Hooper Bay Tracks?

[Helios]

How does anything from ATP07 being the same in b2 mean anything? If they're the same track, or mostly the same track, how can anyone know it wasn't created that way to begin with? Genuinely asking as I don't understand any of the prior posts.

[Redd Panderson]

How does anything from ATP07 being the same in b2 mean anything? If they're the same track, or mostly the same track, how can anyone know it wasn't created that way to begin with? Genuinely asking as I don't understand any of the prior posts.

It's technically possible that it was layered in that way to begin with, but I now believe that it's more likely to be a fake.

The spectral analysis is consistent with attempting to EQ out instruments to isolate others in order to create the illusion of the original artist working with original stems. If it was BOC and they didn't want to have the EQ'd out parts, they simply wouldn't be there rather than being apparently EQ'd out of the mix.

I'm sure our Spectral Sleuths could explain this better than me, but basically, the harmonic profile is consistent with someone who used a program to EQ out parts of the soundboard recording which wouldn't be necessary for BOC since they'd be working with original stems, in essence.

[llydia]

Its a fake.

We've already been lucky enough to get old tunes!

They've got to leave at least something for the bocset...

[outhudd]

Someone with a small bit of time could put the soundboard file from here: https://www.rareboc.org/livestuff/atp_soundboard/

into http://www.lalal.ai and see what kind of a job it does in isolating those synth parts like we hear on this b2.mp3 Noatak. It doesn't just remove vocals, it can also isolate various instruments.

[Redd Panderson]

Its a fake.

We've already been lucky enough to get old tunes!

They've got to leave at least something for the bocset...

Fully agree. The lossless tape rips from this year sound astounding and are such a gift.

Frankly, I still feel like the Rare Five pre-Twoism albums will have more power if they're never released. It doesn't mean I wouldn't love to hear them, but sometimes the question is more important than the answer and Boards of Canada understand this more than most bands.

[In Technicolor]

My intuition tells me this is real, it sounds like someone literally recorded this from the cassette the best they could way back when, what always had me confused about these earlier albums was they were passed around to numerous friends and family at a time where nobody had any clue they would be one of the most successful and revered electronic music artists of the last 30 years.

So at the time 200 people had copies of Hooper Bay and had no reason to believe they needed to be protected and that BOC were going to become famous. 200 people who at the time didn’t know these were precious artifacts and had no reason to protect them means that quite a few should have surfaced right now. Some inevitably ended up in the trash accidentally. Others would have been existed somewhere.

I never believed that these existed… there are supposedly around 530-630 of these prized treasures total according to my best estimates floating around and NOTHING has surfaced, even when these friends and family members at the time were probably never told to not share them. Like absolutely nothing… in this day and age…

But Hooper Bay was always the one I always suspected might actually be valid.

But my intuition has been wrong before…

[Waterbagel]

hehe - i've received the odd cassette/CD from friends before, didn't think much of them, and have lost them in moves, and i've done the same for others who i suspect saw my offering see a similar fate. AND i've been on either side of "hey, here's this - don't share it. but i'm only giving it to you because i know you'll respect that wish," and while nothing in that exchange ever reached MHTRTC or even hi scores popularity, i still find it pretty believable that a couple hundred cassettes were handed out and barely any have materially surfaced much at all

[audiotrack]

You see this is where MDG would be extremely informative in letting us know either way….
I know a lot on here say…. ‘well why should he?? ‘ but he’s made comments for less.

Or maybe he / they think it’s best left alone to enlighten the mystery.

[llydia]

You see this is where MDG would be extremely informative in letting us know either way….
I know a lot on here say…. ‘well why should he?? ‘ but he’s made comments for less.

Or maybe he / they think it’s best left alone to enlighten the mystery.

Silence speaks volumes. Also, I don't like the source. Usually its one of us.

Uploader at any one point could make an account to give some proof to the tale. The fact they haven't is a huge sign this is a load of crap!

[audiotrack]

Silence does speak volumes…. It’s quite odd however that MDG would prefer not to comment just for the prolonged mystery and also to encourage a possible faker to stay at large.
I often think MDG only comes in when he knows it’s fake. On the other hand he’s silent when…. ?

