A Feast Of Experimentation

“Window Shopping” Storm Bugs

“Hodge” Storm Bugs

1979, The First  Snatch Tape

Tapes Received

Jhon Balance and Cultural Amnesia

“Cultural Amnesia Dub”

Cherry Red Records

“Ashes & Diamonds” Claire Thomas

30 Minutes from Rough Trade

David Jackman At The Door

Alien Brains Nigel Jacklin

Abandoned London

“Song” Nigel Jacklin

Snatch 3

Time To Move On

Aeroplane Tapes

An Alternative Channel

Wasted Talents

Credits

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 farcical chain of meetings and the eventual confessions.

As Snatch Tapes gathered momentum, a loose but vibrant network formed around it. Contributors included Lemon Kittens, David Jackman, Nigel Jacklin, The New Blockaders, Cultural Amnesia, Beach Surgeon, N4’s, Alien Brains and more.

Yet by 1981, after three intense years, Sanderson chose to step back. The label passed briefly to David Jackman before dissolving into the wider flow of 1980's cassette activity.

Looking back, Sanderson identifies 1980 as both the peak of Snatch Tapes and a high-water mark for the cassette underground’s visibility. For a fleeting moment, it seemed possible that DIY cassettes might become a genuine alternative channel for direct music distribution.

Featuring recollections from Philip Sanderson, Gerard Greenway and Nigel Jacklin, this episode documents a formative chapter in UK cassette culture.

 

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

 

LINKS
Snatch Tapes: https://snatchtapes.bandcamp.com/
Goldsmiths University Electronic Music Studio: https://sites.gold.ac.uk/electronic-music-studios/
Cultural Amnesia: https://culturalamnesia.com

IN THIS EPISODE

VOICES
Martin Franklin
Philip Sanderson
Gerard Greenway, read by Sean Holland (joinedupthink.co.uk)
Nigel Jacklin, read by Robert Hayes

MUSIC

“Call” Orior, Snatch 3 (Snatch Tapes 1981)
“Window shopping” Storm Bugs, Table Matters (1979)
“Hodge” Storm Bugs, A Safe Substitute (Snatch Tapes)
"N4s” N4s, Snatch 1 (Snatch Tapes)
“Cultural Amnesia Dub” Snatch 2 (Snatch Tapes)
“Ashes & Diamonds” Claire Thomas, Snatch 3 (Snatch Tapes)
“Reprint 2” Claire Thomas & Susan Vesey, Reprint (Snatch Tapes)
“Soley From” Storm Bugs, A Safe Substitute (Snatch Tapes)
“Untitled” Alien Brains, British Interiors,   1982
“Song” Nigel Jacklin, Snatch 3 (Snatch Tapes)
“Under Press Of Sail” Claire Thomas & Susan Vesey, Snatch 1 (Snatch Tapes) 1980
“Bright Waves” Claire Thomas & Susan Vesey, Reprint (Snatch Tapes) 1980

Many thanks to Jonny Zhivago and the invaluable resource for underground music that is Die Or DIY (https://dieordiy2.blogspot.com/)

FIND US
https://cassetteculturepodcast.com

SUPPORTERS
Help us keep Cassette Culture alive! This podcast is enabled by generous supporters who gift a small monthly contribution toward the costs of researching, producing and publishing each episode. You can become one of them at:
https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

 

