It was not long ago when some radical flash of desire hit me out of the blue. It was the desire to listen to audio cassettes. Strange enough, this “I-wanna-do-this-suddenly” happens to me once in a while without any reason. There is this tiny idea planted somewhere in my brain and it starts growing big time and with the speed of light. And this time it was audio cassettes. I’ve been aware that you still can get the latest music on tapes, at least from the independent side of the musical world. This indy part gave me a proper starting point for my upcoming cassette adventure. So it came in handy that at that time I also developed a fortified interest in the creations of these lofi-hip-hop-beatmakers. Maybe it came from the ubiquitous old-school hip-hop background tootling in every available YouTube video. But anyway, I got hooked on it. So I started my research on where to get some tapes from and it took literally 50 milliseconds to stumble over BANDCAMP. But from there on I spent hours over hours browsing through all types of styles and artists, always with a focus on the availability of cassettes. This is where my search for nice new music on tape was brought to a halt when I came across Japanese producer BROCKBEATS.
It’s the lightweight simplicity that caught me immediately. The tapes are a collection of smooth and easy-going hip hop beats, not only meant for some pleasant musical backdrop. Sometimes you might catch yourself singing along the short vocal samples. Sometimes you might just nod and swing your head to the light-footed groove. Most likely, the sound inspires you right enough to blow away your thoughts, unconditionally relax, or, in fact, just do nothing.
There is a well-dosed infusion of vocal samples, sometimes just spoken phrases, sometimes short singing parts. Those lighten up the song structure in a very pleasant way. Actually helping this very structure to break up its slightly monotone and repetitive character.
Diving into the specific, one title I could get my hands on physically goes by the name “Old Spice”. And the cover exactly resembles the mood this piece of instrumental art is transporting. The picture reflects a toddler sleeping innocently with a bunch of its pets, obviously dreaming of safety and with cozy warmth. And the beats pinch directly into your this-is-how-a-cold-winter-day-should-feel-like center. Moreover, it brings you into the Christmas mood even during high summer. This is working pretty well, actually, kind of like painting pictures in your head.
The second cassette’s title is “Special Nerds” and takes a slightly different, more general approach. Actually, I think “general” is the right term to describe it, however, not in a negative way. The mood goes also pretty relaxed, although it drags you more often more or less intentionally into head-nodding mode. And compared to “Old Spice” it doesn’t give you an emotional environs setting. Any season is welcome. But it would be wrong to call it emotionless since it still might elicit certain states of mind for the better. A bit more pushing, with a bit more driving nature in its character. But it’s still nothing to party on, for sure.
So far, these are the two cassettes I could catch from BROCKBEATS. And it should be mentioned that tapes are often manufactured in a very limited amount, making them available only for a very short time after release. This, by the way, goes for a lot of artists and labels. So you should always make sure to receive some newsletter about the next release dates of your favorite cassette-rocking artist. I can tell since I already missed a few of BROCKBEATS’ tape releases for my slowly growing collection. Don’t get me wrong, digitally listening to the music is appreciated just as well, but the physical handling of the cassette adds a special feeling to the whole thing. I would even say, that there is a rough 10% more soul attached to it.
Whatever it is, my opinion about BROCKBEATS’ work is that you get quality. Period. Not more, not less. No fancy light years ahead sound, no turning off before you even started the tape. It is a very well-constructed musical inspiration for settling down your thoughts, working stressless, or just having a good ol’ mug o’tea with a decent splash o’rum. So, fill up your enamel cup, put in that cream-colored cassette, and press the rattling start button on your beloved tape deck. It’s time to do nothing.