International Sound Communication (frequently abbreviated as I.S.C.) was a series of compilation cassettes, compiled and distributed as a mail art project by Andi Xport from Peterborough, England, in the mid-1980s. Fifteen volumes were issued.Andi Xport on MySpace
The series was intended to provide an outlet for any kind of music from any country in the world. Most artists who appeared were not signed to a record label, but had released their music privately on cassettes sold via mail, and these were often the source of the material that appeared on the compilations. All volumes came with a list of contact addresses, with the exception of artists from "Iron Curtain" or Soviet Union countries whose addresses were not published, to protect them from government persecution, as the "importation" of Western culture and influences, and communication with artists outside the Soviet Union, without government approval were generally illegal. In those cases, a contact address for an associate outside of the Soviet Union was provided. As stated on the inserts, "All bands and individuals featured on I.S.C. comps have more music available, so get in touch now!" A slogan, "Communicate to Create" often appeared.
In addition to compiling the series, Andi Xport recorded under the name Man's Hate, which was also the name of his cassette label which distributed I.S.C. (plus 5 cassette albums by Man's Hate). Xport was also a member of APF Brigade, and The Peace & Freedom Band. Xport claims that more than 3,000 tapes were sent to him, and many had to be stored under his bed due to space limitations.
Released on the same date as volume 13, an extra volume appeared as The Noise Collective which, although presented as an artist name, was actually another compilation project. All tracks were collaborations between two or more artists, most of whom had appeared previously on I.S.C. The collaborations were accomplished by having the artists send each other unfinished recordings through the mail. The tracks were edited to overlap and segue, forming a continuous suite on each side of the tape.
Volumes 1 to 8 were C-60 (60-minute) tapes, with a cover price of £1.00. The remaining volumes, including The Noise Collective, were C-90 with a cover price of £1.50. Volumes 1 to 9 used a fold-out insert, while volume 10 had a cardboard insert separate from the track list and contacts sheet. Starting with volume 11 (and including The Noise Collective), the outer cover was a cardboard sleeve wrapped around the plastic jewel case.
Track listings
I.S.C. No. 1 (on front) International Sound Communication (on spine) not dated, issued 1984 or 1985 60 minutes Comment on cover: "Music from Belgium, England, Japan, Norway, Scotland, U.S.A. & Wales. All the hits of the 80s on one great cassette!"
Track Artist Country Title Side one 1 Viscera USA "Field Glasses" 2 Slaughter Tradition Wales "Passion Revolt" 3 Magthea & Insanity Belgium "Magthea & Insanity" (excerpt) 4 Maybe Tomorrow England "Undercontrol" 5 Opera for Infantry England "Europe the Haunted Land" 6 Unovidual Belgium "Gregorica Opstatica" 7 Kowa Japan "Fool & Poor" (excerpt) Side two 1 Absolute Body Control Belgium "Waving Hands" 2 Tender Loving Care England "Wasted Years" 3 F/i USA "Is It Worth It?" 4 Political Asylum Scotland "Cat's Eyes" 5 Man's Hate England "Flash of Flesh" 6 Datakluss Norway "(untitled)" 7 J. R. Smets Belgium "Take a Step to the Left..." 8 Ray the Poet England "Life's Destruction" (live) 9 Ray the Poet England "1984 (is Here)" 10 The Zanstones USA "The Subtle Art of Puddle Pushing" 11 Disstorrsshunn "?????" "Pain in My Head" (excerpt)
I.S.C. 2 (on front) International Sound Communication 2 (on spine) 16 March 1985 60 minutes Comment on cover: "Ape shit maaan!"
