Colliding Lines commission and publish interactive art objects, some of which contain audio; tapes, EPs and other assorted media. We sell limited edition physical releases capturing collaborative sessions and live shows, as well as digital downloads via our online store.

We are not a label and cannot currently offer the advantages of one, but if you have a project for consideration by the collective please get in touch with us here.

Digital Downloads

To visit our online music store, please follow the links to our online store.

Commissioning a Collaborative Object

Colliding Lines accept a small number of commissions each year for bespoke interactive art objects. These are not straightforward multiples: each commission is developed in conversation with the artist or group, and the final object is assembled by hand in Cambridge. A typical commission includes a physical enclosure, often laser‑cut or screen‑printed, which houses a dedicated audio player, a printed score or instruction card, and a short run of duplicate objects. We do not work from templates; the form follows the content and the site or situation the object is intended for.

Commissions usually take between six and twelve weeks from first meeting to finished edition. We can work from existing recordings, from field material gathered during the commission, or from a live session recorded in our own workshop. The edition size is agreed in advance and typically ranges from ten to forty numbered copies. Because each object is individually tested and packed, we set the edition number before production begins and do not re‑press or re‑issue a sold‑out commission without the artist’s written agreement.

• Bespoke enclosure with integrated audio playback
• Printed documentation, scores or instructions
• Numbered and signed edition of ten to forty copies
• Digital download code for the source audio

Live Sessions and Field Recordings

Many of our tape and EP releases begin as a single live session, recorded either in our small Cambridge room or on location. We use a portable multi‑track recorder and a matched pair of condenser microphones, keeping the signal path as direct as possible. After the session we edit only where necessary: long silences are reduced, unintended distortion is gently shaped, and the overall order is preserved rather than rearranged. No overdubs are added unless both the performer and the collective agree the piece would otherwise be incomplete.

Field recordings form a separate strand of our catalogue. These are un‑performed sound documents: a dusk chorus from a Cambridgeshire fen, the internal hum of a disused signal box, or the run‑off from a printing press. When we publish a field recording, we include a short written note on the place, date and equipment used. These notes are printed on the insert or on the inside of the object, and the same text is made available as a PDF with the digital download.

All live session and field recording releases are limited to a single run. Once the run is sold, the recording remains available digitally through our online store, but no further physical copies are made.

Physical Formats and Editions

Our physical releases fall into four main groups. The first is the standard cassette tape, duplicated in real time on ferric stock and housed in a clear case with a two‑panel J‑card. The second is the lathe‑cut record, produced in very small runs of ten to twenty copies, which we favour for short pieces under eight minutes per side. The third is the interactive object itself: a small box, book or set of cards containing an embedded audio module, a headphone socket and a power switch. These objects are not packaged separately; they are the release.

The fourth group is the EP or mini‑album on CD‑R, which we use when a longer piece does not suit tape or lathe. Each CD‑R is printed with archival ink and slipped into a recycled card sleeve. Where possible we use recycled or offcut materials for all sleeves, inserts and boxes, and we never shrink‑wrap a release. Every physical edition is numbered by hand, and where an artist is able to sign copies we arrange for that to happen before shipping.

• Cassette tape — ferric stock, real‑time duplication, clear case
• Lathe‑cut record — runs of ten to twenty, short‑form pieces
• Interactive object — embedded audio module, hand‑assembled enclosure
• CD‑R EP — archival ink, recycled card sleeve, no shrink‑wrap

Submitting a Project

We are not a label, and we do not offer advances, tour support or distribution to shops. What we can offer is a small, careful production run of a physical object or tape, a digital release on our online store, and honest documentation of the work. If you have a project that would benefit from this kind of attention, send us a short email with a link to three or four finished pieces, a paragraph about what you want to make, and a note on the proposed format and edition size.

We look for work that sits between sound, object and situation. A straightforward album of songs is unlikely to fit; a scored walk with a handheld audio device, a set of field recordings intended for a specific room, or a collaborative session that cannot be repeated all interest us more. You do not need a finished master. We are happy to record, edit and sequence the piece with you in Cambridge or remotely.

Please allow up to four weeks for a response. We read every submission, but we take on only a handful of new projects each year. If we cannot take your project, we will say so plainly and, where possible, suggest another small press or platform that may be a better match.