa Lovely & Justin Waters Here And Thereian Duo, Pony Payroll

this is a homemade product!
featuring simple homestyle packaging
each tape comes with a j-card cut out of a magazine (each one is different)
with a black and white photocopy insert
with collage artwork on one side
and a list of the artists and their piece titles on the other
$6.00 postage paid USA and Canada
$7.00 Air Mail postage paid everywhere else
PayPal to haltapes1 @ aol dot com

Dictaphonia #2 is now listed at discogs.com, thanks to Andrew Chadwick

DICTAPHONIA Volume One is now online

2009-06-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

DICTAPHONIA Microcassette Compilation 1 is now available in its entirety online for free downloading and streaming audio, including bonus material not available on the tape on this page on my web site

recordings by Dave X, Su Sous Toulouse En Rouge, Kathy Burkett, Istituzioni Ambienti Naturalismo, Otolathe, IWANTTOKILLEVERYHUMAN, Mike Khoury, Black Beast Of Arrrghhh, Horseflesh, Vagina Teeth/Jesus Teeth, William A. Davison, Homogenized Terrestrials, Krysten Davis, Violet, Fiver's Stereo, Hal McGee, 3D-MAN, Chefkirk, Ironing, Concrete Violin, Jeph Jerman, Blind Umizato, Dave Fuglewicz, Big City Orchestra, Waterdigger

DICTAPHONIA Microcassette Compilation 1 is still available in its original microcassette format.
$6.00 postage paid USA and Canada
$7.00 Air Mail postage paid everywhere else
PayPal to haltapes1 @ aol dot com

morning thoughts on Dictaphonia

2009-06-17T02:51:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I am doing the Dictaphonia project is to promote the use of microcassette! Lots of people have written me telling me that they didn't own a microcassette machine but that they were going to buy one just so they could participate!

Some people wrote to me saying that they would borrow one from a friend - but I discouraged this, saying "how are you going to listen to the comp when it comes out if you have to give the recorder back after you get done recording?"

I do appreciate all contributions that I have received. All of them sound great and are special to me! I especially admire the contributing audio/noise artists who actually love microcassette and worked with it as a medium and used it as an audio art/noise tool to create their piece. Microcassette is more than a way to document. It's a way to create.

All of the Dictaphonia volumes will be online eventually. This weekend Dictaphonia #1 will go up on my web site. But the tracks will be presented as individual mp3 files - not zipped - and so the only way someone is ever going to get the full idea of what Dictaphonia #1 sounds like and how it flows is to listen to the tape itself. But putting it all online is a way to promote microcassette use - maybe someone who previously balked at the idea of buying a micro recorder to participate will change their minds after hearing the stuff online. Plus for the thousands of hal mcgee dot com visitors/listeners in China this will be the only way for them to hear it. :)

Dictaphonia #2 contributor's copies in the mail; three more contributions for Dictaphonia #3 received

2009-06-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

I have mailed out most of the contributor's copies for Dictaphonia, Volume Two. If your submission is on Dictaphonia #2 you should receive your copy within the next few days.

Later this week I will make an announcement about the release of Dictaphonia #2 and copies will be available for sale at that time. Contributors to the project will be able to purchase Dictaphonia #2 at a reduced price. This means that if your track is on #2, and if your track was on #1 or will be on #3 you can buy #2 for a lower price than the general public. Contact me first before sending money.

I have now received nine submissions since Dictaphonia #2 filled up, with about 15 more needed to fill up #3. In recent days I have received three more contributions that will appear on Dictaphonia, Volume Three:

56) Fludd

Genova, Italy

"Reso-Nuances"

57) JLIAT

Norfolk, England, UK

"Beethoven's 9th - Bonus track (Movement 5)"

58) Bisexual Swinger

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, USA

"The Exercist"

Fludd is Marco Cacciamani, an associate of mine from the 1980s Hometaper Days. I distributed his Step tape through my Cause And Effect Distribution Service (ca. 1985).

