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Memory Tapes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Memory Tapes
Also known asMemory Cassette, Weird Tapes
Born
Dayve Hawk

1981 (age 44–45)[1]
New Jersey, United States
GenresChillwave,[2] glo-fi[3]
OccupationsSinger-songwriter, record producer
Years active2008–2015
LabelsSomething in Construction, Carpark Records, Sincerely Yours, Acéphale, Inertia Records
Websitememorytapes.bandcamp.com

Dayve Hawk (born 1981), better known by his stage name Memory Tapes, is a New Jersey-based singer-songwriter and record producer, and the former frontman of the Philadelphia-based band, Hail Social who were active between 2004 and 2008.[4]

Career

[edit]

Memory Cassette / Weird Tapes: Early EPs (2008–2009)

[edit]

Hawk first began releasing solo material under the names "Memory Cassette" and "Weird Tapes", releasing three EPs under these monikers across 2008 and 2009: The Hiss We Missed, Rewind Whilst Sleeping, and Call & Response.[5]

Seek Magic (2009–2010)

[edit]

Hawk's first album as "Memory Tapes", Seek Magic, released on August 24, 2009 via three labels: Something in Construction, Sincerely Yours, and Acéphale.[6] The album's artwork features "Mirage", a painting by American artist Tomory Dodge.[7]

The album sold over 1,000 copies on pre-release through Rough Trade, and has since sold over 30,000 copies.[citation needed] The CD release of Seek Magic was bundled with a four-track bonus disc including a remix by The Horrors and a 22-minute instrumental, "Treeship", which was also available as a free download from Hawk's website.[8] The Quietus commented on the album's only single, "Bicycle", saying, "It’s a neat trick, alright: a song to make you look back on 2009 with a bittersweet sigh before the year is even out".[9] Pitchfork equally described the album as, "a record of achingly gorgeous dance-pop that captures both the joy of nostalgia and the melancholic sense that we're grasping for good times increasingly out of reach".[10]

Hawk toured Seek Magic from January to March 2010 across Europe and North America.[11]

Player Piano (2011)

[edit]

Hawk's second album, Player Piano, was released on July 5, 2011 via Something in Construction in Europe, Carpark Records in the U.S. and Inertia in Australia.[12] The album's artwork features a gouache painting by Japanese artist Kazuki Takamatsu.[13]

Player Piano saw Hawk move away from the chillwave style that surrounded his previous works, moving more towards a bedroom pop sound, describing his own album as a collection of "keyboard-based psychedelic girl group songs".[14] The album received mixed reviews, with Pitchfork describing the album as "flat and airless, sucked dry of his typically evocative detailing".[15] BBC Music also provided a mixed review commenting, "Player Piano is a musical jacket potato: satisfying but never amazing".[16] However, Drowned in Sound provided a positive review, noting, "this is the sound of a man taking a significant step forward. The limelight awaits".[17]

Hawk toured Player Piano throughout July and August 2011 in both Europe and North America.[18]

Grace / Confusion and subsequent releases (2012–2015)

[edit]

Hawk released his third and most recent album, Grace / Confusion, on December 4, 2012.[19]

On October 11, 2013, Hawk self-released an EP titled September.

Hawk released a single, "Fallout" / "House on Fire" on October 25, 2015.[20]

Musical style

[edit]

Hawk's work as both Memory Cassette and Memory Tapes is associated with the chillwave music genre which emerged in the late 2000s.[21] Seek Magic made use of both dance rhythms and sounds, and had touchstones such as Cut Copy, New Order, and The Cure.[6][9][10] Player Piano was compared with the likes of M83.[14]

Personal life

[edit]

Hawk lives in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters.[22]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]

EPs

[edit]
  • The Hiss We Missed (as Memory Cassette) (2008)
  • Rewind While Sleeping (as Memory Cassette) (2008)
  • Call & Response (as Memory Cassette) (2009)
  • September (2013)

Singles

[edit]
  • "Bicycle" / "Plain Material" (2009)
  • "Walk Me Home" (2009)
  • "Graphics" (Re-modal edit)" / "Easy Pert Mom" (2010)
  • "Today Is Our Life" (2011)
  • "Yes I Know" / "First Hills" (2011)
  • "Fallout" / "House On Fire" (2015)

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Memory Tapes". Ticketmaster. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  2. ↑ Goble, Corban (April 1, 2011). "R.I.P., chillwave: the top 10 chillwave artists, and where they are now". The Pitch. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  3. ↑ Sherburne, Phillip (January 5, 2010). "Hey Dude, You Got Chillwave In My Glo-Fi". Rhapsody. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Under the Scope: Hail Social". Indie Workshop. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Rising: Memory Tapes/Memory Cassette/Weird Tapes". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Memory Tapes - Seek Magic Review". BBC Music. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Dodge, Tomory - Mirage". Knoxville Museum of Art. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Hear Memory Tapes' 22-Minute Instrumental, "Treeship" | News". Pitchfork. October 7, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Memory Tapes - Seek Magic". The Quietus. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Memory Tapes: Seek Magic Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Memory Tapes changes mind, will tour in 2010". Consequence. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Memory Tapes - Player Piano Review". BBC Music. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Kazuki Takamatsu". Dorothy Circus Gallery. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Memory Tapes: Player Piano". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Memory Tapes: Player Piano". Pitchfork. July 7, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Memory Tapes - Player Piano Review". BBC Music. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Memory Tapes - Player Piano". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Memory Tapes announce summer tour". Consequence. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  19. ↑ "WE'RE TAPES: Grace/Confusion". Weirdtapes.blogspot.ca. February 2, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Memory Tapes - Fallout / House On Fire". Carpark Records. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Deconstructing: Memory Tapes And Life Beyond Chillwave". Stereogum. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  22. ↑ Maurer, Mark (September 12, 2011). "New Jersey electronica artist Dayve Hawk builds an international following". NJ.com. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
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