GDR Undergroundtapes 1980-1990

tapetopia is a series of releases based on cassettes from East Germany’s 80s underground, particularly from the East Berlin Mauerstadt music scene, featuring original layouts and track lists. For over 30 years after their initial “release” the music on these tapes was neither available on vinyl nor CD, but they were important statements in the canon of the GDR subculture. Despite the miniscule number of original cassettes in circulation at the time many of the bands were popular in countercultural circles, a factor that made them highly suspect among the government’s own inner circles. tapetopia is run from Berlin by Henryk Gericke.

The cassette GDR Undergroundtapes 1980-1990 contains a fine selection of tapetopia releases 001-015. Heinz & Franz, The Local Moon, Tropenkoller, L’Ambassadeur des Ombres, Klick & Aus, Corp Cruid, Neu Rot and others can be found on this hand numbered edition of 120, which comes with liner notes by tapetopia’s Henryk Gericke.