Track Artist Country Title Side one 1 Partners in Crime England "Falklands Factor" 2 Last Exit England "Funeral March" 3 4 Thousand Million Australia "We are Not Lemmings" 4 4 Thousand Million Australia "Advance Australia!! Where?" 5 Mass of Black England "Dead and Broke" 6 Final England "Vomit Eat" 7 Zanstones USA "God Come in the Flesh" 8 Zanstones USA "Possublee Abnormul" 9 S.O.D. Sweden "I Don't Want" 10 S.O.D. Sweden "Tānk Realistiskt" 11 S.O.D. Sweden "Let the Animals Live" 12 Magthea and Straggianopff 99 Belgium "Nachtmerrie der Goden" (excerpt) Side two 1 Stupids England "So Much Fun" 2 Stupids England "Waste Away" 3 La Masque England "Ethi'hope'ia" 4 A Technicolor Dream Norway "The Great Arcade" 5 A Technicolor Dream Norway "Closing Walls of Karma" 6 Dennis Carleton USA "Fill in the Blank" 7 Western Front Wales "Who's Girl Now?" 8 Ulf Knudson Norway "Hostland" 9 The Ym-Tribe Norway "Vi: Landet" 10 Unknownmix Switzerland "Jungle Jive" (excerpt)
I.S.C. 3 (on front) International Sound Communiqué 3 (on spine) 22 April 1985 60 minutes
Track Artist Country Title Side one 1 Political Asylum Scotland "Fresh Hate" (live) 2 Autentisk Film Norway "Offer" 3 Skogvokterne Norway "(untitled)" 4 Lister Norway "Elifantz" 5 Mōrkelagt Bevegelse Norway "Compared to an Image" 6 Men of Courage Norway "Confronted With Life" 7 Miasma England "This is Halloween" 8 Sicky Spread England "New Forest Butterfly Farm" 9 Sicky Spread England "Teenage Sex" Side two 1 Master / Slave Relationship USA "I Feel Sick" 2 The Phallacy USA "The Phallacy" 3 Fremskrittet Norway "The Forest" 4 Fremskrittet Norway "Justice II" 5 Absolute Body Control Belgium "Is There an Exit" (live) 6 Earths Epitaph Wales "Yesterdays Child" 7 Savage Circle Italy "Bleeding Throat" 8 The Bristles Sweden "Nuclear Power" 9 Scientific Creative Intelligence USA "Music for the Expanding Universe" (excerpt)
I.S.C. 4 Track list not available List of artists (from advertisement): The Klinik; Unknownmix; Bloody Hypocrites; F/i; The Dreg; Unovidual; Electro Hippies; D.V.A. Minuta Mrznje; Les Bouseaux Pychedeliques; The Affairs; If, Bwana; Anathema; Synthetic Productions; Miasma; Pseudo Code; The Submensa's; M.A.L.; Narzisse List of countries: Belgium; England; France; Northern Ireland; Switzerland; USA; West Germany; Yugoslavia
International Sound Communication 5 (on front) I.S.C. 5 (on spine) 27 July 1985 60 minutes
Track Artist Country Title Side one 1 Antibiøtic France "Les Revoltes du Bounty" 2 Philippe "Hot Bip" Laurent France "Rapide 4" 3 Ray Pearson England "The Media are Free" 4 Zone Verte Belgium "Pas de Panik" 5 Narzisse Belgium "Dogmamix" 6 Symbol of Freedom Wals "Seen It Before" 7 Unovidual Belgium "Left on the Shelf" 8 George Dimeco USA "It Could've Been Me" (excerpt) Side two 1 Máma Bubo Czechoslovakia "20 Stoleti" 2 Vita Noctis Belgium "Hade" 3 X Ray Pop France "La Machine à Rëver" 4 X Ray Pop France "Alcool" 5 Terry Gray England "Something You Said" 6 Barry Edgar Pilcher Wales "Who Will Rouse the Sleepfish?" 7 New 7th Music England "Live at the Recession" (excerpt) 8 Berry Weinberg and the Blues Chargers USA "Somebody Get Me a Beer" 9 George Dimeco USA "It Could've Been Me" (2nd excerpt)
I.S.C. 6 10 October 1985 60 minutes
