Label
Broken Skull Tapes
Early 1980s underground cassette label specializing in experimental and industrial electronic music.
About
Broken Skull Tapes was an underground record label active during the early 1980s, operating primarily within the experimental and industrial music communities. The label specialized in cassette tape releases, a format that aligned with the DIY ethos and accessibility of the era's avant-garde music scene. Between 1981 and 1983, Broken Skull Tapes released at least eight items, predominantly cassettes featuring experimental electronic and experimental music artists. Notable releases include Ultimate Visions Suppressed! and Dreams Of Reality (both 1981), Negative Hallucination and The Electronic Sylvia Plath (1982), and shiny bits and 39 minutes (1983). The label also published associated magazines including Broken Skull Product and The Broken Skull, suggesting an integrated approach to artist promotion and community engagement beyond recorded music. Though limited documentation exists regarding the label's specific geographic base and founding details, the catalog demonstrates Broken Skull Tapes' commitment to supporting fringe experimental artists during a formative period for cassette culture in underground music. The label's output reflects the aesthetic concerns of post-industrial and experimental music communities of the early 1980s.
