Snatch Tapes
Images: Philip Sanderson, early '80s (photo by fellow Storm Bug Steven Ball), The cover of the Snatch Tapes catalogue and a Snatch Tapes flyer, both c. 1980.
Snatch Tapes was founded by Philip Sanderson in 1979. The first release was Snatch 1, the first of three cassette compilations that included amongst others David Jackman, Storm Bugs, Alien Brains, and the Lemon Kittens. Individual releases by Storm Bugs, David Jackman and Claire Thomas & Susan Vezey followed (Thomas and Vezey were in fact Philip, a ruse that almost won him a Cherry Red vinyl contract before it was found out that the female experimentalists were a fiction). The last release on Snatch was a David Jackman tape in 1981. The label went into hibernation for 20 years before being reactivated for the release of the Storm Bugs' CD Let's Go Outside And Get It Over. Philip's extensive catalogue of currently available material can be found at his Bandcamp page (Snatch Tapes).
Philip wites, September 2026: "Snatch Tapes is a label started in 1979 by Philip Sanderson (a member of the experimental electronic duo Storm Bugs). The label was one of the very first cassette labels to focus on DIY and electronic/experimental music and soon became part of the UK Cassette Culture scene. Releases included compilations (Snatch 1-3) and solo tapes showcasing amongst others: Storm Bugs, Sea of Wires, Cultural Amnesia, Graham Massey (later of 808 State), Orior, David Jackman (Organum), Lemon Kittens, Alien Brains, and Claire Thomas & Susan Vezey. The label paused in 1982 but was reactivated in 2000 and now features new CD, tape and digital releases. Many of the original releases from 1979-82 have been re-issued on CD and vinyl on labels such as: Vinyl on Demand, Fusetron, Klanggalerie, Harbinger, Sub Rosa and Cherry Red."
See also: cassette culture