In the 1980s, cassette labels played a vital role in the distribution of underground music, most notably in the noise, industrial, and punk scenes of the time. Easy and relatively inexpensive to produce, cassettes became a common format for the circulation of music lacking popular appeal. Although the majors produced cassettes as well, many of the producers of these underground labels saw their DIY business model as a stance against the greed of the mainstream music industry. Connections made through distribution and information sharing among the artists and musicians in these circles helped to establish a network for those involved.
In the age of GarageBand, Myspace, and file sharing, it may come as a surprise to some that cassette labels are still very much in operation. Tapes now function as a basic form of patronage between musicians and their audience; since a physical format is no longer necessary to send or receive music, these objects become a gesture of support. Tapes act to make tangible the connection between a creator and their listeners, and the attentive and often handmade packaging speaks to this exchange. One instance of this relationship is revealed in the description provided for the Gilgongo Records “Singular Set” series, a run of cassette releases recorded directly onto the tape by the musician in an edition of one. Gilgongo’s James Fella explains that for the project, “…the emphasis is on reaching out and sharing something specific with one other person, that an unrepeated portion of time and creation was individually cut and passed on to one other person to hold onto as their own.”
Cassettes also yield a grainy, degraded sound quality, an aspect that has its own appeal. The draw to this sound can be read as a type of nostalgia, Paul Hegarty in “The Hallucinatory Life of Tape” writes:
Within the dying of media comes the passing or slow dying of individual units - tapes, records, cylinders, cartridges - all of which decay, and in so doing, seem to take on characteristics of having lived. Once digital media arrive as ‘other’, as cyborg sound, the analogue seems to breathe, however rasping the sound. Nostalgia and melancholy imbue formats in general and individual items with pneuma (the essential lifeforce or breath of everything in the universe, according to the Stoics).
Thus, the interest in cassette releases today can, in part, be understood as a response to the proliferation of digital media. Within the realm of experimental music, where the sonic and aesthetic attributes of technological decay hold a particular importance and history, one could argue that the current emphasis on cassette releases extends from this lineage, now only heightened by the influence and expanse of digital media. (Perhaps for this reason many of the labels below would fall under the “experimental” or “noise” category.)
In an effort to provide a snapshot of this active community, I’ve decided to compile a list of 101 contemporary cassette labels as a resource. Feel free to insert additional links in the comments field.
American Tapes
Image: The D.L Savings T.X "Cleopatra...Ruler of the Yard"
Yeay! Tapes
Image: Bromp Treb "Bricktown Shuffle"
Period Tapes
Image: Mother Flock, Untitled
Really Coastal
Image: Antique Brothers, "Hot Shit"
Pizza Night
Image: Jeff Host, "In Memoriam: Joybubbles"
Gift Tapes
