Do it yourself! On cassette
Cassette culture in the Netherlands.
The Allard Pierson Studio always hosts a small exhibition on a topic from our music collections. Currently on display: Do it yourself! On cassette. Come and listen to the clips in the Studio, the free-to-access space next to the Espressobar.
Do it yourself! On cassette
Before YouTube and Spotify existed, or even CDs, music enthusiasts listened to their favourite songs on cassettes. This nostalgic medium, and the do-it-yourself cassette culture of the last century, take centre stage in the exhibition ‘Do it yourself! On cassettes’.
In the Netherlands, De Radiola Improvisatie Salon marked the beginning of cassette culture. In this pioneering VPRO radio programme, Fluxus artist Willem de Ridder asked listeners to submit music or other sounds on cassette. These recordings were broadcast uncensored on the radio. For many creative artists, this opened their eyes to the fact that the cassette and the four-track recorder were ideal devices for self-releasing music – without interference, uncensored. It marked the start of a thriving cassette culture, often featuring alternative and experimental music.
Many of these released cassettes were reviewed in the 1980s by music journalist Oscar Smit in the pop magazine Vinyl, and through him these cassettes were included in the Allard Pierson’s music collection. This collection has now been digitised and can be listened to on the website of our partner Diggin’ Demos.
This three-part series on cassette culture in the Netherlands concludes with Carcassettes: the independent Dutch cassette label and musicians’ collective. In 1996, the first set of four Carcassettes was released. On these, musicians from various groups collaborated to make music independently of record labels and thus with complete creative freedom: unique sets, experimental tracks, anything was possible. It was yet another demonstration of the cassette as a DIY medium. Fifteen years after the 39th Carcassette, a box set featuring four new Carcassette releases will be released in September 2026.
The cassette is back!