In May of 2023, Cherry Red Records asked me to contribute “Within these walls” to a 4CD Darkwave compilation. I decided to offer them a new mix as well as the original mix, and they could pick which they preferred. I was motivated to try the new mix because I wanted to dive into the original 1986 fostex cassette 4-track master to see what I could do with it. This was an experiment towards the idea of creating a new mix of the entire THE ROPE album for the 40th anniversary in 2026.

No Songs Tomorrow - Darkwave, Ethereal Rock And Coldwave 1981-1990, 4CD Box Set
Available from Projekt: www.projekt.com/store/product/crr11719/
or Cherry Red: www.cherryred.co.uk/no-songs-tomorrow-darkwave-ethereal-rock-and-coldwave-1981-1990-4cd-box-set


The 2024 mix is much more distinct, you can hear all the parts clearly. Oscar and I both think this version is an improvement, even if perhaps it loses some of the “charm” of the poorly recorded & mixed 1986 version (I mixed the entire album in two hours, that's unheard of!)

I got an email a few days ago that the Cherry Red 4CD is in production, with an imminent release date. I decided it would be smart to have the new mix available at streaming sites, and a 2-song single is always better than a 1-song single. I knew which track I wanted to work on. At Spotify, the most played track off THE ROPE is “Seven days till sunrise.” Today I did a 2024 mix of that track as well. As it wasn't as complex of a recording (only three instruments, each on their own track), it was pretty easy! Here it is, very pretty!

I wrote this 500-character Pitch for Spotify's curators:
Thanks to Spotify’s algorithm, 1986’s “Seven days till sunrise” is a top-10 BlackTape track! Songwriter Sam Rosenthal went to the cassette Portastudio masters of the band’s 38-year-old debut, THE ROPE, to remix this version. Eye-openingly, 60% of BlackTape’s Spotify audience is under 34; the song is older than they are! Fans email that they love our introspective, melancholy music introduced to them via the algorithm. This 2024 mix is created in appreciation of Spotify and all our new fans!


Enjoy.