Image: Brother Raven, diving into the pineapple portal
Night People
Image: Sewn Leather - "s/t"
Young Tapes
Image: Steve Young "Wedge of Light"
Slime City Tapes
Image: Various Artists, "THE BLEND" CASSETTE
Open Range Records
Image: Vesuvan - Swamp Doctor
Drone Errant Cassettes
Image: NIGHTMOVES U.K. "RECORDS & GOLD"
Near Tapes
Image: Knitted Abyss, 'Summer Barn'
Midori Records
Image: the Midori Box Set
Jugular Forest
Image: mirror to mirror, "rerest"
Attic Cassettes
Image: Attic Cassettes
Rayon Records
Image: Mariners/ Head Effort split
Sloow Tapes
Image: Benjamin Franklin, Splitsing
Ruido Horrible
Image: Le Scrambled Debutante
Sky Fi
Image: Dead Luke CS
bumtapes
Image: BURNT HILLS, Blunt Greeper
Ick Ick Records
THE VIBRARIANS, "get out of town"
kindertapes
Image: f\_oeuf, "dieu est un oeuf"
Split Tapes
Image: OLD BLOOD / TWIN LION SPLIT CASSETTE
Darbolistic Rex
Image: BONUS BEAST - RASTAFARIAN BACK SCRATCHER
Trapdoor Tapes
Ark Tarp
Image: JULIE BO, COLLECTED SONGS 2007 - 2009
Tapetektoniks
Image: UUHUU "buch"
Blossom Rust Tapes
Image: kinit her - menial as archivists & bone marrow artifacts
Peasant Magik
Image: Expo 70, White Ohms
Wagon
Image: Emeralds - Smoke Signals
Relax with Nature
Image: Heatsick, "pre-cum fog ballet" & "total afternoon sundae"
Chondritic Sound
Image: Raglani - Vanity Well
Deep Fried Tapes
Image: Super Natural Hot Rug and Not Used - "self titled"
905 Tapes
Image: SOCIAL JUNK - "EIGHT YEARS AGO"
Baked Tapes
Image: Pork Lion - Contact High
Senseless Empire
Image: Trigal - 3 Cruces
Fuck It Tapes
Image: The Wooden Wand & Vanishing Voice - Michel's Portal And Crow Jane Variations
Isolated Now Waves
Image: STARVING WEIRDOS/SHEARING PINX - Split Cassette
Catholic Tapes
Image: BEE MASK/SAM GOLDBERG Split
Mistake By The Lake
Image: ROT TON BONE - WHERE DID YOU GET ALL THOSE ROTTON TONES?
Meudiademorte Records
Image: CONES - "USE YOUR ILLUSION III"
Existential Cloth Recordings
Image: derek rogers & hashem assadullahi - "tape loop sax hiss"
El Tule
Image: Dylan Ettinger - "Bread of the Dead"
Moon Glyph Tapes
Image: Soothsayer - "Neptune's Daughter"
Digitalis Ltd
Image: space dive - "twenty-first century sport"
Sonic Meditations
Image: UMBERTO - "From the Grave"
5nakefork
Image: Leavenworth / Hunting Rituals - "steel city sermon"
Buried Valley
Image: Bonecloud - "XI:XI"
Sick Head Tapes
Image: Skaters - "Dripping Avenues / Wind Drapeing Incense"
Pasalymany Tapes
Image: METIS YETI - "Dear Despair"
Jerkwave Tapes
Image: PINK NOISE - "MENAGERIE"
Bezoar Formations
Image: Sudden Oak-"Causeways of the Sun"
Caligulan Records
Image: Robedoor - Painted Seer
Plustapes
Image: Radius - Scatterbrain Tapes Vol. 1
Goaty Tapes
Image: Caethua/Ancestral Diet - split
FLA Records & Tapes
Image: A Pink Cloud - Gyogyul
Cloud Valley
Image: Unmuzzled Ox - Untitled
Shark Bite Tapes
Image: Yellow Crystal Star - Birds of Vesta
Pendu Sound Recordings
Image: Mialessot - Birds
Hospital Productions
Image: Prurient - Time Began In A Garden
Tired Trails Collective
Image: Harps of Fuchsia Kalmia w/ Delphine Dora-Pantomima Terrrestre
Heavy Tapes
Image: Failing Lights - Dismal Winds
Paradise Vendors Inc
Image: CHEATAHS 'MAGIC WEAPONS'
Suplex Cassettes
Image: An Emergency - 'Wrecked Angles'
Klorofyll Kassetter
Image: Altar of Flies - Eremiten
exbx tapes
Image: Color Dream - Darkslide on the Moon
Two Thousand Tapes
