Sound Frequency Manager

Posts tagged “Mensa Group International”

Trev’s Virtual Cassette Library 329

Fascinate

Hello there, listeners. It’s me. Trevor.

You’ve pressed play on another Virtual Cassette Library. Twelve tracks. Two sides. A little plastic ghost that flips itself at the halfway mark, like a polite pancake.

If you make music, or you run a label, or you simply own a shed full of strange noises and would like them filed somewhere warm, send your links or Bandcamp codes to trevlad@gmail.com. I read every one. Promise. I read them with both eyes and, on special occasions, a third one.

The shows stay free for the first week, wandering about with their shoelaces undone. After that they slip quietly into the hands of my Mixcloud subscribers, who currently have over eleven hundred other episodes waiting for them whenever the mood strikes, which in my experience is usually Tuesdays, or during eclipses, or when the kettle boils. Subscribers also receive the expanding series of three-hour adventures titled Veil Frequencies, which is less a mixtape and more a long walk through a curtain that may be sentient.

Now. Each of these episodes is a two-part outing, just like the classic cassette. Unlike mixtapes or playlists, these two sides are curated as proper DJ sets, six tracks segued into one continuous mix, stitched together so carefully you can barely see the thread. Unless you look.

I hope you enjoy the adventure. Mind the flip.

A cruise along a signposted road, then a heart lit in a place still waiting for its name.
Side A follows the signs with the construct still standing and happy to drive, keeps the face continuous from one frame to the next, files a polite plea under the smear-test disasters, numbers the first fluid from dust to dawn, lets the shade learn a lyric behind a half-drawn curtain, and fascinates with the fungus that holds the wood together. Side B glows umber between brown and light, posts a New Penzance Island from the film, keeps the last note of a reef in its feathers, chirps a zither small enough for a beak, leans into petrol and jasmine on the same camber, and leaves the light on in a town the map has yet to label.
Overall mood: Slightly luminous, and quietly named — full of half-drawn curtains, open lanes, and places still waiting for their labels. Perfect for dusk drives, roads that know the way, or sitting still while the next spool still waits.

Side A
Mood mist: a cruise along a signposted road, a mask that keeps the face continuous, a helpdesk in the comments, a fluid numbered one, shade singing its own name, wildlife that has decided to fascinate.

00:00:00 BUNKR – Cruisen
https://bunkr-music.bandcamp.com/track/cruisen
Album: Signs. Label: VLSI Records
Signs pointing the way, VLSI keeping the lane. The construct still standing, for now, and happy to drive.
00:07:29 survey channel – Mask of Continuity
https://surveychannel.bandcamp.com/track/mask-of-continuity
Album: Macrozones.
The large rooms where the face stays the same from one frame to the next. The survey already under way.
00:12:25 Daily Mail Comments Section – Hello? Can You Help Me, Please?
https://enofa.bandcamp.com/track/hello-can-you-help-me-please
Album: Now That’s What I Call Smear Test.
Enofa filing the plea under volume one of the polite disasters.
00:14:27 TRAINDEER – Płyn I
https://traindeer.bandcamp.com/track/p-yn-i
Album: From Dust To Dawn.
Fluid, the first of them. From dust to dawn, the deer already on the track.
00:16:50 Hiram – Tsel
https://matthewhiram.bandcamp.com/track/tsel
Album: Shade Songs.
The shadow learning a lyric. Matthew Hiram leaving the curtain half-drawn on purpose.
00:19:28 Polypores – Fascinate
https://auralcanyonmusic.bandcamp.com/track/fascinate
Album: Wildlife. Label: Aural Canyon
The fungus that holds the wood together, and the title of the hour. Look closely. The thread is there.

Side B
Mood mist: an umber that has learned to glow, an island named after a film, a last song from a reef, a zither chirping under the canopy, petrol and jasmine sharing a camber, a heart lit in a place still waiting for its name.

