Syntape

About

Syntape, active in the early to mid-80s, carved a liminal space within the German experimental soundscape through its cassette-centric, interdisciplinary ethos. Twenty-five releases, mostly on cassette, with a few accompanying magazines, were not merely artifacts but process-driven explorations of sound. Peter Schäfer's "Nunatak" and "Extension" (1986) are sculptural in their lo-fi production, embodying Syntape's dedication to the cassette as a primary format. The label's sonic architecture — a confluence of field recordings and collaborative projects — embraced the fractal nature of sound art. Symboter's "Phonetik" (1983) and F.A.R.N.'s "Teamwork" (1985) exemplify Syntape's collective spirit, where sound evolution was a communal endeavor. The release "Brötzinger Konzerte" (1985), a collaboration between F.A.R.N. and Syn-Code, captures the live performance aesthetic, threading the ephemeral into the tactile cassette milieu. Rüdiger Lorenz and Martin Kornberger's contributions further illustrate the label’s interdisciplinary approach, blurring the lines between individual artistry and collective output. Syntape's catalog, anchored by its preference for cassette formats, reveals a chronology of sonic evolution untethered by mainstream inclinations. This was a label that eschewed overgeneralization, instead focusing on the intricate architectures of sound, where each release was a deliberate act of auditory sculpture.