New Adventures in HI-FI 08/03/2021 at Make, Birkenhead

Audio experimentation and sound discovery with Angelo Madonna

You can find more of Angelo's incredible work here: https://www.angelomadonna.org/

Today was spent playing with sound at Angelo Madonna's studio. Playing with an old Grundig tk5 reel to reel was truly a treat. I really miss sound recorded on tape. It's really unlike anything else, the hiss, the mechanical movement of the object, the playback. It all adds up to create something pretty mesmerizing.

It leads me to think about the body of memory that is in existence around the world recorded on tape in old dusty boxes and attics. 

Mix tapes are like little windows into our past lives, reminding us of who we were and where we are now. This old reel to reel had the audio recorded through a microphone from an old radio. The creator of the tape is unknown. 

I found listening to it an otherworldly experience, like looking into the window of a strangers home, connecting with a part of their psyche. Why did they record it? Was it for someone else? Did they enjoy it? Is their favorite song on there. It takes the mind to some strange places for sure. 

Maybe it's time we all dug out our old tapes and reconnected with our old selves.