00:25:08 Ocean Moon & Silver Ley – Glowing Umber
(Exclusive track)
Album: Prismatic Fields. Label: Open Universe
https://oceanmoon.bandcamp.com/album/prismatic-fields
The colour between brown and light, happy to be both.
00:27:43 Mensa Group International – New Penzance Island
https://ailanthusrecordings.bandcamp.com/track/new-penzance-island
Album: Split LP. Label: Ailanthus Recordings
The tree of heaven. The island from the film, now with its own postcode.
00:29:02 Coda Nautica – Swan Song
https://neotantra.bandcamp.com/track/swan-song
Album: Intricate Harmonics 2. Label: Neotantra
Neotantra letting the last note keep its feathers.
00:36:01 Beymer – Tsitern (Chirp)
https://imaginarynorth.bandcamp.com/track/tsitern-chirp
Album: Beneath The Trees. Label: Imaginary North
A zither small enough to fit in a beak, and still in tune.
00:37:54 Aidan Baker – Petrol / Jasmine
https://aidanbaker.bandcamp.com/track/petrol-jasmin
Album: Adverse Camber. Label: Broken Spine Productions
The bend that asks you to lean. Broken Spine keeping both scents in the same bottle.
00:43:23 Absence – Glowing Heart
https://imaginarynorth.bandcamp.com/track/glowing-heart
Album: Names of Unknown Places. Label: Imaginary North
The light still on in a town the map has yet to label.

This has been The Virtual Cassette Library, episode 329.
Travel safely between the frequencies.
I’ll meet you on the other side of the next spool.


Trev’s Virtual Cassette Library 297

www.mixcloud.com/djsofabed/tvcl-297/

Good day, listeners… or should I say, travellers of the tape.
Trevor here. You’ve pressed play on another fragile spool of the Virtual Cassette Library. Twelve-track virtual cassettes that flips themselves at the halfway mark.

If you make music, or run a label, and fancy a place in the library, send your links or Bandcamp codes to trevlad@gmail.com. I read every one. Promise.
Tips and subscriptions keep the reels turning. Every little helps the library stay open after dark.

A coastal, living-system ambient journey through sea-stares, underwater spheres, and second natures.
Side A watches the sea from Sausage Studios, then drifts across unnamed water, residual cellar vectors, tape-warm circles, dancing offertorio light, and one-take Maenporth fall. Side B opens a hidden kantele harmony, mixes smoke and sound in real time, breathes under Yiddish trees, sits with an oracle, walks Sanibel’s helix, and comes back to the world.
Overall mood: Gentle, organic, and quietly luminous — full of water, weather, and small living systems. Perfect for morning listening, nature walks, or sitting still while things fall out of the sky.

The shows remain free for the first week, then slip quietly into the hands of my Mixcloud subscribers, who currently have over eleven hundred other episodes waiting for them whenever the mood strikes. Subscribers receive the expanding series of 3-hour adventures titled Veil Frequencies. They also get the ever-growing advance version of the forthcoming compilation Quiet Figures.

The tape unspools its visions.


00:00:00 Mike Dickinson – Bonus Track – Staring at The Sea – V1 Demo
Mike Dickinson – Bonus Track – Staring at The Sea – V1 Demo. Mrs Moore still climbs the desks as Space-bat-Angel-Dragon. Microkorg, Maschine, Odyssey and Minilogue voice the outsider at Sausage Studios.
00:05:28 Mensa Group International – Pokoponesia
Mensa Group International – Pokoponesia. Ailanthus colours drift across unnamed water.
00:07:16 Altus – Residual Vector Drift
Altus – Residual Vector Drift. Mike Carss works eight tracks in the Green Cellar through January and February.
00:13:53 Foam and Sand – Circle 66 feat. Priscilla Ahn
Foam and Sand – Circle 66 feat. Priscilla Ahn. Analog synths, live vibraphone, chimes and bells pass through tape warmth. Robot Koch keeps the invitation quiet.
00:17:57 Salamanda – Offertorio
Salamanda – Offertorio. Bubbles, refracting light and dancing underwater spheres. Profits from physical Sphere copies travel to the Korean Women’s Hotline.
00:20:47 Fran Carlyon – Sometimes (they just fall out of the sky) remaster
Fran Carlyon – Sometimes (they just fall out of the sky) remaster. Guitar recorded overlooking Maenporth waves. Kosmische keys overdubbed later in Hockley, one take.

The cassette reaches its midpoint and turns.


