Strangeness, Obscurities, And Low-Brow Filth On Audio Cassette
1.8.14 by Mike Haley

They just released their first two releases last month but I’m already likin’ what I’m seein’ from this newfangled outfit that’s shrouded in mystery (think about the Twilight Zone theme for a second for full effect). There are a few things you need to know about Gutter Corpse, so let’s go over them now.

1. This label, for the time being at least, is being operated anonymously. In an email they told us that “anonymity is of the utmost importance in this venture”. Not sure why, but I’m guessing that means no Paypal? They should only accept Bitcoins or weird services in exchange for tapes. No shipping, all drop offs at park benches. No eye contact.

2. They aren’t doing direct sales, only wholesale to distros and trades. You’ll at least get their address, unless they’re using a safe house. These bastards thought of everything!

3. The releases are “dense sound collages” of audio from movies you probably haven’t seen, unless you are a “movie person”. Like, you go to small movie theaters that sell apples instead candy alone on a regular basis. The first two take audio from the films Bloodbeat and Aerobicide. The synopsis for Bloodbeat is “A woman who lives in deer-hunting country in rural Wisconsin is possessed by the spirit of a Japanese samurai warrior” so, yeah… I’m gonna see that one.

4. No artist names are listed, just the catalog number and movie title. So I *assume* the two people who run Gutter Corpse (they said there were 2 of em in an email) are making all of these sound collages themselves.

5. The shells of the cassettes. Let’s talk about the shells of the cassettes for a second. They are laser etched and look so so dope. The plastic sticks up a little bit (I’m a texture guy) and the detail is super fine. The sides are designated by etchings of a single or double X at the bottom of the shell with the movie title above it. Bloodbeat even has a tight lil’ dagger. Seriously, these look so top notch it’s gross.

Both of their current releases are 40 minutes long, made in an edition of 50 copies. The first ten have special foil stamped Jcards, not sure if those are obtainable or not at this point. Worth checking out though. New releases are coming in about a month.