If you follow this blog you’ll have seen some really exciting stuff going down in the world of tape this year. It’s been a bumper (and for me, budget-busting!) year for tape. My bank balance is now groaning at the seams but my tape collection is looking pretty darned awesome!
I thought it might be worth doing a bit of a round-up, both of the ‘big headliners’ and some other releases along the way that you might have missed. You know, just in case you’re about to start writing up your Christmas list! Here goes…
The White Stripes: Elephant – from Analogue Productions
Undoubtedly one of the big headliners of the year. So much so that I almost thought it was some kind of prank or hoax when I first heard this announcement from Acoustic Sounds. But no, it was real – and it’s really worth the investment. You can check out my review here: Thunderously good: The White Stripes’ seminal album ‘Elephant’ on UHQR vinyl and Ultra Tape. If your budget can’t quite stretch to tape, don’t despair because the UHQR vinyl is also sublime. Links to order both / either are in the latter blog.
A feast of treasures from Hemiolia Records
Speaking of pranks, again I couldn’t quite believe my ears when I got wind of what Italian label Hemiolia Records had got their hands on, and what they were about to start releasing on tape from 2023. The announcement came at the tail end of 2022 and it had me pinching myself right through to the New Year… it was the R2R geek’s dream: one of my favourite albums of all time in any genre was coming out on tape, followed by a whole raft of other absolute masterpieces. The first release, my favourite, was Miles Davis’ 1959 seminal Kind of Blue – widely regarded as the greatest jazz record ever. When my order shipped in early 2023, I dived straight in and reviewed it on the blog: The best version bar none: Miles Davis’ ‘Kind of Blue’ on copy master tape from Hemiolia Records.
There was more to come… John’s Coltrane’s Blue Train, Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah Um, Getz / Gilberto (the links are all to my reviews – yep, I bought ‘em all!).
And there’s still much more to follow. Hemiolia have a whole stack of tapes from Ermitage Distribution and plan to release them in stages over time. The next three releases, which were announced a few months ago and are now available to order, are just as exciting: Chet Baker Sings – It Could Happen To You, Miles Davis – Ascenseur Pour L’Echafaud and Bill Evans – Waltz For Debby.
Next up and ‘hot off the press’ is The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s must-have Time Out (yes, seriously!), which started shipping from 20th November.
I’ll keep you posted about further new releases here, and / or you can keep an eye on Hemiolia at www.hemioliarecords.com/en
I’ll also add more reviews of purchases – as my bank balance allows (I don’t get paid for this blog, no income or advertising, so you’ll need to bear with me while I plug away at the day job and earn some more tape funds!).
Gillian Welch: The Harrow And The Harvest – from Acony Records
This was announced in September and is due to ship around now-ish. I’m hoping to get my hands on a copy and will post a review if and when I do. In the meantime, you can find full details in this earlier blog: Gillian Welch to release The Harrow & The Harvest on reel-to-reel tape via Acony Records. The link to order is in there too.
Ten new blues classics from Analogue Productions
Acoustic Sounds’ Chad Kassem has been busy this year. A huge blues and jazz fan, he has his own recording label, APO Records (Analogue Productions Originals) which operates out of Blue Heaven Studios (also his own). In August, Chad and mastering engineer Matthew Lutthans announced the forthcoming release of 10 new blues titles on Ultra Tape. You’ll find everything you need to know, including links to order, in this earlier blog: Analogue Productions announces 10 new bluesy albums on Ultra Tape.
Chasing the Dragon
I really did get lucky this year. In addition to all of the jazz classics already mentioned above, my all-time favourite piece of classical music was also released on tape in sublime quality. London audiophile label Chasing the Dragon made a superb recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, performed by The National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Anthony Inglis, and led by the award-wining violinist Katerina Nazarova. Hi-fi journalist Neville Roberts reported from the event, while I reviewed the resulting tape, in this blog: The macro and the micro in complete detail: Chasing The Dragon’s new tape recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.
In other news, Chasing the Dragon also announced at the start of the year that all of their master tape copies would now be supplied using their own in-house reels, custom-made in Germany to an exceptionally high standard.
