On December 15, 2019 I ended the all genres "No Pigeonholes " show on KKUP after 41 years and a few days earlier also ended my long time show on Radio Marabu ( 21 years ). If you care to hear/download the final shows from both of these radio stations go here: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/doncampau

As I stated before I will be keeping my experimental and jazz shows on KOWS Radio, where I am Program Director. That's kowsfm.com, or http://kows92-5.org/

So, the archiving of 35 years of the "regular" No Pigeonholes shows is in full swing now. I have every show since 1985 on tape, CD or mp3 files so there's a lot of content, in fact, thousands of hours. I am listing ( the best I can ) the artists that I played on these shows and whatever memories I have of the time.

So, for now at least, the portal for these programs will be here: http://livingarchive.doncampau.com/no_pigeonholes_radio

​The photos: Nao Ishimaru ( Yximalloo) , Dan Stearns, Pamela Z


and you can always reach me by email/ social media at http://doncampau.com/
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Panoply was the first in 4 releases I did with the crew at Tape Germ, a site for interactive music making run by Bryan Baker and Chris Phinney. People would upload loops and other folks would download these loops and mix them, cut them up, add to them, etc. and make pieces out of them.  Then, they would upload them and share them back with the Tape Germ community. It was a lot of fun and those guys did a lot of work on this ground breaking project

At the time I did not possess a computer program for creating and cutting and pasting tracks so I had to use a novel method of recording the loops and using a minidisc player to play them by hand with the remote control in a live fashion. I would also add my own instruments and layer the various loops using this minidisc method.

Listen to Panoply here:
​https://archive.org/details/doncampaupanoply/P-c+panoply.mp3

Don Campau
Panoply
Tape Germ series #1
Lonely Whistle Music 2006

kwashiorkor 9:13
Loops by Hal McGee, Dave Fuglewicz, Buzzsaw, Heuristics Inc, Mental Anguish, International Garbageman, Cystem

merge into room 16:15
Loops by Hebephrenic, International Garbageman, Virus Factory

panoply  23:11
Loops by Heuristics Inc, Hebephrenic, Virus Factory, International Garbageman

Here’s a few collage style art works I did on February 15-16, 2019

My pieces are all untitled and are slightly smaller than 5X5”.  I use paint, pen, paper pieces, masking tape, coffee grounds, flowers, found objects, stencils,  spray paint, dental floss, etc.

They are not intended to represent anything although even I see things in them sometimes. 

I still continue to do music but during winter when the music studio is pretty cold I have been shifting to these art works.  I have been actively doing these abstract collages since the start of 2017 and have a lot of them now.
You can view them all at:
​https://doncampauartworks.shutterfly.com/pictures

Although I do not sell these pieces I am happy to trade them with anyone for a variety of things. Drop me a line and we can set something up.

Don Campau email

You can stream or download this show here:
https://archive.org/details/NoPigeonholesOnRadioOnDecember2018

For a few years I have been doing a radio show (“No Pigeonholes”) on Berlin’s Independent radio station, Radio On.
https://www.radio-on-berlin.com/

Generally on this station and program I have featured material from the Cassette Culture era (approx 1980-2000). On this particular show I focused on vinyl releases created by hometapers and underground artists of this time period. Most were highly obscure hometapers but there were a couple of greater renown.

A few comments about the music on this program and my memories of the time.

In the mid 80s and 90s I was getting a lot of submissions for the radio show daily. It was difficult to keep up and assure personal contact with every artist that sent me a tape, record or CD.  It has always been important to me to document and notify people who I play on the show. I know some college DJs and others who simply play the material (if you’re lucky) and you never find out about it. I wanted my interactions to be more personal.

It wasn't always possible to give people deeply personal, handwritten notes but I tried my best. And, in the very early days not only would I send playlists (and my music catalogs) but I would send people cassette copies of the show they had their music played on, and many times, my own music in trade.

