Cassette Culture
Cassette Culture & DIY Music 29 episodes Nov 4, 2026
The podcast explores the global underground cassette culture of the 1980s and 1990s, when artists used the international mail system to trade tapes and homemade artwork. It traces how this DIY network grew out of punk and operated outside mainstream media. Episodes feature stories from the people who created fanzines, labels, music, and events within the movement.
Episodes
Post-Punk’s High-Water Mark: Four Nights in London, 1979
The high-water mark of post-punk. Looking at the bill of the four nights at the YMCA in Central London during August 1979, its hard to deny that assertion. Final Solution’s bill brought together Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Scritti Politti, Clock DVA, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle and Rema Rema. For Cassette Culture the particular night on 3rd August with T
Mind Bomb: The The & Eyeless In Gaza
Our Industrial News "tapes received" trail reaches into the early 80s, and attention turns to quality. Robert H. King leads us into this episode, where we speak with Matt Johnson (The The) and Martyn Bates (Eyeless In Gaza). Martyn Bates of Eyeless In Gaza picks up the thread. As Migraine Inducers he sent the Dissonance tape into the network and landed in Industrial News issue four. Name check for
Let The Tribe Grow: Chris Connelly Receives The Gospel Of DIY
Searching for connection and community; we track the story of Chris Connelly (Fini Tribe, Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Pigface) discovering Throbbing Gristle via the John Peel Radio show and getting in touch. Meanwhile, Joe Strummer of The Clash spreads the DIY gospel to a young Robert H. King after a gig at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow, resulting in formation of the Pleasantly Surprised cassette l
Tapes Received: The Factory Connection
Some of the most surprising and revealing connections surface in this episode. Two worlds that rarely get mentioned in the same breath: Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records, and Manchester's Factory Records. At the centre are two more names from the Industrial News “tapes received" list; Paul Wiggin of Section 25 and Robbie MacDonald of Crawling Chaos offshoot, Zyklon B Zombies. Both aspir
Tapes Received: Industrial Music for Industrial People
From 1978-1980, Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records published a newsletter called Industrial News. With a philosophy of exchange and transparency, they listed attendance numbers at their concerts, future label plans, and a list of contacts who had mailed them tapes of their own music: the “Tapes Received” list. Capturing a cultural watershed moment where the bedroom bands of the DIY
No Words, No Titles, No Meaning - The World Of Alien Brains
The strange, uncompromising world of Alien Brains, the project led by Nigel Jacklin that helped define the outer edges of the early 1980s DIY cassette underground. Emerging from a school science lab, inspired by John Cage and nurtured by the fledgling cassette network, Alien Brains rejected conventional song structures in favour of pure spontaneity, raw improvisation and a deliberate embrace
Evolution of Snatch Tapes & The Storm Bugs
A hard to imagine London of derelict warehouses and ruined public buildings birthed the short, intense life of Snatch Tapes, the late-70s cassette label founded by Philip Sanderson of Storm Bugs. Launched in 1979, Snatch Tapes became a focal point for electronic and experimental musicians pushing beyond conventional song structures and embracing the possibilities of electronics, tape loops and DIY
Under the Westway: 1979 Portobello Punks
Emerging from the squats, free gigs and improvised studios of late-70’s Portobello Road, F*ck Off Records operated at the volatile intersection of hippie idealism and punk DIY. Active between 1979 and 1982, the label released copied-to-order cassettes alongside a small number of vinyl EPs and LPs with music by Alternative TV, The 012, Danny & The Dressmakers, Here & Now, The Instant
Deleted Funtime Rewind
After we spoke with Mark Automaton for our episode on Deleted Records and the Instant Automatons, he kindly shared his recollections of the music and bands presented on the legendary “Deleted Funtime” compilation, released by Deleted Records in 1980. Originally compiled by Martin “Protag” Naish of the Automatons, and featuring 34 tracks by various outsider musicians and mis
Integrated Circuits: Colin Potter, ICR and the Cassette Network
Emerging from the same late-1970s underground that fuelled punk, DIY cassette culture, and European electronic experimentation, we explore the influence of Colin Potter - sound artist, producer, and founder of Integrated Circuit Records (ICR) From beginnings building crude oscillators and fuzz boxes to university access to an EMS Synthi A, his path reflects a generation discovering sound through c
Deleted Records & The Instant Automatons
