Cassette Culture

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 an early Portobello Rd label ID Cassettes, by Mark Perry (Alternative TV/Deptford Fun City). Ambivalent Scale, Martyn’s own label with Pete Becker, was a container for all of their early solo releases plus outputs from a cohort including Bron Area, The Stick Insects and Kevin Harrison. Matt Johnson of The The details his early attendance at Throbbing Gristle shows and connection with the group members. The tape he passed on to Genesis led to his own mention in Industrial News in the September 79 issue. But then, he drops another mind bomb: The promoter behind many of Throbbing Gristle's London gigs was Colin Faver,…

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 label. When the two come together a few years later, the Fini Tribe contribution to "You Bet We've Got Something Against You" on King's new Cathexis Recordings label, followed by the "Let The Tribe Grow" EP, propels both the label and the band on to greater things. Chris Connelly is another of the artists featured in the "Tapes Received" listing of TG's Industrial News zine. This resulted in local underground musicians showing up at his door and handmade cassettes from the likes of Nurse With Wound arriving in the mail. Geoff Rushton (later John Balance of Coil) compiled "Endzeit," a hand-numbered edition of 230…

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 aspiring musicians who connected with TG's Industrial News zine by sending cassettes of their music. Paul describes experiencing the crushing, low-frequency weight of the early Throbbing Gristle gigs which stunned a generation of post-punk audiences with the “sonic warfare” that the band were waging. Later, a direct-to-tape demo sent to Industrial Records came back with an invitation from Genesis P-Orridge to London, and a glimpse of TG’s world via a Cosey Fanni Tutti performance. Section 25’s support slot for Joy Division, followed with Ian Curtis's word was enough to secure a deal with Factory Records. Setting them off on…

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 Punk scene gave way to something new: ambitious, experimental, abstract, industrial. Making music using the newly available technology of synthesisers, with tape media and looping as part of the creative process. In this episode of Cassette Culture we begin to unravel the story of those tapes sent to Industrial Records - what was on them, and what became of the artists who sent them? At the centre of this episode is Val Denham - painter, singer and tape experimentalist. We hear how a deliberately provocative letter to Genesis P-Orridge loaded with insider references, led to a invitation to London and the beginning of a…

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 of failure as an artistic possibility. The DIY cassette scene of 1979, with its “it's easy, cheap, go and do it” ethos, provided the perfect outlet for these early recordings. Mark Lancaster of The Instant Automatons and Deleted Records recalls encountering Nigel, playing an early gig with him at his school, and releasing the first Alien Brains cassette “Menial Disorders”. The story takes a notorious turn into the heart of the British public school system. As head of the Rock Society at Oundle School, Nigel invites Throbbing Gristle and Monte Cazazza to perform in the main hall, a collision of avant-garde industrial…

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 distribution. Sanderson reflects on his early experiments with circuit-bent cassette recorders and transistor radios, the handmade oscillations that powered his duo Storm Bugs, and his time at Goldsmiths University’s Electronic Music Studio Central to the story is Sanderson’s playful subversion of identity. Through the invented electronic duo Claire Thomas and Susan Vesey, he provoked an overwhelmingly male scene and inadvertently attracted the attention of Cherry Red Records. When Cherry Red, via A&R figure Mike Alway, sought to develop the duo into a full vinyl release, the elaborate fiction began to unravel in a…

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 Automatons, The Androids Of Mu and their many collaborators. Founded by Kif Kif Le Batteur and Jonathan Barnett in a period when Portobello was dense with creative possibility: vacant houses, squatted venues, free festivals and heaps of talent. We join Jonathan Barnett to trace the roots of the label through the influences of Sniffin’ Glue and Mark Perry to Here & Now’s free-music ethos and open minded approach to supporting others. Central to the label’s emergence was Street Level Studios, a low-cost recording space that allowed bands to record without compromise, and the cassette as a format that made duplication, circulation…

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 misfits from across the booming cassette network in the UK. Filling a c90 cassette and in 1980, available for 60p and a self-addressed envelope direct from the band - we’ve omitted a few tracks where they were by the same band or sometimes where we had no recollections to share. The tape hiss you’ll hear on the music tracks is original, mostly due to the sometimes third generation tape copies that were the sources for the compilation. DISCOVER THE VIDEO You can find videos of cassettes, artefacts and unboxings from the cassette underground on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast IN THIS EPISODE VOICES Martin Franklin Mark…

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 curiosity rather than convention. We track the growth of ICR from a mail-order cassette operation into one of the UK’s most important underground labels of the early 1980s. Starting with cooperative compilation LPs and cassettes, Potter helped connect artists working across abstract electronics, industrial, cosmic music, and experimental sound - including The Instant Automatons, The Legendary Pink Dots, Carl Matthews, The Door and The Window, and many others. We hear how Potter’s cassette duplication service became a crucial infrastructure for labels such as Third Mind Tapes. That practical role also led to deeper…

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 the birth of the UK cassette underground - from isolated bedrooms to West London squats, from hand-dubbed tapes to Rough Trade shelves. It’s the story of how a handful of young people, with almost no resources, built a national community through shared idealism, cheap technology, and an unstoppable desire to create. Finding their tribe with the Labroke Grove hippie-punks circulating around the Here & Now/Frestonia/free festival scene and building their community under the Westway. Here & Now drummer, Kif Kif Le Batteur made his sentiment about the established record industry clear when he named his cassette label…

