The Color Tapes label launched in 1982 and was the brainchild of a 16yo Gary Ramon after being inspired by cassette labels such as Fuck Off Tapes, Weird Noise and other UK DIY labels, and also by the music of the late '70's and early '80's such as Cabaret Voltaire, Suicide, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Throbbing Gristle, Fad Gadget, as well as electronic musicians such as John Cage, La Monte Young, Stockhausen, Pierre Henry, Moondog, and hip hop electro pioneers Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash that were being discovered after the Kraftwerk assault with "The Man Machine". 

The label relaunched in 2014 with "Cold Waves of Color" for a series of vinyl & CD compilation albums taken from the labels 1980's archives and select reissues from a choice of more than 75+ albums. 

The majority of these tracks are electronic based music made by synthesiser, drum machines, sequencers, EMS VCS3, Minimoog, Korg MS-20, Roland Juno 6, TR-808, TB-303, DMX and Linn Drum, so you know how they could sound. Machines that today fetch high prices and are in electronic museums or big collections. 

All the tracks are remastered from original analogue source tapes by Denis Blackham, and these are must-have recordings for electronic, synth and cold wave collectors. 

"Great stuff. A worthy companion of the "Cold Waves : Minimal Electronics" and "Mutazione" cd's. Anyone who is a fan of Cabaret Voltaire/Human League/Throbbing Gristle/Robert Rental/Chris & Cosey/Coil era electronics will find something they love on this." - ★★★★★ Amazon

"This retrospective is well overdue. As you might expect, much of the material sounds like a cross between early Depeche Mode, curious Italian coldwave and proto- EBM. Pleasingly all the material has been remastered by legendary engineer Denis Blackham, giving the original analogue sounds a whole new lease of life. Essential stuff" - Juno

"A must have collection of English post-punk rarities sourced from the
legendary Color Tapes label" - Boomkat review

Liminal shit outside the obvious. Not on Spotify. Mostly here for me.

Followers of Tea With Matty