The microcassette contribution from JLIAT came housed inside the battery compartment of a fully-operational Behringer UD100 Ultra Distortion pedal. Thanks, James! I tried for several hours in vain to figure out how to open the battery compartment. I contacted JLIAT on MySpace and he posted a funny YouTube video that demonstrated how to open the battery compartment.

Bisexual Swinger is a new contact of mine, via MySpace.

A special treat of sorts awaits those who visit the Dictaphonia page on my web site...

2 more contributions, Dictaphonia radio airplay, and Dictaphonia on Discogs.com

2009-06-09T00:49:00.000-07:00

I recently received two more contributions which will appear on Dictaphonia Volume 3:

54) Carl Holmes

London, England

"Impulse Response"

55) Ooy

Tokyo, Japan

"Subway"

Andrew Chadwick played three tracks from Dictaphonia #1 on the May 25th edition of his The Sum Of Your Life Radio program on Grow Radio, by Krysten Davis, Hal McGee, and Dave X.

On the June 1st edition he played selections by Jeph Jerman, Violet, and Homogenized Terrestrials.

Dave X played Side A of Dictaphonia #1 in its entirety on the June 5th edition of his It's Too Damn Early radio program on WDBX-FM.

Thanks to Andrew Chadwick Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation, Volume One now has a listing at discogs.com!

the first four tracks on Dictaphonia #3 received - I hope to have Dictaphonia #2 ready June 15

2009-06-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

In the last two days I have received four more contributions to the Dictaphonia project, all of which will appear on Dictaphonia #3.

50) Neonworm

York, Pennsylvania, USA

"Panic Attack"

51) Mannequin Hollowcaust

Kingsport, Tennessee, USA

"shrapnel bath"

52) Karl J. Palouček

Berwyn, Illinois, USA

"Phonorail"

53) Justin Robert

Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA

"Nylon/Mylar"

I have completed the master for Dictaphonia #2, and soon I will start producing copies for the contributors, putting together the artwork, etc. I hope to be able to start mailing out copies on June 15th.

My friend Dave Fuglewicz, who appeared on Dictaphonia #1, recently custom-built a device for me that will make production of Dictaphonia tape copies not only much easier and more efficient, but will enhance the sound quality.

Dictaphonia #2 is complete - keep sending your recordings - I will produce a third volume of Dictaphonia

2009-06-04T01:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I received what will be the last two contributions that will appear on the second volume of the Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation project.

48) Melissa Lovely & Justin Waters Here And Thereian Duo

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

"DIY Ask DIY"

49) Pony Payroll

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

"Nah"

As many of you know, Justin Waters produced the famous Microcassettor project, which was a major inspiration for the Dictaphonia project, and operates the Sound From The Pocket label.

This weekend I will probably continue working on the master for Dictaphonia #2, and I hope to have it ready for release in a couple of weeks or so.

I will produce at least one more volume of Dictaphonia in the microcassette format. So, if you have not already sent a recording and wish to participate in the project send yours soon if you want to be on Dictaphonia #3.

Dictaphonia #2 nearly full - four more recordings received- and radio play

2009-05-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

In recent days I received four more recordings for the Dictaphonia project. Volume 2 is nearly full. I might have room for two or three more.

