Label
Statutory Tape
Statutory Tape, an industrial label from Lowell, released 11 experimental cassettes between 1985 and 1996, redefining sound on magnetic tape.
About
In the liminal corridors of Lowell, the Statutory Tape label etched a decade-long journey through industrial soundscapes, where harshness and abstraction found a home on magnetic tape. From 1985 to 1996, the label operated as a crucible for experimental sound, releasing eleven cassettes that defied easy categorization and embraced the sculptural potential of sound. Each release was an exploration of process-driven noise, with artists manipulating tape, found sound, and abstract compositions to create something raw and unfiltered. Statutory Tape's archive is a testament to the analog devotion — each of its eleven releases on cassette, an intentional choice reflecting a commitment to tactile, hands-on sound manipulation. The label's catalog became a strange gallery of sonic artifacts, from Merzbow's relentless "Pornoise 1 KG" to the collaborative cacophony of "Sexorama - An International Industrial / Noise Compilation." These works, alongside "An Evening of Serious Noise," cemented the label's reputation for cultivating a space where the auditory brutalism of industrial and noise could thrive. The label's network was as interdisciplinary as its output, engaging various artists in collaborative projects that blurred the lines between individual expression and collective chaos. Releases like "Herz aus G.R.O.S.S." and "Journey Into Pain" were not mere collections of tracks but curated experiences designed to fracture and reassemble the listener's perception of sound. Statutory Tape's existence was a period of sonic evolution, a time capsule of industrial music's most exploratory impulses, captured in rust and plastic.
Catalog
10 totalAn Evening of Serious NoiseHerz aus G.R.O.S.S.Pornoise 1 KGSexorama - An International Industrial / Noise CompilationEven Anti-Art Is Art...That Is Why We Reject ItJourney Into Pain
Eat Shit Noise Music We Love Disco
The King Is Dead - Long Live The King
Songs I Like To Sing
Promises, Promises The CompilationPeople
- Ron Lessard — ran RRRecords, as Artist Emil Beaulieau: A stage name of Ron LESSARD (b. 1957), a leading representative of Ame- rican industrial music, active in a number of domains of propagation of art noise since 1984. Apart from running his own solo project and appe- aring with a personally amorphous group DUE PROCESS, he owns a music shop and an independent record label RRRECORDS, and organises regular concerts. His is industrial noise music involving collages relying solely on analogue sound sources and electronic processors. In his work he frequ- ently makes use of other artists’ compositions, intensely deforming and complementing with bruitist means of expression, as was the case with the Memories album involving deformed hard rock classics or the entire Dedicated to... series devoted to pioneers of electronic noise. For those purposes he employs custom-built turntables, damaged vinyl records, multi-effect systems, malfunctioning radio receivers and tape recor- ders with deteriorated tapes. In 2002 he provocatively dubbed himself ”america’s greatest living noise artist”. His live appearances take a form of a Dadaist pastiche of a conventional concert, with plenty of self-irony, exhibitionism and an irrational sense of humour.