After awhile this element kind of dried up when I realized that many artists did not even want my own music tapes. They were generally happy to get the radio tapes but that soon became difficult and costly, especially to Europe or outside the USA.

People seemed happy enough just to have their music aired on my show and to be notified of a radio appearance. As I used to say… “your first airplay, and maybe your last”.

Here’s what I recall about the music on this show:

Bugo/ Questione D'eternita/ Questione D'eternita/ Bar La Muerte 7" 1999
I don't really remember getting this and although I remember having many contacts in Italy I cannot recall the person's name who sent it. I think it was an Italian guy who ran a label. This is a strangely angular, head bopper of a tune sung in Italian. 

Trespassers W/ You/ Macht Kaputt EP/ Pillow Talk 7" 1987?
A favorite band from the first time I heard them, Trespassers W were an intelligent, almost literary group from The Netherlands, who dabbled in politics and topical situations while rocking, rolling and purveying a type of progressive rock that blended cabaret and other styles into a unique whole.

Monster Squad/ Death & Destruction / Monster Squad/ ---7" 2001
Hardcore punk in the original 70s fashion. Hard, fast, angry but filled with hooky segments and breaks.  This came from a 7” record that I don't recall much about.

Steine Fur Den Frieden/USS Weltpolizei/ Romp 7" late 80s
More hard and fast material sprouting from these Euro punks. Not really that poppy but it changed speeds from fast to even faster and then slower again. Good energy although not a lot of melody to hang onto.

Keith Levene & Hillel Slovak/ Clothesline/ split with Kendra Smith/ Overzealous 7"  90’s?
Of course Levene was well known as a member of Johnny Rotten’s Public Image Limited group and Slovak was well known as the guitarist for The Red Hot Chili Peppers. In those days I probably would not have even played this on the show because I was sort of an elitist. If anyone ever heard of you I wouldn't touch it. But on this archival broadcast show I found this odd little 7” in the collection and thought “why not”? Its a fun, funky oddity as you might imagine when these two get together. No vocals, just hip shaking rhythms and flourishes.

Die Kuche/ Granada V8/ Die Kuche/ Stetzer 7" early 2000’s?
I’m pretty sure this 7” was given to me by my good German friend, Achim Treu (Dauerfisch, Kunstler Treu, Der Plan), when he visited me in about 2001.  I don't think he had anything to do with it but he knew I liked bizarre, underground productions.
And he probably knew the artists in this group which means “The Kitchen” in German.
There is some ultra cool jazzy organ that really drives this instrumental. I think they had other material but not sure.

Pop Threat/ Ripen/ Ripen/ Squirrel Records 7" 2001
A jangly Brit pop female fronted band that hits the right spot for me. Verse, chorus, verse with a neat spoken middle part.  Good full band sound too.

The Saturday Nights/ Rabid Wolves/ Rabid Wolves/ ---7" 2000’s?
Tremolo rocker with a certain amount of twee to make it more modest. They ramp it up during the middle and overall a decent tune. Don’t remember the person who sent it. An American band I believe.

Dubeaumont/ Les Ronds Bleu/ La Vie D'un Garcon/ L'usine 7" late 80s
An odd 7” vinyl compilation of various French weirdos. I don’t recall much about this particular band but they certainly reek of Frenchness so much you can taste the croissant and stinky cheese. Poppy but filled with a resistance fever.

Populaire Mechanik/ Muster/ Muster/ ---7" 1981
I believe this band went through a couple of incarnations, this one being the first. I really have always dug this tune. Very funky and catchy with vocals that aren't really melodic but the beat is so insistent it doesn't matter. Don't ever let them tell you Germans are not funky. 

Davey Williams/ Firing Up The Old Sikorsky/ Carbon/ Table Of The Elements 7" 1993
Davey has been well known in the improv scene forever and although a more major “name”, this rare 7” on the Table Of The Elements label is as crazy and avant garde as you might like. Beautifully packaged and a real collectors item.