44) Dada Action Group

Seattle, Washington, USA

"For Naum Gabo"

45) Hanson Ono

Griffin, Georgia, USA

"Incomprehensible Frustration"

46) Death Factory

Chicago, Illinois, USA

"Memorial"

47) Douglas Ferguson

Austin, Texas, USA

"v96+7gDL"

The Sum Of Your Life is a weekly radio program on growradio.org hosted by Ironing (Andrew Chadwick). During the May 25th program he played three tracks from Dictaphonia Volume One: by Dave X, Krysten Davis, and Hal McGee.

four contributions for Dictaphonia received from Europe

2009-05-24T02:52:00.000-07:00

I received these four contributions to Dictaphonia within the last three days:

40) blanco estira nuestro (+), hermana Hélice

Athens, Greece

"position lines within an afternoon movement"

41) Fried Marlenstahl

Rennes, France

"Étude pseudo-électronique #1"

42) NXP

Bodø, Norway

"Spiders"

43) Rez Epo

Kielce, Poland

"Seen Her In The Very Heart Of The Ocean"

Volume #2 of Dictaphonia will probably be full after I receive about 5-7 more submissions. Then I will create a third volume, so keep on sending your submissions, if you have not yet done so.

DICTAPHONIA #1 is now available

2009-05-23T05:26:00.000-07:00

DICTAPHONIA
Microcassette Compilation
Volume 1 is now available

25 artists
61 minutes of sound recordings made on microcassette,
released on microcassette

this is a homemade product!

featuring simple homestyle packaging
each tape comes with a j-card cut out of a Chinese restaurant menu
with a black and white photocopy insert in a ziplock plastic bag
with collage artwork on one side
and a list of the artists and their piece titles on the other

Dictaphonia #1 will be available online on my web site for download in a few months. Get yours now in its original microcassette format.

I have created a special Dictaphonia page at my web site

$6.00 postage paid USA and Canada
$7.00 Air Mail postage paid everywhere else
PayPal to haltapes1 @ aol.com

1) Dave X
Carterville, Illinois, USA
"Keeping my hand in"
2) Su Sous Toulouse En Rouge
Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA
"brugmansia tea"
3) Kathy Burkett
Lady Lake, Florida, USA
"Dachsooka Radio Buzz"
4) Istituzioni Ambienti Naturalismo
Rome, Italy
"Nastro #13b"
5) Otolathe
Tampa, Florida, USA
"Unorchestratable"
6) IWANTTOKILLEVERYHUMAN
DeSoto, Texas, USA
"One Dogless"
7) Mike Khoury
Livonia, Michigan, USA
"Solo Violin"
8) Black Beast Of Arrrghhh
Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA
"Micro-Boogie"
9) Horseflesh
San Francisco, California, USA
"Hyper Flies"
10) Vagina Teeth/Jesus Teeth
Clemmons, North Carolina, USA
"The Sky and The Sea Bed"
11) William A. Davison
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"Garbage Guitar And Objects 090410"
12) Homogenized Terrestrials
Princeton, Illinois, USA
"air"
13) Krysten Davis
Tallahassee, Florida, USA
"BBBBBAD"

14) Violet
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
"Spring"
15) Fiver's Stereo
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
"Back Woods Preacher"
16) Hal McGee
Gainesville, Florida, USA
"Inverse Square Ratio"
17) 3D-MAN
Stafford, Virginia, USA
"Untitled Guitar Solo"
18) Chefkirk
Eugene, Oregon, USA
"no-input for microcassette"
19) Ironing
Gainesville, Florida, USA
"Microcaßettestraße"
20) Concrete Violin
Houston, Texas, USA
"Distant Envelopment
(dedicated to GX Jupitter-Larsen)"
21) Jeph Jerman
Cottonwood, Arizona, USA
"Metamatic"
22) Blind Umizato
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
"Microcassette 04132009"
23) Dave Fuglewicz
Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA
"Liquid Glass"
24) Big City Orchestra
Alameda, California, USA
"Treasure For Daddy"
25) Waterdigger
Polk City and Tampa, Florida, USA
"Hal McGee Has Stipulations"

-------------

I am still accepting recordings for the Dictaphonia project. Volume Two is about two-thirds full, and I will produce a third volume as well. Top priority will go to artists who have not submitted materials yet.

Here are the guidelines and info for submitting:

Please contribute to the DICTAPHONIA Microcassette Project. Anyone can contribute any sounds of any sort!

