RER22 Dax Norman: Pictures of Food - October 10, 2021
50 x limited ed. cassette + digital release
BANDCAMP
BANDCAMP
“Beatnik confessions! Tape hiss whispers! The low bubbling of thrift store organs! This is the first cassette from visionary Austin-based multi-hyphenate, Dax Norman. Recorded by Dax at home, and released in limited edition physical form for Cassette Week 2021. Fluo green shell tape in transparent neon pink case with album art decal, plus additional rare Dax stickers inside. Cassette version contains an incredible bonus track not found on the digital version. Limited stock remaining! Get it on Bandcamp, in person at a Parts Unknown live show (maybe), or at one of the following Austin-area record stores: Antone's / End of An Ear / Lovewheel Records / Piranha Records / Waterloo
DIGITAL VERSION
1. Gonna Turn This Wurld 2. Ello, Hellooo, Yoohooo 3. Wish upon a star dreams on the wall 4. Faster Than a Used Subaru 5. Skull Flwr 6. I was just walkin' along, taking a stroll 7. Seafood Restaurant Shaped Like a Boat 8. Singin' a Song (to a wish upon a star) 9. Drawing My Dreams On the Wall 10. Stories of the Most Exciting Riots in Decades Preceding Barcodes 11. Washington on LOL 12. Skinny Jeans, Shallow Pockets 13. Without a Mask 14. Let Me Elaborate 15. Meditative Interluude Duude 16. Engine on the H2O
1. Gonna Turn This Wurld 2. Ello, Hellooo, Yoohooo 3. Wish upon a star dreams on the wall 4. Faster Than a Used Subaru 5. Skull Flwr 6. I was just walkin' along, taking a stroll 7. Seafood Restaurant Shaped Like a Boat 8. Singin' a Song (to a wish upon a star) 9. Drawing My Dreams On the Wall 10. Stories of the Most Exciting Riots in Decades Preceding Barcodes 11. Washington on LOL 12. Skinny Jeans, Shallow Pockets 13. Without a Mask 14. Let Me Elaborate 15. Meditative Interluude Duude 16. Engine on the H2O
CASSETTE VERSION
A1. Gonna Turn This Wurld. A2. Ello, Hellooo, Yoohooo A3. Wish Upon A Star Dreams On The Wall A4. Faster Than A Used Subaru A5. Skull Flwr A6. I Was Just Walkin' Along, Taking A Stroll A7. Singin' A Song (to A Wish Upon A Star) A8. Drawing My Dreams On the Wall A9. Stories Of The Most Exciting Riots In Decades Preceding Barcodes B1. Seafood Restaurant Shaped Like A Boat B2. Washington On LOL B3. Skinny Jeans, Shallow Pockets B4. Without A Mask B5. Let Me Elaborate B6. Meditative Interluude Duude B7. Engine On The H2O B8. Queen Of The East Side (Cassette-only Bonus Track)
A1. Gonna Turn This Wurld. A2. Ello, Hellooo, Yoohooo A3. Wish Upon A Star Dreams On The Wall A4. Faster Than A Used Subaru A5. Skull Flwr A6. I Was Just Walkin' Along, Taking A Stroll A7. Singin' A Song (to A Wish Upon A Star) A8. Drawing My Dreams On the Wall A9. Stories Of The Most Exciting Riots In Decades Preceding Barcodes B1. Seafood Restaurant Shaped Like A Boat B2. Washington On LOL B3. Skinny Jeans, Shallow Pockets B4. Without A Mask B5. Let Me Elaborate B6. Meditative Interluude Duude B7. Engine On The H2O B8. Queen Of The East Side (Cassette-only Bonus Track)
RER21 The Litter/The Blessed Cassettes: Radio Périphérique (Demo)- 2014, 2020
in-game release, April 30, 2014 / wider digital release, August 18, 2020
SPOTIFY / APPLE / MY WONDERLAND
SPOTIFY / APPLE / MY WONDERLAND
“Lo-fi rockabilly ripper initially released solely inside of My Wonderland, a game environment designed and published by animator Dax Norman in 2014. After a couple people asked for a more accessible way to listen to it, this track saw a wider digital re-release to streaming services in 2020.”
1. Radio Périphérique (Demo)
RER20 The Strangelet Disasters: Cult Classics EP - June 23, 2019
"Overdriven drums! Lo-fi icepick jangle! Strange D returns in an all-new lineup reinvigorated by members of early RER project The Moth Pan, plus appearances from The Blessed Cassettes, and enigmatic brown-wave icon, Jane Verker. That incredible cover photograph (of an opossum on a power line) is by Vanessa Perez. Recorded at Swamp Pop! Retrosonics."