00:22:14 Shakali – Toinen Luonto
Shakali – Toinen Luonto. Thirty-six-string kantele, bowls, bells, reeds, wind and water. Julian Overall’s soprano, Timo’s udu, Roy Werner’s sequencers and Les Halles’ flute simmer in hidden harmony.
00:29:02 Perrache – Schall und Rauch
Perrache – Schall und Rauch. Two Fostex four-tracks mix in real time. Doubled layers nod toward Spector and open a spaghetti-western theme. Names prove transitory.
00:32:22 Beymer – Otemen (Breathe)
Beymer – Otemen (Breathe). Daniel Field’s Yiddish trees. Calming recordings and simple synths gather beneath the canopy.
00:34:14 Lillies For Ever – Oracle III
Lillies For Ever – Oracle III. Captivation arrives as peace.
00:43:55 Green-House – Sanibel
Green-House – Sanibel. Named for a Florida island of first nature-walks. Melody and harmonics helix. Kaleidoscopic guitar and bubbling synths mimic a larger living system.
00:45:55 Hunter Complex – Back to the World
Hunter Complex – Back to the World. Flute, trumpet, acoustic guitar and harmonica join lush piano. Inner peace uses weather and water as metaphor.

The visions complete their circle.
The oxide continues its quiet journey until the end of the spool.

Also in the works: the next compilation, Quiet Figures, release date 26 September.
Uncover the narratives whispered by the silent, ever-present figures that shadow us, through compositions that unravel their hidden mysteries.
Does that stir anything?
Send entries to trevlad@gmail.com
Include artist name, track name, and a link to other work.
Deadline: 24 September.

This has been The Virtual Cassette Library, episode 297.
Travel safely between the frequencies.
I’ll meet you on the other side of the next spool.


Trev’s Virtual Cassette Library 276

www.mixcloud.com/djsofabed/tvcl-276/

Good day, listeners… or should I say, travellers of the tape.
Trevor here. You’ve just pressed play on another fragile spool of the Virtual Cassette Library. Episode 276. A twelve-track virtual cassette that flips itself at the halfway mark, whether you’re ready or not.
If you make music, or run a label, and fancy a place in the library, send your links or Bandcamp codes to trevlad@gmail.com. I read every one. Promise.
Tips and subscriptions keep the reels turning. Every little helps the library stay open after dark.
A nostalgic, gently varied ambient journey through parting regrets, haunted cities, wildlife, and liquid illusions.
Side A moves from crackling farewells and spectral urban spaces into sunflowers, foxes, returning places, and soft confusion. Side B shifts through weird islands, mythical unicorns, brief summer echoes, transistor revolutions, distant horizons, and ends in liquid dreams.
Overall mood: Warm, reflective, and lightly mysterious — blending personal nostalgia with quiet wonder and soft experimental edges. Perfect for relaxed listening, late afternoons, or peaceful immersion.
I’ll introduce Side A now. Side B will wait for the intermission, as is tradition.
The shows remain free for the first week, then slip quietly into the hands of my Mixcloud subscribers, who currently have 1,104 other episodes waiting for them whenever the mood strikes. Subscribers also receive the expanding series Veil Frequencies, recorded floor-by-floor inside the 24 buildings of a place called the Resonant Veil Enclave. They also get the ever-growing advance version of the forthcoming compilation Quiet Figures.
Side A
On this episode you’ll hear Calgary, Alberta based Monroeville Music Center with a lovely nostalgic crackling piece from 2015 titled Parting Regrets from the name your price album Cave & Castle. Formerly available on cassette via Illuminated Paths.
Then Coventry, UK based artist Rich Johnson aka Visionary Lines sent me his latest haunted single The People’s City.
This will be followed by another UK based artist LoveKrafty and the also nostalgic track Sunflowers from the 2020 release Rainbow Drifter.
Then if I say Preston you’ll probably say Polypores. If you know Polypores then you’d probably not recognise this as being the same artist. I’ve chosen the track Foxes taken from his latest release Wildlife. It’s availabe on cassette through the Aural Canyon label.
After that we head to Italy and an artist who ended yesterdays episode Far away Nebraska with the drifting drone tones of a track titled It’s been a while since I’ve been here from the album Halfway from nowhere which is out on Seil Records sub-label Kordel Records.
Closing Side A is Tehran based Iranian artist Nahal Kavand and the lovely floating drones of the track Confusion from the album Echoes of a Fading Existence which is out on Lᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴏ Series which is the sub-label of rohs! records.
But first, to set the vibe: Monroeville Music Center with Parting Regrets.
Now settle in. Turn it up just a little. Let’s see where the tape takes us.
One side flip. Just the music.
Side B
Welcome back, sonic travellers. Six tracks down. Six still waiting.
You’ll hear another artist I played yesterday. Italian artist Gino Fioravanti (Aglaia) with the longest entry in todays episode at 13:50 titled Unicorn from their latest release Altitudes which is out on legenday Projekt Records.
After that we’ll head to my present city of resedence Stockholm and an older one from 2012 by Martin Herterich’s alter ego Sand Circles and the final track from his album Motor City, it’s also the shortest piece of the episode at 1:10 titled Summer Echoes II.
Then we find ourselves in Southsea, UK based artist swimming lesson. Now this is a super duper exclusive from a collective of absolutly wonderful souls that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for a few years now. They’ve gotten together to form The Synthesis Co-Operative and the first release is out on the 4th of September and will be available on cassette, Minidisc and digital and will be accompanied with a 40 page zine. Preorders from 14th August. This swimming lesson track, is stunning, and is called Transistor Revolution. Other names on this first release which will go by the name The Synthesis Co-Op Volume One will include The Earl of Dean, Legacy Systems, HDRF, Scholars of the Peak, theMLFs, Visionary Lines, Warmfield and more.
Near the end we’re joined by another Projekt Records release by Kyiv, Ukraine artist Bohdan Stupak and the moving track horizon from the equally moving album a place in memories.
Finally, Paris, France based artist Philippe Deschamps together with Nathaniel James Goldblatt aka The Goodnight Project and the drifting track Liquid Illusions from the four track EP Maps of an Invisible World.
But first, a wonderfully weird track by Mensa Group International titled Southern Mauristemo Islands from the 2012 Album Split LP which is split with luxury elite and was released on the Ailanthus Recordings label.
Enjoy…

