PODCAST The Black Tapes
The Black Tapes podcast is in and of itself a mystery. A quick google will turn up numerous forums posing the somewhat awkward question: “Are The Black Tapes fiction?” followed by a fairly convincing show website and various social media accounts (complete with interactions)for the podcast’s fictional presenters and crew. Welcome to the new generation of radio-drama. It’s next to impossible to describe the format of The Black Tapes, but a basic formula might be: if The X-Files and Serial had a baby, you would pretty much get The Black Tapes. Perhaps it is this convincing marriage of such a well-known factual format and the paranormal that makes the twelve part show so unbelievably eerie. The podcast follows Sarah Koenig-esque journalist Alex Reagan as she investigates the mystery surrounding super sceptic Dr. Richard Strand, the shady disappearance of his wife, and his collection of Black Tapes, unsolved cases of the paranormal that he has yet to satisfactorily disprove. Science, maths, sound, and religion are discussed, dissected and deliberated upon in an effort to work out what connection there is between these occult goings-on and Strand himself. Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of this podcast. In a culture so obsessed with visual entertainment it is a breath of fresh air. Without the age old devices of jump scares and gore, The Black Tapes plays on the possible and preys on the psyche – immense effort has clearly gone into production (it uses the same sponsorship ads as most podcasts) as well as research (never have I been more confused and scared of mathematics in my life). The overall result is a podcast that lingers with the listener, thriving on the uncertainty that embodies its every aspect right down to its initial purpose. – Emily Smith
MUSIC A Girl Between Two Worlds
Electronic music releases, especially the older ones, can have strange half-lives. In days before platforms like soundcloud or other music sharing platforms, some absolute gold got lost in the milieu. But these kind of songs develop cult followings over time, working their way into DJ sets and “undiscovered gem” style articles until they experience a renaissance five or ten years after their original release. The song What’s A Girl To Do from the EP A Girl Between Two Worlds by Fatima Yamaha is a good example of this. Fatima Yamaha, an alias of Amsterdam native Bas Bron, originally released the EP in 2004, on the Dublin record label D1 Recordings. WAGTD was an instant favourite in certain circles; Jackmaster called it a “Glasgow Classic”, but if you wanted to buy the EP on vinyl before July this year it would have cost you €105. Luckily Dekmantel have done a vinyl re-press with three new tracks that Fatima Yamaha released in 2012.
Despite Bron coming under fire for being another man just using a female alias, the music itself is simply brilliant. WAGTD is a lethargic masterpiece; it’s simple, just drum machine and synth, but when you listen to the track it is really just more than the sum of its parts. Its commitment to repetition, apart from a misty sample of actor Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, 2003) makes it hypnotic. The other six tracks on the repress continue with dreamy synths layered over each other alongside very simple beats, Between Worlds being another highlight. The most intriguing thing about the EP is its versatility. The music changes character depending on what situation you play it in; spin WAGTD at home and it’s really relaxing, but if it comes on in a club it brings the house down. – Josh Kenny
Conceptually One Finger Death Punch is minimalist to the extreme. You play as a 2D stick figure, fighting other 2D stick figures, and the entire game only uses two buttons: left-click and right-click. You left-click to punch left, you right-click to punch right, and that’s the entire game. What this simplicity disguises, however, is one of the most responsive and engrossing combat systems ever made. Generally pitting you against 50-100 opponents (or infinite opponents in the jaw-clenching survival mode), with each enemy usually taking only one hit to kill, the game is actually a close relative of rhythm-based titles like Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero. It all comes down to jerk-reflex, timing your left-and-right hits in the split-second that enemies come into range. The rhythm-game-based design harshly punishes misses and hits-taken, meaning that as the difficulty increases and the endless wave of opponents grows faster the game doesn’t descend into button-mashing. Rather, it requires deeper concentration and tighter responses. Due to its impeccable mechanics, losses never feel cheap, and rapid-restart times make the TRY AGAIN button seem oh so tempting, to the extent that entire days can be lost chasing the satisfaction of “just one more level”. – Eoin Moore