1. Sports Anthem
2. My Evil Is Timeless (feat. The Blessed Cassettes)
3. Tapeheads (feat. Jane Verker)
4. The Spice
5. How Bout A Light
RER19 Various Artists: Garbage Archaeology- February 14, 2019
5 x limited ed. cassette promo
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
“A Texafornia lo-fi anthology. Twenty-five tracks from past and current RER collective members recorded in the label's Houston and Dockweiler eras. Includes select EP tracks, plus covers, demos and other previously unreleased rarities (some of which only appear here). Made as a one-time merch table offering, but notable as the first label sampler released since RER04."
LINE-UP: The Strangelet Disasters, The Blessed Cassettes, The Lost Postcards, The Litter, Exquisite Frosting Penmanship, Mulatto Blanco, Striped Shirt Math Team, SSTL, and Gunctrl.
SIDE A 1. The Lost Postcards: "Sea Foam Blues"** 2. The Lost Postcards: "Radio Périphérique 3. The Blessed Cassettes: "I Feel Like An Alien" 4. The Blessed Cassettes: "Miss You Miss Mew" 5. The Strangelet Disasters: "Morbid Fascination" 6. The Blessed Cassettes: "Kiss Kiss Scratch Scratch" 7. Mulatto Blanco - "So Fresh, So Clean" (Outkast cover) 8. The Litter: "I'm Not That Kind Of Cat"** 9. The Strangelet Disasters: "Who Loves The Sun?" (Velvet Underground cover) 10. Gunctrl: "Crested Pigeon" 11. The Strangelet Disasters: "I'm Not Al Green!" 12. Exquisite Frosting Penmanship: "A Life In Waiting" (demo)** 13. Exquisite Frosting Penmanship: "She Had Exquisite Frosting Penmanship"
SIDE B 1. The Strangelet Disasters: "Had A Dream I Saw Your Car" 2. The Strangelet Disasters: "I Am A Dadaist" 3. The Blessed Cassettes: "Midnight's Foggy Fuse" 4. Striped Shirt Math Team: "Shady Lane" (Pavement cover) 5. Exquisite Frosting Penmanship: "The Devil Is In Moscow"** 6. Gunctrl: "Superfluous Hardware" 7. The Strangelet Disasters: "Abridged List Of Suicidal Authors" 8. Exquisite Frosting Penmanship: "Junk Vultures" 9. The Blessed Cassettes: "Clouds" (Go-Betweens cover)** 10. Exquisite Frosting Penmanship: "Shark Under A Tarpaulin" 11. The Lost Postcards: "Gun Crazy" (demo)** 12. SSTL: "Sarah's voicemail about throwing away art".
**Tracks exclusive to this release.
SIDE B 1. The Strangelet Disasters: "Had A Dream I Saw Your Car" 2. The Strangelet Disasters: "I Am A Dadaist" 3. The Blessed Cassettes: "Midnight's Foggy Fuse" 4. Striped Shirt Math Team: "Shady Lane" (Pavement cover) 5. Exquisite Frosting Penmanship: "The Devil Is In Moscow"** 6. Gunctrl: "Superfluous Hardware" 7. The Strangelet Disasters: "Abridged List Of Suicidal Authors" 8. Exquisite Frosting Penmanship: "Junk Vultures" 9. The Blessed Cassettes: "Clouds" (Go-Betweens cover)** 10. Exquisite Frosting Penmanship: "Shark Under A Tarpaulin" 11. The Lost Postcards: "Gun Crazy" (demo)** 12. SSTL: "Sarah's voicemail about throwing away art".
**Tracks exclusive to this release.
RER18 Dave Merson Hess: Drawn Techniques - February 5, 2019
“Two mixes of an original piece written to play during the Fall 2018 Drawn Techniques show at Calarts. Cover art by Jonah P and Aaron H. Recorded at Swamp Pop! Retrosonics in Glendale."
1. Homesick
2. Homesick (C113 Version)
2. Homesick (C113 Version)
RER17 TVRKR: TV1 EP - July 5, 2018
digital release
FMA
FMA
“The L.A.-based German-Swedish power trio's debut single for Reverse Engine is a double dose of the mountain-skronk micro genre they call 'brown wave'. The first RER release recorded in a new studio space, Swamp Pop! Retrosonics."
1. A Verker's Verk
2. A Toilet Verker
2. A Toilet Verker
↑
PHASE 4 (MID 2018 - present)
PHASE 4 (MID 2018 - present)
RER HQ returns to Southern California, resulting in a partial reunion of the founding collective. The label puts out its first physical release since 2006, and its first cassette release ever.
