The Minimal Wave Tapes Volume Two
Various Artists
(Stones Throw Records)

Cali-based indie hip-hop label Stones Throw teams up with New York’s Minimal Wave Records to produce the second installment of The Minimal Wave Tapes.

Comprised of rare electronic music recorded by bands from around the world in the 1980’s, Volume Two naturally takes the minimalist approach with re-mastered instrumentals crafted from old-school analog synths and drum machines. According to the Stones Throw website, the musicians had an eye toward grassroots production as well: “Recording on tapes in their home studios, creating their own album artwork, and often collaborating via postage mail.”

Like the genre’s humble beginnings, The Minimal Wave Tapes is also unassuming, which is to say it’s a simple project with lasting appeal.

Stones Throw, started by DJ Peanut Butter Wolf, has released music by eclectic artists such as Dam-Funk, J Dilla, J. Rocc, James Pants, Madlib, Mayer Hawthorne and The StepKids. The Minimal Wave label, founded by Veronica Vasicka, focuses on the minimal wave genre and releases them on vinyl and digital formats.