Bedlam Tapes is a vaporwave record label formed in 2015 by OSCOB, oriented around the creation of high-quality physical releases. The label began with the release of the 死と音楽の復活 compilation and released multiple noteworthy projects within its first year of operation, including chris†††'s no lives matter and the republishing of early-genre albums Vacant Places and CONTEMPORARY. The label also had a penchant for publishing more experimental electronic releases and artists, including Reef Frequent, §E▲ ▓F D▓G§, Argiflex, Christa Lee (known in-scene as ショッピングワールドjp), and Japanese artist Jobanshi. The discography expanded further with physical pressings of select Bedlam Digital releases, and was finally "complete" in 2018 with the release of the "Spring Steeze" split.
Removals and Transformation
Bedlam Tapes remained dormant after its final 2018 release until mid-2021, in which label owner OSCOB began using the page to promote his own upcoming releases using Bandcamp's message system. This was generally benign, until a sudden message on December 2021 noting that the entire label would be deleted in the next day, alongside its digital sublabel. During this period, an unreleased ArtFluids album (Dream Injury) was published in its draft form, all albums were set to be unable to be downloaded freely (now each sporting a $5 price tag, or a $25 full-discography purchase), and a series of increasingly taunting messages were sent to email followers of the label.
On December 10th, it was revealed that the deletion would not be done due to "overwhelming support" from fans, and the label launched a series of parodic or "shock"-oriented albums, including a Floral Shoppe parody, the satirical broken transmissions album スーパーシグナルウェーブ!!!, a two-track single by HKE project THE DARKEST FUTURE, and a series of OSCOB remixes by haircuts for men. OSCOB would reveal on Twitter that the publicity stunt brought him at least $1,100 in profit from full-discography purchases alone, none of which would go to the label's cast.[1] Hostilities rising, the label began rapid-fire releasing new submissions alongside archived OSCOB releases, another notable turn taking after Daniel Saylor (Windows 98の) used a Bandcamp DMCA appeal form to remove Spring Rain and The Dream Can't Last Forever Trilogy from the label. This sparked the removal of over a dozen albums from the label, including all but one sampler, the label's initial compilation, and various releases by artists that have come to distance themselves from its owner.[2] The bittered relationships and spite-driven purges and expansion of the label mirror that of Dream Catalogue and night coverage, two labels in the vaporwave scene that received similar treatments even that same year.
Discography
| Date
|
Cat #
|
Artist
|
Release
|
| September 3, 2015
|
BEDLAM_01
|
The OSCMOB Collective
|
死と音楽の復活 (Offline)
|
| October 1, 2015
|
BEDLAM_02
|
Pursuing Paradise
|
Adult Contemporary Novel
|
| November 2, 2015
|
BEDLAM_03
|
ArtFluids
|
Proteus
|
| December 7, 2015
|
BEDLAM_04
|
Chinese Hackers
|
( ｗｉｒｅｔａｐ )
|
| December 18, 2015
|
N/A
|
Various Artists
|
Bedlam Sampler Year 1 (Offline)
|
| January 4, 2016
|
BEDLAM_05
|
REZ X OSCOB
|
Virtual High End™
|
| February 4, 2016
|
BEDLAM_06
|
Cobalt Road & STΛQQ ƟVERFLƟ
|
Biosphere (Offline)
|
| March 10, 2016
|
BEDLAM_07
|
chris†††
|
no lives matter
|
| March 24, 2016
|
BEDLAM_08
|
Windows 98の
|
The Dream Can't Last Forever Trilogy (Offline)
|
| April 28, 2016
|
BEDLAM_09
|
Dante Mars Ajeto！
|
Celebrating Digital Artifacts
|
| May 12, 2016
|
BEDLAM_10
|
Bonus Fruit
|
Dissatisfied (Offline)
|
| June 9, 2016
|
BEDLAM_11
|
The Editor
|
It's Great To See You Again
|