SPL04/RER16 Dave Merson Hess: Orphans (Music From Short Films)- 2018, 2019
digital release (March 31, 2018) + 5 x limited ed. cassette (Feburary 14, 2019)
BANDCAMP / SPOTIFY / APPLE
BANDCAMP / SPOTIFY / APPLE
“Orphans collects 35 tracks culled from hundreds of cues written for short films, games, and music libraries -- some released and others never fully realized."
1. Nikko in Cement 2. Dreampop Chapel (feat. Bang Bang Shoot Shoot) 3. Dead Bear Boulders 4. Little Skeleton 5. Hey Dead People! ("A Photographic Memory" Version) 6. Several Umbrellas 7. Drag Me Down 8. Promised 9. Windchimes 10. Anachronistic Lipstick 11. Tabernacle (feat. On Holiday) 12. My Life With the Barefoot Kids 13. Automatic Mail Forwarding 14. Glam on the Gram (Level-End Music from "Daxterpieces") 15. Undulating Rainbow 16. Slipstream Engine 17. Bayou Bird Raga 18. Brian Wilson's Valium Adventure (Theme from "Itinerant Noodle") 19. Saliva 20. Crosshatch 21. Window Pains (feat. Pims) [Theme from "Kong's Wild Life"] 22. Buying a Can of Coke from a Pregnant Bartender 23. Flash Floods, Fine Dining 24. We Must Repeat Lest We Forget 25. The Room Repeated 26. Fairground Exit 27. Hypnosis League 28. Thrift Store Lamp (Instrumental) 29. Endless Rumination 30. What It's Like 2b Ur GF (feat. Young Grandmas) [Instrumental] 31. Sleepward Mumbling 32. Late-Night Accident 33. I Had a Strange Dream 34. Swimming Pool 35. Sunrise
RER15 Water Features: Suburban Temples EP - March 13, 2018
digital release
FMA
FMA
"Water Features' debut EP is a hypnotic electronic meditation on living with infotech ennui. What does it sound like? Well, imagine if Eno made vaporwave hold music, and it flipping ruled. Recorded entirely at home in Austin, TX by an elusive producer rumored to be a one-time member of early '00s Massachusetts lo-fi duo, Cat League. This release is Certified Netaudio Gold!"
1. Age Of Æschylus (Luxury Version) - "The tower of wisdom was found, at great cost."
2. Stock Photo Of Hot Air Balloons - "A new life, limited only by desire"
3. Airgap - "A butterfly above a culvert that's never seen water."
4. Gold Coast - "Unparalleled luxury awaits those who dare."
5. Acclimation (Studio Mix) - "Discover a new side of an old flame."
6. In Prelapsarian Times - "A promise of Edenic Internet."
7. Outisde The Citadel - "Once spared, they were never spoken of again."
8. Suburban Temples Brand Activation Message (bonus track) - "Sponsored content for SXSW 2018."
RER14 gunctrl: Obituary Cocktail- July 14, 2017
“The gunctrl saga continues with their first full-length, released to coincide with the digital sonic revelry of Netlabel Day 2017. This is Reverse Engine's only catalogue entry released under CC-BY-NC-SA (rather than CC-BY-ND)."
1. Flight Levels
2. Absolute Pressure
3. Normal Conditions
4. Secular Games
5. Crested Pigeon
6. Sulphur
7. Dactylic Hexameter
8. Pastoral
9. Horace
10. Inches of Mercury
2. Absolute Pressure
3. Normal Conditions
4. Secular Games
5. Crested Pigeon
6. Sulphur
7. Dactylic Hexameter
8. Pastoral
9. Horace
10. Inches of Mercury
RER13 The Blessed Cassettes: Errors & Omissions- July 14, 2016
digital release
FMA / SPOTIFY / APPLE / ARCHIVE.ORG
FMA / SPOTIFY / APPLE / ARCHIVE.ORG
“Wild lo-fi, garage, post-punk and synth pop radar blips from Houston's own Blessed Cassettes (formerly known as The Litter). This was a Netlabel Day 2016 exclusive release.”
1. I, Alone in My Study
2. I Feel Like an Alien
3. Miss You Miss Mew
4. Is It Wrong to Throw Away Art? (feat. Sstl)
5. Kiss Kiss Scratch Scratch
6. Midnight's Foggy Fuse
7. Coin-Operated
8. World Of (feat. Tanya Ion)
9. Tether
2. I Feel Like an Alien
3. Miss You Miss Mew
4. Is It Wrong to Throw Away Art? (feat. Sstl)
5. Kiss Kiss Scratch Scratch
6. Midnight's Foggy Fuse
7. Coin-Operated
8. World Of (feat. Tanya Ion)
9. Tether
RER12 gunctrl: Spare Succulence- March 8, 2016
digital release
FMA / SPOTIFY / APPLE / ARCHIVE.ORG
“gunctrl's backstory is mysterious and labyrinthine. Here's what we do know: would-be members Joe and Dave were working at two adjacent mattress stores, in the heart of Houston's Montrose district. They'd both been musicians once, but had left the field to pursue their twin passions for mattress sales. One day the management of Joe's store announced the immediate institution of a reduction in lunch breaks, in order to streamline operations and move toward the lean production model so popularized by The Knowledge Economy 2.0.
