Does it come as a surprise that American Primitivism guitar hero John Fahey made extremely weird mixtapes?
A couple of months ago, Chicago musician Nathaniel Braddock posted to Soundcloud a series of mixtapes he says were made by the late guitarist in the 1990s. According to Braddock, they were intended for Braddock’s then-future-wife, who was working at a record store in Portland, Ore., where Fahey stopped in from time to time.
The first two tapes go heavy on strings-based dronescapes (any droneheads know who made them? Leave a comment, please), and some of the gaps between songs are so roomy, it sounds like Fahey kept the tape rolling while he switched records. The rest is utterly wacked out, but a journey through the D.C.-born musician’s mind nonetheless. Take a listen below.