My 80s Cassette Massacre is a personal archive project. I’ve long felt the need to open the vault on some early recordings that shaped my creative path. All from the 1980s.
These lofi cassette relics, captured alone or with kindred spirits in dimly lit rooms, pulse with the melancholy spirit of the early 1980s through to the end of the decade. They were never meant for release—just raw, analogue sketches on cheap tape, driven by obsession, isolation, and the glow of synths in the dark. Some pieces are from Strange Silence, a band I formed in 1983 that lived briefly on stage, and others are experiments born in the static of that time.
Expect hiss, distortion, and emotional residue. The fidelity is low, but the atmosphere is real. These tapes weren’t polished—they were exhaled.
The first chapter is Monday Loves Friday Volume 1, songs created in collaboration with Chris Gaskell circa 1989.
‘Monday Loves Friday’ is the moniker I gave to the duo, Chris and I. The tracks on Volume 1 are Chris compositions sung and produced by myself. We both played keyboards as well as drum programming. Gaskell had been in a local Melbourne band, The Prostitutes, which evolved into ‘Soulscraper’ in the early 90s. The latter, very much in the ‘Nine Inch Nails’ mold, quickly developed into a sort after band. Personal politics shortened their, what could have been, imho, a brilliant future before it had time to develop further.
Anyhow, he and I, both Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys fans, found common ground and a friendship ensued. His writing at the time reflected the later and I think this comes through on the 3 songs.
I have more volumes to come, each one a flicker from the past, imperfect but alive. Most of the remaining songs are compositions from myself.
Please follow my Spotify page to be notified of more My 80s Cassette Massacre releases soon.
Find the first release, Monday Loves Friday Volume 1, on Spotify
UPDATE 24, April 2025
Current playlist-
The Greatest Lie (In the 80s mix)
The Happiest Face
Picture
Radio Intro
You Know Best
All You Ever Do Is Watch
Love is a Poison
‘MADE IN THE 80S’ is a Spotify playlist I've created on which each release will be added.