Underneath the safety pins, television expletives and bondage trousers that came with Punk in 1977, there was a coded message for those ready to hear it. Resolutely independent, the Instant Automatons and their label Deleted Records tuned in from the North of England and got that message of DIY independence, creativity and confidence that followed "Here's Three Chords, Now Form A Band". We trace t
Season 2 - DIY Revolution: Owning The Means Of Production
The artists who made the template - In Season 2 we’re delving into the very origins of the underground cassette music scene from the late 70s and early 80s, featuring insights from key musicians who revolutionised independent music production. "We didn't think much of the establishment and capitalism, instead of demonstrating against it, we thought we'd create another world which existed out
Checkpoint Staalplaat: Revisiting Radical Sound, with Geert-jan Hobijn
From vinyl to cassettes and the occasional... flexi-postcard! Geert-Jan Hobijn reflects on Staalplaat’s origins as a cassette label, and some current releases. In this special interim episode of Cassette Culture, Martin Franklin and Jerry Kranitz speak with Geert-Jan Hobijn, the legendary founder of Staalplaat - the experimental music label that began in an Amsterdam squat in 1982 and went o
Copy This Mix
Music mix by Joshua James Amberson drawing on cassette releases reviewed in issue #3 of the Copy This Cassette zine. Joshua is publisher of the Basic Paper Airplane zine, and curator of the Antiquated Future store/distro and label. He is based in Portland, Oregon, USA.Theme music "Hesatative" Jack Hertz DISCOVER THE VIDEOYou can find videos of cassettes, artefacts and unboxings from the cassette u
Inside the Zine: Copy This Cassette with Blake Werts
From the worlds of mini-comix to independent music, D. Blake Werts is the creative force behind the fanzine, Copy This Cassette. Martin Franklin and co-host Jerry Kranitz sit down with Blake to share the surprising story of how he discovered cassette culture only a few years ago, and how that discovery inspired him to launch a new publication devoted entirely to underground cassette releases. He e
Underground Goes Overground: Freakbeat, & Planet Dog
3D glasses at the ready, we speak with Richard Allen, editor of psychedelic magazine Freakbeat, founder of Delerium Records, and Michael Dog of Club Dog, Megadog and Planet Dog Records. Together, they helped define an era of fanzines, home-recorded cassettes, underground parties, and independent music distribution. This episode, we’re hearing the inside story of a telephone call to Timothy L
Third Mind, Fourth Dimension
Armed with fanzines, cassette tapes, and a fierce DIY spirit - two teenagers from Herne Bay helped shape the UK’s underground music scene. In this episode, host Martin Franklin traces the journey of Gary Levermore, founder of Third Mind Records, and Richard “Richo” Johnson, the force behind Grim Humour fanzine and Fourth Dimension Records. From their early days frequenting a loca
Post-Punk Publishing, with Attrition and Adventures In Reality
Tales of handmade 'zines and the cassette underground with two key figures: Martin Bowes of the electronic-industrial band Attrition, and Alan Rider of the Adventures In Reality label and fanzine. We trace their trajectory from the early days, as local Coventry fanzines "Alternative Sounds" and “Adventures In Reality” evolve into bands and cassette labels and build grassroots distribut
Wild Planet 1983: The World Gets Weirder
From the provocative performances of Throbbing Gristle at the Lyceum to Einstürzende Neubauten's infamous stage-demolishing concert at the ICA, this episode captures the moment when musical boundaries were not just pushed, but completely obliterated. The Wild Planet column, written by Dave Henderson started as a cut-out-and-keep centre feature in Sounds, the UK’s biggest music weekly, b
Erotic Art, CDr's and a Mystery Device from Hybryds
Amazing artworks, CDr's and a mystery device. The full unboxing experience of the package sent to us from Belgium by Sandy from the Hybryds. This is the Bonus version of the recordings which opened Episode 8 "Universe Of The Wyrd: The Cold Spring Story" - just for our curious listeners who want to hear more. Episode contains these tracks from CD:"Euthanasia" Rabbits Wear Boots, No Style No Rules"W
Universe Of The Wyrd: The Cold Spring Story
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
Contact-Exchange-Document: The Story of ND
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 f
Evolution of Noise: The 40 Year Journey of Satori
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 sp
The British Library Sound Archive Calls
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"
Underground 'Zines And The Hunt For Lost Music
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,
The Package From Steve Arrives
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 Gear
Cassettes On The Radio: Underground Broadcasting
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 t
Chance Connections - He Got Talking To This Guy In The Record Store
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
Find The Others
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 s
Analog Connections - Join The Cassette Network
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 cas
