ZAKE — Orchestral Tape Studies III (3xtape)

Zake – Orchestral Tape Studies III (3xTAPE) arrives on Past Inside the Present US as catalogue PITP89TAPE, a three-cassette set that deepens the label’s ongoing dialogue with tape-based ambient techno and drone. The release follows a string of Zake’s tape-focused outings this year, including Lowland: In Three (TAPE) (PITPZD051) and Cantus For Winter In Six Parts (PITP71BLUE), positioning it as the latest chapter in a prolific period for the artist. Past Inside the Present US has been cultivating a strand of meditative, tape-derived work throughout 2026, with releases such as Slow Dancing Society’s Do We Become Sky? LP and 36’s Threewave LP sharing a similar emphasis on texture and slow development. Within this context, Orchestral Tape Studies III stands out as an expansive, 18-movement suite that stretches the label’s aesthetic toward an even more contemplative horizon. The cassette opens with “Holpen”, a quiet entry that sets a reflective tone which is sustained through “Sunder” and “Throne”. The early movements unfold like a series of reverent vignettes, each title evoking a ritualistic gesture that reinforces the work’s slow-burning meditation. “Graven” and “Brevia” continue this arc, deepening the sense of an unfolding manuscript left to age. The middle of side A moves through “Selahs”, “Wraith”, “Votive”, and “Sepult”, each track maintaining the album’s ambient techno pulse while subtly shifting the emotional register, a quality amplified by the involvement of collaborators Brock Van Wey (bvdub) and Abul Mogard. Side B begins with “Censer” and “Alters”, which together act as a bridge between the earlier reverence and the more introspective passages that follow. “Devout” and “Temple” expand the sonic space, allowing the tape’s natural warmth to surface as the compositions breathe. “Banner” and “Reliqu” close the first half of the cassette with a quiet resolve, preparing the listener for the recompositions that conclude the set. The final three tracks—“The Wraith Alters The Censer, A Recomposition”, “Reliqu For The Last Votive, A Recomposition”, and “Nine Prayers For Dea Muta, A Recomposition”—revisit earlier motifs in a distilled form, offering a contemplative coda that reinforces the work’s overarching theme of temporal decay and reverence. Within Zake’s recent output, this release builds on the tape-centric approach first heard on Lowland: In Three (TAPE) and the vinyl-based Cantus For Winter In Six Parts, while also echoing the compositional density of the earlier Caelum LP. The involvement of Van Wey and Mogard adds new emotional shades, pushing the ambient escape further into uncharted territory without abandoning the artist’s signature patience and quiet intensity. For DJs, the cassette’s extended, slowly evolving movements provide ample material for deep-set weaving, particularly in environments that favour immersive, long-form listening. The recompositions at the record’s end serve as useful transition points, allowing a set to pivot from the meditative core to a more abstract, introspective finish. Collectors will appreciate the three-cassette format as a physical manifestation of the work’s sprawling structure, and the tape medium’s inherent lo-fi character aligns perfectly with the release’s aging manuscript concept. The format is a three-cassette package, each tape preserving the analog warmth that defines Zake’s tape work. The cassette medium reinforces the album’s narrative of time-worn pages and the tactile experience of listening, making the release a distinctive addition to any analogue-oriented collection. Zake – Orchestral Tape Studies III (3xTAPE), Past Inside the Present US, catalogue PITP89TAPE, cassette, 18 tracks, ambient techno / drone / beats techno. Tracklist: A1. Zake – Holpen A2. Zake – Sunder A3. Zake – Throne A4. Zake – Graven A5. Zake – Brevia A6. Zake – Selahs A7. Zake – Wraith A8. Zake – Votive A9. Zake – Sepult A10. Zake – Censer A11. Zake – Alters A12. Zake – Devout A13. Zake – Temple A14. Zake – Banner A15. Zake – Reliqu A16. Zake – The Wraith Alters The Censer, A Recomposition A17. Zake – Reliqu For The Last Votive, A Recomposition A18. Zake – Nine Prayers For Dea Muta, A Recomposition