| June 23, 2016
|
BEDLAM_12
|
General Translator
|
CONTEMPORARY
|
| July 20, 2016
|
BEDLAM_13
|
Hantasi
|
Vacant Places
|
| July 20, 2016
|
BEDLAM_14
|
Hantasi
|
SQUID
|
| August 18, 2016
|
BEDLAM_10
|
reef frequent
|
Emperor
|
| September 1, 2016
|
BEDLAM_16
|
bl00dwave
|
contact
|
| September 1, 2016
|
BEDLAM_17
|
회사AUTO
|
HyperMedia ~P☯P~
|
| September 1, 2016
|
N/A
|
Various Artists
|
Bedlam Sampler Year 2 (Offline)
|
| September 15, 2016
|
BEDLAM_18
|
s a k i 夢
|
夢の中で失われました
|
| October 13, 2016
|
BEDLAM_19
|
§E▲ ▓F D▓G§
|
THROUGH THE FOG AND THE DRIFTWOOD
|
| October 13, 2016
|
BEDLAM_20
|
§E▲ ▓F D▓G§
|
Rain Dance
|
| October 31, 2016
|
BEDLAM_XX
|
Various Artists
|
Bedlam Tapes 2015-2016
|
| November 10, 2016
|
BEDLAM_21
|
Argiflex
|
THROATLESS
|
| December 8, 2016
|
BEDLAM_22
|
Kai Beckman
|
yin_yang
|
| December 22, 2016
|
BEDLAM_23
|
Christa Lee
|
Welcome to the Fantasy Zone (Offline)
|
| February 23, 2017
|
BEDLAM_24
|
General Translator
|
OPERATION ETERNAL ECSTACY
|
| March 9, 2017
|
BEDLAM_25
|
Rez & ArtFluids
|
Brøderbund Software Library Deluxe
|
| April 6, 2017
|
BEDLAM_26
|
Finlii
|
Skyscrapers
|
| April 6, 2017
|
BEDLAM_27
|
Ben Zimmerman
|
PSYMULCASTER
|
| April 20, 2017
|
BEDLAM_28
|
death's dynamic shroud.wmv
|
RPGウィンドウズ ビスタ
|
| May 18, 2017
|
BEDLAM_29
|
ext.tmp
|
toggle god mode
|
| June 1, 2017
|
BEDLAM_30
|
tech noir
|
齐
|
| June 29, 2017
|
BEDLAM_31
|
Jobanashi
|
Koko
|
| July 13, 2017
|
BEDLAM_32
|
ArtFluids
|
Umami Deluxe
|
| August 9, 2017
|
BEDLAM_33
|
Hantasi
|
CA S T LE
|
| August 9, 2017
|
BEDLAM_34
|
Vincent Remember
|
Culture Vulture
|
| August 23, 2017
|
N/A
|
Various Artists
|
Bedlam Sampler Year 3 (Offline)
|
| September 1, 2017
|
BEDLAM_35
|
Tsunxmi
|
Digital Paradise DX (Offline)
|
| September 1, 2017
|
BEDLAM_36
|
Immaculate Emancipation
|
無原罪の解放 + Introduction to Riddles of The Revered Lady
|
| September 1, 2017
|
BEDLAM_37
|
reef frequent
|
tru
|
| September 1, 2017
|
BEDLAM_38
|
Boocanan
|
SWEDISHFISH xx MOONWALK
|
| September 1, 2017
|
BEDLAM_39
|
Vincent Remember
|
Classic of Changes
|
| September 1, 2017
|
BEDLAM_40
|
haircuts for men
|
ダウンタンブルと死にます ep
|
| September 1, 2017
|
BEDLAM_41
|
Various Artists
|
Suffocation: The Throatless Remixes
|
| September 1, 2017
|
BEDLAM_42
|
Dante Mars Ajeto！
|
Life Enterprises
|
| October 5, 2017
|
BEDLAM_43
|
Daniel Saylor
|
Spring Rain (Offline)
|
| November 9, 2017
|
BEDLAM_44
|
FIRE-TOOLZ
|
Interbeing (Offline)
|
| December 21, 2017
|
BEDLAM_45
|
EIGHTXNIGHTS
|
LOTUSXEYES
|
| December 21, 2017
|
BEDLAM_46
|
EIGHTXNIGHTS
|
RAINXMAKER
|
| January 25, 2018
|
BEDLAM_47
|
bl00dwave
|
EGO
|
| March 1, 2018
|
BEDLAM_48
|
EQ Why & Diamond Soul
|
Spring Steeze
|
| December 10, 2021
|
BEDLAM_49
|
ArtFluids
|
Dream Injury (Offline)
|
| December 10, 2021
|
BEDLAM_50
|
ＥＣＣＯＴＯＮＥＴＴＡ
|
ＶＯＬＵＭＥ ７７７
|
| December 10, 2021
|
BEDLAM_51
|
天気予報 2
|
スーパーシグナルウェーブ!!!
|
| December 10, 2021
|
BEDLAM_52
|
THE DARKEST FUTURE
|
Cold Winter / Divine Prizm
|
| December 10, 2021
|
BEDLAM_53
|
haircuts for men
|
it will be alright
|
| December 13, 2021
|
BEDLAM_49
|
OSCOB
|
Eating Yourself Alive β (Offline)
|
| December 13, 2021
|
BEDLAM_49
|
OSCOB / Digital Sex
|
OVERGROWTH
|
| December 13, 2021
|
BEDLAM_54
|
sigmawave
|
Trapping Out The Ediacaran Period
|
| December 13, 2021
|
BEDLAM_55
|
Slave
|
Slave
|
| December 13, 2021
|
BEDLAM_56
|
HKE
|
Punk
|
| December 14, 2021
|
BEDLAM_57
|
13th Titan
|
Sports II
|
| December 14, 2021
|
BEDLAM_58
|
PZA
|
IRON
|
| December 14, 2021
|
BEDLAM_59
|
US Golf 95
|
GOLF
|
| December 14, 2021
|
BEDLAM_60
|
Catalina, Ltd.
|
At The Edge of Time
|
| December 15, 2021
|
BEDLAM_61
|
Wanderlust Caravan
|
Soviet Airways
|
External Links
References
