Cassette Culture

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 performers, and avant-garde creators who were reimagining what music could be.

A must-listen for music historians, cultural enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the raw, uncompromising spirit of artistic innovation.

DAVE HENDERSON
A UK based music journalist, editor, curator and label runner, Dave has a rich variety of roles within the UK music industry. These include running the New Talent stage at Glastonbury Festival, Managing director for Q, Mojo and Kerrang!, creating labels Dead Mans Curve, X Tract and currently running Cherry Red sub-label, Righteous

Hosted by Martin Franklin
Theme music “This Is Concrete” by The Happy Citizen.

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)

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

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

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.

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.

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 sample library of road drill sounds. His early meeting with Justin Mitchell of Cold Spring Records led to his music finding a worldwide audience.

Hosted by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham.

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