Garlic/ Drink Induced Conversations/ ---/---7" early 2000’s
A mid tempo mumbler from a band that combined Brit mopeyness with American style country. Super cool tune.

Sleepy People/ Home Is Where The Telly Is/ ---/ Soporific Foundation 7" 1997
I never could quite understand this band. Were they Bowie influenced poseurs? Were they post prog slick style rockers circa The Nice 1968? In retrospect they had a lot going for them with undeniable execution and talent and probably dressed up too.

Bubblegum Thunder/ Describing The Symptoms/ ---/Dada Records 7" 1993
A great and rough rocker from these Jersey-ites (if I recall correctly ). This is what grunge should have been. Reminds me a little of MX-80 Sound (a good thing).

Alphane Moon/ To Almondine/Circle Of Four/ Spiffing 7" 1995
I always truly dug the psych instrumental space nature of this group. They appeared on some tapes and even made some vinyl including this one, a green colored 7” on an obscure British label. 

Alvaro & Toshiyuki Hiraoka/ Perfection Is Boring/ ---/ Hard Disc 7" 1992
Alvaro was known as “The Chilean with the singing nose” and was a real character. I couldn't tell whether or not he was kidding and what the deal was. But he kept at it and convinced me he was real, and quirky. Here, he teamed up with the great Japanese hometaper, Toshiyuki Hiraoka, who put out his own cassettes and was always a favorite of mine.

Pamela Z/ Echolocation/ Echolocation/ ---cassette 1988
All the other material on this show was from vinyl but this one was from a cassette that San Francisco area artist, Pamela Z put out. There were very few African American women artists working in the underground at that time, at least that I was aware of. And she is/was a most highly creative artist doing interesting sounds. Using echo and effects she also created some incredibly catchy tunes that could be called avant pop. People like Holly Herndon and others are in debt to this original, talented artist.

Don't forget, I still accept your original music for the radio. Go to www.doncampau.com and click the “submit” link for details. You can also click the links to hear recent radio shows, my own music and more.

And, although I have not worked on it for sometime now there is still some good, archival information (and tons of free music) at my Living Archive Of Underground Music site:
http://livingarchive.doncampau.com/


and lastly, Frank Maier is doing fantastic work at:
https://tape-mag.com/
He is creating a huge database with pictures and sound files and has now collected at least twenty five thousand tapes. Frank is officially now The King Of Cassettes. Drop by and see his progress.

What do “underground” and “independent” mean now any way?

In the old days it was pretty easy to tell what was truly outside the mainstream or “underground”. I used to simply describe this type of music as being unavailable in the music stores. But now, most record stores don't even exist even though the press is quick to point out Record Store Day or the resurgence of vinyl.  Evidently, vinyl is what’s keeping many local shops going now. That’s fine. I’m a record lover and have been for over 50 years when I bought my first 45, “Twist And Shout” by The Beatles.

In the early days of my “No Pigeonholes” radio show (circa 1984-5) getting all these weird and wild tapes from all over was fun, exciting and distinctly underground. There wasn't much delusion about “making it” (whatever that means) from a one off (or maybe a few dozen) cassette with hand printed or badly xeroxed cover images. Some artists featured better graphics and sound such as Carl Howard’s audiofile Tapes label (and others) but even then the music set itself apart as bizarre and experimental forays into the unknown and commercially inaccessible.

I did receive the odd tape from artists who seemed to think their band or home taping project was their key to a better life or music career. I often referred them them as the “shrink wrapped” mentality because they would have their tapes professionally duplicated (like at Discmasters) and cellophane enclosed. And instead of a hand written letter with tons of crazy compilation invites or strange nonsensical art it would have the dreaded “one sheet”…a promo tool used to describe their music and with comparisons to somebody famous. “Head Shots”, glossy paper, glowing reviews from semi famous friends, that sort of thing.

