CassetteCultureJP06/04/2026
I would call reel dubs collectible if the provenance is solid. Otherwise they are just copies.
The Tape Underground of West Germany, 1983–1987
Before the labels had names worth printing, there was a postal network. This is a map of it — incomplete, like all such maps.
Cassettes moved between roughly twenty addresses. The releases we now treat as canonical are simply the nodes that kept the best records.
The postal logic
Edition sizes were set by how many blank tapes a person could afford that month. Scarcity was not a marketing decision. It was arithmetic.
Comments (5)
IndustrialPragueOG20/04/2026
Frank, is the second recording the one with the Walther microphone? If so this is a small sensation.
NoiseFloorUS24/04/2026
I would call reel dubs collectible if the provenance is solid. Otherwise they are just copies.
IndustrialPragueOG25/04/2026
My copy has the older postal frank, so that lines up with your dating.
NoiseAndArchive15/05/2026
Great write-up. The postal-logic point reframes the whole edition-size debate.