Modern Cassette Artisans
The new generation of creators turning magnetic tape into miniature works of art.
Why Are People Still Making Cassettes in 2025?
Because they’re not just music. They’re experiences.
The music listening experience has come back to life through cassettes in our digital music streaming era. Modern cassette artisans use the ritual of music listening to create new artistic works through sound and design and storytelling.
It’s Not Just Nostalgia
People should understand this movement goes beyond the old Walkman and retro 80s fashion trends.
Modern cassette culture is:
- Artist-owned
- Design-led
- Intentionally low-fi, high-concept
- The production process includes limited runs of materials together with risograph J-cards and hand-dubbed hiss and spray-painted shells and fold-out zines and wax-sealed plastic bags and cassette-shaped USB hybrids.
- The format exists as a combination of punk zine aesthetic and boutique merchandise and artistic item
Strange Daisy Records (New Orleans)
Known for: glitter tapes, obi strips, ultra-limited editions
The Strange Daisy music releases function as exclusive collectibles which reveal another musical dimension. You might get:
“Pizza glitter” shells with red + gold flecks
Neon pink cassettes wrapped in illustrated storybook sleeves
The tape spines display distinct symbols which appear only once in each production run.
The company releases various music genres ranging from ambient hip-hop to math rock in special packages that create a personal connection with listeners.
Each tape should have a hidden quality according to co-founder Emily Duval.
“Something that shouldn’t exist… but does.”
2. Haord Records (UK)
Known for: maximalist absurdity, neon chaos, glitch-pop
Haord releases tapes instead of designing them. Tapes have arrived:
Inside sculpted rubber pouches
With 3D-printed worms glued to the case
In paint-splattered baggies with lo-fi QR codes to “bonus content”
The musical style includes detuned synths and broken jungle and vaporwave skits. Visually? The combination of Lisa Frank design elements with Windows 95 graphics results in a messy visual effect.
Salvador Dalí would probably start an MPC label called Haord if he had access to such technology.
3. Doom Trip (Los Angeles)
Known for: ambient & electronic curation, minimalist beauty
The direction of Doom Trip opposes others by offering a peaceful and artistic selection of music.
Their tapes feature:
- The cassette shells remain transparent while silver foil letters add design elements
- Clean Helvetica layouts on muted pastels
- The musical output includes Fire-Toolz alongside Mukqs and Sangam alongside other ambient luminaries.
- The product represents a sophisticated gallery item that combines musical content with visual aesthetics for decorative display and playback purposes.
The gift shop at MoMA would sell synthscapes designed for haunted aquariums if it operated.
4. Artist-Dubbed: The One-Person Cassette Label
The Bandcamp platform together with Etsy and Instagram serve as venues for independent musicians to operate their own small-scale record labels.
The musicians use their own hands to perform real-time dubbing of their recordings.
The artists use lino blocks or risograph printers to create J-cards for their recordings.
The cases receive decorative elements through paint, collage, fabric and ink applications.
The artists purposefully damage their packages to achieve a worn appearance.
The London-based artist embeds their tapes inside plant containers for two weeks before distribution while calling this process “pre-aging the artifact.”
These are tapes with soil, sweat, and soul.
Collector Culture: Scarcity + Story
Modern cassette collectors maintain their status as curators instead of hoarders.
Each release is:
- Limited (often 10–50 copies max)
- Non-digital (sometimes no downloads at all)
- Conversation-starting (“Wait… this came in a felt bag shaped like a lung?”)
A certain level of enigma exists inherently within the cassette format.
Does the recording contain additional tracks that listeners cannot access? The manufacturer intended this tape to experience distortion during playback.
Is that… a real tooth glued to the case?
It’s not just merch. It’s modern folk art.
A2D2 Stream: The Analogue-to-Digital Bridge
The majority of people do not possess vintage cassette decks.
That’s where A2D2 Stream steps in.
Through A2D2 Stream you can convert any cassette player into a wireless streaming device which connects to your modern speakers for playing tapes through:
- Bluetooth speakers
- Wi-Fi setups (Sonos, AirPlay, Chromecast)
- Wireless headphones
The A2D2 Stream device enables you to hear hand-painted burial-aged doom cassettes through your Sonos system while preserving the natural hiss. The tape deck of the future is available now.
Where To Find Modern Cassette Art
Local zine fests, noise shows, and art book fairs
Final Thought
The musical trend of cassette culture remained alive despite various attempts to eliminate it. It evolved.
Into something more human. More intentional. More physical.
Cassette artisans create music background noise to declare that music should be something you can hold and listen to with intent.
In a world where music is background noise, cassette artisans are saying:
“Hold this. Listen closely. This is yours.”
Related blogs:
→ Top 5 Most Obscure Cassette Releases
→ Lost Tapes and Collector Conspiracy
→ The Patina Plugin Review