Reminiscing old music's history by listening and enjoying cassette tapes like how they used to be could be a very interesting thing to do. Especially if you got someone old enough to portray you a glimpse of what it feels like to be at those times. But more than just some seasoned nostalgic movements or so, this old-school music trend already started to bloom among the youth somewhere in 2010 throughout Japan. There were some notable retro-culture movements in Japan. Youths are slowly toning down their pace and looked back at what they've missed through time. Amplified by the growing technology in terms of music, 70s-80s Urban City Pop genre starts to bloom again. A gate for youths to explore some of the high end music from the past. This emergence of digital music streaming platforms amplifies this comeback and soon-to-be a global fenomena not only in Japan. Digital platforms like Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music etc. allows people to access larger and larger music options globally. This triggers a wider aspect of retro culture.
This comeback of old-school music influenced the shiftings in current popular culture. Suddenly everyone's crazy for vintage stuff. The 30 years old fashion trend is a thing now. Thrift stores pops out everywhere, and the social media provides new business opportunities.
Following this old-school trend, people demands a deeper and dedicated sensation. This is where the cassette tape fenomena kicks in. The flawless modern audio quality from digital devices didn't fulfill people's demand for true retro styled sensation. Imperfections like noises, muffled sound, risky maintenance, and the tape flipping requirements, brings an identic feels. It feels like you've traveled back in time.
Even the current modern music industry tries to bring back this old method. Latest releases from newborn artists are starting to be produced in physical forms like cassette tape and vinyl records. Not just the recordings, but the music itself also imitates the 70s-80s popular genre like soft rock, disco, funk, doo-woop, gospel, and psychedelic rock. We can see examples from the Indonesian music scene like Diskoria, Leilamanino, Goodnight Electric to name a few. Even the legendary Fariz Rm, a star from the 80s-90s era, gains back his fame because of the demands of this current retro-culture.
The Legacy and Unifications
Who'd expect this complicated technology could be brought back to live? Or maybe they were never dead entirely? Lou Ottens, the inventor of this technology passed away recently. He left us a wonderful invention. Allows access for anyone to enjoy the art of capturing and replaying memories in the form of sounds. This 50+- years old technology had its ups and downs. But I'm sure that a legacy will always find their way to be remembered. Just like this reappearance of cassette tape culture.
Music didn't just capture the music itself. Music is a cultural manifestation that never fails to capture moments. It's a mesmerizing opportunity to witness people start to listen to music older than them. From this new trend, you can see a rare view where 3 generations could actually sing along to the same song. It unites music taste, fashion, even language stylistics from different generations. Old stories always found their way to be unlocked through mutual interest amongst generations. Those stories could be inherited and forever live on. At least the story of a cassette tape.
