Tape Day - Plaza Infinite
There are few corners of the Dutch music scene that Keez Groenteman is not directly or indirectly connected to. As frontman of the band Lola Kite he released two successful records, as guitarist for Jacco Gardner he toured the world and as a drummer he played with Altın Gün, Eerie Wanda, Skip & Die and even -on a blue Monday- with Bettie Serveert. In addition, Groenteman has been a much sought-after composer in the theater world for years.
And now there is Keez Groenteman's Tapedag . In the early 1990s, American K-Mart department stores played a different cassette every month with a mix of instrumental hits, b-sides and original music to boost sales. This music was made especially and exclusively for K-Mart. The many hours in the tape deck wore out these tapes, causing the music to disappear in a bath of noise, distortion and other irregularities. Former employee Mark Davis decided to save the cassettes and put them on the internet years later under the name 'Attention K-Mart Shoppers'. Keez Groenteman discovered this and became enthusiastic. Tapedag's debut Plaza Oneindig is directly inspired by the sound and atmosphere of these cassettes: eight instrumental numbers that take you to a pleasant dream of the carefree 90s.
"OK, I have to admit this this is a strange collection. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, I worked for Kmart behind the service desk and the store played specific pre-recorded cassettes issued by corporate. This was background music, or perhaps you could call it elevator music. Anyways, I saved these tapes from the trash during this period and this video shows you my extensive, odd collection." -Mark Davis