The Leafy Suburbs
A legendary Hidden Record Label. Very little is known about it, or the records it has released, other than a short review of one tape in an obscure '80s zine (since become slightly less obscure thanks to the internet);
| I stumbled across it accidentally, lost in an unfamiliar city. A rickety table set up under a tree, with a jar, a small pile of tapes (each one apparently unique), and a crumpled sheet of paper on it. The paper (a poor, smudged photocopy) explained that the tapes were all releases of The Leafy Suburbs record label, and that an interested passerby could deposit whatever amount they deemed appropriate in the jar in exchange for a tape. Naturally, this strange setup caught my attention, and I parted with a small amount in exchange for the tape on the top of the pile. I waited for a while in the hope of meeting the person (persons?) behind this strange venture, but after a while the cold started to get to me, and I felt the need to try and find my way home. | |
| When I finally arrived back to my newly-rented flat, it was to discover a pipe had burst, drenching all my books and papers. The resulting chaos meant that I completely forgot about the curious tape in my pocket until perhaps a week later, but what a sound! It was like the artist (artists? the flimsy cardboard the tape came in offered no attribution) behind it had dissolved their very self into sound. I've still never heard anything like it - it was more than just sound that was created by a human being. This was sound that was itself human, a conscious, living thing. | |
| I've been back to the spot where the table sat many times now, but with no luck. The table and its collection of tapes are long gone, and it seems unlikely I will ever find its owner now. I still have the tape though, now a constant presence in my life, a companion, a lover... |
The author of this piece has never been found, and it is possible that The Leafy Suburbs is entirely fictional. The idea of a record label that is deliberately hidden, however, has proven extremely influential, to the point where it has become common to spot an unattended table or stall when one finds oneself lost in a strange city.