Image: Chen Santa Maria - Live KFJC cassette
hardscrabble amateurs
Image: U.S. Girls - U.S. Girls Cassingle
Rampart Tapes
Image: Walter Carson - Hilltop Reverie
Factotum Tapes
Image: TEETH COLLECTION - "oddities"
NNA Tapes
Image: Jefre Sei Getsu Ledesma "Namu Kie Butsu"
Together Tapes
Image: the moisturizer - 3 headed howl 2
deception island
Image: Chris Benedetto Madak “Bees Removed” , Fragments “Kinetic Sphere”,
Bee Mask “Shimmering Braid”, Skin Graft “Brick in the Mouth of a Corpse”
Twonicorn
Image: Envenomist - Black Bile
The Trilogy Tapes
Image: Field Of Hats - Myriad Features
Oms-b
Image: Matomeri - "im spitting on my grave"
The Rub*A*Dub Tape Club
Image: V/A "The Hello! Project"
Taped Sounds
Image: Steve Hauschildt - Resplendent
Scumbag Relations
Image: Leslie Keffer / God Willing - Split
Abandon Ship Records
Image: Time Life - Open To Both Sides
Not Not Fun
Image: Blank Realm - The Returner
Inverted^Crux
Image: WASTED TRUTH
Lost Ghosts Records
Image: Brendan Sullivan/ Bear & Pieces split tape
Gnar Tapes & Shit
Image: Argumentix - Quest for Faults
Gilgongo Records
Image: JAMES FELLA - "Singular Set" (series) cassette
Must Finish
Image: GIRL TALK -
HONOR AMONG THIEVES
Obsolete Units
Image: Hells Hills - Little Matter Of Death
Earjerk
Image: Drunjus - Chainmail Future
U|H|U
Image: RABBITS 'fur'
Tape Drift
Image: Stone Baby - "Vir Heroicus Subliminus"
Anathema Sound
Image: Robe. - Desolate Mosaic
Hanson Records
Image: Andrew Coltrane - Gongs Of Violence
Housecraft Records
Image: Pink Buffalo - Bearded Tooth
They Live We Sleep Cassettes
Image: TOBIN'S SPIRIT GUIDE - WASTED DAZE
Monorail Trespassing
Image: Marble Sky - Sway
Stunned Records
Image: Fabric/ Sparkling Wide Pressure - Late Clothes / Blue Doorways I - III
Poor Little Music
Image: Rob Michalchuk - Venus
Disappearance
Treehouse People - "Bubble Nuts"
Husk Records
Image: Wretched Worst - Bleeder
RRRecords
Image: Textured Bird Transmission - Recycled Music
Middle James Co.
Image: Fossils - Four Cassette Box
Tapeworm Tapes
Image: Lilypad - The Moon And Air Sparkle
Deep!!
http://www.trashritual.com/
http://lustvessel.blogspot.com/
http://kassettbolagetsvartpyramid.blogspot.com/
Noticeably missing from the list: Hermitagetapes run by Andrew Coltrane and Fag Tapes run by Heath Moerland. Both outstanding and deserving of making a list.
what an amazing resource, thank you Ceci!
A couple label shoutouts
Eggy Records from Portland OR, tapes by Polyps, Golden Hours, Majic Eyes, Dragging an Ox Through Water
Campaign for Infinity from Montreal w/ tapes by Grand Trine, Pink Noise, Red Mass
Natural Resources from Brooklyn http://www.whatnothingpress.com/naturalresources/about.html great Michael Stasis tape
Monster K7 in Paris: http://www.monsterk7.com/
Also, seems weird not to mention hip hop mix tapes in this post – usually cd or download these days but this was a huge part of cassette culture. Hank Shocklee from Public Enemy talks about how he still uses cassette dubs as a compressor effect in his digital mixes. And of course cassettes are still really popular as a format throughout Africa and Asia… definitely not just for Americans with esoteric taste!
[img]http://resipiscent.com/images/covers/warmmarrow.jpg[/img][img]http://resipiscent.com/images/covers/schnuffler.jpg[/img]
Fewer than five still avail at…
http://resipiscent.com
http://www.myspace.com/irmaveptapes
Chicago !
