23/07/2025
Today, we’re very excited to unveil Daniel Johnston ‘In the 20th Century’ - a cassette box set with 16 re-mastered albums representing Daniel Johnston’s output in the 20th century. The box set includes the 16 cassettes, a hand screen-printed box featuring Daniel’s drawings, and an exclusive Daniel Johnston mystery toy.
Praised by critics and revered by artists from Kurt Cobain to Tom Waits, Daniel Johnston’s influence can be traced to a series of homemade cassette tapes he began circulating in the early 1980s. Recognizing their importance, Jeff Tartakov began managing and signed Daniel to Stress Records in the mid-eighties to not only help distribute, manufacture, and preserve its handmade spirit but to help the music reach the broader world.
Much like the collapsible paint tube that sparked the Impressionist movement, the cassette tape democratized music-making, enabling untrained voices to share uncensored emotional truths. As a label founded on cassette releases, we are proud to present Daniel Johnston In the 20th Century, a definitive collection of 16 remastered cassette albums, lovingly restored by longtime collaborator Kramer (Shimmy-Disc). The set is housed in a hand-crafted wooden case, screen-printed with Daniel’s artwork, hand-numbered in a limited edition of 999. It also includes a mystery toy exclusive to this box set from the New York based art toy gallery Clutter in conjunction with Lunch Lady Studios.
Johnston’s work endures not only for its originality, but for its honesty—and its unmatched emotional reach. He remains the patron saint of lo-fi music and the unlikely hero of a generation seeking beauty in imperfection. Today, that legacy also lives on through the Hi, How Are You Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mental health awareness and education, inspired by Daniel’s life and art.
Daniel Johnston ‘In the 20th Century’ cassette box set will be out on 10/31. Through the end of July, the box set is on sale for a discounted $190. On August 1, it’ll go up to $200. Pre-order now at the link in our bio!
Photo Credit: David Fair