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

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&rsquo;s Electronic Music Studio
Central to the story is Sanderson&rsquo;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&amp;R figure Mike Alway, sought to develop the duo into a full vinyl release, the elaborate fiction began to unravel in a farcical chain of meetings and the eventual confessions.
As Snatch Tapes gathered momentum, a loose but vibrant network formed around it. Contributors included Lemon Kittens, David Jackman, Nigel Jacklin, The New Blockaders, Cultural Amnesia, Beach Surgeon, N4&rsquo;s, Alien Brains and more.
Yet by 1981, after three intense years, Sanderson chose to step back. The label passed briefly to David Jackman before dissolving into the wider flow of 1980's cassette activity.
Looking back, Sanderson identifies 1980 as both the peak of Snatch Tapes and a high-water mark for the cassette underground&rsquo;s visibility. For a fleeting moment, it seemed possible that DIY cassettes might become a genuine alternative channel for direct music distribution.
Featuring recollections from Philip Sanderson, Gerard Greenway and Nigel Jacklin, this episode documents a formative chapter in UK cassette culture.
&nbsp;
Hosted by Martin Franklin. Theme music &ldquo;This Is Concrete&rdquo; by The Happy Citizen
DISCOVER THE VIDEO You can find videos of cassette tapes, artefacts and unboxings from the cassette underground on our YouTube channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast">youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast</a>
&nbsp;
LINKS Snatch Tapes: <a href="https://snatchtapes.bandcamp.com/">https://snatchtapes.bandcamp.com/</a> Goldsmiths University Electronic Music Studio: <a href="https://sites.gold.ac.uk/electronic-music-studios/">https://sites.gold.ac.uk/electronic-music-studios/</a> Cultural Amnesia: <a href="https://culturalamnesia.com">https://culturalamnesia.com</a>
IN THIS EPISODE
VOICES Martin Franklin Philip Sanderson Gerard Greenway, read by Sean Holland (<a href="https://joinedupthink.co.uk">joinedupthink.co.uk</a>) Nigel Jacklin, read by Robert Hayes
MUSIC
&ldquo;Call&rdquo; Orior, Snatch 3 (Snatch Tapes 1981) &ldquo;Window shopping&rdquo; Storm Bugs, Table Matters (1979) &ldquo;Hodge&rdquo; Storm Bugs, A Safe Substitute (Snatch Tapes) "N4s&rdquo; N4s, Snatch 1 (Snatch Tapes) &ldquo;Cultural Amnesia Dub&rdquo; Snatch 2 (Snatch Tapes) &ldquo;Ashes &amp; Diamonds&rdquo; Claire Thomas, Snatch 3 (Snatch Tapes) &ldquo;Reprint 2&rdquo; Claire Thomas &amp; Susan Vesey, Reprint (Snatch Tapes) &ldquo;Soley From&rdquo; Storm Bugs, A Safe Substitute (Snatch Tapes) &ldquo;Untitled&rdquo; Alien Brains, British Interiors, &nbsp; 1982 &ldquo;Song&rdquo; Nigel Jacklin, Snatch 3 (Snatch Tapes) &ldquo;Under Press Of Sail&rdquo; Claire Thomas &amp; Susan Vesey, Snatch 1 (Snatch Tapes) 1980 &ldquo;Bright Waves&rdquo; Claire Thomas &amp; Susan Vesey, Reprint (Snatch Tapes) 1980
Many thanks to Jonny Zhivago and the invaluable resource for underground music that is Die Or DIY (<a href="https://dieordiy2.blogspot.com/)">https://dieordiy2.blogspot.com/)</a>
FIND US <a href="https://cassetteculturepodcast.com/">https://cassetteculturepodcast.com</a>
SUPPORTERS Help us keep Cassette Culture alive! This podcast is enabled by generous supporters who gift a small monthly contribution toward the costs of researching, producing and publishing each episode. You can become one of them at: <a href="https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe">https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe</a>
&nbsp;
Cassette Culture is produced by Martin Franklin for East Coast Studio (<a href="https://eastcoaststudio.com.au/">https://eastcoaststudio.com.au</a>)

The stories of the global underground movement that shaped experimental music and culture, told by the artists that were there…

For two decades during the '80's and '90's, the international mail system fostered a network of underground artists, exchanging cassette tapes of music and homemade artwork – all under the radar of mainstream media. Taking the DIY message of Punk as a jumping off point, we travel through the network to find the creators of the fanzines, the music, the labels and events.

The stories of the global underground movement that shaped experimental music and culture, told by the artists that were there&hellip;
For two decades during the '80's and '90's, the international mail system fostered a network of underground artists, exchanging cassette tapes of music and homemade artwork &ndash; all under the radar of mainstream media. Taking the DIY message of Punk as a jumping off point, we travel through the network to find the creators of the fanzines, the music, the labels and events.

Cassette Culture

The stories of the global underground movement that shaped experimental music and culture, told by the artists that were there...

For two decades the international mail system fostered a network of underground artists, exchanging cassette tapes of music and homemade artwork - all 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.

Hosted by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham | Podcast produced by East Coast Studio

Find us on www.cassetteculturepodcast.com

The stories of the global underground movement that shaped experimental music and culture, told by the artists that were there...
For two decades the international mail system fostered a network of underground artists, exchanging cassette tapes of music and homemade artwork - all 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.
Hosted by Martin Franklin &amp; Hudson Graham | Podcast produced by <a href="https://eastcoaststudio.com.au/">East Coast Studio</a>
Find us on <a href="https://www.cassetteculturepodcast.com">www.cassetteculturepodcast.com</a>