Balsam Flex

About

Balsam Flex emerged from the subterranean corridors of London's 1970s experimental scene, where the hum of cassette tape machines was an anthem of defiance. Between 1977 and 1983, the label cultivated a microcosm on magnetic tape, a universe where sound and text collided in a fractal dance of collaboration and innovation. Forty-three releases, predominantly on cassette, mapped the contours of this liminal space, with formats acting as portals to an interdisciplinary playground. E.E. Vonna-Michell and Lawrence Upton's creative synergy formed the backbone of Balsam Flex's output, their eight joint releases acting as both anchor and catalyst. The label's emphasis on artistic collaboration brought forth projects like "Teorii or 'Ink abandoned an Paper" in 1983, a pivotal release that encapsulated the label's ethos of process-driven exploration and boundary dissolution. Other collaborations, such as Bang Crash Wallop's percussive narratives, punctuated the catalog with sculptural soundscapes. Balsam Flex's format distribution was telling: 40 cassettes and 3 magazines, each object a tactile artifact of the DIY ethos. The "Balsam Flex Tape-Overview and Poster" from 1981 stands as a testament to the label's self-reflexive nature, a meta-commentary on its own production and distribution methods. The label's releases were not mere recordings; they were interdisciplinary dialogues — Erik Vonna-Michell's "Orange Wipes" or Bang Crash Wallop's "Book 1 - live Saturday the 13th" became sites of interaction where listener and creator converged. The cassette was not just a medium but a statement, a chosen form that defied the commercial currents of its time.