7FO & Tapes - 電氣爆発 (Electronic Aura Explosion) (2019)

Tapes, aka Jackson Bailey, returns to EM Records for the first time since 2015’s “No Broken Hearts on This Factory Floor”, in a live collaboration with his pal from Osaka, 7FO, another of EM’s favourite artists. This CD features new arrangements of some Tapes digital reggae classics like “Ticker Tape”, “C20” and “Freak Riddim”, and new tunes including a dubbed-out version of the “Tetris” theme and “Summer Jam”, a jazz-fusionoid weirdo. The smoke is thick on these 14 ferric soul soothers and digital brain bombs, with drum machines and synths lovingly warped by tape echo and spring reverb, melding with 7FO’s fine guitar playing, often heavily effected, all working together to deliver the goods: digi-reggae, dub, ambient smoke, and hints of a new age. Ranked by Resident Advisor as one of the top performances at the 2019 Meakusma Festival, this is one you’ll enjoy, no matter what reality you choose to inhabit.