Cause And Effect Listening Station at Cassette Culture Node Linz

6/26/2018

Currently in progress in Linz, Austria, Cassette Culture Node Linz is a fantastic exhibition curated by Wolfgang Dorninger dedicated to the Cassette Culture of the 1980s and 1990s.

front of the Cassette Culture Node Linz exhibition space with 2.000 tapes and 700 empty tapes for the letters

One of the features of the exhibition are listening stations where visitors can listen to continuously-playing cassettes loaded with music from cassettes of the 1980s and 90s. Wolfgang asked me to create a 90-minute program of selections from cassettes that were distributed by the Cause And Effect Distribution Service, which was operated by Debbie Jaffe and me in the mid-1980s.

Cassette Culture Node Linz Listening Stations

In the 192 kbps MP3 players below you can listen to the program that I created, which includes short excerpts from the cassettes I chose plus narrations and commentaries by me in-between the tracks, very much in the style of a radio program or podcast. I selected cassettes that were listed in the first Cause And Effect Cassette Distribution Catalog in January 1985.

Here is the playlist of Side A of the tape (45 minutes):

– Schlafengarten: Memorandum
– Walls Of Genius: Before ...And After
– Viscera: A Whole Universe Of Horror Movies
– Dog As Master: Coffee Spleen & The Barking Dog
– Master/Slave Relationship: The Desire To Castrate Father
– Dega Ray: Clasp/Click
– John Wiggins: Anagenic
– Twa Digs Under Paris - i shin ohn
– Sue Ann Harkey: I tell you everything, just not out loud
– Let's Have Healthy Children: OSLWMMGIB?

After you click on the PLAY button it might take several seconds for the file to load, so please be patient.

ccnl-cae-sidea.mp3
File Size:	64475 kb
File Type:	mp3

Download File

Here is the playlist of Side B of the tape (45 minutes):

– Sadistic Gossip: Confessions Of A Shit Addict
– Bene Gesserit: Insane Music For Insane People Volume 1
– Magisch Theater: Magthea and Insanity
– DDAA: Prehistoric Rejet
– Architects Office: Memorial Issue
– Theatre Of Ice: The Haunting
– Grey Area: Anatomy Of Coincidence
– Paul Kelday: Worlds Apart
– Cleaners From Venus: Under Wartime Conditions

ccnl-cae-sideb.mp3
File Size:	64719 kb
File Type:	mp3

Download File

18 Comments

Electronic Cottage
Editor
Hal McGee

I have been making my own homemade experimental music since 1981.

I was an active participant in the 1980s Cassette Culture scene, and I operated the Cause And Effect Cassette Distribution Service and label, and recorded solo as Dog As Master, and in a duo as Viscera.

From 1989 to 1991 I published six issues of the original Electronic Cottage print magazine.

In the last 36 years I have recorded, produced and released more than 300 solo audio works, collaborations and compilations. In the last two years I have revived my personal zine, HalZine.

email
website

Neal D Retke

6/26/2018 08:48:08

That looks amazing ~!

Lord Litter link

6/26/2018 08:56:22

I just can't stop staring at the pictures! So GREAT! Wolfgang created a piece of Art! Have to admit I'm a bit speechless ..

... so I just keep listening to the Cause and Effect listening station which defines a statement of a certain culture of a certain time, which now - with activities like these - becomes part of earth's heritage...

Rafael González

6/26/2018 10:28:58

I LOVE IT! It’s wonderful!

Hal McGee

6/26/2018 16:37:57

I have added five new photos to the bottom of the page that Wolfgang sent to me this afternoon.

6/26/2018 17:58:00

A fantastic exhibition Everything looks great

Little Fyodor

6/26/2018 17:02:03

Holy freaking moly!!!

This is verily amazing.

Much to say -- and ask! But later, after work....

I'll just say now -- what an honor to be part of this!!

6/26/2018 21:04:35

Okay, listening now!

The front of the exhibit is the most amazing thing. 2000 tapes??? Wow. I know that's not the only large collection in the world, but still, wow. I guess Wolfgang collected these as part of his own cassette activities from the day? I believe I met Wolfgang in the late 80's when Monochrome Bleu came to Boulder and Joel H. and Charlie Verrette and myself showed them around. Anyway, wait. Are these actual tapes? I can see there's cassette boxes; are there tapes inside? It's very nice and nicely ironic that the boxes and spaces create a very digital look, with all those rectangular edges! Know what I mean, know what I mean? So are there really tapes inside the boxes? And is this facade indoors or outdoors? The steps make it look outdoors, but -- I'm not sure? I might be a little worried about the effects of the sun and various elements on cassette tapes especially and even empty boxes, presuming they contain artwork, if it's outdoors, not that I'm complaining as, hey, it's an awesome use of the stuff even if they suffer some wear. But what is this place? Where is it? We know the name of the exhibit, but what is the venue, the gallery? I can't locate any mention of that at the linked site, though it does say that Wolfgang lectures at the Art University of Linz -- is this at a gallery associated with the University?

