Reynols - Sonirdo De Lo Mofifero




You should already know that I love Reynols. Even by their high standards, this is majestically warped. The "Computer FX" are credited to the otherwise unknown "Bombicino". Surely, that is John Olson himself. Fuck it, let's start a rumour.

CDr released on American Tapes in 1999 in a spiral bound book plastered in Olson art.

It's AM77 btw.

Sonirdo De Lo Mofifero

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Commune Ills - Untitled




Commune Ills were John Olson, Aaron Dilloway, Mike Kearns and Lisa Colwell and as far as I know this was a one-off project. It's a belter. Slow motion orchestral doom jazz if you will. It comes in as a C94 largely down to the near 47 minute A Side. The reverse is some 20 minutes shorter. It's on American Tapes. It's from 1999. There were eighteen of them.

It's AM96 btw.

Commune Ills

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J. Olson - Crawling Hands




John in free-form basement jazz mode. C48 released on American Tapes in 2000 in an edition of seven.

It's AM117 btw.

Crawling Hands

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Spykes - File-Ings BC




Dive into the warm tape-hiss squelch of Spykes on this C40 released on American Tapes in 2000 in an edition of 9 copies.

It's AM119 btw.

File-Ings BC

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va - Idealistic Idiot 9

C90 from 1989, featuring music by John Hudak, Die Rache, factor X, Minoy, Mike Shannon, more.

va - Idealistic Idiot 9 

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Crawlspace - Huck & Tom At Fillmore East




Drones, tones and fried electronics from Mr Olson on a CDr released on American Tapes in 2000.

It's AM125 btw.

Huck & Tom At Fillmore East

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va - Idealistic Idiot 8

Tracks by Odal, Minoy, Cancerous Growth, John Hudak, Not 1/2, Mental Anguish, Lyke Wake, The H.E.S.S., Nostalgie Eternelle, others even more obscure.

va - Idealistic Idiot 8


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Wolf Eyes & Spykes - Live Summer '00




John Olson, Aaron Dilloway and Nate Young collaborating with (erm) John Olson for this otherwordly no-fi live recording. C16 released on American Tapes in 2000 in an expansive edition of 14.

It's AM147 btw.

Live Summer '00

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va - Idealistic Idiot 7

Compilation cassette from 1988, released on Nihilist Recordings and compiled by Dutch maniac Peter Zinken/Odal. Includes tracks by 80's comp tape stalwarts Con-Dom, Minoy, City of Worms and Big City Orchestra, plus Uringlinimirnaglu, Treble King, Jittery Sphincter Laboratories, others lost to decaying iron oxide obscurity.

va - Idealistic Idiot 7

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The Ugly Borns - Contact Flour Live




The Ugly Borns were a brief project of John Olson, Aaron Dilloway and Wade Kergan. This is a recording of a gig where you get sax honk, drums, withered electronics and an irritating woman talking in the background (but I'm sure that all of her observations were crucial). CDr released on American Tapes in 2000 in an edition of 12.

It's AM152 btw.

Contact Flour Live

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va - Idealistic Idiot 1

First in a series of weirdo underground compilation cassettes, issued by Peter Zinken/Odal on his Nihilistic Recordings label in the mid-1980's. Features noise by Kapotte Muziek, A Violated Body, Experiment Incest, Zanstones, Croyners, Blackshirt Orchestra (aka the Grey Wolves), Odal, and more people you've never heard of.

va - Idealistic Idiot 1

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Spykes - Rat Patrols




Spykes-style whirling stuttering electronic blurp from Mr Olson on this CDr released on American Tapes in 2001. There were only ten of these.

It's AM170 btw.

Rat Patrols

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Wolf Eyes - Droll




The first in the long-running Droll series. C40 released on American Tapes in 2001. Think of a small number then halve it. That will be the number of copies then.

It's AM175 btw.

Droll

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Dead Comet Alive - Jailed: 1857-2057




CDr strapped to painted cardboard and released on American Tapes in 2001 in an edition of 10. Stunning piece of work from John Olson where he uses different approaches in each channel to take you on a wild ride. The quality of this piece makes the tiny edition unfathomable.

It's AM185 btw.

Jailed: 1857-2057

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Wolf Eyes - Sandpapered Eyes




Delirious jazzskronknoise on a CDr strapped to painted dead vinyl and released on American Tapes in 2001 in an edition of twelve.

It's AM186 btw.

Sandpapered Eyes

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Dead Comet Alive - From a Cliff Into the Sea

Here at Bleak Bliss, we can't get enough of John Olson. And that's a good thing, because we will never run out; he's recorded so much music, I doubt even he's been able to listen to it all. This 30-minute cassette of DIY fried electronics appeared in 2005 on the misleadingly-named generic noise label No Horse Shit. 

Dead Comet Alive - From a Cliff Into the Sea

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Dead Brain - Cold Water On Brain




Extra-terrestrial radio interference from the hands of Mr Olson. C60 released on American Tapes in 2001 in an edition of ten.

Its AM188 btw.

Cold Water On Brain

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Various - No Machine Is Silent




Das Synthetische Mischgewebe, Crawl Unit, Asmus Tietchens, Illusion Of Safety, Aube, THU20, Bacillus, Richard Ramirez, Merzbow and more ...

Double C60 set released on Realization Recordings in 1995.

Silent

Running

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Various - Dutch Fidelity




7" released on Antenne in 2002 with the CDr that came with the first 100 copies featuring the likes of Peter Duimelinks, Jos Smolders, Roel Meelkop, Radboud Mens, Jac Van Bussel's DMDN, Beequeen, THU20, Freiband and Goem. Quality all the way through.

Dutch Fidelity

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Various - Harsh Ears Now ! !




Classic compilation that brings together the mail-art / cassette culture of the mid-late '80s about as well as anything else that I can think of.

Triple C90 set released on Jac Van Bussel's Midas Music in (most likely) 1988.

I've had to split this into four parts so they all need to be extracted to the same folder.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

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