[img]http://resipiscent.com/images/covers/warmmarrow.jpg[/img]
[size=17]Liz Allbee "Warm Marrow" [/size]
[img]http://resipiscent.com/images/covers/schnuffler.jpg[/img]
[size=17]Schnuffler (Gino Robair/Liz Allbee)[/size]
[size=14]Fewer than five of these still avail at…[/size]
[size=16]http://resipiscent.com[/size]
bluegreengold cassettes in the East Village NYC: www.bluegreengold.net
… …. .- .-. . -.-. .- … … . - - . …
bluegreengold cassettes
]3 |_ |_| [- (_, /? [- [- |\| (_, () |_ |).|\| [- ~|~
now available: the real perfections C60 kanovanik C60
upcoming releases with acoustical cave band, hanayo, vox populi,
firehorse…
hello (at) bluegreengold.net
"Cassettes also yield a grainy, degraded sound quality, an aspect that has its own appeal. The draw to this sound can be read as a type of nostalgia"
This is often true, however cassette tapes also have the greatest potential for audio fidelity and luscious sound of all practical audio distribution mediums. Only reel to reel tape can outperform a high end cassette deck with well made real time recorded tapes. The diversity of sound possibilities with the format, eg… every kind of tape sounds different, every deck sounds different, is one its most appealing aspects.
http://www.zapcassettes.com
Georgia!
Black Drink
[img]http://music.calarts.edu/~rchacon/images/Black-drink-tape.jpg[/img]
Smoke Rings
[img]http://music.calarts.edu/~rchacon/images/smokeringstapes.jpg[/img]
available at
http://www.sicksicksickdistro.com
www.beachhouserecs.blogspot.com
http://www.black-horizons.com/
www.phaserprone.com
[IMG]http://i27.tinypic.com/rwi5mo.jpg[/IMG]
Monsturo "POB-66" C-20
[IMG]http://i29.tinypic.com/np2sdu.jpg[/IMG]
Grasslung + Pelerine "Power Visions" C-30
[IMG]http://i26.tinypic.com/dtfg0.jpg[/IMG]
UW OWL "New Birth Of Old Death" C-30
[IMG]http://i30.tinypic.com/24osyuo.jpg[/IMG]
Grasslung "Psychic Venom" C-20
pictures of cassette tapes and related
http://www.flickr.com/groups/k7/pool/
Housecraft Records (USA):
[img]http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d150/713713_/Housecraft.jpg[/img]
http://housecraftrecordings.com/
Sound Maso Records (DE)
[img]http://www.soundomaso.biz/releasepics/smr006/01.jpg[/img]
http://www.soundomaso.biz/
Yaizekletka Records (RUS)
[img]http://i055.radikal.ru/0905/79/f1272293d002.jpg[/img]
www.myspace.com/yaizekletka
SHSS Records (RUS)
[img]http://s44.radikal.ru/i105/0906/94/856bae5cd3a8.jpg[/img]
http://svinokop.narod.ru/
Total Blam Blam (ex-EjTuDirst) (RUS)
http://www.myspace.com/ejtudirst
Hyster Tapes (FIN)
[img]http://s11.radikal.ru/i184/0907/57/97867b3be71f.jpg[/img]
http://www.pcuf.fi/~plaa/hyster.html
Erode Releases (DE)
[img]http://soundomaso.biz/distropics/erode006.jpg[/img] [img]http://soundomaso.biz/distropics/erode007.jpg[/img]
http://erodereleases.wordpress.com/
And don't forget WOWOW, which put out Joe Grimm's awesome Graves (Raves) and the Mirror Phases collaboration of him and Ben Russell that just finished touring. (http://www.myspace.com/thewindupbird)
And i talk like art critics think, Marie Evelyn's cassette magazine whose method of distribution is the secretive dropping into bags of passengers on the subway, hopefully to their later delight. (http://AnalogousProjects.org/likelike.html)
Yaizekletka Records (RUS)
http://www.myspace.com/yaizekletka
ShSS Records (RUS)
http://www.svinokop.narod.ru
Sound Maso Records (DE)
http://www.soundomaso.biz
Housecraft Records (USA)
http://housecraftrecordings.com/
Erode Releases (DE)
http://erodereleases.wordpress.com/
Hyster Tapes (FIN)
http://www.pcuf.fi/~plaa/hyster.html
[img]http://i055.radikal.ru/0905/79/f1272293d002.jpg[/img]
It's the writing on the topic that I'm appreciating here Moss. Good stuff connecting well-researched media discourse to the larger heart pulse of what it means to create, be human… which opens up the channels, invites discussion. The analog-digital analogy - I may never look at a cassette tape quite the same way. You got something going here… and the imagery is fun. Rozolution
