‘No computers were harmed in the making of our records’ is the tongue-in-cheek tagline of new indie record label Analog Tone Factory. In other words, all of the label’s recordings will be made exclusively to reel-to-reel tape. The resulting albums will then be available in multiple formats including R2R tape (quarter inch 15 ips IEC/CCIR), … More Introducing new all-analogue label Analog Tone Factory
UK-based label Chasing The Dragon’s ‘Vivaldi in London’ album is a two-tape set of eight Vivaldi concertos, and is a companion double album to their earlier ‘Vivaldi in Venice’ album. Like ‘Vivaldi in Venice’, ‘Vivaldi in London’ is performed by the internationally famous Interpreti Veneziani baroque orchestra. When ‘Vivaldi in Venice’ was released (in 2019), … More Neville Roberts & Dave Denyer on ‘Vivaldi in London’ from Chasing The Dragon
If you want the short version of this review, minus my ramblings, here it is: three sonatas, three passionate fanatics, three steps to heaven! For a bit more detail, read on… ‘Lost in music’ I often ramble on about ‘audiophile recordings’ across multiple media, not just tape, and sometimes in a non-too effusive light. By … More ‘Woah!’: On being blown away by Beethoven’s final three piano sonatas from UltraAnalogue Recordings
There’s more exciting news afoot from the folks at Hemiolia Records, whose copy-master tape releases over the past year or two have been pretty darned spectacular and show no signs of slowing down! If you’re heading over to the Munich High-End Show 2024 this week (9th to 12th May) you’ll find Hemiolia in Hall 4, … More ‘Exclusive’: Hemiolia to preview / announce new titles at the Munich High-End Show this week
Last year Gillian Welch’s 2011 album, the Grammy-nominated The Harrow & The Harvest, described by the Washington Post as “Welch…at her haunting, heart-aching best,” was released for the first time ever on reel-to-reel tape via her own Acony Records (which she co-owns with long-time collaborator David Rawlings). It’s long been a favourite album of mine … More ‘The Harrow & The Harvest’: Gillian Welch’s seminal album on tape and an interview with David Rawlings
It’s fantastic that we’re starting to see a wider breadth of music available on reel-to-reel tape lately, both in terms of a broader range of genres and also an increasing number of contemporary artists alongside the ‘old greats’. Horch House have been doing some sterling work on this, with recent releases including Alice Cooper and … More ‘An Evening of New York Songs and Stories’: Suzanne Vega live on tape from Horch House
I have some exciting news for you here folks, especially for those of us craving a wider range of musical genres on tape. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of jazz and classical, but I also love a whole heap of other genres and am always hankering to hear more of them on … More Electronic band Yello announce ‘The Mastertape Edition’ & ‘The Revox B77 MkII Yello Edition’
If you’re North America-based and thinking about heading to Axpona next month (12-14 April), there are a couple of tape events you might want to check out. Either way, it’s great to see tape featuring so highly in one of the world’s biggest audio shows. That can only be a good thing for the ongoing … More Tape events coming up at Axpona 2024
US audio magazine The Absolute Sound’s annual Editors’ Choice Awards have been published in the March issue, and this year there are 6 tape decks that pick up a ‘gong’. Last year’s awards (5 of them) went to combination of new, vintage and hybrid decks and this year’s selection follows the same pattern (and actually features mostly … More 6 tape decks in The Absolute Sound’s Editors’ Choice Awards 2024
In January I posted a review of the brilliant Saturday Night In San Francisco from Horch House, and this is kind of a P.S. to that review. The review focused on the music and on the recording quality, but I also wanted to mention the format and packaging of the tapes. Horch House have recently upgraded … More Horch House’s new tape formats and packaging
Dave Denyer: The Reel-to-Reel Rambler 