Vovokai - No Title (1st Cassette) -198X-, Holland

Six years ago, No Longer Forgotten Music started uncovering all obscurities from the Dutch DIY cassette underground. Among them releases from the city of Eindhoven in the south of The Netherlands. Vovokai was a band from Eindhoven too, consisting of Paul Verwilligen and Edwin van Eck. Although nothing visually proves that this silver spray-painted cassette is Vovokai, you'll have to believe my words. Moreover, it's the first untitled one mentioned by Frans de Waard's Nederlandse Cassette Catalogus (Dutch cassette catalogue) and quite rare since probably only a hundful have survived.

This Vovokai release must be from the early eighties, but about exact dates I don't have a clue. The band was closely related and intermingled with Eindhoven's guerilla artists association 6de Kolonne and belonged to the same scene as Baader Pop Gruppe, MTVS, Zwoek and others. Most of them are to be found here and here. The 6de Kolonne still exists today as an artists collective. Edwin van Eck later moved on with a solo project called Zombies Under Stress.

As for the music: It's a typically DIY impro noise thing, but has certain elements which makes it a real treat. Drenched in guitar primitivism, repetitiveness and electronic manupulations, Vovokai seems to create sounds that are reminiscent of other groups from the Dutch cassette culture underground like Solenoid (to be found on this blog), but also bands like Campingsex and occasionally hinting at something that could as well be a very early Sonic Youth demo. I have tried to seperate some tracks, but I'm not sure how it's intended to be. I have a strong feeling that the B Side was intended to be one whole piece. But then again, what is the B side? Anyway, listen to it yourself!

Highly Recommended!

Get it HERE