Allard Pierson saves ‘almost forgotten’ cassette tapes from oblivion
There are surely very few UvA students who have ever seen a cassette tape – let alone played one! Nevertheless, the Allard Pierson University Museum is putting these old-fashioned audio formats in the spotlight over the coming months with the exhibition Do it Yourself! On Cassette, which is free to visit. Through this, the museum aims to bring ‘an almost forgotten chapter in Dutch music history’ to the attention of a wider audience.
Since early September, a small exhibition on cassette tapes has been on display in the space behind the Allard Pierson’s Espresso Bar. Through four information panels and nineteen audio clips, it paints a picture of Dutch cassette culture from the 1980s and 1990s. The aim of the exhibition is to show how cassette tapes – which are hardly used at all these days – played a leading role in the development of a distinctive Dutch music scene.
Do-it-yourself mentality
Due to their low production costs, cassettes were a popular medium in those years for maverick musicians who wanted to do everything themselves: from recording to releasing their music. A scene of experimental, unpolished and sometimes raw music emerged.
The exhibition highlights the various aspects of that DIY ethos. For instance, bizarre homemade packaging is on display, such as a black-painted egg carton wrapped in barbed wire and an empty milk carton. You can, of course, also listen to the music, for example, excerpts from the Radiola Improvisatie Salon: a VPRO radio programme where cassettes were played without being listened to beforehand.
One of the stories featured in the exhibition concerns the Carcassettes collective, which calls itself ‘the world’s most independent label’. Its releases were passion projects by musicians from (at the time) well-known bands such as JOHAN and Daryll-Ann, who wanted to release music without having to take into account the commercial considerations of their labels. The result was a large collection of quirky tracks – under witty band names such as ‘Javawafels’ and ‘Egg for 60’ – five of which can be heard in the exhibition.
Unique national heritage
Music producer Casper van der Lans rediscovered the Carcassettes a few years ago and set in motion the process that ultimately led to them being housed at the Allard Pierson Museum. He believes ‘that the music (…) should be accessible to the current generation, so that it can continue to inspire people to enjoy recording music at home’. His plans are highlighted in the exhibition’s epilogue, in which a new generation of musicians reflects on the possibilities of cassettes. Tomorrow, they will present a new release by the Carcassettes at the De Nieuwe Anita concert hall.
The same intention to keep cassette culture alive underpins the exhibition as a whole. On the Allard Pierson’s website, the tapes are described as ‘unique national heritage’, but at the same time ‘an almost forgotten chapter in Dutch music history’. The exhibition serves as a reminder that there was once a thriving world centred around this small audio medium – a vibrant scene in which nothing was too outlandish to be recorded on tape.
Do it yourself! On cassette is on display until 31 March in the Studio at the Allard Pierson, located next to the Espressobar. Admission to the exhibition is free.
