Cassettes and Vinyls

The past couple of days have been steeped in indulgent nostalgia, I must say. Being reacquainted with the old in the sense of that return to the past through silhouettes of memory, brought back the sweet scent of dust on my uncle’s LP’s and the pride I felt when I got my first Walkman.

I didn’t know much about the technicalities of the recording mechanisms and formats of vinyl and cassettes back when I was younger, but I later discovered that vinyl records and cassettes are analogue recordings, as opposed CDs which are digital recordings. And audio connoisseurs have been grappling with issues of preference for the sound produced by these recordings, with some vying for CD’s and other digital recordings while there are disciples of the old analogue sound produced by vinyl formats.

The vinyl format has always been popular among hi-fi enthusiast, DJ’s, collectors and music aficionados. These people consider the vinyl record to be the ‘true release’ and the general opinion remains that the format has a richer and more interesting sound. Sadly, I cannot vouch for that because the equipment I used to play these recordings was always of a bad quality.

Ok, over the years, I soon learnt that in my home stereo, the CD player takes a digital recording and converts it to an analogue signal, which is fed to my amplifier which then raises the voltage of the signal to a level powerful enough to drive the speaker.

Then I had to come to grips with the science that says that a digital recording is not capturing the complete sound wave. That it is approximating it with a series of steps.

Eventually I discovered that the grooves carved into the vinyl record mirror the original sound's waveform. That meant that no information was lost. That must be a good idea, I thought.

But as is, I still have that indelible pleasure of listening to these two formats on some even worse equipment.

Yet I cannot help but feel privileged that I still have a collection of vinyls and cassettes and memories of the rituals associated with playing them.

And more so, I am glad I have the ‘flawed’ nostalgia that entails the rewind sounds of the cassette player; a marvellously lulling aura, filled with a speaking hiss or that shrilling screech that leaves one temporarily cringing.

I loved the crackle of the needle on the vinyl; the dust bursts that huff through the speakers, as well as the scratches, the loops that accidentally result from them.

All these are what I recall about the beauty of these formats. Nothing technical really, because I still haven’t the pleasure of advanced equipment to use for listening to these magnificent recordings beside that aged Blaupunkt Turntable at Uncle Gatyeni’s house.

Affinities with certain songs and musicians which my uncle listened to, is inextricably tied to recollections of family gatherings and life events that are tattooed to my mind. Those concomitant sounds have moulded my musical appreciations, sonic preferences and aural leniency.  

Above all the minor pleasures of the soundscapes I encounter with Cassettes and Vinyls, the ultimate physical experience on the other hand of holding a piece of art in itself as the affirmation that the formats are vintage and worth preserving for generations to come.

The mainstream vinyl renaissance is taking the music industry by storm, and an upswing in vinyl sales has seen a lot of musician, contemporary and classic have their music resuscitated into an invigorating arena of vintage exposure.

The resurgence of LPs "is largely attributed to the type of people who place a premium on traditional recording formats and the overall listening experience," says Bloomberg.

From re-mastered releases of old Jazz classics, to artists such as Erykah Badu, I love Trains and Godspeed You Black Emperor pressing vinyls for their fans, in a world of disposable digital files, and utilitarian CDs (that just end up getting ripped anyway), a record is more and more becoming a beautiful object to collect.

Undeniably, the audio on vinyl records has become more nuanced, more natural, and more continuous. Warmer, purer, richer. Well - “truer” is the adjective that vinyl records advocates use, and with that I cannot disagree. Take for instance the orchestral verve that encapsulates Coltrane’s Solos on Kulu Se Ma, or Miles’ In A Silent Way with its sibilant yet verbose strokes of keys wailing in what could be a cathedral.

Even the thudding rhythms crashing after kettle drum rolls stand bold in an air that seems claustrophobic to the sound itself.

Another factor which contributed to the attractiveness of the vinyl format was the ability to record music from vinyl directly onto cassette.

Such escapades made one a tad famous among his adolescent peers especially when these mixtapes became sort after by ladies.

So vinyl created some first mixing legends, DJ’s and sample fanatics.

And being fan of turntablists such as J Dilla, who in his time developed a crazy record collection, which he utilised to craft his anthems; I think it also time that musicians start to collect each other on vinyl for sampling purposes.

I think a good sample is as good as its source, so let’s get scratching but keeping the wax intact and shelved for posterity and of course, nostalgia.

Now sitting here, watching the needle trace the groove, Isaac Hayes’ signature keys and pedalled guitars sling past my ear.

Sibilant transitions provide a tremendous amount of goose bumps after a hiatus with a melody’s sweep.

I wonder if my collecting passion supersedes my musical appreciation sometimes, but either way, the act of hoarding art is one of my weaknesses.

It is weakness my ears’ gluttony can never shake.