Cassette tapes are the new vinyl
Tapes blast a sound that’s just as warm as the crackle and pop of vinyl
When the Selmanaires self-released the Tempo Temporal EP in January, pressing the songs on vinyl was not an option because of simple economics. So they decided to buy scores of blank tapes for 50 cents apiece and dub them by hand. But why would a band in the year 2010 go through all of the trouble of hand-assembling such a clunky, antiquated format, just to offer an alternative to the CD? “It was cheap,” says Selmanaires guitarist/keyboardist Herb Harris. “We’re all disgruntled with the way CDs sound and how easily they get scratched, and we wanted an analog form of the music. Vinyl is expensive, so it became a DIY affair.”
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The cassette version of Tempo Temporal offers a far richer listening experience than the CD. The analog quality of the music blends with the tape hiss, translating into a subtle but audible difference. Tapes blast a sound that’s just as warm and distinctive as the crackle and pop of vinyl, and the trend is catching on. Over the last few years, other local acts such as Deerhunter, the N.E.C., Wizard Smoke and Brainworlds have released cassettes as well, most of which have sold out to small but enthusiastic audiences.
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(Photo by Chad Radford)