Send a recording on a microcassette that is at least one minute in length and no longer than three minutes.

You must send your contribution on a microcassette. I will not accept submissions in any other format - no CDR, no minicassette, no standard cassette, no mp3 or WAV, etc.

Do not send more than one contribution. If your submission is longer than three minutes it will be rejected. Do not send a tape containing a recording longer than three minutes and ask me to choose three minutes for the compilation.

Your submitted microcassette should be recorded at the Standard Play (SP) speed of 2.4 centimeters per second - NOT at the Long Play (LP) speed of 1.2 centimeters per second. If your microcassette recorder has two tape speeds, choose the higher/faster one. The compilation will be mastered at the SP speed, so if you submit a microcassette that was recorded in LP speed it will sound speeded-up.

Your submission should be recorded specifically for this project and I prefer (but do not require) that you make your original recordings in the microcassette format. One of the emphases of this project is to highlight the microcassette as a unique audio art format with its own unique properties.

Participants are urged to bear in mind the particular and peculiar characteristics of the microcassette format, such as limited dynamic range (usually 400-4000Hz), low fidelity, and tape noise and hiss. Most people who hear the compilation will be listening to it on their cheap portable hand-sized microcassette machines which have a speaker that is about one inch in diameter. Also remember that there will be a two-generation loss in sound quality from your tape to the microcassette master to the copy. Your submission should be composed and created for optimized transmission under these conditions. You might want to avoid submitting a piece that contains subtle shadings, colorations, and nuances, or quiet passages.

If you do not yet own a microcassette recorder (alternatively called "dictaphone") but would like to participate in this project you can usually purchase one on eBay or at second-hand shops for a small amount. Most recorders come with a built-in microphone.

Any and all styles are welcome.

Here are a few suggestions for submissions, keywords, and possible themes:

lo fi, lo tech, minimalism, harsh noise, tape collage and cut-ups, minimal synth, micro metal, loner punk anthems, feedback modulation, erotic confessionals, spoken dream diary excerpts, kazoo solos, soliloquies, street rap, 8 bit chiptunes, recordings of street musicians, surreptitious recordings of private conversations, voice beat-boxing, circuit bent sounds, ravings of lunatics and insane people, minimal electronics, no-input mixer, pedal noise, outsider folk songs, children's and toy instruments, answering machine messages, everyday sounds, public transportation sounds, urban noise pollution, machine sounds, shitnoise, construction sounds, plunderphonics, free improvisation, broken instruments, prepared guitar, shortwave and AM radio static and tones, video and computer game sounds, spoken word whatever, beatnik bongo rave-ups, tapes of your lover or spouse cheating with someone else, doctor's consultation notes, barnyard sounds, interviews with nursing home residents, broken and skipping records, dada, fluxus, Situationism, psychogeography, assemblage, micro-dub mash-ups.

Send your microcassette to:

Hal McGee
1909 SW 42nd Way
Apt. E
Gainesville, FL
32607-5407
USA

I will not return your tape to you.

Submissions will be added to the microcassette compilation masters in the order that they are received.

Each participant whose submission is used will receive one complimentary copy of the compilation, with an option to purchase additional copies at a reduced price.

When you send your submission please include a piece of paper clearly stating artist name, track title, and your postal address.

No deadline. I have received enough material for one 60-minute volume. I will continue to accept contributions and will produce a second volume, and a third.

5 more recordings received - Volume 2 is filling up!

2009-05-19T00:42:00.000-07:00

35) Kurt Gottschalk
New York, New York, USA
"A Difficult Fortnight"

36) Julie Schubert
Cottonwood, Arizona
"Spinning Naiad"

37) Andrew Coltrane
Redford, Michigan
"Death Letter"

38) The Raytownian(s)
Huntsville, Alabama
"We Are In A Corporatist State (Pt. 2)"

39) Belltonesuicide
Easthampton, Massachusetts
"Your Mouth Is An Open Sore"

After I receive about 10 or 11 more submissions I will have enough material to fill up the second volume of Dictaphonia.

