Cassette Cultures: The Past and Present of a Musical Icon

by John Z. Komurki

From videos by Frank Ocean to the “Guardians of the Galaxy“ movie, tapes have become increasingly prominent in cinema, advertising, and, of course, the music industry. And as tape sales in the US grew by 74 percent last year, it is time to address past, present and future of the “Compact Cassette“ as icon of popular culture. New generations of individuals, record labels and DIY communities are rediscovering its unique characteristics, adapting them to a contemporary context. In the age of soulless MP3s and similar digital formats there is a real appreciation for the physical qualities of an item that can be collected, exchanged and individually designed. This volume covers themes such as recording and design, “distro“ as distribution source, interviews and provides a step-by-step manual to conducting own tape experiments.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2019

Reviews

[Jeremiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read! Eclectic and nostalgic and hopeful. Awakens the creator in me.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

a really interesting glimpse into the world of cassettes, how they're manufactured, the different ways we've used them, and how their meaning within society has changed over time. i particularly loved the design of this book in terms of its graphics and imagery; however, i think i would've liked to read more about the original cassette culture itself during the 70s/80s. cassette cultures touches on a myriad of topics, but none of them are explored in any particular depth - great for the subjects i was less interested in, but it left me wanting more from the subjects i did care about.

[Jim Doran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book, which serves as both a fun reminiscing history of this magnetic medium and a pulse taking of its continued importance.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read about the origin of cassettes to their use today. This book talks about the impact of cassettes (and boomboxes) on hip-hop culture, the way that underground musicians formed networks of tape trading, and even the nuts & bolts of the way cassettes work. The thesis of this book is that cassettes are more than just a nostalgia item - for some musicians, they prefer recording on cassette for the more unique and rich sound it can provide. The book can get a little bogged down in its own esoteric prose, but it's overall a fascinating and informative read!

[Winnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read.

For someone who grew up basically addicted to cassettes as the main format of exploration of both music and audio in general, being able to nerd out about the technicalities and cultural impact of cassettes was just great.

Everything you need to know about cassettes and more.

[Jehnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So very German.
Exactly what it needed to be with a dash of random digressions.