I previously completed a project based around club/electronic music that referenced the vinyl 12" single throughout. The use of records was to anchor the project to DJ culture and, initially, I felt that this particular project might also want to take some inspiration from the format. Certainly, visual clues have been taken from sleeves from the specific genres/eras to inform the design outcomes. However, after considering the importance of pirate radio to the music forms that make up Reynolds' Hardcore Continuum, I considered what might be the preferred formats for end users. And while vinyl has long had cult status and 'muso' appeal, the widespread and possibly more 'democratic' format has to be the humble tape cassette.
The cassette is interesting in terms of its ability to capture the more spontaneous aspects of individual scenes: radio transmissions and DJ club sets. In fact, the inexpensive copying of these contributed to an increased distribution network for the discussed sounds. So while a London pirate radio station might only be received within the capital, broadcasts could reach even wider audiences once recorded and exchanged. As for DJ sets, the black market for seamless mixes of the scene's more popular disc jockeys grew to such an extent during the early 1990s that record labels began to produce their own, officially licensed versions to capitalise on this interest.
What is interesting now is just how the cassette has recently been embraced as a cult format. For younger listeners it is perhaps a curiosity due to both the increased rarity of tape players and what is generally poor sound quality. For older individuals, it will have nostalgic associations with youth plus an interactive, DIY aesthetic that long preceded the internet. Perhaps if you look closely enough, you can see the blueprint for Spotify encased in a TDK C-90. Elsewhere on the web, you will still find many MP3s labelled as 'mixtapes'. So there is, I think it's fair to say, a real cultural legacy here. And one that isn't exactly being ignored in 2010.
While the above examples [respectively a Nano case, a USB hub and a storage device] are simply borrowing an iconic form, others have reverted to the cassette for its original purpose.
Will Bankhead created some great packaging alongside Ben Drury for the Mo Wax label but has more recently switched attention to his The Trilogy Tapes endeavour. In addition to carrying out some enviable work for other music clients, he issues cassettes compiled by a selection of interesting people. A couple have been put together by Salford resident Dan Dwayre a.k.a. Black Lodge.
Anyway, I'm considering using the format of the tape in some way as part of my deliverable. I think that there are a number of aspects to it that could be explored and exploited in a creative way.