Yesterday I mailed out 18 contributor's copies of Dictaphonia #1. I will mail out the others today and tomorrow.

Dictaphonia #1 will be available for sale in a few days. I will post bulletins and make announcements via e-mail, on MySpace, and on my web site, halmcgee.com. Contributors can purchase additional copies at lower prices - contact me for info.

three recordings received from the United Kingdom

2009-05-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

32) Zebra Mu
Norfolk, England
"Micro Junk Cassette Slicer"

33) Ian Watson
Cardiff, Wales
"Untitled"

34) Crap Last Tape
London, England
"passive - aggressive's bring the worst out of you"

I will start mailing out contributor's copies of Dictaphonia #1 within the next few days.

two more submissions received on Monday May 11th

2009-05-12T00:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received two more submissions for Dictaphonia, which will appear on the second microcassette tape volume of the project:

30) Douglas Burkett

Lady Lake, Florida, USA

"Spin Cycles"

31) Jamison Williams

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

"Francois Boucher (1703-1770)"

check out some of my previous work with microcassette

2009-05-09T02:58:00.000-07:00

You can check out some of my previous work on microcassette by listening in streaming audio and downloading these 2007 works on my web site...

The Man With The Tape Recorder

Magnetic Personality

Sandwichism

You can hear a combination of cassette and microcassette material on Zen And The Art Of The Tape Recorder

Plus, I am working on some new microcassette material for publication on my web site.

Happy listening,

Hal

May 8th - four more contributions received, for Volume 2

2009-05-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

Since Wednesday, May 6th I have received the first four contributions which will appear on the second volume of Dictaphonia:

26) Dave Wright

Tucson, Arizona, USA

"Cattle Gas"

27) Richard Orlando

Flushing, New York, USA

"Farrington Street Blues"

28) Mark McGee

Gainesville, Florida, USA

"Capoeira Blitz Squad"

29) Sonic Disorder

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

"Ugly Chemical Junk"

This morning I completed the master for Volume 1 of Dictaphonia and I am now in the process of making test copies.

2 more submissions received - keep sending your stuff for Volume 2

2009-05-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

Today I received what I think will be the final two tracks on Dictaphonia Volume 1:

24) Big City Orchestra - "Treasure For Daddy" (Alameda, California, USA)

25) Waterdigger - "Hal McGee Has Stipulations" (Polk City and Tampa, Florida, USA)

I might be able to fit one more piece on Volume 1, but I will not know for sure until I make the final master.

I am very pleased with the response to the Dictaphonia project!

Remember, anyone can participate! Individuals, groups, non-audio artists, anyone who likes the concept of the project and wants to take part.

I am heavily promoting the project in an attempt to get as many interesting artists from all over Planet Earth to contribute as possible. I have sent out more than 900 invitations so far. I need more contributions from Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and areas in addition to North America.

After I have received another 25 submissions I will release Volume 2 of Dictaphonia, so keep on sending your microcassette masterpieces. If you do not get your piece to me in time for Volume 1, you will be on Volume 2.

A word of caution, warning, and advice - make sure that your piece does not exceed three minutes. If your track is longer than three minutes you will force me to edit your piece, and I might not be able to do it the way you would like it to be done!

4 more submissions received recently - Dictaphonia Vol. 1 nearly filled up

2009-05-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

I recently received four more contributions to Dictaphonia, three of which arrived today:

20) Concrete Violin - "Distant Envelopment (dedicated to GX Jupitter-Larsen)" (Houston, Texas, USA)

21) Jeph Jerman - "Metamatic" (Cottonwood, Arizona, USA)

22) Blind Umizato - "Microcassette 04132009" (Fort Worth, Texas, USA)

23) Dave Fuglewicz - "Liquid Glass" (Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA)

Thursday, April 30th early A.M. report

2009-04-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 1:30 A.M. - two hours earlier than I usually get up, at 3:30 - couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to do some more work on mastering the first volume of the Dictaphonia compilation project. I have worked out the problems I described in the "Dictaphonia Shop Talk" topic below. I have mastered all 19 submissions received so far and it all sounds great. It looks like I will have room for 25 or 26 total contributions on the 60 minute master. Most of the microcassettes I have worked with usually hold something like 31 minutes and 15 seconds per side.

