Kommt noch Schlimmer Tapes

About

Kommt noch Schlimmer Tapes emerged from the fringes of early '80s German experimental music, an ephemeral construct vibrating with lo-fi, abstract soundscapes. In its brief life from 1981 to 1983, the label released a mere 11 offerings, a spectral presence captured mostly on humble cassette. Each release a world unto itself, a sculptural intersection of noise, collage, and found sound. The roster, an assembly of enigmatic creators, conjured auditory experiences that were anything but linear. Rigor Mortis with "Durcheinander" (1983) spun chaotic webs of sound, while Aktive Notwehr's eponymous 1983 tape further pushed the limits of auditory abstraction. Makarna Pasta's "Pasta Lahm" (1982) represented the quintessence of early experimental tape culture, a fractal exploration of sonic evolution. The label’s pièce de résistance, "Der Sampler: Collage" (1982), showcased a dizzying variety of sound sources, weaving disparate elements into a cohesive, if transient, whole. The focus on cassette format was more than a choice—it was a declaration of DIY ethos, a commitment to process-driven creation that eschewed mainstream appeal for the raw, the obscure, the liminal. Kommt noch Schlimmer Tapes, though obscure, holds a significant place in the experimental scene of its time. Its releases, from the abstract narratives of Chemische Ameisenscheisse to the haunting reverberations of Treibeis' "Alpträume" (1981), are artifacts of a pioneering spirit, forever etched in the magnetic strips of its medium.