Side A
00:00:00 Monroeville Music Center – Parting Regrets
Nostalgic, crackling ambient with warm analogue haze and quiet farewell emotion. Bittersweet and comforting.

00:07:04 Visionary Lines – The People’s City
Haunted, urban ambient with spectral city presence and soft, lingering atmosphere. Atmospheric and reflective.
00:10:08 LoveKrafty – Sunflowers
Bright, nostalgic ambient with sunny, drifting textures and gentle 2020s warmth. Cheerful and light.
00:12:56 Polypores – Foxes
Organic, wildlife-inspired ambient with subtle animal movement and natural electronic detail. Curious and lively.
00:15:25 Far away Nebraska – It’s been a while since I’ve been here
Drifting, returning ambient with soft familiarity and quiet Italian spaciousness. Contemplative and open.
00:19:25 Nahal Kavand – Confusion
Floating, Iranian ambient drones with gentle uncertainty and fading emotional clarity. Serene and introspective.
Side B
00:25:26 Mensa Group International – Southern Mauristemo Islands
Wonderfully weird, island-hopping ambient with playful, off-kilter charm and 2012 lo-fi spirit. Quirky and fun.
00:26:57 Aglaia – Unicorn
Long-form, mythical electro-acoustic meditation with deep echoes and patient beauty. Immersive and expansive.
00:40:30 Sand Circles – Summer Echoes II
Brief, warm summer ambient with soft residual glow and Motor City nostalgia. Short and sunny.
00:41:25 Swimming Lesson – Transistor Revolution
Exclusive, revolutionary ambient with circuit warmth and collective energy. Fresh and compelling.
00:43:21 Bohdan Stupak – horizon
Moving, memory-tinged ambient with wide Ukrainian horizons and quiet emotional depth. Poignant and spacious.
00:46:47 Philippe Deschamps, The Goodnight Project – Liquid Illusions
Drifting, illusory ambient with fluid textures and soft collaborative haze. Dreamy and gentle.

Also in the works: the next compilation, Quiet Figures, release date: 26 September.
Uncover the narratives whispered by the silent, ever-present figures that shadow us, through compositions that unravel their hidden mysteries.
Does that stir anything?
Send entries to trevlad@gmail.com
Include artist name, track name, and a link to other work.
Deadline: 24 September.
All the best,
Trevor