One of the most common explanations for electronic voice phenomena (EVP) is cross-modulation, which is what you hear, for example, when an old record player picks up the signal of a local radio station. Parapsychologist Dr. Konstantin Raudive, who literally wrote the book on EVP, dismissed this explanation by saying that he never heard music when listening for ghosts. But even if he had, why would cross-modulation be its only possible source?
Further supporting the good doctor’s counter-skepticism, if spirits can indeed communicate with us from the great beyond, then who’s to say that they can’t perform music for us as well? Or at least play us some of their favorite tunes? And freed from the physical constraints of the material world, they’d surely have very eclectic tastes.
Perhaps then their playlists would resemble the musical mindset of living, breathing, Seattle-based wife-and-husband duo Faith Coloccia and Aaron Turner, whose new Mamiffer LP Statu Nascendi sounds like it actually could’ve been recorded by a dead married couple. (And I mean that in the best way possible.) In compiling their guest mix for Tiny Mix Tapes, Aaron noted: “We purposely left out anything from any artists on our label — it’s obvious we love and support those artists, and we were actively looking outside of that for this mix. Otherwise it might’ve been mostly SIGE bands!”
I’d only add that this mix is best enjoyed through headphones at night in complete darkness, and if while listening you experience any instances of EVP, try not to panic. If you do, Tiny Mix Tapes shall not bear any responsibility for whatever happens next.
Stream below, and subscribe to our podcast here.
[00:00] Bulgarian Women’s Choir - “The Evening Gathering”
[04:48] Vangelis - “Rachel’s Song”
[09:09] Einstürzende Neubauten - “Keine Schönheit Ohne Gefahr”
[14:03] US Girls - “Don’t Understand That Man”
[15:59] Mdou Moctar - “Idagi Achinane”
[19:08] Dirk Serries - “There’s a Light In Vein”
[29:12] Swans - “Red Velvet Corridor”
[31:51] Alice Coltrane - “The Sun”
[35:51] Kites - “Staring Into the Sun”
[45:34] Becky Allen - “Coral Do Amozonas (excerpt)” from Sharon Lockhart’s Teatro Amozonas
[51:06] Iannis Xenakis - “Polytope de Cluny
• Mamiffer: http://mamiffer.bandcamp.com
• SIGE Records: http://sigerecords.blogspot.com