Portland Mixtapes

DJ mixes and mixtapes from one of the Pacific Northwest's most fiercely independent underground music cities, digitized and restored from original cassette tape and CD recordings.

Portland in the 1990s was best known nationally for its grip on indie rock and alternative culture, but underneath that reputation a parallel electronic music scene was building in the city's warehouses, industrial spaces, and late-night venues. Geographically positioned between Seattle to the north and San Francisco to the south, Portland absorbed influences traveling up and down the West Coast while developing a local underground identity that was very much its own - smaller and more insular than its neighbors, and all the more tight-knit for it. The city has nurtured a thriving underground electronic music scene since the 1990s, and while it may not be recognized on a global scale, Portland promoters have long been bringing in talent on par with what's expected in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City.

These tapes document a city that the history books haven't fully caught up with yet. If you were part of the Portland scene in this era and have memories, context, or corrections to share, please contact me - this archive is for the community as much as it's for the record.