The HooKHeaD Project

Noise Prototype V cassette album cover art

The Not of the Want (Summer 1994)

This cassette came out of a rough year away from working on any of my own music because my second year of undergraduate study was based around an intense upper-division class studying Ethnomusicology. So I did very little of any recording that I felt I could use throughout the school year. I was also playing with two percussive ensembles through my studies, so time for my own music was extremely limited.

The Not of the Want continued my earlier trend of exploring themes of sociopolitical or sexual tension, but in a much nicer way than my previous work. This is my first use of MIDI and improved hardware (new computer, 4-track, and signal processor, etc.).

The re-recorded version of "Submission" (see Noise Prototype II) is included. Side A has a number of MIDI sequenced experiments and Side B is long and ambient wrapping up with the 30 minute "Nothing Better Than Real Parts I-III". My first true acoustic guitar piece was at the end of this cassette. This one is 70 minutes of a 90 minute cassette.

I spent a lot of time composing this one, but I had set a deadline for it's release and around a summer job I ended up releasing it prematurely as far as recording went. Doing this in my bedroom as I did all my recordings always had limitations, and there are many unforeseen interruptions that affected this release more than many of my others. Plus, a few of the tracks are just utterly embarrassing.

It is worth noting that the packaging on this was significantly more sophisticated than anything I'd done before. The cassette shell actually had it's own handmade slipcase that also contained a hand-made book of collage. The slipcase and all the art was on glossy black paper that was culled from numerous issues of National Geographic and other magazines and the artwork was collaged on top.

The-Not-of-the-Want-Poster