Hebephrenic, Hide, 1999
Hebephrenic’s fifth release since 1990 mates home-tape pop with club-kid grooves, producing a dark offspring with a crooked smile. I’ve been laboring over the apt comparison for days. Aphex Twin eaten by Dinosaur Jr? Moonshake with an 8-track? The glib phrase eludes me. Kraftwerk sucking Syd Barrett? I give up. Just grab this tape; you won’t be disappointed. Maybe Tapehiss could send me old stuff for context? Hope so.
— Jim Santo’s Demo Universe
PERSONNEL:
Scott Carr: vocals & music
TRACK LISTING:
Side A
Blisters
Sure As Breath
Fire
Yellow
Hide
Tak
Watch Me Close My Eyes
Spiralism
Test
Judgement
Side B
Smoke
Soul Necrosis
Tic Toc
Fluid
Mad Life
Powder
Sky (Part One)
Stuck
Thief
Green
Honestly, thank goodness for Discogs! Not only is there an entry about this ribbon, with an image of the J-card that I lost long ago, and a track list (copied above), the entry for Hide helpfully reminded me that this tape came out on Tapehiss (renamed Tape Hiss Recordings), a cassette label operated for many years by suburban Philadelphia resident Scott Carr. Carr, who also recorded as Analog Sunsets (listen to the full album on Youtube), was at various times a member of Eggomatic, The Hot Buttered Elves, and the Tapegerm Collective. Carr is still making music (check out his 2020 remake of this tape’s title track, below); you can check out his full catalog at tapehiss.net. Twenty-five years after its release — and despite an attention-challenging 90-minute program — the glum and lysergic, techno-slacker vibe of Hide is still a rewarding listen.