The highly idiosyncratic releases of Bloomington, Indiana, label Auris Apothecary (2009–2013) demonstrate a creative use of obsolete technology and abandoned formats, as well as an unconventional conception of music objects.

Indiana based label Auris Apothecary is only a record label in part. A package sent from them recently contained cassettes and CDs, but also a small spice mix, a tin full of dirt, and a small wax sealed scroll printed on acetate.

Sitar Outreach Ministry’s Spring Of 1970, a two track cassette, is wrapped and bound in a dried sunflower leaf. Unwrapping it made a dirty mess on the floor of The Wire’s meeting room, and coated my hands in a dusty organic scuzz. Wrapped like it was, once I’d starting tearing layers of green leaves away, I’d never be able to wrap it up neatly again. I had to tear it apart piece by piece, and now I’ve got a plastic bag full of crackly old leaves that smell like earth, and a cassette in cardboard case, and I’m not really sure whether to chuck out the leaves or not. WIRE