Cassette Culture – Details, episodes & analysis

Taking the DIY message of Punk as a jumping off point, our travel through the underground cassette network departs from the bleak 1980's Thatcher-era UK, community radio and fanzines, and all points in a journey to a thriving self sustaining culture.  Communication was valued over commerce.

For two decades the international mail system fostered a network of underground artists, exchanging cassette tapes of music and homemade artwork under the radar of main stream media.

We track down some key figures in the cassette scene, and follow the web of connections outward from the UK around the world, mapping the impacts and their ongoing effects.

We speak with musicians, label runners, and fanzine writers, who share their experiences of connecting through the mail system and its ongoing effects on their lives.

Notes:
In this episode you hear the voices of Don Campau, Rob Maycock, Sandy Nys.
Presented by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham.
Music by: The Happy Citizen, The Vitamin B12, Omega Ensemble, Attrition, Richter Band.

VIDEO
You can find video of some of the fanzines and cassette releases we discuss in this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

AVAILABLE NOW: The project that started it all
"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989​-​90" cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast produced by Martin Franklin/East Coast Studio (https://eastcoaststudio.com.au)

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A decade before the widespread adoption of the internet, a group of artists and musicians established an underground network to share their work with kindred spirits via the mail system.

Starting our story from a dark, isolated UK in the late 1980's, with mass youth unemployment. We take a journey with some key figures from the Cassette Scene, who provide a firsthand account of the collaborative spirit and sense of discovery that permeated the cassette culture scene.

Guests:

Martin Franklin/SoundImage Tapes
Don Campau/No Pidgeonholes
Sandy Nys/Hybryds
Richard Talbot/Marconi Union
Rob Maycock/Mindscan Tapes

Featured Music:

"This is Concrete" by The Happy Citizen (A Tender Tension, Pharoah Chromium Sound, 1990)
"Untitled" by Vitamin B12 (Premonitions, SoundImage Tapes, 1990)
"Piece 6" by The Omega Ensemble (Omega Ensemble)
"Sahara" by Richard Talbot (Devices & Desires, SoundImage Tapes 1991)

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989​-​90" cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Gears (Pharoah Chromium Sound/The Happy Citizen), Richard Talbot (Marconi Union) and Tom Gibbs, (Infinite Expanse) take us further down the rabbit hole in this episode. We even got hold of some archive radio recording from “On The Wire” on BBC Radio Lancashire in 1989.

Cassette-era music comes from:

Sirius B, Basie V. Webster, Marconi Union, Richter Band and Omega Ensemble

First, we talk to Steve Gears, the founder of the Pharoah Chromium Sound label, who shares how he stumbled upon this vibrant community and the thrill of receiving contributions from like-minded artists through the mail. Gears recounts the collaborative spirit that fuelled the creation of his own projects, like Happy Citizen,

Richard Talbot, one half of the acclaimed group Marconi Union, reveals how his chance connections in the cassette network ultimately led to the formation of the band, demonstrating the serendipitous nature of these underground musical relationships.

Infinite Expanse label founder Tom Gibbs, takes us on his journey from beginning his label as a YouTube channel. Gibbs' passion for unearthing these forgotten gems leads to his quest to find the remaining members of lo-fi improvisors, the Omega Ensemble.

Hosted by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham.

Guests:

Steve Gears/Pharoah Chromium Sound

Richard Talbot/Marconi Union

Tom Gibbs/Infinite Expanse

Featured Music:

Sirius B "Incision" A Tender Tension (Pharoah Chrome Sound) 1989 

Basie V. Webster "Untitled" A Tender Tension (Pharoah Chrome Sound) 1989

Marconi Union "The Contact" Under Wires And Searchlights (Self Released) 2003

Richter Band "Čínský Potůček / Poloviční Chytání" Smetana (Infinite Expanse) 2024

Omega Ensemble "Piece 6" Sil Lim Tao (Self Released) 1988

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989​-​90" cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast Produced by Martin Franklin/East Coast Studio (http://eastcoaststudio.com.au)

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unboxing a Cassette Time Capsule sent to us from Steve Gears in the UK.

We find a treasure trove of rare cassette culture artifacts from the 1980s and 90s. From handmade fanzines and photocopied flyers to quirky cassette releases, this episode transports you back to the DIY underground music scene of the pre-digital era.

Martin and Hudson unpack the goodies sent from The Happy Citizen's Steve Gears in Manchester UK and talk through the flyers, tapes and letters inside this amazing time capsule. This is a must-listen for anyone fascinated by music history and the evolution of independent music distribution. 

Hosted by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham.

Featured Music:

"Incision" Sirius B, (Steve's compilation cassette)
"Track name" Remarimba, (Cordelia Records)
"Church Of Pain" Media: Premonitions, Bad News Bible, (Premonitions Tapes)

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989​-​90" cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast produced by Martin Franklin/East Coast Studio (https://eastcoaststudio.com.au)

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1980’s cassette networking branched out into independent radio shows, physical meet ups and gigs. For 14 years Sandy Nys ran his radio show on Antwerp's Radio Centraal, amplifying and connecting the scene. Through these connections, he ran his 3RioArt label, launched Belgian EBM influencers, The Klinik and later, electronic ritual collective, Hybryds.

