Cassette Culture18 Mar 2025

Universe Of The Wyrd: The Cold Spring Story

At the forefront of Industrial and dark electronic music since the 1980s, Cold Spring Records emerged from the cassette underground to become a significant independent record label.

We unpack the story of label founder Justin Mitchell, an underground music dot connector who started in the UK tape trading and mail art networks, and working within the influential Temple Of Psychic Youth.

Cold Spring stayed close to it’s underground ethos to become a respected purveyor of the strange and the obscure, championing artists like Genesis P.Orridge, Psychic TV, Coil, Satori, and taking in releases by giant talents like William Burroughs, Lull, Merzbow, Mark Almond, British Electronic Foundation along the way.

Along the way, we explore the label's transition from cassettes to vinyl and CD, the importance of context and curation in their releases, and the organic way in which Cold Spring has connected the dots to create a universe of the wyrd.

Episode hosted by Martin Franklin
Theme music: ”This Is Concrete” The Happy Citizen

DISCOVER THE VIDEO
You can find videos of cassette tapes, artefacts and unboxings from the cassette underground on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

MUSIC

Rabbits Wear Boots “Why are you here?” Trans-Human Dystopia, 3Rio Art

Hybryds “Wanderers without destinations” Mythopia, 3Rio Art

Psychic TV “Unclean” Live, INRI, Cold Spring cassette (CS 001)

Angels Ov Light and Thee Angry Love Orchestra "VI” (CS002)

William Burroughs, Brian Gysin, Genesis P. Orridge, extract from “Interview & Readings” Cold Spring (CS006) cassette

The Hafler Trio & Willem de Ridder “Report”, ...And The Wolf Shall Lick The Jewels From Your Belly… Cold Spring (CSR 1LP)

Sandor Kalios “Northern Tale” ANS Electronic Music, Cold Spring

Sleep Research Facility “B Deck” Nostromo, Cold Spring

The Horses Of The Gods “John Barleycorn”, John Barleycorn Reborn, Cold Spring

The Sea Of Wires “The Nightmare continues”, The Sea Of Wires, Cold Spring

LINKS

Cold Spring Records
https://coldspring.co.uk/
https://coldspring.bandcamp.com/

Rabbits Wear Boots
https://rabbitswearboots.bandcamp.com/

Hybryds
https://hybrydsmusic.bandcamp.com/

"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989 - 90" SoundImage Tapes cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

Podcast produced by Martin Franklin for East Coast Studio (https://eastcoaststudio.com.au/)

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