About the audio part, so people are going to listen to actual cassette tapes, right? So Hal, what we hear on the linked MP3 files also exists on an actual cassette, that you either made and sent overseas to Wolfgang, or else Wolfgang made a tape himself of your digital files? It's all so mind boggling that I'm trying to get a grip on the logistics, even if they're none of my business! If this is privileged information, I understand. Speaking of privileged information, I also wonder what's going to be on the other 19 listening stations! Or who else was invited to provide material! It's all so wondrous yet still so mysterious!

Well well, I know, I ask a lot of questions for someone who grew up in New Jersey! Regardless of any of the answers or of even getting any, I am duly impressed and, as I said above, honored to be a part of it! Has it opened to the public yet, or is it still waiting for some of those 20 listening station cassettes??

Interesting that I'm familiar with 16 of the 19 artists you showcase (though that number is slightly padded by including three songs of your projects plus one of a band I was in!). I bet I don't know nearly as high a percentage of any of the other tapes that will be "on exhibit"!

Big thanks to you and to Wolfgang!!

6/27/2018 00:52:59

Fyodor, many of the answers to your questions can be found at the Cassette Culture Node.Linz Group on Facebook, of which you are a member! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/144094299622110/

C. Goff III link

6/27/2018 00:55:45

Looks very impressive. Wolfgang -- is there a genuine audience for your exhibit? Are people of all ages visiting and listening? Is there a curator onsite to answer questions?

I have yet to hear both full sides of the Cause & Effect virtual cassette presentation here, but my initial peruse suggests Mr. McGee did a good job in providing a wide variety of C&E material, fine curatory job, Hal !

Compliments all around, gents.

Wolfgang Dorninger link

6/27/2018 05:24:58

Dear friends!
thanks for your great feedback! makes me feel very good.

about the tapes on the glass front of the Foyer Ursulienenhof: about 1100 are from Frank Bull of Tape-Mag/Vinyl on Demand), 500 of mine, 400 of the SR-Archiv österreichischer Popularmusik (only Austrian tapes, about 100 of them are mine).

you see only the snapboxes and the cover. no tapes. this would be too dangerous. demagnetisation.
happily the glass is a special glass, so the tapes will not lose that much color. about 1pm the sun is over the building.

time: most of the tapes are from the 80ies and early 90ies. app. 200 are from the last decade from local tape labels and artists.
there is stuff from audiofileTapes, SoP, also Taped Rugs, CAE, ...... in the wall.
the caracters for Cassette Culture Node.Linz are empty snapboxes I bought so that we could write the title of the exhibition.

Half of the money come from the crowdfunding I did in December 2017, the rest from private sponsors, SKE Fond and I am very happy about by the OK - OÖ Kulturquartier who also gave me this beautiful space.

There will be a thankslist soon on my homepage. To many people to mention.

The content is from my archiv.

that's it for first. more soon.

thanks wolfgang

6/27/2018 22:13:19

Hi Wolfgang, good to talk to you again!

Thank you for your answers and I see a few other answers at the Facebook page, like I see that the exhibit started earlier this week, on June 21.

I still cannot figure out the nature of the venue? Am I right that it is a gallery or other type of space associated with the University? Interesting about the special glass. Is it like that because the space frequently uses it for displays?

Also I am still wondering about the nature of the other listening stations. Naturally, I would listen for myself if I lived anywhere near Linz!

Well a big thank you and congratulations for doing this!

Frank

6/28/2018 00:23:40

Wow, that looks like an amazing exhibition!
Still need to listen to Hal's radio program.(running way behind with everything)

6/29/2018 05:24:18

Hal, is it possible to put your program downloadable somewhere? If I try to listen, it gets interrupted very often and that's not a great listening experience. I know, it's my internet provider :(

Hal

6/29/2018 06:39:44

Frank, yes I will provide a download of the program in the future. At the moment I have no Internet service for my desktop computer due to the crazy lightning and thunder storms that we have here in a Florida. I hope to have Internet service again later today.

7/2/2018 00:37:16

Hello Frank! I just added downloadable MP3s to the page.

7/3/2018 22:03:51

Thanks Hal!

Lumen K

7/4/2018 14:03:43

What a wonderful tribute to Cause and Effect and the artists that participated. It is a lovely exhibition.

7/8/2018 05:17:15

Hallo,
thanks so much for your feedback!
my plan for the last week of the exhibition is a detailed documentation. maybe I'll publish parts of it on EC.

about the location: I am so glad that the OK - http://www.ok-centrum.at/ - open this space for me. and they supported me also financially, technically and with stuff.

later this year I will show CCNL on a smaller scale in Vienna at the company space of my former band member Thomas Resch (Monochrome Bleu).

you'll get informed.

if you wanna become member of the closed CCNL facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/144094299622110/ just send me a note.

best wolfgang