Mindscan Tapes label owner Rob Maycock talks about quickly building international networks and collaborations with Treble King in the USA and Nostalgia Eternelle in France, plus his connection to a 1988 release on the fledgling Cold Spring label.

Discogs stalker, Internet Detective and Infinite Expanse founder, Tom Gibbs makes progress in his contemporary search for the elusive Omega Ensemble members.

Hosted by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham.

Guests:

Sandy Nys/Hybryds
Rob Maycock/Mindscan Tapes
Tom Gibbs/Infinite Expanse

Featured Music:

Remarimba "B Bag" (Cordelia Records Sampler 4th Ed.) 1989
Omega Ensemble "Piece 1" (Demo) 1988
"Intro" (Aural Augasm #7)
Attrition "Beast Of Burden" (International Audio Communication Vol#1) 1983
Satori "23 Voodoo" (Mindscan Tapes) 1988

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989​-​90" cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast Produced by Martin Franklin/East Coast Studio (http://eastcoaststudio.com.au)

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Vital fanzine evolved from hand typed, xeroxed pages to pioneering online distribution, and connected artists from the USA and Europe.

We dive into an interview with Frans de Waard, creator of the Dutch fanzine Vital and the Korm Plastics label to talk about his journey of collaboration in the underground cassette scene. Covering his early zine projects like Nul Nul, growing his label network, work with renowned record store and experimental music label, Staalplaat, and steps into authoring books about experimental music and zines.

Our final segment follows the next steps of Discogs Detective, Tom Gibbs as he travels the UK South Coast to track down members of enigmatic ’80’s improvisors, Omega Ensemble.

Hosted by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham.

VIDEO
You can find video of some of the fanzines and cassette releases we discuss in this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

Guests:
Frans de Waard (Vital/Korm Plastics)
Tom Gibbs (Infinite Expanse)

Theme Music: "This Is Concrete" The Happy Citizen

Featured Music:

The Haters, “Performance 12 01 1989”, Puinhoop
Blackhumour “Weeds in Barren Soil”, Poetry
John Hudak “The Talk”, Brainbox
Arcane Device “Live at the Clocktower 27 04 1989” Six
Ios Smoulders “Composition Nr121”, Abstract Art
Big City Orchestra “The Smart Thing”, Everyman is a Volume.

All music released on cassette by Korm Plastics (https://www.kormplastics.nl/)

“Piece 2” by the Omega Ensemble, Sil Lim Tao

Links
Vital Weekly (https://www.vitalweekly.net/)
Vital: The Complete Collection book (https://www.kormplastics.nl/vital-the-complete-collection-1987-1995/)

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989​-​90" cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast Produced by Martin Franklin/East Coast Studio (http://eastcoaststudio.com.au)

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a pile of scrap metal and a disused railway tunnel nearby, unemployed youths Dave Kirby and Rob Maycock began recording sounds that they’d use as material for their Throbbing Gristle-inspired noise project, Psychopath.

His early meeting with Justin Mitchell of Cold Spring Records led to his music finding a worldwide audience.

Forty years later, on the eve of his international tour we speak with Dave about his early cassette scene releases and continued artistic evolution in Satori. Touching on his motivations, artistic confidence… and his extensive sample library of road drill sounds. 

Hosted by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham.

VIDEO
You can find video of some of the fanzines and cassette releases we discuss in this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

Music:

“Pressing Down” Satori, The Woods (Cold Spring Records)
‘The Kill”
“Post Mortem”
“Heavy Sadist” Psychopath, The Final Bow

“The Entity” Satori, Kanishibari (Cold Spring Records)

”This Is Concrete” The Happy Citizen

The recording "How things used to be in Margate" at 0:51 used by kind permission of Stuart Fowkes/Cities And Memory. (https://citiesandmemory.com/)

Links
Cold Spring Records
https://coldspring.co.uk/

Satori
https://satori-industrial.bandcamp.com/

Mindscan Tapes
https://www.discogs.com/label/18022-Mindscan-Tapes

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989​-​90" cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast Produced by Martin Franklin/East Coast Studio (http://eastcoaststudio.com.au)

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We share the news of the preservation of the Cassette Culture podcast by the British Library Sound Archive and talk about some upcoming interviews. 

Coming Next: Psychedelia in the Home Counties with Richard Allen of Delerium Records, and Texas' ND fanzine and label with Daniel Plunkett, plus the evolution of experimental/Industrial music with Davie Kirby of Satori.

Our new "Cassette Culture" stickers get unboxed ready for distribution to anywhere we can get them.