I look at auctions for microcassette-related items on eBay every day. Yesterday I saw this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/90-Microcassette-tapes-Recorder-Secret Recordings_W0QQitemZ370194846116

The guy is selling a Radio Shack brand recorder and 90 microcassettes for a starting bid of $0.99. The microcassettes all contain secret recordings made by a previous owner of conversations and telephone calls. What a treasure trove! The seller includes a YouTube video in which he describes the items and even reads texts from the j-cards of the microcassettes. It is a shame that he didn't play excerpts from the tapes!

19 total submissions now received

2009-04-28T00:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received three more submissions for Dictaphonia and that brings the total number of tracks to 19. I probably need just three more to fill up the first volume of the compilation.

17) 3D-MAN - "Untitled Guitar Solo" (Stafford, Virginia, USA)

18) Chefkirk - "no-input for microcassette" (Eugene, Oregon, USA)

19) Ironing - "Microcaßettestraße" (Gainesville, Florida, USA)

Dictaphonia shop talk

2009-04-26T11:31:00.001-07:00

Here is the text of an e-mail letter I just sent to Dave X:

---------------------------------

Yesterday I started working on mastering the Dictaphonia compilation, just getting a feeling for it, testing out gear connections, etc. I immediately encountered some challenges. As you know, my plan has been to do mastering and then make copies using two Panasonic RR-930s. I figured that I could connect a cable with eighth-inch plugs on both ends - one to the MONITOR (headphone jack) of one machine, and the other into the Microphone jack of the second machine. When I tried this last night it didn't have the desired effect. There was a lot of distortion and "machine noise", both of which radically changed the sound of the original recording (your track in this case) and in fact nearly drowned out the source sound. My guess is that the MIC jacks are not meant to handle a line signal like that which comes out of the MONITOR jack. I tried everything, including using different cables, plugging into different AC outlets/power strips. Still, no good.

I was able to make decent copies by playing back the tape on one machine and recording it with the built-in condenser microphone of the other RR-930. While satisfactory one time through, I doubt that doing this twice, once for mastering and another for making a copy from the master, will have a good result.

So, unless I can find a way to overcome the noisy MIC jack problem - perhaps I need to find a way to attenuate the MONITOR signal? - I am going to have to find a work-around method! One solution might be to make a master on CDR, play it back over my stereo system speakers and record with a microcassette machine condenser microphone. Actually, the Sounds From The Pocket label used a CDR master for their Reynols microcassette release. I tried this out briefly and your track sounds great transferred to CDR.

Even if I am able to find a way around that MIC jack issue it seems that making a master on microcassette and then copies from that will just make copies that sound like crud, and not in an appealing way.

On other issues, I am starting to regret my original rule about:
"The DICTAPHONIA Microcassette Compilation will only be available in the microcassette format. Not online, not on CDR or cassette."

After having listened to your piece on the CDR I started thinking about how great it would be to release Dictaphonia online too, in addition to the microcassette.

Let's face it, the audience for this compilation is going to amount to about 40 people - the people who actually contribute to it!

Some of my best stuff, as far as I am concerned, is my microcassette work which I have released online in mp3 format. Such as The Man With The Tape Recorder, Magnetic Personality, and Sandwichism.

I adore the sound of microcassette-based recordings! It has an immediacy and pleasing lo-fi-ness that just gets my brain cells all happy and tickled.

