The Cassette Tape that Spawned a Genre: C86 and the Birth of Indie Pop

Before the release of C86 in 1986, the British underground was dominated by New Wave music, Gothic Rock, and leftover straddlers from the Punk scene. When C86 was released, the underground barreled into a whole new layer of earth. Utilizing the same ideals of the punk movement, the pioneers crafted gentle, innocent pop music that sent the critics raving.

C86, in reality, was nothing more than a cassette tape released by New Musical Express in 1986. The intention of the tape was to showcase musicians on independent labels that were doing innovative music. Unlike its predecessor, C81, which unveiled many different musical styles, C86 had a more specialized point-of-view. The majority of the artists did light, jangly, guitar-based songs that brought memories to many critics of The Byrds, an influential American band of the sixties and seventies.

The tape, and subsequent tour that followed, shined light on a scene that was previously relegated to fanzines with square-mile circulations. Bob Stanley, a critic for Melody Maker, a hugely popular music mag of the time, sums it up nicely. He calls it the beginning of Indie music. Surprisingly, the majority of the bands featured on the album did not go onto sustainable success. Yet, C86 has greatly influenced many bands of today, leading to the creation of C06, an Internet album made only of artists who identify with C86 as an inspiration for their music.

Indie Pop, the ideal and the music, inspired musicians globally. K Records, an American record label, is modern replica of the C86 spirit. It's a rebellious, DIY label that features or has one time featured many low-fi, guitar-based musicians including big names like Modest Mouse and Beat Happening. The creators of the label, and many musicians on it, have collaborated with early Indie Pop musicians of the C86 era. Also, Kurt Cobain of the hugely successful band Nirvana, was a big champion of K Records, going so far as to tattoo their logo on his forearm.

Today, surprisingly enough, Sweden is said to have the largest, C86-inspired scene. The most successful independent record label of the country, Labrador Records, only signs Indie Pop artists, many of whom name drop C86 as inspirations. Of course, you can still find many Indie Pop musicians in the UK and US, but Sweden is where they go to be loved. Many of them find success over there where they gladly tour.

Sources:

Wikipedia Entry on C86
Wikipedia Entry on Music of the United Kingdom (1980s)
Wikipedia Entry on Indie Pop
Indie MP3 article on C06
C86: A History and Personal Perspective
Wikipedia Entry on K Records
Guardian Article on Swedish Musicians
Indie MP3 article on C86