Back in the mid-1980s, I started GAJOOB Magazine with a simple mission: to give a voice to home-recording artists and DIY musicians who were creating music outside of the mainstream. Long before platforms like Bandcamp and SoundCloud, GAJOOB was a printed zine (later evolving into a website and compilation series) dedicated to cassette culture, home studios, and the underground creative energy bubbling up around the world.
Over the years, I’ve received thousands of tapes, CDs, zines, letters, and recordings from artists who were crafting sound in bedrooms, basements, and garages. These weren’t just submissions — they were conversations, experiments, and deeply personal expressions. I’ve always felt that this archive is a living document of independent music history.
Now, decades later, I’m building a new web app to breathe life into that archive in a new way.
Introducing the GAJOOB Player Web App
The new GAJOOB Player is more than just an audio player. It’s a tool designed to dynamically share and explore this unique archive of independent music. Artists and songs are searchable by album, year, label, genre, and more. You’ll be able to embed curated playlists anywhere using shortcodes or filters, highlight songs from specific scenes or eras, and even shuffle your way through the depths of the underground.
It’s still early days, but this project is deeply rooted in the original GAJOOB ethos: discovery, connection, and celebration of DIY music in all its strange and beautiful forms.
Why This Matters to Me
Creating this platform feels like a natural continuation of GAJOOB’s original mission. So many of the artists I featured over the years are still making music, or have left behind work that deserves a fresh listen. I want this app to be a space where new generations can stumble across something weird, wonderful, and totally outside the algorithm.
It’s about preserving legacy, yes — but also about igniting new curiosity. I can’t wait to share it with you.