The workers staged a lay-in, sprawling themselves out on the unsold mattresses, sleeping, refusing to get up. The company brought in strike breakers, but the workers held firm. Inspired by their plight, Dave and the rest of the workers at the neighboring mattress store joined the demonstrations, laying down in solidarity. On the last day of the strike, Joe and Dave slept on adjacent mattresses, never having met, and woke up reporting identical dreams. They googled synchronicity, became familiar with Wikipedia articles on the works of Carl Jung, and decided to follow their subconscious impulses by re-enacting the dream as a concept album.
Joe and Dave quit their jobs at their respective mattress stores, resolved to follow the liminal bliss, and set out to record a 3-disc album while fasting for 31 straight days. They didn't make it quite that far; creative tensions led to the project's disintegration within the first 7 hours, leaving only this fragment as a document of that day.”
1. Psychic Architect
2. Spam Sushi
3. Spare Succulence
4. Superfluous Hardware
2. Spam Sushi
3. Spare Succulence
4. Superfluous Hardware
RER11 The Strangelet Disasters: Morbid Fascination EP - December 1, 2015
digital release
FMA / SPOTIFY / APPLE / ARCHIVE.ORG
"The shambolic lo-fi project known as The Strangelet Disasters made its first musical rumblings in mid-2013, with the deleted digital single “I’m Not Al Green!” b/w “I Am A Dadaist”, and then recorded almost enough material for an album, only to renounce their own creative work, destroy the masters in a pentagonal wood-burning pizza oven and disappear off the face of the Earth.
After two solid years of radio silence, in the third week of November 2015, Strange D reemerged from oblivion with new energy and a sudden sense of urgency, for a frantic, 2.5-day writing-and-recording session which resulted in: a) their new EP, Morbid Fascination, b) a kolache-induced, self-diagnosed “meat-sweat meltdown” for enigmatic frontman Jerry Strangelet (which made any further recording or social interaction impossible), and c) the band parting ways on less than certain terms. Ah but what is life without both joy and pain, both skronk and jangle?
It is with great excitement and a twinge of sadness that RER presents these six new songs and one instrumental / field recording, with cover art by photographer Jedediah Johnson, along with a reissue of the band’s explosively nervous 2013 single."
1. Had A Dream I Saw Your Car
2. Morbid Fascination
3. Tenancy
4. Abridged List Of Suicidal Authors
5. A Beatnik Mother's Dying Wish
6. Two Small Dogs on Allston Street
7. I'm Not Al Green (bonus track - 2013 single)
8. I Am A Dadaist (bonus track - 2013 b-side)
9. Who Loves The Sun? (Velvet Underground cover)
RP02/RER10 Young Grandmas: Tasteful Nudes EP - January 3, 2014
digital release
FMA
FMA
""Tasteful Nudes" was an "In The Fishtank"-style Crap-Art experiment conducted by Dave MH and Alana J between the hours of 11am and 6pm on January 3, 2014. We took a break for lunch."
Late-night cover photo taken by Alana J at Mai's Restaurant, 2012.
1. Fantasy For Two Recorders
2. Weekend After Xmas Cardboard Situation / Space DJ
3. The Rabbitskin Peddler
4. What It's Like 2B Ur GF
5. Situations In Which You Are There With Tim
6. Au Revoir, Tasteful Nudes
RP01*/RER09 exquisite frosting penmanship: Transistor Rodeo EP - March 22, 2013
"A frantically written, oddly recorded document of the brief lifespan of Houston’s all-time most obscure lo-fi band. A tasty gumbo of low-rent surf, post-rock, psych, and twee pop. Written & recorded start-to-finish from March 20 to March 21, 2013, in a hole-in-the-wall-apartment, two cafes and two thrift shops in Montrose, Houston, TX. Mixed and mastered by Scott K."
*Initially put out as the first release on Rush Process, a label offshoot that was folded back into the main RER catalogue. This release marked the beginning of RER's exploration of Tom 7's Crap Art Manifesto as creative strategy, and planted the seeds of what would become the hyper regional lo-fi genre, Houston mattress-core.
