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
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
VIDEO
You can find videos of some of the amazing fanzines and cassette releases that drop through our letterbox on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast
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
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