8 Tracks: The old technology that can fit in your pocket — and connect worlds
The cassette is not only a tool of communication but also one of creation. This week on 8 Tracks, NPR Music's Lars Gotrich celebrates new music released on his favorite format.
8 Tracks is your antidote to the algorithm. Each week, NPR Music producer Lars Gotrich, with the help of his colleagues, makes connections between sounds across time.
The cassette is a tool of communication. From metalheads eager to hear obscure demos and Deadheads trading live tapes to boomboxes blasting hip-hop and go-go on city blocks, this compact audio format invented by Lou Ottens in 1963 not only gave listeners the opportunity to share music but also information... some of which fueled revolutions.
In his book , Marc Masters gives a necessary account of how the cassette was made and its crucial role in the democratization of sound and information. Throughout its early chapters,
