10/07/2026
Review of the new Top Tape release, by Peter Vercouteren in the Belgian music magazine Gonzo (circus) !
Below an English translation:
Menko Konings – The Phil Spencer Project (Vol. 1) [TOP TAPE]
A chasm of forty-five years gapes between the original 1981 edition of a poetry collection by Menko Konings (known from S.M. Nurse and eM, among others) and this version with musical accompaniment. Especially for this project, Konings had his poetry translated into English, using an AI translation application with an almost perfectly articulating female voice. There is a lot of debate surrounding the use of artificial intelligence in creating music, but the crucial question is whether we would have noticed this without prior knowledge.
For his music, Konings has been loyal to his instruments for years: a Fender Stratocaster complemented by a drum machine and synthesizers. He uses these elements sparingly, giving The Phil Spencer Project Vol.1 a very intimate hometape feel. Especially the rhythmic 'Only Then' and the droning 'Nothing' are highly successful. For comparison, we prefer to look back at similar minimal bands from the 1980s. Think of The Misz, Vita Noctis, or Algebra Su***de.
There is plenty of experimentation in 'Beyond Everything' (backward Albanian folk) and the polyglot 'What's The Story'. Multiple formats are available, but we highly recommend the limited brown vinyl because of the superior artwork. Cassette culture on vinyl? Why not! (pv)
Artwork by Antonia collages
Remaster by Rude66
Instagram: the.phil.spencer.project
Bandcamp: https://toptape1.bandcamp.com/album/the-phil-spencer-project-vol-1-2