ORIGINAL DIGITAL VERSION
1.. Exploring The World Of Lucid Dreaming
2. She Had Exquisite Frosting Penmanship
3. For Rachel, Who Has A Cold
4. Junk Vultures
5. Lost Dogs Of Hurricane Rita
6. Shark Under A Tarpaulin
7. Mutton Busters Of The Gulf Coast
7" REISSUE*
SIDE A A1. Exploring The World Of Lucid Dreaming A2. She Had Exquisite Frosting Penmanship A3. Shark Under A Tarpaulin A4. For Rachel, Who Has A Cold
SIDE B B1. Junk Vultures B2. Lost Dogs Of Hurricane Rita B3. Mutton Busters Of The Gulf Coast
*Running order adjusted to even out the length of each side.
↑
PHASE 3 (2013-MID 2018)
PHASE 3 (2013-MID 2018)
Phase three begins with the first RER release recorded entirely in Texas, and continues with its return to being a true recording collective -- collaborating locally in a shared recording space, and releasing music working in different combinations. As the rise of music streaming services begins to fracture the netlabel audience, RER begins distributing releases both to the FMA and to commercial channels (Spotify, Apple, etc.) at the same time.
RER08 Various Artists: Sneaky Flute Moods: A Tribute To The Swirlies- April 8, 2012
digital release
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: FMA / ARCHIVE.ORG
DOWNLOAD ZINE: ARCHIVE.ORG
DOWNLOAD ZINE: ARCHIVE.ORG
A massive Swirlies tribute in released collaboration with Mi Abuela Es Jazzista fanzine and the SoundzFromNowhwere netlabel.
1. La Jecca - “French Intro” 2. Ghost Society - “Jeremy Parker” 3. The Hamiltones - “Sleepytime” 4. Sun Glitters - “The Vehicle Is Invisible (feat, Darragh Nolan of Sacred Animals) 5. Piyama Party - “Dolphins Dance With Our Music” 6. Moogle Charm - “Chris R” 7. Tender Frame - “You Can’t Be Told It, You Must Behold It” 8. The Harvey Girls - “Vigilant Always” 9. Cardinal Family Singers - “One Light Flashing I Love You” 10. Tiger MCs: “Two Girls Kissing” 11. mijo feo - “Sterling Moss” 12. kasparhauser - “Sounds of Sebring” 13. Paul Cogle - “Pancake” 14. Surefire Broadcast - “Pony” 15. The Starry Tides - “His Life Of Academic Freedom” 16. Nolan Smock & The Charming Youngsters - “The Vehicle Is Invisible” 17. The Nib Heck Peck Reps - “Every Single Day” 18. The Evolutionists - “Wait 4Ever” 19. Cinemascope - “No Identifier” 20. Liz Larson - “Keep Their Eyes On Me” 21. Bullpen Catcher - “Jack Buckey’s Theme” 22. The John-Ikes - “Sarah Sitting” 23. Presley - “Tall Ships” 24. Greasy Beardo - “Sterling Moss” 25. And Academy - “Tree Chopped Down” 26. Gods And Queens - “Sea Wolf” (feat. Sir Ryan Goodman) 27. Så Småningom - “Moonie Rox” [Give Us Moonrocks] 28. mijo feo - “Her Life Of Artistic Freedom” 29. Prison Or The Moon - “Didn’t Understand” 30. La Jecca - “French Outro”
ART01 Various Artists: Artsongs: Songs About Art & Artists- May 20, 2011
digital release
FMA / ARCHIVE.ORG
FMA / ARCHIVE.ORG
“Contributors to "Artsongs" were invited to submit a song "inspired by an artist or work of art," and were free to interpret that as broadly as they liked. This project was one of two major compilations RER organized in the hopes of bridging the gap between the copyleft netlabel scene and the broader independent music scene. This was a web-based comp with a dedicated site, and various ways to browse and listen - based on recording artist, or by visual art that inspired the included songs. Cover art by M. Gubia. Though organized by Dave MH as a project separate from RER, Artsongs led to an invite to upload the Reverse Engine catalogue to Free Music Archive."
1. Jim Long - There Were Some Famous Artists 2. Men of Kent - Our Modest Exhumations 3. Danny Cohen - Magritte 4. A Faulty Chromosome - This Is Far From A Belle Epoque 5. Sean Hayes - Alabama Chicken 6. Bart Davenport - Art Thieves 7. Mist and Mast - Eyes Adjust to the Dark 8. Chris Stroffolino - Hello World, Hello Morning, Hello Cop 9. Sonoi - Richard Pryor 10. David Copenhafer - Fan Letter 11. midori hirano - Fragment 12. Kill Me Tomorrow - Attendance 13. Pacta - Salix 14. Spy Over There - The Ocean 15. Mark S. Johnson - Art Artillery 16. Top Critters - Phoebe Yoshiko 17. Makunouchi Bento - Visiting Mr. Geffle 18. Sonny Smith - Mondrian (by Jim Long)
TEX01* The Starry Tides x Dax Norman: I Didn't Know You Were So Strange EP - January 6, 2011
digital release
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
"After years of demos being cannibalized for film scores, TST finally call it quits. This release compiles the project's output in its totality: one single ("IDKYWSS" b/w "Argyle Kabuki"), one EP (One Lit Window), and PSTST, a micro collection of remixes and compilation appearances released 2006-2012. Friend-of-the-label Dax Norman provides two all-new animated music videos."
