With record sleeves that looked like they were riddled by bullets and contributions from the very fringes of experimental music, FatCat’s Split Series spent more than a decade fulfilling its mission statement of curating “a high-quality, challenging series of 12” singles that resists stasis/classification and continually shifts; to keep the listener guessing; to utilize the unique qualities of the format in an exciting and creative way–whether it be pitting different sounds/styles against one another; drawing out links and similarities; or simply introducing unknown artists on the flip of a more established name.”
Some examples of that last point have been Animal Collective’s Avey Tare splitting sides with David Grubbs, Fennesz pairing up with Main, and Matmos slipping alongside Motion. To celebrate the label’s recent decision to flip the digital switch on what’s been otherwise a vinyl-only ordeal, series founder David Howell has cut two special mixtapes. Here’s the first, which exemplifies “the frazzled, eclectic nature of the series–moving from electroacoustic composition/improvisation to electronica, noise, outsider folk, turntablism, unsettling ambience, piano composition, and electrified African trance”…
FatCat Split Series Mix I:
0:00 – Main – Rive Pt. II
2:30 – Ultra-Red – A16
9:20 – Janek Schaefer – To Dai For
11:00 – Pimmon – Bettler Kempt
12:10 – Janek Schaefer – Foreground Blink
14:35 – Alog – Every Word Was Once An Animal
16:05 – Anthony Child & Andrew Read – Guitar Treatments 7
22:15 – Merzbow – Ab Hunter
24:00 – Alejandra & Aeron – Kitchen
24:25 – Pimmon – Serenade Sedan
24:35 – The Ivytree – On White Heron
27:50 – James Plotkin – Forensics For Guitar Part 2
31:05 – Team Doyobi – Pigeon Man
35:36 – Com.a – Radio Squelch Crush Land
42:12 – Duplo_Remote – Beatbox Blagger
44:44 – David Grubbs – The World Brushed Aside
47:40 – AMM – For Ute
48:45 – Motion – Condition 2.2
50:30 – Avey Tare – Crumbling Land
52:30 – Kemialliset Ystavat – Hyvallisen Tahdellista
54:57 – Konono No.1 – Masikulu
