Tasti Box, comprised of Kelix Williams and Mouse, originated in Des Moines in the late 1980s. Driven by their passions for R&B, disco, new wave, and industrial sounds, they discovered a natural middle ground in house music. From the jump, their live performances were more audio-visual happenings than dry DJ sets. By a combination of chance or design, they soon found themselves in the ideal setting to thrive: San Francisco—a city historically and presently aligned with their psychedelic spin on dance music. The debut single, also the first release on the foundational San Fran label Zoëmagik, was 'San Francisco', which made waves locally and globally. I remember being transfixed by its wild, freewheeling mutation of the rave sound. Euphoric, trippy and making links between Timothy Leary and the ecstasy revolution sweeping the world. Despite its immediacy, 'San Francisco' now sounds like something of outlier to Tasti Box's later, deeper output. And it is this body of their work that Collective Direction turns its attention to.

Collective Direction is a new label from Marie Guyot that explores 'sounds, past and present, that exist between light and shadow'. It also aims to connect human stories and the artistic process music through conversation and collaboration with the creators. Shadow and light are particularly apt when considering Tasti Box's catalogue, as they operate at this axis. These tracks, many of them never released before, fluctuate between the childlike optimism of the Bay Area's hippie and rave scenes and the darker, more complex realities that lurked beneath.

So, whilst much of this music was created with nightclubs in mind (the duo namecheck spots like 1015 Folsom), it has longevity and depth far beyond. Between the duo's innate musicality ('Desire' being in 6/8 time), a desire for experimentation and, maybe, a bit of chemical assistance (...' I tried to recreate what I was experiencing the night before, just in the music, like without the drugs'), they were balanced between delicacy and darkness. It was also a sound in flux; Tasti Box gradually transmuted into Daisy Glow, who dealt with a lighter, more airy vibe. Tasti Box was the journey through the night, and Daisy Glow was the morning to follow. This collection still covers some ground. 'Mim' is floatation tank ambient house that wouldn't have sounded out of place at the Café Del Mar in its finest years, whilst 'Feel It' is pumping, deep, borderline progressive house. 'Electrons' speedy, IDM comes with a Timothy Leary voiceover and 'Right On' has an optimistic spoken word refrain, euphoric gated vocal, classic house pad and rolling percussion.

CDLP001 captures a moment and place in time. A comparatively obscure annal in dance music's history that has had a profound impact on its wider culture and sounds incredibly prescient today. This music alternates between wiggly propulsive house music, long-form lysergic ambience, tender morning moments and heads-down "in the zone" grooves. It's a real joy to have these songs collected in one place and presented with an in depth interview with Kelix Williams and Mouse speaking of their ongoing and creative partnership. The story isn't over yet!

Tasti Box - CDLP001 is released on the 30th of May by Collective Direction