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 outside of it." Jonathan Barnett of Fuck Off Records encapsulates the revolutionary mindset of the post-Punk movement. Mark Lancaster, Phillip Sanderson, Jonathan Barnett, Colin Potter and others share their experiences of challenging the mainstream music industry through a low key yet radical DIY approach. Snatch Tapes, Fuck Off Records, Deleted Records, Integrated Circuit Records were all part of the wave that shaped a template for what was to come. The narrative explores how musicians rejected traditional music production methods, creating an alternative world of sound and creativity. Cassettes emerged as a powerful…

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 on to define an era of radical sound and design. We focus on some current activities publishing unreleased Muslimgauze recordings, reissuing classics from the Korm Plastics label - and dreaming up outlandish packaging ideas (including a cassette release that came with a pair of custom-designed socks). The conversation also touches on the challenges and joys of running a label across decades, the crossover between Staalplaat’s releases and Geert-Jan’s own Staalplaat Sound System installation work, and the philosophy of making music and art available in ways that resist the digital mainstream. Hosted by Martin Franklin &…

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 VIDEO You can find videos of cassettes, artefacts and unboxings from the cassette underground on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast LINKS Joshua James Amberson/Antiquated Future (https://www.antiquatedfuture.com/) Copy This Cassette (https://copythis.bandcamp.com/) MUSIC Other Worlders "Hidden Energy Positive Light" Aural Canyon https://auralcanyonmusic.bandcamp.com/album/hidden-energy-positive-light Machine Go Boom "When We're Ghosts" Just Because Records https://justbecauserecords.bandcamp.com/album/when-were-ghosts Zeiss Ikon "Cybernetic Anarchy" 2025 Reissue, Magrit Records https://zeissikon.bandcamp.com/album/cybernetic-anarchy Big Fat Head "BoBo Rising" Clean Demon…

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 explains the philosophy behind Copy This Cassette, including its tactile, analogue-first ethos and the importance of short, descriptive "snapshot reviews." We also learn about Blake's deep roots in the world of mini comics, how he taps into regional cassette scenes from the Pacific Northwest to Europe, and the editorial decisions that keep the zine focused and accessible. You can find Copy This on Bandcamp at copythis.bandcamp.com and catch our unboxing video of issue 3 on the Cassette Culture Podcast YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast Keep updated on the Second Edition of "Cassette Culture:…

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 Leary, the artists behind Freakbeat’s unique 3d page design, Club Dog’s rare live cassette releases and the birth of Planet Dog Record’s legendary electronic compilations like Feed Your Head. This episode closes Season One of Cassette Culture—but don’t worry, Season Two is already in production. We’re working on a Bandcamp subscription offer that will give you some exclusive custom cassettes and provide a means to donate to help us keep the reels turning with the podcast. Hosted by Martin Franklin. Theme music: “This Is Concrete” by The Happy Citizen/"Hesatative" Jack Hertz. DISCOVER THE VIDEO You can find videos of…

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 local record shop to trading zines and music through the post, their story captures the energy of a grassroots movement that gave voice to some of the most experimental and influential acts of the 1980s. We explore how fanzines like Tone Death and Grim Humour connected a sprawling network of artists and fans, and how this evolved into Third Mind’s legendary cassette compilation “Rising from the Red Sand”—a defining moment for underground electronic and post-industrial music. The episode offers inside perspectives on artists such as Nurse With Wound, Test Dept, Attrition, and Legendary Pink Dots, while also shedding light on the support…

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 distribution networks that span the World. Bowes and Rider reflect on how out-of-hours Art College facilities, post-punk energy, and the rise of affordable recording technology like the Tascam 4-track empowered musicians to bypass the mainstream and do it themselves. Connecting with our previous episode (EP09 Wild Planet 1983: The World Gets Weirder) with Dave Henderson, writer of the Wild Planet column in Sounds, there’s more about how *The Elephant Table" LP came together. Plus, the usual tales of copying tapes in real-time, mailing music around the globe, and even embedding ZX Spectrum programs onto music cassettes. Hosted by Martin…

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, but soon became a focus for the new breed of cassette artists and labels across Europe. Guitars were OUT, Synths were IN, sunglasses got darker, and the music became.… weirder. Music journalist, curator and label runner, Dave Henderson takes us out on the streets of London in the days when you could bump in to a leather clad Cabaret Voltaire, or find Test Dept. in full force playing an underground station. More than just a music column, Wild Planet became a cultural conduit for artists working outside traditional music industry constraints. Henderson's narrative reveals a vibrant ecosystem of bedroom musicians, experimental…

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 "Why Are you Hear?" Rabbits Wear Boots, Trans Human Distopia (USB key) "Once I Dreamed" In The Wake Of The Witch, Hybryds "From The Papyrus Of Nu" I Am The Eye Of Horus, Hybyrds "Be Mine" Mythtopia, The 7" Remix Album, Hybyrds "Wanderers Without Destinations" Mythtopia, Hybryds (USB key) After the recording session we asked Sandy what the mysterious object was and he let us know that it was indeed a cool mini USB bank card-style device, with a fold out connection to put in a USB port. Like this: https://www.imprintnow.com.au/product/custom-usbs/credit-card-usb More from Hybryds: https://hybrydsmusic.bandcamp.com/…

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…

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…

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…

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 14 nocturnal tracks of ambient, tape collage, industrial and improv, now on Bandcamp. https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/album/premonitions-underground-cassette-network-1989-90 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…

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) AVAILABLE NOW: The project that started it all. "Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989-90" is now home on our own Bandcamp.…

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)…

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…

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) AVAILABLE NOW: The project that started it all. "Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989-90" is now home on our…

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…