Label
La Mamelle Tapes (Audiozine)
San Francisco experimental music label documenting sound poetry, electroacoustic works, and avant-garde performances on cassette during the 1970s.
About
La Mamelle Tapes (Audiozine) was an experimental music and sound art label based in San Francisco, operating primarily in the mid-to-late 1970s. The label focused on cassette tape releases, reflecting the format's accessibility and DIY ethos central to the underground and experimental music community of that era. La Mamelle's catalog emphasized avant-garde and experimental work, including sound poetry, electroacoustic composition, and community-engaged audio projects. Notable releases document collaborative performances, radio broadcasts, and interdisciplinary artistic practices, such as the "Variety Theater: An Anthology of Sound Poetry" series and recordings from KPFA's community radio programming. The label's aesthetic aligned with the broader experimental and industrial music underground, prioritizing artistic innovation and accessibility over commercial appeal. As both a record label and audiozine, La Mamelle Tapes functioned as a documentation platform for San Francisco's vibrant avant-garde scene, preserving ephemeral performances and experimental practices during a formative period in underground music history.