I'm totally excited about the response this post has generated, and especially the links/photos to other releases/labels. I thoroughly enjoyed putting it together and these links are great! I thought I'd add some more. There's a radio show out of Austin called c60 that plays exclusively releases from cassette labels:
http://c60radio.wordpress.com/
Also, WNYU's (Make the) Product! plays mostly cassette releases as well:
http://www.myspace.com/maketheradio
For reviews & downloads, check Cassette Tape Superstar:
http://cassettetapesuperstar.blogspot.com/
And Cassette Gods Reviews:
http://cassettegods.blogspot.com/
In response to Nick- this list is not meant to be definitive and it is reflective of my taste. I've been doing a radio show focused primarily on experimental music for a few years now, so I discovered many of these labels through my show. I see this list as a start, and it would be great if you could provide info about hip hop cassette mixes or labels coming out of Asia or Africa that you know about. I do read the "Awesome Tapes from Africa" blog, which is indeed awesome and worth checking out: http://awesometapesfromafrica.blogspot.com/
Keep the replies coming!
Hidden Fortress tapes:
hiddenfortresstapes.blogspot.com
Fast Geek Press / Analog Empire
We put out cassette tape releases by comedians, poets and story tellers, live performances, and bands. Check us out at http://fastgeekpress.com and http://myspace.com/fastgeekpress.
Our latest releases
"Whiskey Wont Cure Clap" - spoken stories by writer Charly "the city mouse" Fasano accompanied by the music of woMANgione and Magic Cyclops. Hand stamped art work and includes mp3 download card.
[img]http://www.fastgeekpress.com/uploaded_images/whiskey-wont-cure-clap-envelope-pic-792147.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.fastgeekpress.com/uploaded_images/Whiskey-wont-cure-clap-tape-pic-side-A-730721.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.fastgeekpress.com/uploaded_images/Whiskey-wont-cure-clap-tape-pic-side-b-730882.jpg[/img]
hey ceci,
i should have prefaced my comment by saying how great this post is – so much to explore here. didn't mean to be negative. i totally get that this is about a pretty specific phenomenon of indie/experimental labels that are choosing to stick with cassettes in the digital era. i just felt the intro, where you set the context for how cassettes have been embraced by music makers operating outside of the mainstream over the years, could have mentioned mixtapes as an iconic example. they filled an interesting place – somewhere between home studio experiments and documentation of live sets.
you can find rips on a bunch of blogs. like this one:
http://djsoulnyc.blogspot.com/search/label/Mixtape%20Wednesdays
this site has an amazing collection of 80s mixtapes taped off pirate radio in london
http://www.mastermix.org/
and for kicks: "MixTapes" by the Nonce
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY5U6vPusEM
in addition to awesome tapes i like this site for african cassette rips:
http://aduna.free.fr/aduna.blog/blog.htm
better link to eggy records:
[img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2485/3873634636_0fff9fbff4.jpg[/img]
YES! thank you we are considering doing an album on 45 vinyls 2 songs one on each side. 45,s are as old school as it gets maybe? a cassette would be available as well i have several bands I,m working with and aRTISTS as well if Seriously interested contact me "bAbylon john." if you google search babylon john john mcardle you,ll find me 4th maybe 5th listing PEACE and peaceful revolution during this consumer based petro-chemical age. ( bows humbly to ALL artists and musicians) A sincere THANK-YOU.
Also check out:
www.highdensityheadache.com
[img]http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/rfb2d/hd-tapes.png[/img]
also, most everything is for either free download or purchase. check it out.
