Pieces of Koco: The Tapes

Music wasn't something I had money for in that era. I remember making tapes by recording songs off the radio. I didn't have any cds for ages, but occasionally I bought tapes. This collection includes:


Like A Prayer, Madonna
Are You Gonna Go My Way, Lenny Kravitz
Diamonds and Pearls, Prince & the N.P.G.
Affection, Lisa Stansfield
Cooleyhighharmony, Boyz II Men
World Clique, Deee-Lite

Singles
Playground, Another Bad Creation
Pump Up th Jam, Technotronic
Good Vibrations/So What Chu Sayin, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
What About Your Friends, TLC
You can't Play With My Yo-Yo, Yo-Yo
We Got a Love Thang, Ce Ce Peniston
I'm Too Sexy/I'm Too Sexy (Spanish version), Right Said Fred
Ease My Mind/Shell, Arrested Development
United Front/Southern Fried Funk, Arrested Development
Slow Motion, Color Me Badd
Cream/Horny Pony, Prince & the N.P.G.

Oh man, the memories! I'm directly transported to specific emotions in the past. Totally shocked that I own some of this stuff, so excited to listen to others. As the boombox I dug up acts as my time machine, I continue to dig through my collection. I came across tape after tape of 90's house (with lots of divalicious vocals), an ancient looking thing with neon all over it labeled "THE COOL MIX", and recordings of me an my sisters from when we were kids. In this clip, at the age of 4ish, I wish chicken beedie a happy birthday... I don't know.

"The Tapes" will be listed on Philadelphia's freecycle network. Freecycle, as they state on their site, is all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. I like that.

OR maybe you are reading this now and you want to hold you very own 90's dance party so you can show everybody how you do the Cabbage Patch. Maybe you still listen to tapes in your car and this could just brighten your commute. Maybe you collect this stuff. BUT, maybe you don't live in Philly. I can mail them to you if you are willing to pay for the shipping via paypal. Email me: koco(at)misskoco.com

"The Tapes" are part of Pieces of Koco.

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Objects hold stories and memories. This is what gives them intrinsic value and why I have immense difficulty throwing away or getting rid of things. Discarding the item removes the reminder. And, until recently I believed that disposal dissolves the significance and the evidence of the memory, and my existence.

My fascination with the history of objects and the way things can map time, place, and experience led me to study art history and anthropology. My thesis projects in undergrad and graduate school focused on documentation as art. This project, Pieces of Koco, attempts to continue that work and looks to incorporate as many opportunities as possible to make connections to members of my community, to donate, and to recycle.