As you know, I have been a big proponent of online music, and many of my recent works have been specifically designed with the mp3 format in mind - working within its limits, fully taking into account the characteristics of the medium. Certainly, while they are different in many respects, microcassette and mp3 both excite and amuse me and appeal to me as minimalist vehicles for audio art.

I will certainly consider all of this in a lot more detail. At this moment it seems to me that what I am discovering about microcassette is that really it is best suited as an original-capture device and as a performance tool to do live mixes - but perhaps NOT as a medium for duplication, making multiple copies. The way most microcassette machines were designed is for one-time immediate use in a sketch-pad, note-taking kind of way.

One of the participants in the Dictaphonia project (Rob of Su Sous Toulouse En Rouge) has an idea to make one of a kind microcassette tapes to give to people. While this is not of interest to me, it seems like something that would be well-suited to the characteristics of microcassette -- one-time use as the final product.

Oh well, one lives and learns! And I am not afraid to change my mind about things, thanks in great part to the GIFT of schizophrenia :) I think it's most important to keep the Dictaphonia project within the spirit of the microcassette as audio art medium and object, and maybe not so important to adhere to the strict guidelines I originally set out.

I have already made allowances! I have allowed local contributors to in-person hand-deliver their submission to me. Plus I have allowed one contribution that was less than the stated minimum length of one minute.

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Hey everybody, please reply to these thoughts. I would like to read your feedback and reactions.

16 tracks received for Dictaphonia so far

2009-04-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

I received four more contributions for Dictaphonia within recent days:

13) Violet - "Spring" (Bethesda, Maryland, USA)

14) Krysten Davis - "BBBBBAD" (Tallahassee, Florida, USA)

15) Fiver's Stereo - ??????? (Jacksonville, Florida, USA)

16) Hal McGee - "Inverse Square Ratio" (Gainesville, Florida, USA)

April 20th - 12 submissions received so far

2009-04-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

I received one contribution on Saturday, and two more today.

10) Vagina Teeth/Jesus Teeth - "The Sky and The Sea Bed" (Clemmons, North Carolina, USA)

11) William A. Davison - "Garbage Guitar And Objects 090410 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

12) Homogenized Terrestrials - "air" (Princeton, Illinois, USA)

After I receive another 8-10 submissions there are ought to be enough material to fill up the first volume of Dictaphonia. If you cannot send your contribution in time to make it onto the first Dictaphonia compilation, do not worry - I will do at least two volumes, so you can be on the second one.

I should receive another Panasonic RR-930 desktop microcassette machine in the next day or so, so this next weekend I will probably start working on mastering the first Dictaphonia compilation.

April 17th report 3 more new tracks received recently

2009-04-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

7) Mike Khoury - "Solo Violin" (Livonia, Michigan, USA)

8) Black Beast Of Arrrghhh - "Micro-Boogie" (St. Petersburg, Florida, USA)

9) Horseflesh - "Hyper Flies" (San Francisco, California, USA)

3 more Dictaphonia submissions received

2009-04-15T00:28:00.000-07:00

4) Istituzioni Ambienti Naturalismo - "Nastro #13b" (Rome, Italy)

5) Otolathe - "Unorchestratable" (Tampa, Florida, USA)

6) IWANTTOKILLEVERYHUMAN - "One Dogless" (DeSoto, Texas, USA)

Today I received the first three submissions for Dictaphonia

2009-04-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Today when I got back from a short bus trip to get the Szechuan Chicken lunch special at the nearby Wok N Roll Chinese restaurant I opened my mailbox to find the first three submissions for the Dictaphonia compilation:

1) Dave X - "Keeping my hand in" (Carterville, Illinois, USA)

2) Su Sous Toulouse En Rouge - "brugmansia tea" (St. Petersburg, Florida, USA)

3) Kathy Burkett - "Dachsooka Radio Buzz" (Lady Lake, Florida, USA)

I listened to them on my new Panasonic Model No. RR-930 microcassette transcriber. This is a desktop microcassette machine which I will be using to master the Dictaphonia compilation, and to make copies.

