An Archive of Noise Cover Art, 1980–1990
Noise Graphics 1980–1990 is a noise graphics book structured as a documentary archive rather than a critical survey. It collects vinyl sleeve art and cassette cover design from a decade of underground music production, presenting them as printed evidence of a visual language that operated entirely outside mainstream graphic culture.
The material logic of the content is inseparable from its subject. DIY typography, collage, xerox textures, hard contrast, and the grain of photocopy duplication are not stylistic choices imposed on the archive — they are the archive. Across 224 pages, covers and related underground ephemera are reproduced in sequence, with the restrained approach of a reference object rather than an editorial one. The focus stays on the small decisions: how type was set, how images were duplicated, how zine aesthetics crossed into record sleeve production at the margins of the noise and industrial scenes.
The hardcover format, measuring 17 × 22 cm, is compact enough to use as a working reference while substantial enough to hold the density of material it documents. No excess, no spectacle — the format suits the content. For researchers, designers, and collectors working in the history of independent graphic design, cassette cover design, or noise music visual culture, this book functions as a primary source rather than a secondary account.
Published by Masala Noir, an imprint with a consistent focus on art and music publications at the edges of mainstream print culture. It sits within the Music Books & Sound Culture category at Lokator100 — a catalogue section gathering publications at the intersection of sound, print, and independent production.
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