Label
Cassette Factory
Independent 1980s cassette label championing experimental tape-based music and DIY underground sound art.
About
Cassette Factory was an independent record label active during the 1980s, operating as a vital outlet for experimental and avant-garde music during the cassette era. Based on its release catalog, the label demonstrated a strong commitment to the cassette format as both a creative medium and distribution vehicle, embracing the DIY ethos and aesthetic possibilities inherent to tape-based music production. The label's roster included artists working in tape manipulation, home recording, and experimental sound art, with releases featuring playful, conceptually-driven titles that reflected the era's underground cassette culture. Notable releases include works by Flanders, whose prolific output on the label between 1983 and 1985 showcased various approaches to tape-based composition and home recording techniques, as well as the "Tape Concerto" series. Cassette Factory's significance lies in its documentation and promotion of the experimental cassette underground during a period when this format served as the primary medium for independent artists and musicians operating outside mainstream distribution networks. The label's emphasis on cassettes as an artistic format rather than merely a commercial one positioned it within the broader European underground music community.