I have been working on my submission for the compilation!

DICTAPHONIA Microcassette Compilation call for submissions

2009-04-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Please contribute to the DICTAPHONIA Microcassette Compilation.

Send a recording on a microcassette that is at least one minute in length and no longer than three minutes.

You must send your contribution on a microcassette. I will not accept submissions in any other format - no CDR, no standard cassette, no mp3 or WAV, etc.

Do not send more than one contribution. If your submission is longer than three minutes it will be rejected. Do not send a tape containing a recording longer than three minutes and ask me to choose three minutes for the compilation.

Your submitted microcassette should be recorded at the Standard Play (SP) speed of 2.4 centimeters per second - NOT at the Long Play (LP) speed of 1.2 centimeters per second. If your microcassette recorder has two tape speeds, choose the higher/faster one. The compilation will be mastered at the SP speed, so if you submit a microcassette that was recorded in LP speed it will sound speeded-up.

Your submission should be recorded specifically for this project and I prefer (but do not require) that you make your original recordings in the microcassette format. One of the emphases of this project is to highlight the microcassette as a unique audio art format with its own unique properties.

Participants are urged to bear in mind the particular and peculiar characteristics of the microcassette format, such as limited dynamic range (usually 400-4000Hz), low fidelity, and tape noise and hiss. Most people who hear the compilation will be listening to it on their cheap portable hand-sized microcassette machines which have a speaker that is about one inch in diameter. Also remember that there might be a two-generation loss in sound quality from your tape to the master to the copy. Your submission should be composed and created for optimized transmission under these conditions. You might want to avoid submitting a piece that contains subtle shadings, colorations, and nuances, or quiet passages.

If you do not yet own a microcassette recorder (alternatively called "dictaphone") but would like to participate in this project you can usually purchase one on eBay or at second-hand shops for a small amount. Most recorders come with a built-in microphone.

Any and all styles are welcome.

Here are a few suggestions for submissions, keywords, and possible themes:

lo fi, lo tech, minimalism, harsh noise, tape collage and cut-ups, minimal synth, micro metal, loner punk anthems, feedback modulation, erotic confessionals, spoken dream diary excerpts, kazoo solos, soliloquies, street rap, 8 bit chiptunes, recordings of street musicians, surreptitious recordings of private conversations, voice beat-boxing, circuit bent sounds, ravings of lunatics and insane people, minimal electronics, no-input mixer, pedal noise, outsider folk songs, children's and toy instruments, answering machine messages, everyday sounds, public transportation sounds, urban noise pollution, machine sounds, shitnoise, construction sounds, plunderphonics, free improvisation, broken instruments, prepared guitar, shortwave and AM radio static and tones, video and computer game sounds, spoken word whatever, beatnik bongo rave-ups, tapes of your lover or spouse cheating with someone else, doctor's consultation notes, barnyard sounds, interviews with nursing home residents, broken and skipping records, dada, fluxus, micro-dub mash-ups.

Send your microcassette to:

Hal McGee
1909 SW 42nd Way
Apt. E
Gainesville, FL
32607-5407
USA

I will not return your tape to you.

Submissions will be added to the microcassette compilation master in the order that they are received.

Each participant whose submission is used will receive one complimentary copy of the compilation, with an option to purchase additional copies at cost, which will likely be very inexpensive.

When you send your submission please include a piece of paper clearly stating artist name, track title, and your postal address.

The DICTAPHONIA Microcassette Compilation will only be available in the microcassette format. Not online, not on CDR or cassette.

After contributor's copies are sent out the compilation will be made available for sale, and for trade.

No deadline. If I receive more than enough contributions for a 60-minute tape I will probably publish an additional volume or volumes depending on interest.