Cartoon Time | Herbert Records

In the late 1980s Graham Dodd and Trevor Mason each built a studio in their home cellars. With limited equipment, the lo-fi recordings reveal the skills in having to perform and record live. The Fostex X-15 launched their partnership.

As alternative culture grew in the late '80s, indie rock got small, and many DIY artists embraced four-track home recording. Enter the Super Tennent's Sessions. Blending elements of indie and alternative music, the duo bring a sense of heart-warming quirkiness and surrealism to their music.

Embracing synth-pop and electronic beats with elements of lo-fi, dream pop and chiptune, Cartoon Time's world is full of exaggerated characters.

Graham Dodd

guitars, drum box and Roland synth

Trevor Mason

vocals, synth

Fostex X-15 4-track

Cartoon Time - The Super Tenants Sessions_edited

This album moves through different tempos and moods, like the scenes of an animated series, picking its way through a carnival of characters smudging stories somewhere between Gorillaz and The Flaming Lips.

Using electric, 12-string and bass guitars layered over a texture of drum machine and synth, the duo bounced tracks to their hearts content during playful late night "super tenant" sessions. Spirited synths courtesy of Tame Impala and colourful ideas from the guys over at MGMT.