Cassette Segreta

“Colors Under the Counter”

In the shadows of The Hague, somewhere in a cigar shop, a hair salon, or a snackbar, you could buy illegal cassette tapes filled with the hottest tracks from the Haagse Flitsende 50.But these weren’t radio recordings. No DJs talking over the intro, no static, no “coming up at number one!” These were the full, original tracks—transferred straight from vinyl to tape. Illegal? Definitely. But who could resist those beats? Every month, a new tape appeared. “Haagse Flitsende 5-tig – April ’85.” And the sleeve always came in a different color. Bright red. Blue. Yellow. A rainbow in a shoebox.

The tapes cost just a few guilders and sold like hotcakes over the counter—or more often, under it. You had to know the right password. Or drop a familiar name. Then the seller would disappear to the back, returning with that colorful little gem. For many young people, these tapes were the only way to access the new sound from Italy, Germany, and the UK. Italo disco, hi-NRG, synthpop—those gems the mainstream radio barely touched, but that took on a life of their own in The Hague.

And so, a secret scene emerged. A kind of musical underground, full of color and rhythm. Every tape was a time capsule. Every color, a memory. And even though it was forbidden, to many it felt like something bigger: a soundtrack of freedom, friendship, and secret deals.

A sonic journey through the underground gems of the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s — from the neon-lit clubs of Italy to the rave scenes of Germany and the UK. Italo disco, hi-NRG, synthpop, classic house, and early 2000s trance come together in a nonstop mix of rhythm and nostalgia. Inspired by the era of colored cassette tapes and secret tape swaps — full tracks only, no filler, just pure retro energy.