[Mexicola]

mdg hasn't been on Twoism since May 28th

[Redd Panderson]

For what it's worth, earlier this week I actually contacted the author of this review:

Catalogue 3 (Music70, 1987 - Music70, 1997) has three lengthy tracks of rather uneventful ambient electronica (Line Two, Breach Tones, Visual Drone 12) and two shorter tracks. Their mellow, disjointed electronica was not particularly revolutionary. Acid Memories (Music70, 1989) is even less imposing, as are the 17 short pieces of Closes Volume 1 (Music70, 1993 - Music70, 1997), but Play By Numbers (Music 70, 1994), with the 9-minute Infinite Lines Of Colourful Sevens, showcased a more creative approach.

The EP Hooper Bay (MUsic 70, 1994), whose extended compositions are Seward Leaf, Noatak and Point Hope, heralded their mature phase, which yielded the 20 ambient tracks of the album Boc Maxima (MUsic 70, 1995), particularly the melancholy Everything You Do Is A Balloon and their early masterpiece Turquoise Hexagon Sun.

I sent him the supposed Hooper Bay links and asked if it sounded like what he recalled hearing. He very graciously shared that he couldn't confirm or deny their authenticity because he last heard it ages ago (probably around 30 years) on cassette and doesn't remember what it sounded like. He no longer has it.

[belchmaster]

Happy to catch up with all of this. Reminds me of the good old days when fakes were all over the place. Nothing to add really. Just bias towards the tryhard "good" fakes. Always loved 'How Will I Know'. The ending bit on b2 fits really really well. Drums seem rather purposely compressed though.

[harpoon dodger]

For what it's worth, earlier this week I actually contacted the author of this review:

Catalogue 3 (Music70, 1987 - Music70, 1997) has three lengthy tracks of rather uneventful ambient electronica (Line Two, Breach Tones, Visual Drone 12) and two shorter tracks. Their mellow, disjointed electronica was not particularly revolutionary. Acid Memories (Music70, 1989) is even less imposing, as are the 17 short pieces of Closes Volume 1 (Music70, 1993 - Music70, 1997), but Play By Numbers (Music 70, 1994), with the 9-minute Infinite Lines Of Colourful Sevens, showcased a more creative approach.

The EP Hooper Bay (MUsic 70, 1994), whose extended compositions are Seward Leaf, Noatak and Point Hope, heralded their mature phase, which yielded the 20 ambient tracks of the album Boc Maxima (MUsic 70, 1995), particularly the melancholy Everything You Do Is A Balloon and their early masterpiece Turquoise Hexagon Sun.

I sent him the supposed Hooper Bay links and asked if it sounded like what he recalled hearing. He very graciously shared that he couldn't confirm or deny their authenticity because he last heard it ages ago (probably around 30 years) on cassette and doesn't remember what it sounded like. He no longer has it.

That's awesome that you reached out to him and got a response. Based on just reading the 'Author' section of the website, Piero Scaruffi seems like a very interesting person! His longstanding presence on the web (and pre-Internet, evidently) makes me not at all surprised he may have had access to the early albums way back when. Sad he couldn't confirm...it's definitely a tough case with these tracks. Whatever they are, they are well-made!

[mechanismj]

Which is odd to me sat over here, because the soundboard version absolutely does NOT sound like Noatak to me. Not even a little bit. Bizarre innit?

Yeah. It sounds like 'Over the Top' to me after hearing the soundboard.

[audiotrack]

It’s how it’s pronounced…. No-a-taaak or Nowatark

[gestell]

Hey I'll keep my mind open until I hear it but I never want to hear the "they have the same lengths as on the sleeve" argument again, after people thought Tape05 was Father and Son

It is funny how everyone was wrong about this.

It's also funny how many people were absolutely sure Tape 05 would NOT be on the album for some reason. But there it is.

[gestell]

https://archive.org/details/@lafin386

Came across this guy on the internet archive claiming he's uploaded the B sides of Hooper Bay. Normally I'd discount this outright but
- If B1 (https://archive.org/details/b1_20260607) is a faked extension of the "Circle" clip from the old BOC website it's certainly a good one.
- Track B2/Noatak (https://archive.org/details/b2_20260607) is absolutely part of track 7 from the All Tomorrow's Parties set. Again, if it's a fake it's certainly a good one.
- B3/Point Hope (https://archive.org/details/b3_20260607) at least _sounds_ like the other two tracks above and the little melody that comes in at the very end gives me pause.

Thoughts?

Hopper Bay? Hopper? .... Seems fake.