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_peq5a_8p9_4/TAVxV4jJmnI/AAAAAAAAA1o/kyexP62X15Y/S1600-R/galenatape.jpg[/img][img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_peq5a_8p9_4/S8uWBpe2j6I/AAAAAAAAAzY/FxyJ_Hl99Q0/S1600-R/VoicesAporia.jpg[/img][img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_peq5a_8p9_4/S4tLTguow7I/AAAAAAAAAsg/xvnkuSo5xIs/S660/puertoricancrime.jpg[/img][img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_peq5a_8p9_4/Son1JDa_fdI/AAAAAAAAAmE/dAsDxjWe44A/S1600-R/SM001.jpg[/img] fans of stellar music and art on tape should check out: http://www.sanitymuffins.blogspot.com
[img]http://www.adammeyerdesigns.com/sacredphrases/final-stack.jpg[/img]
http://www.sacredphrases.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spit-On-BPM/140778395963165
http://spitonbpm.blogspot.com/
[IMG]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s253/aldobenitez/DSC00213.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s253/aldobenitez/DSC00221.jpg[/IMG]
Afeite Al Perro: www.afeitealperro.blogspot.com
Ozono Kids: www.ozonokids.com
http://spitonbpm.blogspot.com/
[IMG]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s253/aldobenitez/DSC00213.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s253/aldobenitez/DSC00221.jpg[/IMG]
http://soundcloud.com/spit-on-bpm/v-a-mujeres-planta-total-lado-a-spit-on-bpm-casete-1
[img]http://www.torerecordings.com/images/TR003small.jpg[/img]
New cassette release on TORE Recordings. MOUNTAIN LORD is a punkcore band from Memphis, TN.
MOUNTAIN LORD "Reality Is Shit."
www.torerecordings.com
[img]http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/119/l_079fe30dca47469c848afadf75e4450d.jpg[/img]
Lau Nau - "Nukkuu" tape
http://www.myspace.com/launau
on Yaizekletka Records (Russia)
http://www.myspace.com/yaizekletka
It's really fun to remember the good old times… ;-)
[img]http://www.mellotronicarchive.com/MA001.jpg[/img]
Mellotronic Archive
http://www.mellotronicarchive.com/
I went into this particularly large "Dollar Store" in Dryden New York NEAR ITHACA. I was able to purchase cassette tapes of various bands who never made the top billing charts.10-cassettes for a DOLLAR! INSANE! 100's of cassettes! one tape "Gegy Tah" has some peculiar music on it. There must be 1000,s of bands across america. Now every little town in america seems to have a band……..it,s like the lotto now to be a musician and make it. Seeing all these abandoned cassettes had a profound affect on me! Should i use the word affect or effect? Lake effect snow that affected me? OK….anyway……Is there something I,m not getting? A voice in my head saying ["you are just a innocent pawn, you don,t even matter who cares…….you are insignificant. Your persuits are trivial in the scheme of things."] DRUMMER "BABYLON JOHN" [band] "YAK ReMiX" yeah thats me presently, I also write matierial on string, acoustic guitar and vocals, my work is slow…..(voice in my head)—->["You'll never make it in the "REAL" music industry"] there's that pesky voice in my head again…..WHO cares….? Shut up stupid voice! (laughing)
Cool list! Thanks a lot for that…and the people who replied and added even more!
Here's another one:
Econore Records - http://www.econore.com
[img]http://www.econore.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/zoul-vow-eco003-package.jpg[/img]
Zoul - "Vow" / Double Tape in VHS Box
[img]http://www.econore.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/neon_blud-speed-madness-and-flying-saucer_eco012.jpg[/img]
Neon Blud - "The Speed. Madness and Flying Saucers"
[img]http://www.econore.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/mattias_frisk-dod_i_-vantan_pa_liv-eco_006.jpg[/img]
M. Frisk - "Död I Väntan På Liv“
WILHELM SHOW ME THE MAJOR LABEL from Austria:
[img]http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/185867_10150119728052778_171724732777_6273890_5797417_n.jpg[/img]