Ultra Analogue Recordings
Toronto-based label Ultra Analogue also released another excellent classical recording this year, also of a live performance. Like Chasing the Dragon’s Mike Valentine, Ultra Analogue’s Ed Pong pays obsessive attention to every last detail of every element of both the performance and the recording, from hand-selecting his musicians / performers, to the instruments used, precise details of the venue and its acoustic properties, the type and placement of mics, and the selection of every piece of analogue recording kit. You can read my review of the results here: New on tape: Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio no. 1 in D minor Op. 49 from UltraAnalogue Recordings.
John Patitucci: Three Pieces Of Glass – from Analogy Records
Another one for fans of jazz: a live album by American Grammy-winning bassist and composer John Patitucci, one that captures the magic of his trio with saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Brian Blade. The album was recorded during their tour in Italy in summer 2021. Patitucci has played and recorded with jazz giants such as Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and many others. More info at www.analogyrecords.org/2023/05/22/patitucci-new-album
Horch House
German label Horch House launched a new website this year, at the same URL: www.horchhouse.com. Unfortunately they still have a slightly inconvenient ordering process (you have to email them, there’s no direct ecommerce facility on their website), but do check out their list of international dealers as you might find it easier to order from them depending on where you’re based.
If you’re a rock / metal fan who’s frustrated that so many R2R titles seem to be in the jazz and classical genres, here’s one for you. In September Horch House announced a very limited edition (20 copies) of the Alice Cooper Band playing Live from the Astroturf.
I also just spotted a must-have (for me) album added to their list: Saturday Night In San Francisco featuring three legendary and diverse guitar virtuosos – Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia. The trio recorded the iconic album Friday Night in San Francisco at the height of their careers; this follow-up is the result of Al Di Meola and his team combing through hours of the original 16-track live session tapes to dig out more gems. It should be good… I’ve got one on order!
Other 2023 releases included two albums from folk artist Reema (The Low Swing Sessions and Memories Fade to Tape), and two from Norwegian singer-songwriter Rune Simonsen aka ‘Port Almond’ (Port Almond and Little Ships), all of which you can find at www.horchhouse.com/spotlight.
I’m told there’s lots coming from Horch House in 2024 – I’ll suss out more details in the New Year!
2xHD
Better late than never… I seem to have missed these 2023 releases from Canadian label 2xHD and only recently spotted them as listings on the Acoustic Sounds website.
- Jazz At The Pawnshop: Late Night – companion album to the original Jazz at the Pawnshop
- Jaco Pastorius – Truth, Liberty & Soul
- Ben Webster – Stardust
Delmark
Similarly, Acoustic Sounds added a couple of new listings from Delmark back in May:
Feel free to follow this blog if you’d like to get notifications of new releases, reviews and other news ‘as they happen’ (I can’t guarantee I’ll always be 100% on the ball and ahead of the game, but I do aim to catch as many as as I can!).
You’ll also find my list of labels issuing and re-issuing music on R2R tape in Where to buy music on tape.
If there’s anything else I’ve missed, why not drop me a line and let me know what you’ve found – I’m all ears!
In other news
In the spirit of the printed hi-fi audiophile magazines’ annual round-ups, here’s a quick summary of what else happened in the world of tape in 2023.
New tape decks
- At the start of the year, German company Ballfinger announced lots of exciting stuff: the M-051-MR Master Recorder, M-063-H6 deck & an upgraded M-002-P.
- Sonorus Audio released a MkII edition of its ATR10 deck.
- A classic Revox deck made a return: the B77 (MkI or MkII) is back on the market, in ‘like new’ condition since it’s being refurbed by ReVox themselves.
European tape decks now available in North America
- Metaxas’ R2R decks became available in the USA & Canada thanks to a new Florida-based distribution agreement.
- Analog Audio Design’s TP-1000 tape deck became available for purchase in the USA, along with a with free RX Reels carbon fibre reel.
Tape decks featured in The Absolute Sound’s hi-fi awards
- Product of the Year Award 2022 – Metaxas Tourbillon T-RX tape deck
- Editors’ Choice Awards 2023: 5 tape decks
- Golden Ear Awards: UHA’s Ultima 5-OPS-DC
- Annual Buyer’s Guide: 5 tape decks
Again, if there’s something newsworthy I’ve missed, feel free to drop me a line and I’ll add it in (fully credited to you of course!).
Otherwise, here’s to more exciting tape happenings in 2024. My thanks to you for reading, and for playing your part in the revival of this much-loved format – cheers and happy holidays to you all!
Dave Denyer: The Reel-to-Reel Rambler 