I cannot tell you how many of these I get every single day now but fortunately most of them  are in email form so it is easy to wipe them off my computer. The amount of money spent by bands and musical artists on promotion is ridiculous now. Everyone is looking for an angle to “cut through the static” of too much information.
So, as I outlined in one of my earlier posts, things started to get gray and fuzzy around the turn of the 21st century. The trading scene had all but dried up and people were getting more serious, or so it seemed to me. Oh, a few people hung on to the trading ethic and I would still receive some odd material and little announcements of compilations, collaborations and so forth.

At the same time the Major Record Companies started complaining about illegal downloading and the possible death of their profits from the internet. Spotify, Pandora and iTunes did not exist in any great degree yet but they were coming. Who knew then that the real death was of ANY physical product?

So, about then, the word “indie” started to get used a lot. I mean, it was used before but now it was used as a term of endearment, a way to “pigeonhole” bands to make them more fashionable and trendy. Instead of it being a high flying flag of weirdness and individuality it was a decree of some short term fad. 

So, the terms “underground” and Independent” really lost all meaning, or became just more adjectives for promotion.

To be honest, I have used these words to describe my own show. And, also to be honest, I am now playing bands that might have been too slick or mainstream in the old days. But, I decided long ago that I would not simply be stuck in the past and try to remain open to the new trends and statements of younger musicians. Plus, I was no longer getting hundreds of tapes (or even CDs/files) from home tapers and outsiders. 

So, has my show simply become a mouthpiece for an industry I cannot stand? And, if so, why do I do it?

The reason to me is simple. Most of the artists I now play on “No Pigeonholes” are actually “indie” in the sense they are regional, or low profile groups/artists, who sometimes play live and record in small studios. There are plenty of “home tapers” but that has a whole different sense now too.
I do still refuse to play big time names or Major Label artists but heck, they hardly exist anyway. I look for the ever elusive “independent attitude”, whatever that is.
I must admit that I don’t even like all the groups I play now. But I am lucky because I have a wide taste in styles/genres and my goal is to be as inclusive and open as possible. I try to give everyone a shot although there is stuff I just cannot stomach and get rid of.

I am lucky because I have four separate radio shows. Three of them are called “No Pigeonholes” and on two of them I feature todays “indie” scene from rock, hip hop, singer-songwriter, instrumental, new age, experimental and more. One the fourth show called “No Pigeonholes EXP” I stick to challenging and experimental works from free jazz, dub techno, improv, noise, sound collage, drone, etc. One other DJ called it “sounds, not songs”. I think think that’s apt.

On one of the “No Pigeonholes” shows on Radio On in Berlin I have been featuring Cassette Culture material and even more recently actual radio tapes from back in the day with home tapes I had received then. (Link at my doncampau.com website )

So, many years ago I made the call. I would move forward the best I could. Sure, I prefer getting home tapes and original, strange expression. But, now a lot of what I am offered is from agents, managers, PR people, small labels and musicians who have an obvious intent to climb the ladder.

But, that’s OK. It is not my place to judge someone’s intent. No, I do not have to be a shill for the music industry although I do seem to be participating to some degree. I make it clear to people who submit that I won't be giving them “heavy rotation” or sending my playlists to CMJ or charting websites. I do try to still keep it personal and make sure each artist is aware that they got radio play and offer them links to the subsequent podcast (always free for downloading/streaming).

Why does any of this matter? Why do I bring it up at all?

Well, I think it needs to be spoken that I (and other former underground DJs) am aware of the evolution and change regarding my own program and the landscape that now exists. I need to look in the mirror and admit something. Like it or not, I am part of the problem, the sickness.

Basically, even though I still use them, the terms “underground” and “independent” are shallow at best. They still have meaning but have been warped, degraded and kidnapped until their former meaning is all but forgotten.

Don Campau

a new rock tune, completed today ( 4-26-18 ) called "Crisis" featuring Robin O'Brien on backing vocals.
Free streaming or download at Soundcloud
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This is about inflexibility between people, nations and anyone else who cannot disagree without resulting to violence or debasing behavior. There’s got to be a better way, a way of grown ups.