Sound of Pig Music

About

Sound of Pig Music, a veritable crucible of cassette culture, hummed within the United States from 1983 to 1991. Founded by Al Margolis, the label functioned as a liminal zone where experimental sound artists converged, collaborated, and collided. With 256 releases, of which 251 were cassettes, the label's devotion to the format was sculptural, each tape a conduit for raw, uncensored sonic expressions. The label's catalog is fractal, expansive: Various, If, Bwana, and David Prescott, among others, contributed works that challenge the listener's perception of sound and music. "Dingsters At The Break Of Dawn / Jammus Interuptus" by The Miracle (1991) stands as a late-era testament to the label's exploratory ethos, a sonic tapestry that defies easy classification. Meanwhile, "Live in Europe 1988" by Clank Klank (1989) captures the kinetic energy of live performance, a visceral documentation of an ephemeral moment. Sound of Pig's releases were not mere collections of sounds; they were interdisciplinary artifacts. "Celestial Dance Hits" by Alien Planetscapes (1989) exemplifies this, a compilation that dances between the celestial and the terrestrial, weaving textures that evoke both cosmic wonder and earthly rhythms. The label's magazines, though few, provided an additional layer of context, enriching the auditory dialogue with visual and textual experimentation. Active at a time when mainstream appeal was a distant concern, Sound of Pig Music embraced the underground ethos with fervor. Each release was a process-driven exploration, a piece of an ongoing conversation in the vast, uncharted territory of experimental sound. Even today, the label's influence resonates, an ever-expanding spiral reaching both scene veterans and fresh ears.