Track Artist Country Title Side one 1 Sombrero Galaxy USA "Existence" 2 If, Bwana USA "Pursuit of Happiness" 3 Zanstones USA "Green Waiter During Maybe Someday Suite" 4 JD3 USA "Oh My God" 5 Pete Bell USA "Big Physics" 6 Controlled Substances USA "Gleaming Towers" 7 Kevin Lytle USA "Castaways 1943 (excerpt)" Side two 1 Paul Kelday England "Balance of Terror" 2 Barry Edgar Pilcher + James Hill Wales / England "Saxophones of Reality" (excerpt) 3 Barry Edgar Pilcher + Clive Kingsley Wales / USA "Operation Jollification for Jane" (excerpt) 4 Barry Edgar Pilcher + Robert Rich Wales / USA "Saxophone Distortion" (excerpt) 5 The Day Rosemary Said She Was Pregnant Belgium "The Age" 6 Rat England "A Statement" 7 No Unauthorized France "Plus Personne" 8 Final England "A Message to Man" 9 Föreign Legiön Wales "Message From Nowhere" 10 Vacuūm Holland "Meat" 11 Vox Paris France "Jamais Trop Vite" 12 Crawling From the Wreckage USA "Plastic People" (excerpt live on radio)
I.S.C. 7 Track list not available List of artists (from advertisement): Alan Cornelius; Post War; Mystery Hearsay; Last Rites; Headcleaners; Famlende Forsok; Paranoid Visions; N.B.N.; Opera Multisteel; The Apostles; Face in the Crowd; Fever Heroes; Celestial Orgy; In ' 8; Compulsion Brothers; C'llaaps List of countries: England; France; Ireland; Japan; Norway; Scotland; USA; Wales
International Sound Communication Compilation Volume Number Eight 1 January 1986 60 minutes
Track Artist Country Title Side one 1 Comando Bruno Spain "De Tu Miedo (Of Your Fear)" 2 James Morrison USA "Vinyl Junkie" 3 Klaus Groh West Germany "Try is Life" 4 Chumbawamba England "Rap" 5 Danbert Nobacon England "Shovelling Shit" 6 Danbert Nobacon England "Westbury Toilets" 7 Danbert Nobacon England "Police State Blues" 8 De Fabriek Holland "(untitled)" 9 Society's Rejects Wales "It's Your Life" 10 Miroslaw Rajkowski Poland "Physical No. 2" (excerpt) Side two 1 Luca Miti Italy "The Preceding Chat" 2 Bill Pritchard England "Black Souls Under White Skies" 3 Paul Kelday England "Plight of the Butterfly of Peace in the Web of Hatred" 4 Dissollutio Humani Generis Italy "Il Grande Freddo" 5 The Mock Turtles England "One Fine Day" 6 Low Class Belgium "The Alienation Ballade" 7 The Horsemen Scotland "Hard to Grasp" 8 Filthy Christians Sweden "Mas-core" 9 Cauchy 138 Belgium "Obligation" 10 Barry and Eve Pilcher + Friends Wales "Spikey Hair" (excerpt)
International Sound Communication Volume Number Nine 22 February 1986 90 minutes Comment on cover: "It's like an electric chair in your living room!"
Track Artist Country Title Side one 1 Magthea Belgium "Neptune Wakes Up" 2 E.S.P. Kinetic England "Metropoline" 3 Lyke Wake Italy "Bury the Dead for Fear" 4 Marc Pira France "(untitled)" 5 Areknuteknyterne Norway "Boiling Water" 6 Boiler House England "Four Star Chrome Maniac" 7 Statement England "King of the Castle" 8 Flushed Beyond Recall England "Polywater" 9 Urbain Autopsy France "Dis Leur (Dealer)" 10 D.C.A. Japan "(untitled)" 11 Dead S.P.K. Japan "Lust Dead" 12 Doc Wör Mirran West Germany "On My Walk to Work" 13 Doc Wör Mirran West Germany "Puddle" 14 Doc Wör Mirran West Germany "Living Oddly in a World" 15 Doc Wör Mirran West Germany "The Pen" 16 Doc Wör Mirran West Germany "MacDonald's is Pornography" 17 The Hive England "Bleed" 18 Paul Rance & the Peace & Freedom Band England "Love Genocide" 19 Costes Cassette France "Mother & Father Singing" 20 Jeff Laryngo France "Stop-Gap" Side two 1 F:A.R. Prosthesis Italy "Enfant Prodige" 2 Diet & Iko Schutte West Germany "Once I Was a Swallow" 3 Jive Kappelle West Germany "Eante 23" 4 M C H Band Czechoslovakia "Vylexl do Tretiho Patra" (live, excerpt) 5 Neurotica West Germany "Hell's Bells" (live) 6 Zeitgeist & the 7 Year Itch USA "Motionfilled" 7 Ark & the Ologists USA "Junk" 8 The Disturbed Scotland "Warfare" (live) 9 Swinebolt #45 USA "(untitled)" 10 Moly France "C'est est Difficile d'Avoir Rien a Dire" 11 Denier du Culte France "Gangrene" 12 The Joke Project Japan "Don't Stop Call Me" 13 Memphis 10 SC Norway "Be Bop"
I.S.C. 10 6 April 1986 90 minutes Comment on cover: "Stop pushing, there's enough copy's for everyone"