Hosted by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham

Links

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989​-​90" cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast Produced by Martin Franklin/East Coast Studio (http://eastcoaststudio.com.au)

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DIY passion, artistic discovery, and the power of community. This is a story of the kind friendly networking that typified the cassette scene and it shines through in this episode.

We dive into the fascinating history of the ND fanzine and influential label, founded by Daniel Plunkett in Austin, Texas.

ND became a hub for the international mail art and cassette culture scenes, connecting artists from around the world through its fanzine, events, cassette, vinyl and CD releases.

Through his early correspondence with artist, Phillip Johnson in the UK, Dan got backstage to hang out with Mark E. Smith and The Fall. Moving on to becoming a stop over for European artists looking for a local Texas gig, he promoted performances by artists like Bee Queen/Frans de Waard and staged “Undercurrents” a Mail Art exhibition at the Mexi-Arte Museum (https://mexic-artemuseum.org/).

The ND label published releases by Jeff Greinke, PBK, Vidna Obmana, Maeror Tri, Alio Die among others.

N D 11 was a project which featured work filmed and submitted from 1986 to 1991. Michael Northam mastered and edited the material in Bloomington IN Sept 1991. Included material originally sent and shown at Mexic-Arte Museum in October 1988. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIjpg9a1IuU

Dan now runs the End Of An Ear record store in Austin, Texas and goes out of his way to stock significant obscure recordings even if he knows they won't sell in large numbers.

Episode hosted by Martin Franklin
Theme music: ”This Is Concrete” The Happy Citizen

VIDEO
You can find video of some of the fanzines and cassette releases we discuss in this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

Music

Phillip Johnson “Helmetpoofy” 0714, Year Zero Records 

Phillip Johnson  Tracks from “Heartache’s Worst Assistants Versus the Genius With the Secret of Making Gold Into Dynamite!”. Year Zero Records

ND 7 “Performance In A Staircase” Haupunkt Fix (Cassette Issue)

ND11 Lon Speigelman, Lon Spiegelman (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

ND7 “Psychotic” Die Form (Cassette Issue)

Maeror Tri “Desiderium” Myein ND CD008
Now available from Infinite Fog Productions 

Jeff Grienke - ND Fragment 01

Links

End Of An Ear
(https://endofanear.com/)

Year Zero Records/Phillip Johnson
(https://year-zero-records.blogspot.com/p/ohilip-johnson.html)

Infinite Fog Productions
(https://infinitefog.bandcamp.com/)

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989​-​90" SoundImage Tapes cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast produced by Martin Franklin for East Coast Studio (https://eastcoaststudio.com.au/)

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the forefront of Industrial and dark electronic music since the 1980s, Cold Spring Records emerged from the cassette underground to become a significant independent record label.

We unpack the story of label founder Justin Mitchell, an underground music dot connector who started in the UK tape trading and mail art networks, and working within  the influential Temple Of Psychic Youth.

Cold Spring stayed close to it’s underground ethos to become a respected purveyor of the strange and the obscure, championing artists like Genesis P.Orridge, Psychic TV, Coil, Satori, and taking in releases by giant talents like William Burroughs, Lull, Merzbow, Mark Almond, British Electronic Foundation along the way.

Along the way, we explore the label's transition from cassettes to vinyl and CD, the importance of context and curation in their releases, and the organic way in which Cold Spring has connected the dots to create a universe of the wyrd.

Episode hosted by Martin Franklin
Theme music: ”This Is Concrete” The Happy Citizen

DISCOVER THE VIDEO
You can find videos of cassette tapes, artefacts and unboxings from the cassette underground on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

MUSIC

Rabbits Wear Boots “Why are you here?”  Trans-Human Dystopia, 3Rio Art

Hybryds “Wanderers without destinations” Mythopia, 3Rio Art 

Psychic TV “Unclean” Live, INRI, Cold Spring cassette (CS 001)

Angels Ov Light and Thee Angry Love Orchestra "VI” (CS002)

William Burroughs, Brian Gysin, Genesis P. Orridge, extract from “Interview & Readings” Cold Spring (CS006) cassette

The Hafler Trio & Willem de Ridder “Report”, ...And The Wolf Shall Lick The Jewels From Your Belly… Cold Spring (CSR 1LP)

Sandor Kalios “Northern Tale” ANS Electronic Music, Cold Spring

Sleep Research Facility “B Deck”  Nostromo, Cold Spring

The Horses Of The Gods “John Barleycorn”, John Barleycorn Reborn, Cold Spring

The Sea Of Wires “The Nightmare continues”, The Sea Of Wires, Cold Spring

LINKS

Cold Spring Records
https://coldspring.co.uk/
https://coldspring.bandcamp.com/

Rabbits Wear Boots
https://rabbitswearboots.bandcamp.com/

Hybryds
https://hybrydsmusic.bandcamp.com/

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989 - 90" SoundImage Tapes cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast produced by Martin Franklin for East Coast Studio (https://eastcoaststudio.com.au/)

Help keep Cassette Culture alive - Become a Supporter: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.