*Self-released on one-off imprint TEX-O-X, but rebranded as a Reverse Engine title for the purposes of sharing on the FMA.
IDKYWSS/Argyle Kabuki 1. I Didn't Know You Were So Strange 2. Argyle Kabuki / One Lit Window EP 3. Seaport Town 4. Heavy News 5. Don't Be A Stranger 6. 3 Point Turn (mono version) 7. Cold Valves (for Kazu and Alain) 8. Passing On The Stairs 9. Noticeably Ill (feat. Mark C.) / PSTST 10. His Life Of Academic Freedom (Swirlies cover) -- from RER's "Sneaky Flude Moods" 11. Bjorn & Gorden: "II" (The Starry Tides remix) -- from B&G's "Electrr" EP 12. Tabernacle (for Yma Sumac) -- from SoundzFromNowhere's "My Digital Valentine, Vol. 2 13. Bruxists Revolt -- from Richmond County Archives' "Love & Scientific Communication, Vol. 2" 14. Bang Bang Shoot Shoot: "The High Seas" (The Starry Tides remix) -- from SoundzFromNowhere's "My Digital Valentine, Vol. 2"
...plus m4v files of TST music videos by Dax Norman
RER07 docks: Ship EP - March 7, 2009
digital release
FMA / ARCHIVE.ORG
FMA / ARCHIVE.ORG
"Reverse Engine brings you "Ship", a reissue of "ship, fog", the project's stunning self-released 2008 debut. docks is a one-man, mostly electronic outfit from Southern California. "Ship" is 7 tracks of emotive ambient electronic / post-rock with skittering beats and occasional strings, all fed through massive amounts of delay and reverb.
1. 1.Intro
2.Annie
3.Granulation 2
4.Interlude
5.Get Well
6.2001
7.Gutter Blue
RER06 Ten Digit Army: Begin Today EP - Sept 4, 2008
digital release
FMA / ARCHIVE.ORG
FMA / ARCHIVE.ORG
"Las Vegas-based home recording project Ten Digit Army is DIY to the core. Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist TDA plays every sound you hear--from vintage keyboards to reverb-drenched guitars and overloaded drum machine beats. His first release for RER is four catchy, soulful songs from a far-off basement, a distant beacon from the desert."
1. So Damn Predictable
2.Epiphany
3.Begin Today
4.Calico
RER05 The Starry Tides: One Lit Window EP - August 24, 2006
10 x limited edition CD-R + digital release
FMA / ARCHIVE.ORG
FMA / ARCHIVE.ORG
"7 tracks of home-recorded post-rock in miniature make up the first official release from the artist formerly known as elevator to the stars."
**This was a reissue of the etts half of RER03, meant to solidify a name change. The Moth Pan held back their half of the split, intending to expand it into an album. Over the next several years, the vast majority of original TST demos would be cannibalized by various film scoring projects, and it turned into more of a moniker used for remix producing.
**This was a reissue of the etts half of RER03, meant to solidify a name change. The Moth Pan held back their half of the split, intending to expand it into an album. Over the next several years, the vast majority of original TST demos would be cannibalized by various film scoring projects, and it turned into more of a moniker used for remix producing.
1. Seaport Town
2. Heavy News
3. Don't Be A Stranger
4. 3 Point Turn (mono version)
5. Cold Valves (for Kazu and Alain)
6. Passing On The Stairs
7. Noticeably Ill (feat. Mark C.)
RER04 Various Artists: Pencil Test: An RER Pre-History - August 23, 2006
digital release
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
"A pared-down netaudio version of RER01 plus a reissue of Deafwing's "All-Night Entertainment District" cassette, released into the Netlabels collection on the Internet Archive, then eventually deleted. The initial idea was to make it clear that RER had been part of the first wave of netlabels, despite being something of an island -- in that we were putting out lofi and not electronic music, and that we hadn't come up in the demoscene, but had arrived at the idea of free digital music via the influence of Sneaky Flute Empire, and a lo-fi music community that grew out of the first incarnation of mp3.com."
