From Aughts Unknown
7.11.14 by Mike Haley

They say “less is more”. Of course, they also say “go big or go home” and “if you can’t run with the big dogs, you’d better stay on the porch”, but those don’t really apply here. In this selfie-infused culture exists Aught. An entity that has released cassettes by Elizabethan Collar and, as of today, Topdown Dialectic. Packaging-wise both tapes are pretty much as minimal as it gets; Totally clear, screwless tapes with artist names and label insignia imprinted in white, housed in clear 4″x5″ poly bags. No inserts are included. No track listing, gear list, or who/what/where’s at all. The complete opposite of “HEY, FUCKING LOOK AT ME ON VACATION!!”. Just a tape in a bag, bro.

The examples of little consistent details in cassette packaging roll thick. You got the drips of paint on Fag Tapes’ cases, the duct tape on RRR’s recycled series, NNA’s folded circles on all their Jcards, yada yada yada. We could be here all day listing them off. But while aesthetic themes exist abound, that reasoning does not apply for Aught. They didn’t go the über-clear route because they thought it looked cool, which it does. They did it to, as they put it, “narrow the scope of engagement” in order to “limit the contextual elements that inform one’s engagement with a piece in order to provide a direct channel to a sensory experience”. So basically – listen to this. To make sure you don’t go judging the book by it’s cover Aught is revoking your access to a cover. Are you about to dive into 50 Shades of Grey or One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish? The only way to find out is the play button. Basically Aught is a spoiler free zone, existing with the intention of immersing listeners in as pure and organic of a listening sesh as possible. They go as far as Batmanning their identities as to not taint the waters one iota.

I conducted an “interview” with the someone(s) or something(s) behind Aught. To not stray far from their covert motif we kept it to a single word question / single word answer style.

Tabs Out: Name?
/\\: n/a
Tabs Out: Why?
/\\: Inevitable
Tabs Out: Where?
/\\: Diffuse
Tabs Out: Tapes?
/\\: Direct
Tabs Out: Bags?
/\\: Neutral
Tabs Out: Aesthetic?
/\\: Contained
Tabs Out: Always?
/\\: Unlikely
Tabs Out: Change?
/\\: Permutation
Tabs Out: To?
/\\: n/a
Tabs Out: Anonymity?
/\\: Clean
Tabs Out: Focus?
/\\: Imperative
Tabs Out: First?
/\\: EB.C
Tabs Out: Sounds?
/\\: Placements
Tabs Out: You?
/\\: Clear
Tabs Out: Clearly?
/\\: No
Tabs Out: Second?
/\\: TD.D
Tabs Out: Describe.
/\\: Systems
Tabs Out: Details?
/\\: Results
Tabs Out: Next?
/\\: De Leon
Tabs Out: Who?
/\\: n/a
Tabs Out: Tape?
/\\: Same
Tabs Out: Secrecy?
/\\: Focus
Tabs Out: On?
/\\: Listening
Tabs Out: Format?
/\\: Consistency
Tabs Out: Data?
/\\: Unmediated
Tabs Out: Unmeditated?
/\\: No
Tabs Out: Ephemera?
/\\: Hyper-mediated
Tabs Out: Reason?
/\\: Scope
Tabs Out: Digital?
/\\: Scope
Tabs Out: Objective?
/\\: Cohesion
Tabs Out: Future?
/\\: Permutation
Tabs Out: Hint?
/\\: August
Tabs Out: Month?
/\\: Yes
Tabs Out: Thanks
/\\: Ditto

Learn something? Probably not. But the following is what’s actually important…

Their first release from June by Elizabethan Collar is a C26 that plays with engaging, throbbing synth rhythms. Hollow flickers that exist on the same minimal plane as the label. Who is Elizabethan Collar? *shrugs* I don’t think I’m supposed to know, and I like that.

Available today is their second release. A C20 by another occupant of parts unknown, Topdown Dialectic. A solid delivery of gritty, technoish thumpers alongside a rippling of slurred noise and a weird, choppy, almost hip-hop rapport.

A tight start for an interesting endeavor. Classy tapes for sure, but will one have a more focused experience due to Aught’s efforts? Will their choices draw MORE attention to random minutia and make idiots with blogs talk about shit like how many screws the cassettes have? You’ll have to figure that one out for yourself. I’m not your fucking father, sport.

You can purchase both tapes for $7 each through Aught’s Bandcamp.