Local Review: Hoops – A Whiff of Spirits

 

Hoops
A Whiff of Spirits

Chthonic Records
Street: 04.06
Hoops = The Tape Beatles + Brion Gysin

One of the reasons I enjoy cut-up, experimental-collage sound recordings is the total disregard of the legalities of using samples. Hoops are no exception with this digital and cassette release. One of my favorite illegal samples is in the track “We Say These Things in the Name of Jesus Christ,” which has a hee-haw, ho-down moment with Alabama’s “Mountain Music.” This recoding also comprises lots of other noises and field-recording-type sounds. I prefer the cut-up experimentation stuff to the long sound-loop tracks, but I think that they would be better pressed as lock grooves on a 7”, allowing the listener to manipulate and interact. You can download A Whiff of Spirits for free, or if you contact the project, they will give you a cassette—just pay postage. Do yourself a favor and check it out. –Mort Kilgore