1. One-Eyed Spaceboy - Perculations
2. The Moth Pan - Turn That Dirt (Outtake)
3. Striped Shirt Math Team - Cape Cod
4. Posthumous - Four Strings To Heaven
5. One-Eyed Spaceboy - Damien Thorne
6. One-Eyed Spaceboy - Don't F*ck Around
7. Deafwing - All-Night Entertainment District
8. The Alienated Roommates - Eat Goat F*ck
↑
PHASE 2 (2003-2012)
PHASE 2 (2003-2012)
Phase 2 begins with the label relocating to the Bay Area, collective members no longer able to collaborate locally, and a pause in release activity while considering next steps. After an attempted restart, a hard drive fire in a North Beach apartment results in the loss of over year's worth of recordings. Next, RER returns to an emphasis on downloadable music (rather than CD-Rs). RER begins contributing to and organizing large-scale netaudio compilations, and courting independent artists beyond the core collective. RER goes fully nomadic, and discovers the mainstream of the netlabel scene. The label embraces Creative Commons licensing in 2006, and begins publishing into the Internet Archive's Netlabels collection. Heartache strikes again, as recording gear and instruments are stolen, including a CPU containing even more unreleased demos. In 2009, RER becomes a curator for WFMU's Free Music Archive -- which becomes the home base for sharing new releases, and leads to much larger audience, including many of the independent filmmakers who go on to use our music in their projects.
RER03 elevator to the stars / The Moth Pan: One Lit Window split EP - February 3, 2002
5 x limited edition CD-r release
OOP
OOP
"The Moth Pan and elevator to the stars pool their material to form a monstrous double split EP, consisting of 11 etts demos and most of TMP's album-in-progress, A Landscape of Good Manners."
1. The Moth Pan - turn that dirt (live in a living room) 2. The Moth Pan - a marriage of convenience 3. The Moth Pan - star-crossed milk dream 4. The Moth Pan - drizzle 5. The Moth Pan - ink is poison/the welldigger 6. The Moth Pan - star-crossed milk dream (instr.) 7. e.t.t.s. - new orphan/dear tape hiss 8. e.t.t.s. - passing on the stairs (original) 9. e.t.t.s. - edelweiss 10. e.t.t.s. - don't be a stranger 11. e.t.t.s. - sun in a bowl 12. e.t.t.s. - untitled #295 13. e.t.t.s. - shaken (by heavy news) 14. e.t.t.s. - open heart examination 15. e.t.t.s. - three point turn (mono version) 16. e.t.t.s. - drag me down like a blanket from the sky 17. e.t.t.s. - how to fall asleep
RER02 Striped Shirt Math Team: Academic Excellence - July 1, 2001
10 x limited edition CD-r release
Academic Excellence
1. three note dirge (for casiotone) 2. we poured our tears into a goblet (and drank them down until our bellies burst into a thousand sparkling diamonds) 3. offkey?perfect 4. kim gordon chinese food express 5. stars on tv 6. cape cod 7. spooky6pkidpusher/yr ahn 8. he never told us the end 9. get down party for the crater children 10. jacob’s story 11. perculations 12. wishing tooth 13. noticeably ill 14. company car (first verse) 15. synth pop (bonus noise) 16. Shady Lane (Pavement cover - Dave mix) 17. Shady Lane (Pavement cover - Mark mix)
OOP
A 23-track, lo-fidelity epic. Academic Excellence was a near complete collection of early demos from Striped Shirt Math Team -- all of which had been previously posted as free mp3 downloads on the RER site -- paired with Mixed Tidings, a bonus EP of questionable tiny music from SSMT’s alter-egos, The Magic of Christmas, and “Music for a Slow Motion Knife Fight”, an MoX track featuring Louis Allred & The Tarik Booker Choir that later appeared on The Satellite Show’s “Consumer Product” CD-r. This also included two versions of SSMT’s cover of Pavement’s “Shady Lane”.
Academic Excellence
1. three note dirge (for casiotone) 2. we poured our tears into a goblet (and drank them down until our bellies burst into a thousand sparkling diamonds) 3. offkey?perfect 4. kim gordon chinese food express 5. stars on tv 6. cape cod 7. spooky6pkidpusher/yr ahn 8. he never told us the end 9. get down party for the crater children 10. jacob’s story 11. perculations 12. wishing tooth 13. noticeably ill 14. company car (first verse) 15. synth pop (bonus noise) 16. Shady Lane (Pavement cover - Dave mix) 17. Shady Lane (Pavement cover - Mark mix)
Mixed Tidings
18. the magic of christmas - jed 19. dream convo 20. aris 21. mark (i’m eating your bread) 22. birthday postcard 23. music for a slow-motion knife fight
18. the magic of christmas - jed 19. dream convo 20. aris 21. mark (i’m eating your bread) 22. birthday postcard 23. music for a slow-motion knife fight
RER01 Various Artists: A Little Bedroom Rawkenroll - April 1, 2001
~5 x limited edition CD-r release
OOP
30-40 tracks documenting RER's beginnings as a lo-fi home recording collective that grew out of friendships at USC's student radio station, KSCR. It includes a slew of demos from our earliest home recording experiments (One-Eyed Spaceboy, elevator to the stars, Striped Shirt Math Team, The Moth Pan), in addition to one-off sessions from barely-existent bands (Posthumous, The Alienated Roommates). This was a limited edition of approximately 5 or 10 copies. Track listing and sequencing varied slightly from copy to copy. Each one came with a full-color fold-out poster and either original color slides or color copies of slides by Jed J).
