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Stirner and Hal McGee
micro meanies 
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62 minutes
a microcassette duo collaboration recorded in Germany and Florida December 2012 1. a race of humans is not one of the options 2. nobody wants to know what's real 3. accidents will happen 4. use any skills, experience or tools you have at hand to accomplish what you want with a minimal effort |
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Tony Stirner:
Olympus Pearlcorder S701 cheap nameless brand spanish guitar cheap nameless brand harmonica cheap nameless brand toy piano Xiron KC-5910 pocket world receiver (radio) Behringer Ultra Metal (UM300) distortion pedal Arion Stereo Flanger (SFL-1) pedal Boston TD-10 pickup small cast-iron umbrella stand Proel Mix-502 mini mixer cover art |
Hal McGee:
sounds recorded on a Sony M-470 field recordings from daily life shortwave radio, Korg Monotribe synth harmonica, kazoo, cracklebox recordings from Apartment Music 17 including the voices of Jay Peele, Mark McGee, Danny McGuire - A.J. Herring on musical saw and banjo mix |
review @ Vital Weekly:
STIRNER & HAL MCGEE - MICRO MEANIES
Four pieces, around fifteen minutes each of improvisations recorded through mail using a vast array of sound sources (synthesizers, radios, kazoo, crackle box, harmonica, toy piano to mention some; entire list on the cover of this release) but where the title refers to the medium it was recorded on, the micro cassette. Veteran home taper Hal McGee, who has been around for thirty or so years in the world of cassette labels and experimental electronics teams up with one of the younger kids, Tony Stirner, who started out as a heavy noise man, but in the mean time also went 'softer'. This tape proofs that, and is another point of evidence how these sort of collaborations are often created. Let's have four pieces of fifteen minutes and let's use a random selection of sounds thrown together in that duration and cut away in a crude form what we don't need in the mix. Or let's mix with blindfolds - providing of course there is analogue mixer somewhere around. Like a stream of un/sub/consciousness this is wheels set in motion and wait around for any possible action to happen. Sometimes all at once - and then wait for the noise bomb to drop - or all alone, just by themselves, and we find both in a more subdued mood, but the microcassette is not a medium that captures moods lightly. It always stays on the noisy side, even in the quieter moments. Sixty minutes is perhaps a bit long, but that too is part of the whole game/esthetics of this. Nice retro early cassette music of the current day! (FdW)
vitalweekly.net/881.html
STIRNER & HAL MCGEE - MICRO MEANIES
Four pieces, around fifteen minutes each of improvisations recorded through mail using a vast array of sound sources (synthesizers, radios, kazoo, crackle box, harmonica, toy piano to mention some; entire list on the cover of this release) but where the title refers to the medium it was recorded on, the micro cassette. Veteran home taper Hal McGee, who has been around for thirty or so years in the world of cassette labels and experimental electronics teams up with one of the younger kids, Tony Stirner, who started out as a heavy noise man, but in the mean time also went 'softer'. This tape proofs that, and is another point of evidence how these sort of collaborations are often created. Let's have four pieces of fifteen minutes and let's use a random selection of sounds thrown together in that duration and cut away in a crude form what we don't need in the mix. Or let's mix with blindfolds - providing of course there is analogue mixer somewhere around. Like a stream of un/sub/consciousness this is wheels set in motion and wait around for any possible action to happen. Sometimes all at once - and then wait for the noise bomb to drop - or all alone, just by themselves, and we find both in a more subdued mood, but the microcassette is not a medium that captures moods lightly. It always stays on the noisy side, even in the quieter moments. Sixty minutes is perhaps a bit long, but that too is part of the whole game/esthetics of this. Nice retro early cassette music of the current day! (FdW)
vitalweekly.net/881.html