Inventory Control 2026

Unlike all previous 5k8A1d-chapters, “Inventory Control 2026″ marks the first time I’ve ventured back into the archives to put together a mix without including any new songs. Every song already appeared exclusively (in chronological order) in the “ABC” and “²” series – essentially, in the spirit of a personal musical yearbook.

Not all the cassettes from bands that were once the subject of a certain hype, whose concerts I attended, or that found their way into my collection for other reasons, made the cut for this new series. But, aside from thinning out, the most interesting effect is that the new mixes have now been organized by musical genre; hence the titel „supermarket of styles“ (and the wink to Ted Polhemus). For me, this has the surprising effect that songs I had previously assigned homogeneously to certain phases of my life can now shine anew in a musical context.

I believe this makes the listening experience more enjoyable for others, a benefit further enhanced by the shorter total playing time per mix (max 30 minutes instead of over 45) and by the more professional transition mixing technique (using Ardour on Linux for the first time). However, the source still is mostly obscure „early recordings“ (i.e. demos) from punk bands that later often did „proper“ releases that represent the style / sound of the bands in a better way.

With that in mind, I hope everyone interested in this test of time still enjoys listening to it. Now snag a style and add it to your own listening library!

„Record collecting involves more than music. Collecting is about the thrill of the hunt, the accumulation of expertise, the display of wealth, the synthetic allure of touching and seeing sound, the creation and cataloging of memories and pleasures (and dangers) of ritual. Record collecting represents a relationsship (sic) with music, that helps us, in some part small or large, to articulate and, indeed, shape who we are.“ („Schallplattensammeln ist mehr als nur Musik. Es geht um den Nervenkitzel der Jagd, das Anhäufen von Wissen, das Zurschaustellen von Besitz, den synthetischen Reiz des Anfassens und Sehens von Klängen, das Schaffen und Katalogisieren von Erinnerungen und die Freuden (und Gefahren) von Ritualen. Schallplattensammeln ist Ausdruck einer Beziehung zur Musik, die uns hilft, im Kleinen wie im Großen auszudrücken und letztlich zu formen, wer wir sind.“)

Morton, David (2006): Sound recording: the life story of a technology. Johns Hopskins University Press (Baltimore), p. 11; found in: Fruth, Pia (2018): Record. Play. Stop. Die Ära der Kompaktkassette. Eine medienkulturelle Betrachtung. Transcript Edition Medienwissenschaft (Bielefeld), p. 210