(oes = One-Eyed Spaceboy, ph = Posthumous, ssmt = Striped Shirt Math Team, mp = The Moth Pan, etts = elevator to the stars)
1. oes - Damien Thorne [feat. Mark C on monologue and vocals] 2. oes - don’t f*ck around 3. oes - 47 second dog and xylophone blues [feat. The Fabulous Lee Bros.] 4. oes - minor strep [aka home recording is a bore] 5. oes - the IG field recording project 6. oes - perculations [feat. Mark on samples and altoid slide] 7. oes - three point turn (vocal snip) 8. oes - three point turn (mono version) 9. oes - vapor 10. oes - right field (1am march 9) 11. oes - 4am feb 11 12. oes - xylophobe [“fear of the forest”-ed.] 13. oes - subtle mathematics 14. oes - an experiment in self-hypnosis 15. ph - four strings aka mag lev (short) [feat. Duane M on guitar] 16. oes - letter between friends (short) 17. oes - crunch tale 18. oes - little drummer boy 19. ssmt - cape cod (edit) 20. mp - drizzle 21. mp - m*nr** n*nl*y 22. mp - turn that dirt 23. etts - broken drum 24. etts - 3am april 21 25. etts - highway 101 (feat. Scott Kramer on drums) 26. etts - drag me down like a blanket from the sky 27. etts - edelweiss 28. etts - velvet smokestack 29. etts - dear tape hiss 30. oes - kennel district (rough Pavement cover) 31. ssmt - shady lane (less rough Pavement cover) 32. etts - “joyzipper smith” [feat. Sarah C on xylophone] 33. oes - white noise 34. oes - white noise (SF bathroom demo) 35. oes - feb 16 6pm
1. oes - Damien Thorne [feat. Mark C on monologue and vocals] 2. oes - don’t f*ck around 3. oes - 47 second dog and xylophone blues [feat. The Fabulous Lee Bros.] 4. oes - minor strep [aka home recording is a bore] 5. oes - the IG field recording project 6. oes - perculations [feat. Mark on samples and altoid slide] 7. oes - three point turn (vocal snip) 8. oes - three point turn (mono version) 9. oes - vapor 10. oes - right field (1am march 9) 11. oes - 4am feb 11 12. oes - xylophobe [“fear of the forest”-ed.] 13. oes - subtle mathematics 14. oes - an experiment in self-hypnosis 15. ph - four strings aka mag lev (short) [feat. Duane M on guitar] 16. oes - letter between friends (short) 17. oes - crunch tale 18. oes - little drummer boy 19. ssmt - cape cod (edit) 20. mp - drizzle 21. mp - m*nr** n*nl*y 22. mp - turn that dirt 23. etts - broken drum 24. etts - 3am april 21 25. etts - highway 101 (feat. Scott Kramer on drums) 26. etts - drag me down like a blanket from the sky 27. etts - edelweiss 28. etts - velvet smokestack 29. etts - dear tape hiss 30. oes - kennel district (rough Pavement cover) 31. ssmt - shady lane (less rough Pavement cover) 32. etts - “joyzipper smith” [feat. Sarah C on xylophone] 33. oes - white noise 34. oes - white noise (SF bathroom demo) 35. oes - feb 16 6pm
"HOME RECORDERS HYNOSIS LEAGUE" (2001)
An early attempt to document Reverse Engine as a collective project.
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PHASE 1 (2000-2002)
PHASE 1 (2000-2002)
In 2001, RER issues its first official release, which marks the beginning of Phase 1.
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PHASE ZERO: PRE-ADVENTURES
PHASE ZERO: PRE-ADVENTURES
In 1998, a pirated copy of a brand-new German beatmaking software title makes the rounds in a campus dorm, and our heroes' bizarre journey begins. In The Year 2000, various music gear is pooled for collaborative recording, and RER is founded in an off-campus apartment in Central Los Angeles. Demos are offered as free mp3 downloads, sometimes the day they are recorded. This was a year after Napster, but still a few years before iTunes, and completely out of step with how "legitimate" music was released at the time. Audio files are hosted on the nascent Reverse Engine site, on individual project pages on mp3.com, and then by our friends at Warped [dot] nu.
This is a work in progress. Several early releases have yet to be added...