Tellbach on a time trip: analogue pocket synthies, vintage tape echo from the 70s, a 4-track cassette recorder from the 80s and minimal music compositions. These are the main ingredients used to produce the Time Trip Tapes – fully analogue recordings on hand-numbered music cassettes housed in a hand-crafted artwork. Volume 1 is the first episode of a trip that has only just begun.

The sound of each finished cassette is a unique work of art. I record each Time Trip Tape using a JVC tape recorder purchased in 1988. For the actual music production, I used my beloved Fostex X-28 4-track tape recorder that also dates from the 1980s. I opted for an original TDK SA90 cassette for the 4-track recording and the mixing and have used three analogue pocket synthesizers to play the music and a vintage tape echo unit from the 70s to treat the vocals.

The gear is old. It is quirky. It often does unexpected things. Sometimes, the tape echo will have a strange glitch for no apparent reason. Sometimes, after recording for a couple of hours, all tape heads clearly need cleaning and demagnetising. So sometimes, the music will sound fresher than at other times. Sometimes, the speed will fluctuate. Sometimes, the motor of the 4-tracker runs hot and the music will slightly start to wobble – a very pleasant phasing effect that would not be possible using digital means.

All those seeming imperfections are wanted and welcome. I wanted the music to sound exactly the way it does. The fully analogue tape sound, including its quirkiness, constitutes an essential part of the work of art itself. It is a time trip after all. This is the way music used to sound back in the days. And it was good. I wrote the songs on this release explicitly for this purpose, and I enjoyed every minute of this trip. I think you will enjoy it your way. Each copy is absolutely unique. Every tiny imperfection is a feature of its character and a clear statement against the soullessness of modern digital music production. I wish you all an enjoyable time trip.

Tracklist: Hier und jetzt / Gleichgewicht / Der komische Freund / Der Zug hat heut Verspätung / Geheimnisvoller Garten / Die freundlichen Vampire / Verboten und gefährlich / Nach dem Happy End