As people sprawl out on yoga mats on the dance floor of Capitol Hill’s Q Nightclub during the Rare Air ambient/new-age event in February, Portland DJ Max Schneider (aka Incidental Music) fills the swanky venue with deeply resonant and peaceful sounds. From cassettes. Yes, that fidelity-challenged, hard-to-cue format that you thought had been relegated to audio history’s dustbin. But this fact isn’t hindering the crowd from getting their chill on. While the sound lacks the full-bodied richness of vinyl, Schneider’s tapes are getting the job done nicely.
The above scenario is uncommon, but it reflects a trend that’s been building over the last five years: the cassette revival. It’s indicative of the humble tape’s tenacious refusal to go the way of the eight-track. After interviewing several label heads, musicians, DJs, retailers, and consumers who champion cassettes, I can report that the phenomenon, while not exactly ubiquitous, has gained respectable traction and has inspired fervor among music fans young and old…
